“I don’t know. I was washing my hands when she just hunched over holding her head and screamed,” Iris responded. I’m sorry you had to witness that. Unfortunately, this is not a one-off event for Delgado. I’ve slipped my number into your bag. Call me when you have the drop location.
“Thank you, miss,” the same guard said. “We’ll take it from here. She’s not been well, suffering badly from migraines. It would seem she has pushed herself a bit too much today.”
“Will you be all right, miss?” Iris asked as any other would in this situation. She was really asking if she would be okay with these men.
“Yes, thank you,” she replied, offering Iris a weak smile. It was all she could muster after what she had just seen and felt. She suddenly felt exhausted.
A thunderous bang reverberated through her head as Judge came barging through the door, immediately moving to her side. She was vaguely aware of Iris slipping out as Judge pulled her into his body.
“What the hell happened?” he demanded. As the guards shared what they knew, the ladies’ restroom grew crowded. Both Nikki and Gabby entered, along with their mates. “Was it a vision?”
She nodded. Her head pounded with each up-and-down motion. “Delgado was beating a woman,” she explained before burying her face into Judge’s shirt. “It hurt so much.”
“Kitten, you’re safe. That man will never hurt you again.”
“But what about the woman? He’s still hurting her,” she muttered into his shirt.
“Let’s get you out of here and somewhere you can rest, and we’ll talk about it later when you’re feeling better,” Judge said, guiding her presumably toward the restroom door.
She was barely aware of an upward motion as she heard the soft whispers around her. Exhaustion hit her fast. Her legs buckled under her weight. She suddenly found herself horizontal, in Judge’s arms. Snuggling in closer, she allowed herself to feel safe for the first time since her mother had died. She would have happily remained there, but instead she was lowered onto a cool, soft surface.
“Kitten, get some sleep. I’ll be just outside the door if you need anything,” Judge said. It was all the invitation sleep needed to claim her.
Chapter Ten
“Is she okay, Judge?” Nikki asked as soon as he reentered his lounge room.
“She’s sleeping for now. But that vision really affected her,” Judge replied. “The way she spoke of it suggested she actually felt that woman being beaten.”
“I think she did,” Nikki said. “When she explained to me about her ability she told me that she knows, feels, and sees. Not always at the same time.”
Judge nodded, deep in thought. Thanks to Biesterman’s nephew, he now had the name of the man he had to kill to guarantee both Charli and Emily had the freedom to live without fear. His two girls deserved nothing less.
“So what are we going to do about this Delgado fellow?” Devil asked. “Not to mention Biesterman’s nephew.”
Judge’s response was automatic. “Eliminate them both.”
“I think we need to be careful, Judge,” Viper warned. “Maybe find out a little information before the killing begins.”
“They have both threatened my mate, Viper,” Judge said, now standing toe-to-toe with the fae. “How would you respond if it was Nikki these men wanted?”
“Judge,” Nikki said softly, putting her hand on his arm. “What Viper’s saying is that Jonah Biesterman appears to be more than he seems. I can’t put my finger on it, but he’s nothing like his uncle.”
“She’s right,” came a soft voice from behind him.
Turning, he saw his mate standing in the doorway of his bedroom, looking extremely pale. Moving toward her, he gently reprimanded, “You’re supposed to be sleeping.”
“Who can sleep with all the noise going on out here?” she asked, smiling.
“What did you mean, that Nikki’s right?” Devil demanded suspiciously. “Have you met him before?”
“No, Devil.” Charli straightened her back and lifted her chin. “Today was the first time I met him, but the words he spoke didn’t fit the man. My psychic ability gave me the answer. He’s an FBI agent who had been trying to take down Delgado when his uncle died. He was then transferred to Las Vegas to take over his uncle’s business. He’s attempting to destroy it but is still looking for some sort of list with all the people who were in his uncle’s pocket.”
Devil’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t explain who Delgado is to you.”
