Page 43 of Chasing Hope

Thunder rumbled over the sea, causing Mahika to shriek in fright.

‘Stop sucking face you guys.’ Anjana said, sounding vexed. ‘Hope, Mahika is going to get us into trouble with all her screeching and squealing. I warned you, bringing her along was not a good idea.’ She hastened in their direction, her heels clicking on the wet concrete.

Ethan rocked back and yanked up his hood, not wanting to reveal his identity. He let go of Hope and her sneakers hit the slippery ground.

‘Don’t be such a snob, Anj. Just ‘cause I’m not a female version of Tarzan like your highness here, that doesn’t mean I’m useless.’ Mahika sounded equally ticked off. Hope sighed and turned around to face the ever-quarrelling duo.

The muscles in Anjana’s face tightened. ‘I don’t argue with idiots. They will just lower me to their level then beat me with experience.’

Mahika gave an unladylike snort. ‘Please, I could eat a bowl of alphabet soup and shit out a smarter statement than that.’

‘Look, Mahi, I think you would be of great help if you put a sock in your mouth and stayed put.’

Mahika slammed her hands on her waist and tilted her head way back to glare at her opponent. ‘Look, Anj, if you could just bend down to my height you’d notice that I don’t give a fuck about what you think.’

‘Jesus, Mary and Joseph,’ Hope groaned and slapped her forehead as her friends continued to bounce accusations at each other.

A slice of moonlight cascaded down on Ethan, wrapping around him an aura of heightened interest. In that moment he looked so beautiful Hope could scarcely breathe.

‘Wow. Nice teamwork you have going on there. From where I stand, I think you have a killer backup. Guess you won’t be needing my assistance.’ Ethan’s breath floated past her forehead, blowing her wayward curls in its wake.

Hope cocked her head and smirked. ‘I’d like to see things from your point of view, but unfortunately I can't get my head that far up my ass.’

Ethan’s body stiffened at the remark but he gave her a lacklustre smile to cover up his irritation.

The battle of words continued as each one got on the other’s very last nerve.Squabbling like a group of spoiled teenage cousins at a family function, hellbent on making the event a miserable affair.

Some team they made.

They collectively collapsed into silence as the raucous sound of an engine stormed past them. The air crackled with electric energy. Alert, they stood frozen on the spot. Only harsh sounds indicated that they were still breathing.

‘It’s time,’ Hope said, sucking in a sharp breath. Lightning struck and dark clouds split open with a peal of thunder. An icy trickle of dread crawled up her spine. Tension swirled around them as the huge tanker continued to roar, waiting for warehouse shutters to open. Instantaneously on guard, Ethan spun around and leapt into action. ‘Stay here.’ His voice was taut with warning. As usual, ignoring him, Hope pressed forward intending to gain entry into the warehouse. Ethan grunted and seized her wrist. ‘Hope, I—’

Hope grabbed him by the collar and hauled him forward. Their faces were mere inches apart. Hope’s face flushed a deep red. ‘Look, Mr I-Can-Do-It-All-By-Myself, we are here as a team. We are here on our own accord. Nothing you say or do will change our minds from helping you bring down that motherfucker. So, either you tell us what needs to be done, or I will hand over the reins to Mahika.’

Hope watched in triumph as Ethan’s features shifted from anger to utter disbelief. Blissfully ignorant, Mahika spun around, her eyes wide with wonder. ‘All these colourful containers stacked one on top of the other remind me of Legoland in Dubai,’ Mahika said with childish candour. A flash of lightning set the sky ablaze, followed by a roll of thunder. Jumping out of her skin, Mahika smothered her scream and shrunk into Anjana’s side.

‘She’s freaking the shit out,’ Anjana said on a tired sigh. Giving up, she hugged Mahika, consoling her with words of courage.

Ethan swallowed, probably sucking in his panic. Hope bit down on her lip to suppress her victorious laughter. Moments later, he finally seemed to pull himself out of his state of shock. His smouldering eyes met her and goosebumps drifted along her skin. Keeping his temper in check, Ethan made a forceful effort to lower in tone.

‘Right now, you want to throttle me, don’t you?’ Hope grinned as if it was a good thing. She raised an eyebrow and assumed a regal pose. That ruffled his feathers. It was crazy how with a minimum effort she could rile up this six feet of solid muscle.

Ethan shut his eyes and dragged in a long breath. ‘You are driven by a pathological need to disobey instructions. With you around there are always problems coming down the pike.’

Sharp-witted, Ethan knew he had no option left. Stiff-backed, he switched into serious mode. Anjana and Mahika trooped towards them. He gave a swift nod as Hope made a quick round of introductions.

‘MM, it’s an honour meeting you,’ Mahika said. With a twinkle in her eyes she clasped his hand in a double handshake, intending to never let go. Hope cringed inwardly. Her friends did not know the extent of MM and Hope’s relationship. Or rather, Mahika chose to ignore the obvious. Hope grinned, who could blame her? Ethan naturally owned that sort of charm. Ethan cleared his throat. A flush ran up her neck and Manika withdrew her hand.

‘MM.’ Anjana pumped his hand, before thumping him on the shoulder. That was Anjana for you. Brisk and to the point.

Obeying his silent command, they all huddled close as he formulated a plan. Quickly and efficiently he delegated tasks for each one of them and in no time they set in motion their game plan.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Act 1:If you can’t beat them, join them

Taking cover behind a docked ship, Ethan cast a glance as his first crew member enacted her part. Fluttering her eyelashes and bursting into giggles Mahika effortlessly grasped the attention of the two guards stationed at the opening of the warehouse.

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