Hands turned her until she was facing Judge. “Okay, kitten, remember the plan. We go in there, look over the evidence the feds have on Delgado, you do your thing and we leave,” he reminded for the fifth time since leaving the quarters. “And you do everything we tell you. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Judge, I know the plan,” she said, fighting not to roll her eyes. “Can we just get this over and done with? The sooner that man is out of Emily’s and my life the sooner we can get on with our lives with you on the pride lands.”
He must have sensed her nerves. His hands ran up and down her bare arms, trying to replace the chill in her body with his warmth and touch. “I’ll be right there beside you. We do this together.”
He turned toward his brothers, nodded, and grabbed her hand. Devil knocked on the door, which was immediately opened. Iris would have known they were out there. Her gift would have at least picked up on Charli’s presence.
According to Judge, she probably wouldn’t have been able to read himself or his brothers. They had had many years roaming this earth, meeting all sorts of people. They’d built up their walls around their minds, protecting their thoughts, many years ago. Judge promised to show her how to do that too. Unfortunately he didn’t have enough time to do that before their meeting with Iris.
As they entered the hotel room, Charli took in the décor. It was a standard room, holding a large double bed, a small table, and the usual television and bar fridge. A door beside the front door probably hid the bathroom. Iris’s luggage sat by the door, closed and seemingly ready to go. The only bag that remained unpacked was a large computer bag. It sat open and empty by the bed. Its contents were strewn across the small sitting table and bed. Papers covered every visible surface.
“I didn’t realize there would be so many of you. I only have two chairs,” Iris said, looking nervously at the four men from behind one of the chairs at the table. Charli felt Judge gently push her toward the other. “As you can see, I did as you requested and pulled out everything we had on Delgado.”
While Judge remained by Charli’s side, standing next to the chair she had claimed and looking over the papers on the table, the other three men were going through the files and papers on the bed. Iris looked from Judge, back to the bed, then back to Judge, like she wasn’t sure how to handle their inquisitive natures.
Charli’s heart and brain told her to fix it. She didn’t want to be in this room any longer than she needed to be. Knowing the guys would do as they please, she decided to turn Iris’s attention to why Charli was there.
“So, Iris, why don’t you show me the evidence that supports your belief Delgado’s going to meet the shipment this week?” Charli asked, drawing the woman’s attention back on the situation at hand. “I’m assuming you have a general idea of where the drop off will be taking place.”
“Only that it’s going to be at one of his properties,” Iris said, pushing papers to one side. She then placed photos in front of Charli. “These top three are the likely points of contact, but with the cutbacks recently we don’t have the manpower to cover all three locations properly.”
“What about just covering the man himself?” Judge asked.
“The only person who has been successful in getting close to Delgado is Jonah. But that’s because nobody but a few people know who he truly is.”
Chaos glanced up from the file he held. Throwing it onto the bed, he moved over to stand behind Charli, still ensuring she was safe. “You think you have a mole?”
“I know we have at least one, but I suspect there’s more,” Iris replied, tapping her head. “I know who one of them is, but I can’t seem to gather enough evidence. I’m thwarted at every turn, which leads me to believe there’s more than one. I haven’t figured out who the others are yet.”
“I take it that the FBI have no knowledge of your ability?” Charli asked, already suspecting the truth.
Iris shook her head. “Only Jonah. That’s usually how he passes on the information he has gathered. The people he’s investigating aren’t even aware that we know one another because we’re never seen together. I’m just another face in the crowd to them. And our superiors never ask. As long as they get the evidence, and we get the job done without being caught, they don’t care.”
“And you’ve only been able to pick up on one person’s association with Delgado?” Chaos asked. Iris nodded. “Surely you have your suspicions.”
“Yes, but I’ve never been close enough to them to figure out who is working both sides,” Iris explained before looking down at her hands. “Jonah’s safety must come first, so I usually stick close to him rather than in the office where the other agents are working.”
“Are you involved?” Charli asked.
Iris looked up between Charli and Judge and nodded. “He’s my mate. After Delgado has been taken down and Jonah can find the list of people on his uncle’s payroll, he has promised me that he will retire from the undercover work. Our boss has even organized for him to work out of one of the field offices as an investigator.”
Charli watched as Judge shared a look with Devil. It suggested to her that they might know something about this list, but she kept quiet. She knew enough about these men to know that they usually had their reasons for the things they did. They never did anything lightheartedly. She would trust them to do the right thing, whatever that was.
Instead of lingering on the shared look, Charli picked up the photos Iris had placed in front of her. The first three were all of warehouses, but they all seemed wrong somehow. She discarded them and moved to the pile below. They showed various properties, all large farming blocks. That was when the tingling began and her sight blurred, warning her of the impending vision.
She felt as if she were floating, and as soon as she opened her eyes she realized that she was doing exactly that. She was in the back of a small plane, surrounded by crates of coffee, a man reading a newspaper, and young women. She ignored the boxes, already suspecting they didn’t contain coffee.
Taking in the women, she noticed their hands were tied and their gazes held nothing but fear. There were five of them, all with Mexican backgrounds if she had to guess. They all looked so young, no older than late teens. They reminded her of herself at that age. Delgado had her in constant fear for her life. She felt helpless.
