by Milly Taiden
“What? No way—” Sheldon stepped back from her reaching hand.
“Sheldon,” she yelled over the jet’s slowing engines, “there are twenty women and children on this plane who will be sold into slavery and sex crimes if this jet leaves this airport. I’m not allowing that to happen. Now give me your gun.”
Without further argument, Sheldon lifted his gun to her hand. She turned toward the pilots, weapon aimed at them. She fired four shots, breaching the windshields, making the plane too dangerous to fly. It wasn’t taking off any time soon. When the pilots peeped over the dashboard, she pointed to the loading area and building. They had no options. They had to go back. The guy with the weapon was gone.
Pride soared through Bryon at what his mate had done. She had put her own life in danger to save complete strangers from a horrible existence. Her heart was as big as any he’d ever seen. And she belonged to him.
CHAPTER 34
Kari stood on the roof of the rented vehicle staring down the plane stopped in front of her. Any normal person would’ve passed out from fear. Shit. She should’ve been rolling on the ground—her knees being too weak to hold her up.
But she wasn’t.
Her body was fueled with energy. She felt incredibly strong, righteousness giving her courage, but also stealing her common sense to not stand in front of a jet rolling down a runway.
Really, though, the jet would stop. No way could it take off after smashing into a car. The front landing gear would be torn to shit. The pilots knew this and, she had no doubt, they would back off. This game of chicken was over before it began.
The hijacker didn’t know she had been called the Chickenator by the kids on her block while growing up.
One of the older boys used to bully the younger kids on her street. On a cold day before she turned twelve, she stood with her bike at the end of the block. Billy the Bully was picking on her next-door neighbor kid. She yelled at him to leave the kid alone. Billy’s head snapped around to see who had called him out.
“Well, if it isn’t Scary Kari, scaring everyone with her fat, ugly face.” Billy sneered then laughed. She’d had as much as she could take of the bastard. She got on her bike and pedaled toward him. She was going to show him she wasn’t scared of him anymore.
Billy picked up his bike lying in the neighbor’s yard and pedaled directly in her path. “You wanna play chicken, Scary Kari? Let’s rumble.” Their eyes met and locked. Neither giving an inch. She figured the worst that could happen was they crashed into each other and got bumps and bruises. She could live with that to make Billy leave them alone.
Kari hunkered down over the handlebars, her new aerodynamic helmet strapped on tightly. Seconds before they crashed, she saw the fear in his eyes. Someone was standing up to him, not cowering in a corner. She’d let him have it.
A moment too late, Billy turned his front wheel to the side and she crashed head-on into him. Her helmet slammed against his forehead, effectively knocking him out cold. Her bike bucked, throwing the rest of her body over the bikes and rider in front of her. She landed on her butt on the other side of the collision.
Her neighbor kid ran to her, mouth gaping, eyes as wide as basketballs. “Oh my god, Kari. You killed Billy.”
The boy bled from the nose and his cheek had a scratch. She saw his shirt move up and down; that was a relief. “No,” she said. “I just knocked him out.”
The kid stared between her and the bully lying on a bent bicycle as if watching a tennis match. “Wow. That was awesome. You weren’t scared of him. You’re the Chickenator. You ate him up and spit him out. I gotta tell everyone.” Well, she was afraid, but she contained that fear and did what she had to do to protect those she cared for.
And she’d do the same here, except it was her versus a jet.
As it turned out, Billy had a broken arm and wasn’t allowed to ride his banged-up bike anymore. So unless he walked, he wouldn’t be coming down their street much. And Billy wasn’t much for walking or anything else that required a bit of exertion.
Her biggest hurt came when she tripped over the curb and skinned her knees. She was used to that, so no biggie.
Now she stood on top of a car instead of bicycle telling the bully where to go—back to the garages. Once she put four bullets into the windshield, the pilots were happy to accommodate her signal to go back. This plane was not taking off.
As the plane started moving in the right direction, she was yanked off the hood of the car, the gun taken from her hand. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Bryon hollered.
Sheldon joined in his love in shouting at her. “Shooting at a plane is a federal offense, you know.”
“Good thing we’re in Cloustien, then,” she replied as Bryon held her in his arms. Sheldon harrumphed and got into the rental. As he slid into the front seat, his knees slammed into the steering column.
“Careful, I moved the seat up. I got short legs,” she said.
Sheldon looked to grumble under his breath, but she heard every word. A thought hit her. “Bryon, when you bit me, you said it was to claim me as yours forever.” He nodded and kissed her head.
“Yes, and now I’m going to kill you for that stunt,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, but listen. Did your bite do more than just claim me?” she asked.
His brows rose high. “You’re gonna blame me for you suddenly going crazy and facing down a plane?”
She huffed. “No. Let’s get back to the tarmac and arrest these guys.” Riding back to the main building, she thought about the sudden and dramatic change in her thoughts, trust in herself, and physical prowess. Not only had Bryon made her his mate, but he had also enabled to her to be a better person inside and out. She wondered if she’d be able to shift. She’d have to ask when they were alone.
The plane came to a stop in the same place it was when she and the guys had arrived. The man driving the company truck they were in parked next to the metal building housing the jets. Bryon put his hand over an ear with the headphone, pressing the speaker closer to his head.