“Look, Devil, I accept that you don’t trust or like me. The feeling is mutual,” Charli said before turning to meet Judge’s gaze. “But as for Delgado. Do you remember asking me for a name? Well now you have it. My father worked for his cousin. And when they discovered what I could do, they used me for their own gains. He’s an evil man. And I’ve been asked to help take him down.”
Judge knew his head was shaking, but still he felt the need to reinforce his actions with words. “No, no, no. You’re going to stay away from that fucker. Let me deal with it.”
“I can’t. Don’t you understand? If I help the feds, then Emily and I will be free of him for good,” Charli explained, begging him with her eyes. “I won’t have to get anywhere near him with their plan nor will I be in danger. I just give them some information.”
“So you’re trading one controller for another,” Judge pointed out, hoping to reason with his mate.
“Yes, only this controller is offering Emily and me our freedom, without using Emily. Delgado, I can guarantee you, would beat Emily if I defied him,” his mate said, tears rolling from her eyes.
Reaching up, he caught one of her teardrops as it traveled down her cheek. Bringing his thumb up to his mouth, he took her tear onto his tongue. It would be the first and last salty drop of water that he would taste from his mate. Future tears would be unacceptable. It was his job to ensure she never cried again.
“What do they want you to do?” Nikki asked, reminding Judge that they weren’t alone.
“Just use my ability to pinpoint when and where a shipment of drugs is coming in. Delgado is supposedly meeting it personally,” his mate replied, still holding his gaze.
“How do you know this?” Devil demanded. “And don’t give us some lie about your psychic ability.”
This time Judge did hiss at Devil’s continued attitude toward his mate. “If you can’t keep a civil tongue toward my mate, Devil, get out of my suite.”
“If that’s the way you want it, Judge. But don’t say I didn’t warn you that she’s hiding something.” Devil turned to Gabby. “Come on, angel, our presence is not wanted.”
Judge watched Gabby stubbornly pull away from the vampire and lift her chin. “Your presence isn’t welcome. I’m staying here to help my new friend out.”
“I’m not leaving you and the babies here alone.”
“Then I suggest you shut up and listen,” Gabby replied harshly before her features softened. “Look, Devil, I know you have trouble trusting people. Hell, everyone in this room is aware of that. But Charli is Judge’s mate and Nikki and my friend. She needs our help and I’m not going to sit back and do nothing.”
“Are you forgetting she stole from us?” It was the one thing Devil couldn’t seem to see past when it came to Charli.
“Are you telling me you haven’t used your sense of smell in a game of poker to establish whether someone was lying or bluffing?” Gabby challenged. “And I bet you didn’t donate your winnings like Charli does.”
Beside him, Charli stiffened. “How?” she asked.
“Devil and I followed you last night when you left here. We spoke to Sister Mary,” Judge explained in hushed tones. The room had fallen silent as everyone listened to what was being said.
“You had no right,” Charli stated, stepping away from Judge.
“We had every right! That was our money!” Devil snapped.
“Damn it, Devil! Can’t you keep your mouth shut for two minutes,” Gabby reprimanded before moving to
ward Charli and Judge. “The guys were just worried about you, Charli. That’s all!”
“You mean their money!” Charli spat, glaring at Devil, holding his stare the way few could.
“In case you haven’t noticed, men do and say stupid things when they’re trying to protect their families,” Gabby replied, following Charli’s line of sight. “And these guys may be ancient by anyone’s standards and act like cavemen, but their intentions are usually good when it comes to us. They’re just trying to protect their family.”
“Which I’m not! Isn’t that right, Devil?” Charli challenged, still glaring at the vampire.
“Judge seems to think you are,” came the cool reply.
Devil’s response had Judge’s back up even further. “Gabby, get him out of here before your children are forced to grow up without a father. I’m sure Nikki will fill you in later.”
