“Stay there, woman. I’ll put you back on your ass if you get up—and you keep those iron hands to yourself. What are you? A masseuse?” His chin lifted and he shot Drantos a dirty look. “The bitch has strong hands. I swear she injured my dick.”
Bat ignored him, struggling to her feet. She glowered at the man, who gave her an angry look right back. “Why did you grab me like that? What the hell is your problem?”
“I was protecting you. I’m Kraven. You can thank me later, by the way.”
“Thank you?” She was outraged. “You’ll be lucky if I don’t have your ass arrested for sexual assault, battery, and…hell, bad hair! Move out of my way. I need to check on my sister.”
He curled his full lips to sneer at her. Bat responded by shoving him. He stumbled back a foot, until he hit the side of one of the seats, and she tucked in her shirt that had pulled from the waist of her skirt. “Pervert,” she hissed.
“Bitch,” he retorted when she glared at him.
Her emotions all over the place, the urge to slap him made Bat’s fingers itch. Nobody calls me that—and he’s done it twice. She flipped him off. He softly growled. Damn animal, she thought. Overgrown idiot.
She reached for the back of her head, suddenly noticing the throbbing sensation there, and hoped she wasn’t bleeding. Her hair pins were gone, the bun torn down into a tangled mass of a ponytail, and she found a painful lump on her head. She bit back a curse but was grateful it didn’t feel wet.
She needed to check on Dusti. Bat tried to get around Kraven but he shot a hand out and pushed her back, hard enough to make her stumble, his palm squarely hitting her breast.
His brother was talking but she didn’t hear the words; she was far too angry.
Kraven gave a jerk of his head. “I have the women.”
“Have this, you jerk,” Batina spat.
She lifted her leg, tore off her shoe, and threw it as hard as she could at his face.
Her aim ended up being off. The shoe struck his chest, then bounced to the ground. But he did stagger back with a stupefied look on his features, which gave her a little satisfaction. It also let her reach Dusti when he staggered back a step.
Pure joy filled her at seeing her sister safe. She hugged her instantly, relieved. Worry came next. She frantically studied Dusti for injuries but didn’t see any visible ones.
“It’s okay, Bat. I’m okay. Are you hurt?”
Bat eased her hold on her a little. “Nothing a good drink won’t fix. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Dusti nodded before turning away. Bat didn’t miss the way her sister’s delicate features twisted in horror, her skin changing from pale to absolute white before she swayed on her feet.
Bat followed her gaze to witness the horrendous sight where the side of the plane used to be.
The opposite wall had been torn open during the crash. A corpse with a missing arm remained strapped into his seat, soaked in bright red blood, and it made her knees weaken. She’d seen worse in photos from crime scenes, even in video evidence, but the real thing looked a hundred times more horrific.
Dusti gagged and the sound jerked Bat out of her stupor. She latched on to her, spun her until their gazes locked, and prayed she could hold her sister together by appearing calm. She was far from it on the inside, but she’d become a pro at hiding her emotions.
“Look at me and not that.”
The tears that filled Dusti’s eyes broke Bat’s heart. She’d always tried to protect her sister, but nothing could shield her from reality at that moment.
“Oh God,” Dusti moaned.
“I know.” Bat nodded. “We survived though.” Give her a bright side; rally her to stay strong, she thought, caressing her cheek. “We’re Dawsons. We’re tough, remember?” Bat inhaled sharply. “ Just take deep breaths. In and out. Remain calm. It’ll be fine. We both made it. We’re okay.”
“Sit down,” Kraven ordered, his tone irritated. “And I’ll spank you if you hit me with another shoe, you little hellion.”
What an insufferable ass, she seethed. Bat was trying to help Dusti and this prick picks now to fuck with her again? She released her sister and spun, her middle finger going up. She was pissed enough to nearly make her see red. “Take a hint and get away from me, you perverted bastard. You should have picked another woman to molest.”
