Chapter Thirty-five
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 onto 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.”