“Damn. Not good,” he said.
“What?” The plane had powered down and they were rolling the portable stairs to the door. What could possibly go wrong? They had them.
“I was afraid of this,” he said. “The man on board is threatening to kill the women if they don’t get another jet for takeoff.”
“What?” She wanted to kick herself. Why hadn’t she thought of that before? Duh. Must be the lack of water, food, the vomiting, battling a demon, solving puzzles to save their lives, and turning into a superhuman that made her a little tired.
She dropped her head into her hands and groaned. This wasn’t how it played out in the movie she had made in her head. It was supposed to be an HEA—happily ever after—ending. The bad guys would be arrested, the hostages set free, and the heroine got the guy.
Sheldon knocked on the passenger-side window of the truck, scaring the bejesus out of her. By the frown on his face, he’d heard the news, too. Bryon opened the door.
“You heard,” her mate asked.
“Yeah, one of the managers told me he was to prep the other plane. They are giving in to the traffickers’ demands.”
“No!” she cried. “They can’t do that. Don’t they see these women are in danger already?”
“I doubt they know anything about the crime ring,” Sheldon answered. “By the casualness of the employee who told us they were on the plane, it seems like it might be a normal thing to have a lot of women fly out together.”
Her heart squeezed. So many more women and children were out there, praying to be found and released. Or simply wanting to die to end their misery. Bryon put an arm around her and scooted her closer to him.
“Hey, now. You’ve done all you can to help these people. I haven’t heard from the military commander yet, but they
should have the warehouse surrounded and be arresting the men involved. You’ve saved hundreds there alone.”
She glanced up from her hands. “We saved them. I never would’ve gotten through that damn wall if you hadn’t yanked me out. By the way, with all the walking and lack of food, I think I’ve dropped ten pounds.”
“That’s okay. We’ll get those back on you in no time and I can pound, suck, and lick, every inch of you.”
That sounded great to her. They needed to get home ASAP.
“Okay, guys.” Sheldon still stood outside the truck. “It’s getting a little too mushy for me. We still have a problem to take care of before you two go off and mate like rabbits.” Sheldon sighed. “We don’t need twenty dead women on our hands.”
While she talked naughty with her new lover, her brain churned in the background. Now she trusted herself to come up with solutions that didn’t have numbers involved. She let herself relax and let both sides of her brain mesh and do their thing. If she could’ve done this in the water trap and the rocks, maybe they would’ve gotten out of it much sooner.
“No, we don’t need any dead people,” she said. “Sheldon, what color is your wolf?”
“I’m solid black. Why?”
“I have a plan.”
CHAPTER 35
Bryon knew his mate was a fucking genius, and maybe a bit crazy, but this was a great plan. As long as he and Sheldon didn’t mess it up. So many things could go wrong. The private airport crew worked feverishly to ready another plane for the traffickers and their booty. All he and Sheldon had to do was lie around and look pretty.
Well, as pretty as a wolf can be with vibrant colored scarves tied in bows around his neck, feet, and tail. He was so glad no one else would ever see him like this. His wolf was not happy at the moment.
He lay in the plane’s aisle between the cockpit and main compartment, waiting for the action to start. Sheldon was hidden in the back of the plane in a dark kitchenette area next to the toilet.
He heard someone coming up the stairs to the plane’s front entrance. Male, by the smell. With a gun. Fuck. One of the traffickers. The guy who stepped in was dressed in an expensive suit. He must’ve bathed in exotic cologne. It was strong enough to make a wolf gag. The guy looked down at him.
“There’s a fucking dog in here. Fucking hell?” Americans? These fuckers were from the same country he was. His wolf wanted to jump up and tear out the bastard’s throat. Bryon had to remind it that the opportunity for that was coming later.
The pilot turned. “He belongs to me. He’s trained. You won’t even know he’s here.” Bryon gave the man his best puppy-dog eyes and wagged his bow-covered tail. Humans were suckers for it.
“Yeah, fine. He doesn’t look dangerous. Kinda cute, if not for the damn bows and shit.”
A voice outside the plane piped up. “What the fuck is going on up there, Heady? Is the plane secure or not?”
He hollered out the door. “Give me a second to check the back.”
This was the do-or-die moment. If this guy, Heady, saw Sheldon hiding in the back, they were done for. They’d left the lavatory door open with the light on to distract the bad guy from the dark kitchen area. Bryon held his breath. Please let this work. Please let this work. Please—
The man glanced in the lav, slammed the door shut, and his eyes skimmed the area above Sheldon’s body, not looking down over the countertops. Thank the gods for little miracles. The guy then turned and headed up the aisle. He yelled out the door, “All’s clear. Get them up here.” Feet clomped closer to him.
For the plan to work, one of the men needed to stand in the back of the plane, preferably with his back facing the lav so Sheldon could jump out and take him down. But the man stood up front shoving the women and kids down the aisle.
“All the way to the back,” he said. Person after person he pushed, treating them as if animals. Smacking some of them on the head and face.
A small voice came from the back. “Mr. Heady, the bathroom door won’t open.”