He leaned closer, his anger clear. “I saved your life,” the jackass spat. “I covered your body with my own to protect you, Cat.”
I’m going to kill him, Bat silently swore. No jury will convict me. I deal with guys who know where to hide a damn body. My clients owe me big time for keeping their vicious, murdering asses out of jail.
“It’s Bat, you moron. B.A.T. Back off, asshole. I refuse to deal with you right now. Can’t you see my sister is freaked-out? I’m trying to calm her down.”
“Crazy as a bat or bat-shit crazy. It fits.”
She would have slapped the rude bastard but Dusti’s shaky, frightened voice stopped her cold.
“Let it go. Let’s help the injured.”
Right. Calm down. Dusti’s seen enough bloodshed. She shot a dirty look at Kraven, her furious gaze promising retribution later, before she pulled herself together enough to address her sister. “He’s irritating me and he felt me up!”
“That’s the least of our worries.”
Bat was chagrined. She needed to keep Dusti’s mind occupied to distract them both from the nightmare they were living at that moment, and being bitchy and combative wouldn’t help.
“You’re right. I’ll ignore the big ape just for you this one time because I’m in shock too. I hope I’m not as pale as you look. You’re doing a hell of a ghost impression.” Bat cringed. “I shouldn’t have said that, considering the circumstances. Sorry.” She took a deep breath. “Let’s help out. People are hurt. Just breathe and focus on that, okay?”
She released Dusti to smooth down her jacket and her fingers touched something small and hard. My cell phone! I can call for help! I can get us back home!
Excitement at the idea made her heart race. She’d gotten her sister into this mess by using guilt to make her travel to Alaska to visit their grandfather, but now she would fix it. She pulled the phone out and inspected the slim case that fully enclosed it, which looked perfect. Her hands shook badly; she hesitated before checking the phone itself until she got her nerves under control.
Dusti peered at her with a hopeful look. “Do you think you’re going to get a cell phone signal out here?”
Bat knew there were cell towers all over most of the United States, but she didn’t know about Alaska. She hoped there’d be a signal. She didn’t even want to consider the alternative, because she needed to rescue her sister. She couldn’t live with the guilt otherwise. She’d taken enough from Dusti already when she’d put her career first.
“I hope so.”
Fumbling the case open, she got a glimpse inside—and the phone had been crushed into a mess despite the protective shell. The glass screen had cracked in too numerous fractures to count, and it didn’t even light up to indicate the battery worked.
No! Bat silently screamed. This can’t be happening. I put her on this plane with me and I can’t let her down now.
A snort from Kraven made her head slowly rise until she met his gaze. The bastard looked amused.
Her grip on her tenuous control snapped. She knew it has happening, understood why, but the situation was too much. “You broke my phone with your gorilla-sized body!” She waved the phone in his face. As she did, the screen completely came apart, pieces of it falling to the floor.
She froze inside and tried to say something, anything, when the implications of not being able to call for help slammed into her brain. “You owe me a new one! Give me yours.”
Did I really just say that?
I did, she acknowledged, wincing at how lame and petty she sounded, and took a calming breath. Get a grip, she ordered her brain.
“It’s in my bag.” He po
inted up to where the overhead cabinets had once been. “Wherever that is now.”
Bat stared at the destruction of the plane, taking in the fact that some of the cabinets had been sucked away at some point. It was a miracle they’d survived.
She knew she was in shock. Focusing on the ridiculous—including the annoying man—was keeping her from freaking out. It was a basic human reaction. Avoidance.
“Oh God.”
Damn! Bat winced. So much for avoiding. “I know! I can’t dial 9-1-1.”
“Shut up, Bat,” Dusti snapped. “Look. Oh my God.”
Bat stepped up next to Dusti in the narrow aisle to see what her sister gaped at in the back of the plane.
It wasn’t there anymore.
