12. Crank
CHAPTER 12
CRANK
The intel I’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.
While I’d been occupied with Beast, the other guys took care of his buddies. The plane taxied away, leaving us alone in the hangar. I pulled off my shirt and wiped the blood from my face, eager to get back to Poppy.
The car was right where I’d expected it to be, and I pulled the passenger door open. “It’s over, baby.”
She jumped out and threw her arms around me. “Are you hurt? Why’s there so much blood?”
“I’m fine.” I caught her hands up with mine and pulled back just enough to look her in the eye. “You don’t have to worry about that asshole. He’s done bothering you.” I didn’t even want to say his name. As far as I was concerned, we’d never need to talk about him again.
Poppy nodded and buried her head against my shoulder. “I love you, Crank.”
“I love you too, angel. Let’s head back to the clubhouse so I can get cleaned up. I can’t go out on the town in Vegas looking like this.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?” Her fingers brushed the hair away from my forehead.
“Hell, yeah. You’re free now, baby. We’ve got a lot to celebrate.” I traded the bike I’d ridden over on to slip behind the wheel of the sedan. Poppy rested her head on my shoulder on the drive back to the clubhouse. Knowing Beast would never be able to bother her again changed everything. Now, she’d be able to stay in Mustang Mountain. Despite knowing the Savage Bones would be waiting for us when we got home, I’d never been happier.
An hour later, freshly showered and ready to spend some time with my woman, I went around the clubhouse and thanked each one of the guys for their hospitality and for having my back.
“It was our pleasure,” the president of the club said. “Here, take one of the bikes into Vegas. You can leave it at the airport when you catch your flight tomorrow.”
They’d already done too much. I tried to turn them down, but he insisted. “Thanks, brother. I owe you one. Anytime your club needs a hand, don’t hesitate to reach out.”
Poppy straddled the seat of the big bike and wrapped her arms around me. With her chin resting on my shoulder and her tits pressed against my back, I fired up the engine. Tonight was ours. We’d earned it, and I planned to take full advantage of spending an evening in Sin City with the woman I loved.