by Milly Taiden
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 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 whi
ff 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.”
“So let’s make this quick, you two.” They heard papers shuffle on the director’s side. “According to workers in Cloustien, Prince Goddard specifically said where he wanted his palace and the warehouse placed. They found fifty-year-old subterranean maps in the palace. Along with an incomplete map of the underground tunnel system.”
“Hi, Director, it’s Kari. What did they find out about the art in the palace?”
“You’re going to love this,” he said. “Most of the items were treasures that had been missing or stolen from the time of the Second World War.”
Kari smiled. “I knew that had to be the case. Everything there was just too over-the-top to be in one place, and a personal home at that.”
“And the cave entrance where the trafficking ring set up was the room the Nazis kept the stash,” the director added. “The story from some oma who ‘knows’ the history said one of the ancestor kings was digging area mines for precious stones and they came upon the cavern by accident.”
“If that’s the case,” Kari started, “then that was Alheim who found it. He probably put the building there, eventually becoming the warehouse, to cover it and sneak out the treasure little by little.”
“Then after that,” Bryon said, “it made the perfect spot to smuggle traffickers in and out. All under everyone’s noses.”
Tumbel said, “There is a group of international artwork people working on returning pieces to the rightful owners. Those alive anyway. I bet most of the stuff will be going to museums around Europe.”
“Director,” Kari said, “did anyone find out about the room with the dried fruits and food?”
“That was actually the first mystery we solved. The townsfolk gladly provided the answer,” Tumbel replied. “They knew about the trafficking for a while, but wouldn’t do anything against their royalty. So when they could, they rescued women and hid them in the tunnels until it was safe for them to leave. Seems everyone knew about it except the prince.”
“What’s happening prosecution-wise for those traffickers caught in the warehouse cavern?” Bryon asked.
“Liechtenstein, the country, is taking over the extradition process. I believe someone told me the monarch of Liechtenstein was a distant cousin or some relation to the ‘missing’ Prince Goddard. I’m sure we’ll hear about many of the trials in the news. You two did a great thing for the world.”
“Nah,” Kari said, “just doing our jobs.”
Tumbel found that extraordinarily funny by the laugh coming through the phone’s speaker. It was sort of funny since what she did wasn’t close to her “girlfriend” job description.
“Have you heard from Sheldon or Elna recently?” Tumbel asked them.
“Not a word,” Bryon said. “I’m sure they are enjoying their private island beach as much as we are our cabin escape.”
Tumbel sighed. “I’m sure they are, too. Can’t wait for my turn to find my mate.”
“Gotta get out of the office sometime, Tumbel. Unless your mate is a pizza delivery person, you aren’t going to meet her there.”
“Yeah, I hear you. I have to wait for you two clowns to get back before anything can happen. We have a whole new group that needs to be trained. Oh, one more thing since I’ve got you. ALFA will be getting a plaque in the new National Intelligence Building for so many years of service blah, blah, blah.”
“Really?” Bryon questioned. “But we’re a secret organization.”
“The group isn’t really that much of a secret around here. All the bigwigs know we exist. The secret is about the agents who work here. On paper, we look like a normal intelligence gathering agency. The point is you and Kari need to be at the dedication ceremony. Be ready to dress up.”
“Whatever you say, boss man,” Bryon said. He was ready to get the call over with so he could get back to loving his mate.
“Well, gotta go,” Director Tumbel said. “Stuff to do before heading home. See you when you’re back. And, Kari, you guys give some thought to you training and joining us. I’d hate to lose Bryon because I didn’t try to sweet-talk his mate.”
“Yeah, yeah, we got it. See ya later, boss.” Bryon tapped the end call button on the phone.
“Speaking of things to do,” he said, his eyes filling with desire, “I have a little mate that needs some doing.”
Kari laughed. “So you’re going to do me?”
“Damn straight, I am.” He stood and stepped out of the tub. “How else am I going to get started practicing for baby number two?”
She shook her head, giggling. “Maybe we should let the first one be born?”
“No way! We have to be ready. And I’m going to love seeing how many ways I can get you to moan and scream. Just you sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.” He lifted her from the bubbly water.
“I hope it’s better than the first show you gave. That one was hot, but you were a little out of it being drugged and all.” He took a towel from the warming rack and wrapped it around her body, then took a second one and daube
d at her hair.
“Oh, don’t you worry. I’ve seen a TV commercial for a group of Aussie guys who know a thing or two about entertaining women. I’m taking lessons. My first show is tonight in the other room. I got front-row seats for you.”
“I love the sound of that.”
Keep reading for an excerpt from
FEARLESS MATING
Coming soon from InterMix!
Josh Tumbel, director for the Alpha League of Federal Agents, had finally found his mate. She sat in front of his desk, talking about something. Her luscious lips were moving and her bedroom eyes were fixed on him. And god, how he wished he had her in his bedroom. Naked and begging him to take her. It didn’t seem likely at the moment though. Not with the frown on her face.
She introduced herself as Sergeant, or was it Lieutenant? Maybe Major? Candace Obermier. He’d call her Candy. He wondered how many licks it would take to get to her creamy center.
Her beautiful eyes narrowed and her scrumptious mouth puckered. Ah, fuck. She’d stopped talking. Hopefully, she hadn’t said anything important.
Her brow raised. “Director Tumbel, did you hear a word I said?”
“Of course,” he lied. “Every word.”
“And you have no comment?” she asked with a sniff.
Fuck. He’d never expected to make an ass of himself in front of his mate. That had been a long-standing fear of his. He’d find the one, then chase her off with his caveman mentality. His mama had taught him well. He knew all the mistakes shifter men made and how to avoid them. But would he? Obviously not.
“I’m sorry, Major—” he started.
“Sergeant Major,” she corrected, her gorgeous lips pressing into a tight line.
Well, shit. He just called her a rank four levels lower. She was not happy with him. The military took their rank and file so seriously.
“Sergeant Major, I apologize. I was a bit preoccupied . . .” fantasizing about licking you all over, “and missed your last remark.”