It was then that she noticed her hands were bound as well. Hands that didn’t belong to her. Delgado wasn’t just smuggling drugs, but six young girls. It was time to pay forward her technology teacher’s good deed. She wouldn’t let these girls fall into the hands of that monster.
Scrambling to her knees, she brought her bound hands up against the side of the tiny metal plane. Pulling herself up, she peered out the window, trying to get a handle of where she was. Pain sliced through the back of her legs as she crumpled into a ball.
The man who had been reading the paper stood over her with a baton in his hands. He was saying something to her, but she couldn’t understand the words. She did, however, understand the danger the raised hands posed. Covering her head, she tried to protect herself and the girl whose body she was in from any further punishment. It didn’t work.
She came to, screaming, trying to shake the hands from her shoulders. “Kitten, it’s me. You’re safe. Come back to me.”
Judge’s voice finally broke through her distress. Her gaze found his where he was crouching down in front of the chair. Throwing herself into his arms, she held on to the only thing that gave her any semblance of safety. She wept. Wept for the girls and the cruelty in their future if she couldn’t find their location. It was there in the safety of Judge’s arms that she knew what she had to do. It was something that she knew she wouldn’t have had the courage to do if it weren’t for the man holding her.
Looking up at Iris, she said, “I’m coming back to Atlanta with you.”
“What? No.”
“Judge, I have to. The drop off is happening sooner than anyone thought. I saw a newspaper with tomorro
w’s date on it. A plane is going to land on one of those farming properties. But it doesn’t just have drugs on it. Delgado’s bringing in some young girls as well,” she explained, her eyes pleading for him to understand.
“Then we will go together,” Judge challenged, pulling gently on her hair. “Remember, no more running.”
“But what about Emily?”
“Nikki and I can take her to the pride lands and wait for you,” Viper offered, worry evident in his gaze.
“And Gabby and I will go too, for added security,” Devil put in, his usually dark eyes full of concern. Concern for her, it would seem.
Looking up at the ever-quiet man who stood beside Judge, she asked, “Will it be all right if you’re left dealing with the hotel and casino, Chaos? I know you like to stick to the kitchen.”
The giant man smiled down at her. “The kitchen will have to do without me too, sweetpea. I’m coming with you. Not only will I be able to help protect you, I can watch Judge’s back and help Iris here with her problem of who else is on Delgado’s payroll. Now no more arguing. You just listen to your mate.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Less than twenty-four hours later, Charli sat in the front of the dark van they were traveling in, giving Jonah directions to the property. Several other vehicles followed behind. No matter how hard she had tried she hadn’t been able to pinpoint which property the drop off was taking place on. Each photo had shown a small runway suitable for the tiny plane the shipment was being carried upon.
It would seem that the fates wanted her present when Delgado was captured. As soon as the van started moving toward the general location of a number of the properties, the fates gave Charli the answers she had been searching for. Just like when she’d directed the guys to Nikki’s location, a map appeared in her mind. Her own inbuilt GPS system.
“Slow down here,” Charli ordered as a sense of urgency came over her. She felt the van slow as she opened her eyes. A sense of foreboding hung over her head like a dark, ominous cloud. They were close to the location of the drop off. The only problem was, so was the plane. They continued along the road slowly. And finally there it was. Almost as if it had a huge neon sign over it inviting them to enter was the driveway that led to Delgado.
“Okay, all non-FBI agents out now,” Jonah ordered, turning toward her.
A crippling pain shot through her heart, telling her what she had to do. Facing the stern face of Jonah, she said, “No! There’s no time. If you want Delgado you have to go now, not waste time kicking us out of the van.”
“Damn it!” he said before picking up the two-way radio. “Okay, teams two, three, and four are with me. Team five, move to the other exit. Team six, you stay here. Nobody leaves this property without my permission.”
“Copy that, sir!” came the joint reply.
Jonah then turned to Charli with a quick glance back at Judge and Chaos. “You will stay in the van,” he ordered before focusing on Chaos. “Iris says you’re able to work out who else might be on Delgado’s payroll. I want them but you won’t leave this car until Delgado is contained.” His whole face softened when he turned his attention on Iris. “Sweetheart, I want you to stay here. I don’t want to be worrying about you out there. This asshole needs my full attention. Okay?”
Charli felt for Iris. She too had a protective mate, but this one had forgotten that she too had the same training as he did. Still she nodded her assent and was rewarded by a killer smile from Jonah.
“Good girl,” Jonah said before turning back to the steering wheel and tearing down the property’s driveway.
The tires stirred up clouds of dust, announcing their arrival. They drove with one purpose in mind. The path they had taken was the back entrance, down the fire roads. It meant they were close to the landing strip. So close that Charli could hear the sound of running engines. She had noticed that fortunately the plane was nowhere in the sky, which suggested it had already landed, denying it an easy getaway.
Suddenly the van stopped, remaining hidden behind a thick thatch of trees. The cars behind them carried along the road before disappearing out of sight. Within minutes all three teams had checked in, giving Jonah the signal he’d been waiting for. He pulled the black ski mask over his face before placing both hands back on the steering wheel.