As he watched the couple leave his quarters, Judge’s heart both hurt and sighed in relief. He knew out of all of his brothers Devil would be the last to accept Charli into the family. He was a hard and unforgiving man who hid his feelings from the world. Judge had hoped that with Gabby in his life, Devil might have softened slightly. Especially with the twins coming. But still he had held fast with his lack of trust of Charli. And all because she had used her ability to gain the upper hand in their casino.
In the past that small slight would have cost a man his life. All four men had been put on this earth to punish greed. It was something each of them took seriously. But Devil’s sense of duty exceeded Judge’s, Viper’s, and Chaos’s. Devil’s punishment for slights against the innocent as well as his family was legendary. It was known as hellfire for good reason.
And it would seem that his duty and the fact that Charli had cheated the casino were the only things Devil could focus on. Not the fact that she gave the money to a worthy cause. Or that she herself was in danger. Devil’s sense of right and wrong was so black and white that it was causing Charli pain, and that was unacceptable to Judge.
Chapter Eleven
“Maybe I should just leave,” Charli said, feeling guilty about the situation between Judge and Devil. “I refuse to come between you and your family.”
“You’re going nowhere, mate,” Judge said gruffly before catching her arm and pulling her into his body. “Gabby’s right about Devil. He protects his family beyond anything. He’ll come around. He just has to get to know you.”
“I don’t know if I have the strength to deal with the likes of him at the moment. Emily’s in the hospital. Delgado’s back in my life, and I have to find a way to keep both of us safe.” She allowed the exhaustion she was feeling to seep into her voice.
“That’s what you have me for, kitten. I think I’ve told you before, and I’ll happily tell you again, no one is going to hurt you or Emily ever again. I won’t allow it!”
“Some things you can’t fix, Judge. But I can make sure that Delgado stays out of our lives for good.”
“Maybe you should come sit down and explain to us what happened today. And maybe fill in the gaps of your past too,” Viper suggested, pointedly looking at the sofa.
Nodding, she moved toward one of the matching chairs. Judge sat down on the arm, his presence offering her the support and comfort she needed to put her thoughts in order. She couldn’t deny that she would need some help if she was going to keep Emily safe over this next week. Especially if she was being released from the hospital tomorrow as planned. Fortunately her little sister was comfortable with both Nikki and Judge.
Even though she knew Jonah Biesterman to be an FBI agent, and one of the good guys, she couldn’t believe in him fully. There had been too many stories of good guys gone bad for the right amount of money. And Delgado had a lot of that. She needed a safe place for Emily to stay while she concentrated on discovering the drop off point of the drugs.
Looking down at her hands, she went about sharing her story. “My real name is Clarissa Bond. My parents split up when I was younger because my dad started taking me to race tracks so I could pick a winner for him. He thought it was his right because my gift comes from his mom, and it skipped him. That was when my mom moved us across the country to get away from him. Too soon, cancer stole her away from me, and I was placed back into my father’s care, and into my own personal hell. He and his bookie boss forced me to use my gift so they could fix the odds of races. They didn’t care that the seizures were worse when I pushed my ability. Then Delgado got involved and the abuse became unbearable.”
Charli felt herself being pulled into Judge’s arms and onto his lap. She didn’t understand why until her body connected with his. She was shaking, though she was far from cold. The further she went into the past, remembering each slap she had received or thump she was subjected to, her trembles increased. Her teeth chattered as she felt the cold metal of the gun against her temple, compliments of Delgado.
“Kitten, you’re safe. He can’t hurt you now,” came the whispered promises from Judge.
It gave her the courage to return to the present. Looking into Judge’s eyes, she found the strength to continue her story. “Delgado is an evil man. He’s the man that my nightmares are made of. It wasn’t below him to hold a gun to my head until I gave him the answer to his question.” This elicited a hiss from Judge. The gasps and swearing from Nikki and Viper were only just audible above the pounding in Charli’s head. Still she went on. “Anyway, my saving grace was my skill with the computer. My technology teacher encouraged me to apply for scholarships from several colleges. I picked the one farthest away from Atlanta that I could. Things were okay until I had a vision of my father killing Emily’s mother. I tried to stop the vision from coming true, but I was snowed in at the airport. I got home just in time to stop Emily from being taken into care. We left the state that night. I couldn’t even let Emily go to her mom’s funeral because I couldn’t chance Delgado being there. He’s got enough people in his pocket to have taken us in broad daylight without fear of prosecution.”