It had been torn away entirely, and the sight of forest where the bathrooms had once been made Bat fight to keep bile from rising. Whoever had been in the last few rows of seats were just gone too. Debris, broken trees, and one lone seat were scattered in the path of destruction caused by the plane’s crash and long slide along the ground.
Blood covered what used to be a human being, still strapped into the seat. Bat realized she’d grabbed hold of her sister’s hand.
The long-haired biker guy, Drantos, suddenly stepped into the aisle farther down, busy helping a fellow passenger. His big frame blocked most of Bat’s view of the path of horror. She hoped Dusti couldn’t see it anymore either. The man’s dark blue eyes appeared haunted when he lifted a hand to run fingers through his shaggy, wild hair. He slowly approached them.
“There are ten survivors besides us in the cabin. Most of them will make it but I’m doubtful about a few. One of us should go hunt up the back of the plane to see if any of those people made it. We also need to check on the pilots.”
“Fuck,” Kraven sighed from behind Bat. “What a damn mess. I’ll go search for the tail section of the plane.” He paused. “You watch the bitches. The one in the dress suit is a terror, so don’t turn your back on her.”
Bat wanted to scream. People had died, they had no way to contact help, and guilt over bringing Dusti along on the trip nearly overwhelmed her. Dusti hadn’t wanted to come, but she’d practically made her.
On top of everything, this Kraven guy seemed determined to piss her off. She knew how to deal with anger. She spun on him.
“I’m going to rip off your nuts if you call me a bitch one more time.”
Dusti tugged hard on her hand. “Batina Marie Dawson, enough!” Tears shone in her eyes when Bat glanced at her. “I know bitchiness is your defense mechanism when you’re scared or mad but please stop! I can’t deal with it right now.”
Then alarm struck Bat fast when Dusti started to collapse.
Her features paled to a chalky white, her legs giving way beneath her, and Bat lunged to grab her around the waist to try to prevent her from keeling over. She took Dusti’s weight but knew they were both going down, even as she continued struggling to keep them upright.
That long-haired guy came to their rescue. Bat released her when his thick, beefy arms took her sister’s weight, and allowed him to cradle Dusti, which he did seemingly without effort. The guy looked as if he were a bodybuilder.
She panicked when she realized what had to be wrong with her sister.
“Where’s my purse?” Bat realized she was yelling but she didn’t care. “It’s black. I need it!”
“I’m okay,” Dusti muttered, her voice too weak to believe. “It’s just a dizzy spell.”
My ass, Bat silently protested. Dusti needed one of her shots. Bat wanted to kick her own butt for not realizing sooner how the trauma of the accident would affect her sister’s frail health. She frantically tried to get around Kraven to search the area by their seats but he blocked her path.
“My purse, you big gorilla! Move out of my way. My sister needs her medication.” She shoved him hard, not caring about anything but finding it, and managed to squeeze around him.
Bat located their seats quickly, dropped to her knees, and searched the floor.
Her purse wasn’t there.
She wanted to burst into tears. Without the shot, Dusti could go into shock. Her body would start to shut down, she’d start to slur her words, and eventually she could die.
A sob caught in her throat. She may have killed her sister regardless of them surviving the crash. Their parents had trusted Bat to care for Dusti when they’d left her guardianship in their will. They’d roll in their graves if they knew how badly she’d screwed it all up.
She suddenly caught a glimpse of a black strap, and shoved her arm under the seat in front of her—dragging her purse out. She furiously blinked back tears, her hands trembling, but she spotted the case inside the folds of her purse, where she kept a few of Dusti’s shots in case of emergency. She hadn’t fucked up.
Her fingers curling around her purse, she shoved her body up and turned.
“I found it!” She elbowed Kraven aside again to reach her sister as she tore out the case. “Hang on, Dusti! I have some of your shots. Here it is. They aren’t broken.”
She’d save Dusti after all. At least in one way. It was a start.