They were moving again. As they rounded a line of trees, they were confronted with a scene from a Hollywood movie. A number of Delgado’s thugs were there, not worrying about concealing their weapons. Not that they could easily, considering they looked huge even from a distance.
“Get down!” was all the warning she got before bullets came flying at the window.
Suddenly Jonah was out of the van with his own weapon drawn. Shots could be heard all around, zipping past the van, some pinging into the metal. Just as Judge had grabbed Charli and pulled her into the back with him the windshield shattered, sending glass flying everywhere. She curled into Judge’s hold, willing the noise to stop.
She got her wish. As quickly as it began, it ceased. Then the shouting started, people being ordered to “get down.” Charli relaxed slightly. Jonah’s was one of the voices giving orders.
“Please explain to me why he had to drive the van out there to be shot at?” Judge asked as he picked things out of Charli’s hair.
“He needed to draw their attention to him while the others got into place,” Iris replied, dusting her jeans. “You have to remember you and Charli weren’t supposed to be here in the van.”
Judge stiffened under Charli. “Something’s wrong,” he insisted. “Delgado hasn’t been taken down.”
“What do you mean? He’s not here?” Iris asked, starting to stand. Judge stopped her.
“He’s out there, but he’s got a hostage. One of the girls from the plane,” Judge explained. “He’s threatening to kill her. The poor thing is scared. I can smell her from here.”
“Judge, you stay here with the women,” Chaos ordered as he reached for the handle of the double back doors. “You can’t go all lion out there in front of everyone, but I have my own bag of tricks.”
Chaos quite literally disappeared. Not just through the doors but into thin air. One minute he was visible, then he was not. At least that gifted Charli with a bit of insight of what the warlock was capable of. The old disappearing trick held a whole new meaning. No cupboard needed, just warlock blood.
A bone-chilling scream sounded, right before a voice she prayed never to hear again. “Clarissa, I know you’re here. I saw you in that van. Get out here now! Before this girl loses some more blood. It’ll be on your head.”
Without even thinking, Charli moved toward the door Chaos had just exited through. A hand landed on her arm, its grip tight. “Where are you going?”
“You heard him. He’s going to kill that girl.” She pulled at Judge’s hold. “I can’t sit by and allow that to happen, Judge. Not if I can do something to stop it.”
“But he’ll kill you!”
“My life holds no more value than hers does. Who am I to decide who should live or die?” Charli challenged, raising her eyebrow.
“Damn stubborn woman! Why do you have to have such strong morals?”
Reaching up to touch his cheeks, she replied, “I wouldn’t be your mate if I didn’t have those qualities.”
She made another move toward the door. “Wait!” Judge ordered. “Chaos and I’ll be going with you. But no one will see us.”
“He can do that to you too?” she asked, too surprised to be scared for Judge.
“Ye have little faith in me, sweetpea,” came the voice from the open back door. “Judge, I’m assuming you have a plan?”
“We go out there, save the girl, and no one gets killed,” Charli replied for her mate. It sounded like the perfect plan to her, though she knew the best laid plans never went accordingly.
“We go out there,” Judge said in between Delgado screaming her name. “You stay by my side and under no circumstances will you go anywhere near that a
sshole.”
“I’ll get the girl, sweetpea. I promise,” Chaos vowed.
Suddenly they were moving. Judge maintained the hold on her hand even when he disappeared from her sight. Together they walked around the van, moving toward Delgado and his captive. Charli held the girl’s gaze, silently telling her to remain calm and that everything was going to be okay. Of course Delgado chose that moment to prove her wrong.
“You took your time,” he sneered as he dug the wicked-looking knife he held deeper into the girl’s exposed neck. “Get your fat ass over here. You and I are going to leave and no one’s going to do a thing about it.”
Judge’s grip tightened on her hand, warning her to stay where she was. “Just let the girl go, Delgado. She doesn’t deserve any of this,” she called out, trying to stall.
“You shut your fucking mouth, you stupid slut. Who do you think you are, ordering me around?” he screamed. Then he looked around and snorted. Spitting on the ground, he waved his knife, pointing at the agents that surrounded him. “These filthy scum will do as I say.” Again he brought the knife back to the girl’s neck and sliced into her skin.
Then suddenly he released her. Several gunshots sounded and Delgado fell to the ground. Jonah moved in, standing over the injured man and calling for the medic team.
Charli would have slumped in relief had it not been for the fact that she was fairly certain Chaos was the reason the girl had been let go. That meant he’d been in the line of fire when Delgado had been shot.
“Chaos,” she whispered, knowing Judge would hear her.
With a squeeze to her hand and a kiss on her cheek, Judge said, “He’s fine. He’s not exactly bulletproof but—”
“I know, he’s got his own bag of tricks.”
“That’s right, sweetpea,” Chaos said from behind her. As she turned she saw that he was once again himself. Tall, bulky with his shaved head and brilliant bright blue eyes. “Now why don’t we release Judge from the spell before anyone notices that he’s missing?”
Mated to War Page 13
