I stared straight ahead, wondering which one of the taillights belonged to the bike Crank was riding. Then I crossed my fingers and hoped with all my heart that it would all be over soon.
CHAPTER 12
CRANK
The intelI’d received was spot on. We got to the private airstrip with time to spare and hid outside the hangar where Beast was supposedly meeting up with the pilot who would take him to Whitefish. Knowing Poppy was a safe distance away made it possible for me to think straight. I still wanted to kick Juice’s ass for letting her leave Mustang Mountain, but it had been so fucking good to see her.
Especially when she told me she loved me.
I’d never said those three little words to a woman before except for my mom and grandma. Hearing her say them to me made me feel invincible. Like I could fucking conquer the world. The rumble of several bikes approached. I shut down thoughts of Poppy and focused on the headlights coming toward me.
There were six of them in total. They stopped outside the hangar and the guy in front got off his bike to go inside. Within seconds, the big metal door rattled and started to lift. The lights were on inside, making it easy to get the rundown. From my spot at the side of the big outer door, I counted just one other in addition to the guys on bikes. That put seven of them against four of us. I liked those odds.
With the big door open, I ducked inside, followed by the three men who’d volunteered to back me up. We kept to the shadows and waited for the bikers to cut their engines.
“How long until we’re wheels up?” One of the guys asked. He had a huge tattoo across the back of his neck. Looked like a cross between a giant lizard and a dragon. My gut told me he was the one I was looking for.
“Beast, it’s good to see you again.” The pilot addressed the guy with the tattoo. He held a clipboard in one hand and a pen in the other. His gaze darted from one biker to the next like he wasn’t too thrilled to be flying a half-dozen one-percenters in his plane. “We can be in the air in ten minutes. I’m just going through my final pre-flight check.”
My fingers itched to wrap around Beast’s thick neck and squeeze the air from his lungs. That would be too kind, though. He deserved to experience ten times the pain he’d caused Poppy before I let him take his last breath.
A female flight attendant stuck her head out from the door of the plane. “I’ve got refreshments waiting for you if you’d like to come on board.”
“I don’t know what kind of refreshments you’ve got, but if you’re a good girl I’ll let you suck my cock while we’re in flight,” Beast said.
The woman’s eyes widened. She probably had no idea what she signed up for when she took this flight. I needed to act quickly if I wanted to stop Beast before he got on that plane.
“We’re going now.” Beast wrapped a hand around the pilot’s arm and dragged him toward the steps. “The plane looks good to me, and we need to get the fuck out of here.”
“Why in such a hurry?” I sauntered out of the shadows, immediately drawing Beast’s attention.
His eyes narrowed as he gave me a solid once over. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m Poppy’s man.” Saying it out loud filled my heart with a warmth that spread all the way to my toes.
Beast’s lips curved up into a sinister smile. “Figures that bitch wouldn’t be able to keep her legs closed. You think a scrawny punk like you is going to be able to stop me from taking back what’s mine?”
His men flanked him. Each one of them looked eager to fight.
I shook my head. “Nah. I don’t think it, I know it. You’ll never lay a finger on her again.”
“Is that so?” He cracked his knuckles and tilted his head from side to side.
With a knife on my belt and a pistol strapped to my leg, I could have ended him easily. But I wanted to feel the impact of my fist on his jaw, so I advanced. The guys backing me up stepped out of the shadows and as the plane engine sputtered to life, we clashed together.
I pushed the other men out of the way, my focus zeroed in on Beast. He had a few inches on me and probably a good fifty pounds, but I was faster. I ducked to avoid a punch aimed at my head, then popped up and nailed him in the nose. Blood spurted everywhere.
Beast growled as he wiped the blood away with his arm. Then he charged. I stuck out my foot and sent him sprawling on his knees. He pulled a gun out of his waistband and fired at me. The bullet whizzed by my ear and lodged in the nose of the plane.
The steps of the plane started to lift. I didn’t blame the pilot for not wanting to stick around. Beast got to his feet and bellowed as he ran toward the plane. I tackled him, and the gun skittered across the concrete.
“Poppy’s too good for a bastard like you.” I wrapped one arm around his neck and pressed my thumbs into his eye sockets. “She’s too good for you to even look at.”
As his fingers clawed at me, I pressed even harder. His eyeballs burst like two squishy water balloons. Blood seeped down my fingers and covered my hands, but I wasn’t done with him yet.
“What the fuck, man? You just fucking blinded me, you motherfucking motherfucker.” Enraged, he fisted my shirt in his hand and flipped me onto my back.
The plane turned, heading out of the hangar. I fought against Beast, freeing myself just as the plane passed us. One well-placed kick to his sternum sent Beast sailing backward, right into the propeller. Pieces of him splattered across the hangar as what was left of him thudded to the ground.