“Sit down, kid. You can hold it,” he growled.
“Please, Mr. Heady. I don’t want to make a mess in the plane.” The man grumbled about damn kids and smelling piss and shit all the way back to the States.
“For Christ’s sake, kid. Hold on.” He cut into the line of females taking their seats, pushing them aside. This could be it. He would be at the back of the plane for Sheldon’s wolf to take down. But the man held his gun. If it went off when Sheldon tackled him, someone could get hurt. The kid moved back into the dark area for Heady to get to the door. Oh shit. Now Sheldon was blocked in. He wouldn’t dare hurt the kid. He’d wait for another time. And the last of the passengers were coming up the stairs.
The narrow lavatory door in the back opened. Heady turned toward the front and the girl stepped inside and closed the door. A black flash zipped down the aisle and the man was on the ground, Sheldon’s wolf teeth firmly clenched around the guy’s neck. With a quick twist of his muzzle, the man’s neck snapped and he stopped fighting. Not that he got started, it all went so quickly.
Some of the women squealed and fell into the closest seats to partially hide, but no one screamed. A woman with flowing dark hair and big eyes stepped into the aisle, hushing everyone. Bryon could tell right away that this woman was of strong heart and soul. She wasn’t a victim.
Sheldon gripped dead Heady’s pant leg and tried to drag him back. Needless to say, teeth were not the best choice for that task, continuously sliding off. The woman in the aisle lifted the other leg and muscled her way to the dark posterior of the plane. The first phase of the plan was completed. His part was next.
The second guy of the twosome was backing up the steps, holding a female in front of him as a shield. Fucking coward, no better than chicken shit on the bottom of a shoe. But that did put a crimp in his plan of attack. The girl the bastard held on to could get seriously hurt. The man stepped back onto the carpeted flooring. He pushed the girl away and leaned forward to grab the door.
Bryon launched himself at the human and latched on. They slammed into the door, knocking it open, and they tumbled down the steep stairs. He would probably regret this in the morning when he tried to get out of bed. He was getting too old for this kind of shit. Young ones were supposed to do the physical crap.
His wolf and the bad guy landed on the ground with a thud. In a flash, he was on his four feet, jaws stretched tightly around the trafficker’s scrawny neck. Military men from Sheldon’s group came out from behind parked cars and the office door, guns at the ready. A male and female ran up the steps into the plane. Good. In no time, the man was cuffed and dragged off. He hoped they locked up this guy for the rest of his life.
His nose caught a whiff of his only love. She was close. “Bryon.” She wrapped her arms around his furry neck. “I about freaked out when the guy held the girl going up the stairs. I was sure you wouldn’t be able to jump him.” She pulled back and ruffled the spot between his ears. That felt so fucking good. “I have your clothes over here.” He followed the gorgeous woman, watching her glorious wiggle with each step. He couldn’t wait to be pounding into her. He had to push those thoughts to the back of his mind. Morphing with a hard-on wasn’t appreciated by others.
“Where is Sheldon? Why hasn’t he come off the plane yet?” Kari asked. That was a good question. Where was he? He shifted and quickly donned pants then his shirt. He wanted to check on his co-agent. Make sure he was okay.
Sheldon appeared at the top of the stairs. He held the beautiful lady that had helped him drag the dead body down the aisle. Sheldon and the woman slowly descended. Surprisingly, he didn’t trip; he didn’t take his eyes from her for one second. What the hell?
Bryon took his mate’s hand and hurried toward the two. Sheldon stopped and gently lowered the woman to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her dainty shoulders. “Bryon, Kari, meet Elna. She’
s my mate.”
EPILOGUE
Kari set down her mug of cocoa on the silver tray on the side of the Jacuzzi she and Bryon sat in. Sweet-smelling bubbles foamed around them. Their view from the tub was atop a mountain, overlooking a majestic valley covered in glistening white.
She leaned back, placing her hand over her belly. She might not be showing yet, considering she was already on the plus side and her belly had had a curve even before she’d become pregnant. But soon, there would be no mistaking her for anything other than a woman with a baby in her womb. Their little one was growing inside her and she couldn’t wait to meet him. From what Bryon said it was a boy and he was walking around like a proud father. It was so stinking cute.
Outside their rental cabin, the storm blew another foot of snow against the front door. She was fine with that. That meant no one would be disturbing them for at least a day. This was day three of their ten-day getaway. Her first real vacation and her boss joked for her not to make a habit of it. She would miss that place a little. But she liked the new contract she had worked out with the FBI.
When she was needed to decode, she would come in or they would come to her. If the situation arose, she and her ex-ALFA mate would go undercover to get the intel. But they aimed to keep those types of operations as limited as possible. She had better things to do with her new mate.
Bryon looked at his phone. It was time for their scheduled call with Director Tumbel from ALFA. Usually, she’d frown at mixing work and pleasure, but since it was planned beforehand, she was fine with it.
At the sound of Indiana Jones’s main theme song, he swiped across the screen. “Director Tumbel, how are you this evening?” Bryon asked.
“Probably not as good as you are,” Tumbel replied.
Bryon took her hand. “You got that right, sir.”