“Did he help your dad?” Nikki asked, sitting beside Viper, her hands clasped in front of her.
“No, I think he assumed that with our father out of the way he would have been able to gain full control of our abilities,” Charli replied. “What he didn’t expect was that I had ensured that my bank balances were healthy. As soon as I heard about Emily’s birth, I began using my gift to make money should she or her mother ever need it. I couldn’t do anything huge that would hit the news like win the lottery, so I began to build a stock portfolio. The court had no recourse when it came to my application for full custody. I still feel guilty about her not being able to say goodbye to her mom properly.”
“Kitten, you did what you needed to do to keep you both safe.” Judge kissed her forehead. “So you’ve been running ever since? How long’s it been?”
“Two years. I used my computer skills to create new identities for us both. I don’t own a car or a house because I didn’t want any unnecessary paper trail,” Charli explained. “It’s also the reason I have to sit back and watch the doctors poke and prod Emily every time she has a seizure in a public place. I can’t refuse the medical help, otherwise I could come to the attention of Child Protective Services. And that would be bad on so many levels.”
“You have done what you needed to survive and protect Emily,” Judge stated, giving her a squeeze. “You should be proud of yourself, kitten. I am. But don’t let that pride get in the way of your future. It’s time to let others help you. Let us help you!”
“That’s the thing, Judge. I’m not sure that you can help except keeping Emily safe for the next week.”
“I can keep you both safe,” he replied adamantly.
“Charli, why do you feel we can’t help?” Viper asked. “Do you know something that we don’t?”
“Today, when Jonah called me Clarissa my first thought was of Emily and her safety. Then the more he spoke the more I realized how wrong it sounded. His tone and attitude didn’t suit him. T
hat’s when I saw him with a badge in a vision. As soon as that happened a voice in my head told me to keep quiet otherwise it would cost him his life. It was his handler, Iris. She’s a telepath,” Charli explained before looking up at Judge. “I really didn’t need to go to the toilet. I was meeting Iris. She told me about Delgado expecting a shipment of drugs in this week and that he’s supposed to be meeting it personally. She knows what I can do and wants me to try to see where the drop off point is.”
“What happened when the guards arrived?” Judge asked, rubbing her back. Her skin absorbed his warmth, chasing away any residual fear.
“I don’t know whether you have ever spoken to a telepath with your mind. I have once before. On both occasions I forgot that they can read what I was thinking. I pushed my thoughts to them, giving myself migraine-like symptoms. Then I had a vision of Delgado beating that woman. I felt every strike of his hand. That poor woman was so scared.”
“Charli, I was going to bring this up at dinner, but I think now might be as good a time as ever,” Judge said, leaning back and encouraging her to meet his gaze. When she did, he continued, “I want you to move to my pride lands.”
“No.” Charli shook her head. “It’s too dangerous! And besides, Emily needs to remain close to the doctors otherwise they’ll get suspicious if the seizures suddenly stop. Plus, what about her schooling?”
“That’s what I was going to explain if you give me the chance,” Judge reprimanded. “The pride go to the local school, which is made up of shifter kids for the most part. If Emily had a seizure at school, the teachers wouldn’t overreact the way the humans do. They would know it was due to a vision. And as for the doctors, we have a pride doctor who could take over her care. It would mean no more unnecessary needles or tests.”
Charli had accepted that her future lay with Judge, but could she jump in with both feet when she barely knew the man? And knew nothing of sharing her life with a man. Her lack of experience scared her. She was innocent in the ways of relationships, whereas she suspected Judge’s love life was colorful and extensive.
Mated to War Page 7