Chapter Two
Worry ate at Bat as she glanced for at least the hundredth time at her sister sitting on the ground. The long-haired biker guy might be a thug but he had taken really good care of Dusti. He’d located a blanket to put on the forest floor, stretched her sister over it, and had even removed his jacket, wrapping it around her to keep her warm while she recovered. Bat felt gratitude toward him for everything he’d done.
A hand brushed her arm to draw her attention.
Kraven’s light blue eyes were narrowed as he glared down at her. “You’re not injured, so follow me. We need to find firewood before the sun goes down. It may be late spring but it still gets pretty cold at night. The injured passengers could die without a fire to help keep their systems from going into shock.”
She clenched her teeth. He’d pissed her off since the moment they’d met. “What did I ever do to you?”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re always so rude. You could say please.”
“You could—” His generous lips pressed together in a tight line and he growled low in his throat.
“Yeah. I wouldn’t finish that sentence either. I’m not afraid to remove my shoes again to beat you with them.”
“Follow me,” he barked.
It was the last thing she wanted to do but freezing after dark seemed even less appealing. She glanced at Dusti once more, then at the biker guy who’d helped injured passengers from the plane to the clearing next to it. She figured it would be okay to leave her sister. Drantos may be scary looking but he seemed to have a hero complex. It wasn’t a bad thing in this day and age.
She trudged into the woods after the spiked-headed jerk.
“Too bad you aren’t more like your brother,” she muttered.
Kraven turned. “What did you say?”
“Your brother seems nice. I guess none of that rubbed off on you, huh?”
“You’re one to talk. Your sister is pleasant. You, on the other hand, are obviously more of a bitch in every sense of the word.”
This jerk is unbelievable! “I told you not to call me that name again,” she fumed as her gaze lowered to the front of his pants to further make her point. “You want to keep your nuts, right?”
He moved faster than she’d ever thought possible. Fear gripped her hard that he’d strike her, but he’d just closed the distance until only a foot separated them.
“Keep it up and I’m going to put you over my knee.”
The threat hung in the air and she studied his eyes. She hadn’t expected him to say that. She’d been threatened by a lot of people over the years but that particular one was new. He looked angry, but not crazy or mean. She’d become a pretty good judge of character, dealing with her clients. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I would.” He clamped his hand on her upper arm but it didn’t hurt. “I’ll
redden your damn ass with my bare palm if you mention my nuts again. I’m not someone you want to piss off. Do you understand me?”
A shiver ran down her spine at his cold tone. He seemed to mean it. “Let me go.”
“Don’t make threats.”
She swallowed hard and nodded. “I understand. Please let me go.”
“Be useful and collect some firewood. We need to return to camp fast.” His voice still held a gruff tone that affected her. He let go of her arm as quickly as he’d grabbed it, spinning away.
She blew out a relieved breath as soon as the tense moment passed. He hadn’t hurt her. That was the important part. They’d been in a plane crash, were stuck in the woods, and rescue teams hadn’t arrived yet. The sun was nearly down. It meant spending the night in the woods. He would know the dangers they faced more so they she would.
She glanced over her shoulder at him; he’d bent to reveal a nice ass. He had a meaty one encased in snug denim. He grabbed broken branches from the ground.
Bat could silently admit she had a weakness for aggressive, dangerous bad-boy types. They were kind of sexy. He hadn’t threatened to punch or kill her. Instead his mind had gone straight to spanking her ass.
Her mind went there too, imagining him putting her over his knee. He probably knew how to turn a woman on, considering his looks and the size of him. She wouldn’t like him striking her in any way, but the thought of him caressing her skin didn’t exactly disturb her. It had the opposite effect.
What the hell is wrong with me?
Oh yeah. I probably have a concussion. That’s got to be it.
She glanced around, located some broken branches, and moved toward them. He’d better be a great fuck with that shitty personality of his. Otherwise he’ll never get laid, she decided. One more glance and she was certain women probably flocked to him in droves. If he keeps his mouth shut. Otherwise all bets are off.