Page 41 of Under Dark Skies

He had never been so fucking fired up about anything.

"Malcolm did what?" he asked her heatedly.

She struggled against the weight and position of his boot on her neck. "He-he sent others," she gasped for air and continued. "Sent to infiltrate PEACE." Both of the would-be assassin's hands pushed against his foot to no avail.

"S-supposed to derail," she gasped again.

"Any hope for peace," Rafe cut her off and smirked sarcastically.

He shook his head and aimed a fist in her direction. "If I let you go, are you going to play nice? I would hate to get my other hand dirty."

She nodded her head, but as soon as he let some pressure off her neck, she grabbed it and tried to twist his ankle. "You're as good as dead, asshole!" she shouted.

Rafe got hip to her jive real fast and pressed down even harder, pushing her back onto the cold concrete. "Fucking untrustworthy cunt!"

As he watched her fight against the sole of his boot, he realized that he was getting to her. Her floundering became less over the time he held her down, so he kept her there for good measure, to teach her Lesson 101, 'don't fuck with me.'

While the crazed animal scuffed her heels against the floor, he scanned the cavernous room and found Layla. She was standing, scared beyond death, in the corner of the station with her hands and back against the wall, grimacing. She looked like a cat that had just been thrown into a tub of water.

Trying hard not to chuckle at the sight of his fated love, he looked back at his assailant.

While some of her story doesn't quite ring true, she does know way too much to be making it up. Too many coincidences.

She isn't as smart as she is stealthy.

"Damn it!" he said and removed his boot from her throat, then turned away from her.

Big mistake. Rafe felt a sucker punch in his right kidney that nearly sent him flying.

She went to hit him again, but he turned and swiftly grabbed her wrist, twisting her arm behind her. He wrapped his free hand around her neck to keep her in place. "Look, bitch! I'm NOT doing this anymore."

"Well, I am!" She stomped her foot down and delivered a painful blow to his toes.

Rafe twisted her arm tighter and she yelped her agreement. "All right, motherfucker!" She wrestled herself from his loosened grip and spun around, shooting daggers at him with her eyes.

He made no attempts to restrain her, but instead kept a wary eye on her in case she would try something again. "I can trust you about as much as I trust an eskimo trying to sell me a lemon-flavored snow cone," I said to her with a discerning glare. "You know that, right?"

She rubbed her arm and glowered at him. "That was a bit much, don't you think?" she sneered and finally put her arms down. "Never mind."

"What's your name, soldier?" he asked her hatefully. "I'd like to know how to address you besides bitch or cunt while I fill your empty head with truth."

"Fuck you!" she growled, scanning the area. She must have remembered who she was talking to and thought better of her nasty tone because she changed it right quick. "Ivy. Ivy Jenks," she replied, still agitated and continued to watch him. She glanced over to Layla, then back at Rafe. "And I am a bitch."

"You got that damned right," he blew out a whistle and rubbed a hand through his hair. "I'm going to catch you up to speed."

"I already know all I need to know," Ivy spat back at him.

"Apparently not. Your so-called boss, Malcolm, is trying to start a race war between wolves and humans. A war like this is going to blow up and before you know it every metahuman is going to be dragged in. Supernaturals are going to be fighting humans and the whole world will go up in fire!."

"No shit, Sherlock," Ivy sardonically replied. "Who doesn't know that?"

"Not sure, but I do know Griffen wants peace, and only peace. The upper echelon of PEACE is working with him toward that end. The corruption begins with the subordinate ranks and they are working for Malcolm, infiltrating various levels and other organizations, just as you said."

He paused for a moment to allow his words to sink into her thick-headed skull. "But what you may not know is that Arrianne Delane is working with Malcom against Griffen."

With that announcement, Ivy's eyes popped wide open in utter astonishment.

"I'm telling you," he sighed, shaking his head. "Nothing you think is what it seems. Everyone is working at some sort of a double cross. We don’t know who to trust."

---