As they moved toward the van, Charli became aware of commotion occurring behind them. She ignored it, allowing the FBI agents to deal with it. It was a mistake. What had started out as a slight sting on her left shoulder blade quickly transformed into a blaze encompassing her whole shoulder and back. She had no idea what happened, but she was scooped up into someone’s arms as they ran behind the van. She was barely aware of the shouting and shooting that was occurring on the other side of the van over the pounding in her ears. Darkness swamped her. The last thing she heard was Judge ordering her not to die.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Judge was pissed off. He wanted blood, but the asshole was dead. Instead he was sitting in the hospital waiting room while his mate was in surgery to remove a bullet from her shoulder.
“Have you heard anything?” Chaos asked, worry softening his hard face as walked toward Judge.
“Not since you rang five minutes ago,” Judge responded sharply. He cringed at his tone. “I’m sorry, brother. I hate this. Why did those humans have to notice? You could have fixed Charli up and then we would have been on our way. But now she’s going through hell, and I can’t be by her side. And worst of all, she’s going to be in a hell of a lot more pain after the operation than what she would have been if they let you do your thing.”
“I know, brother. But secrecy is paramount. Charli wouldn’t want us to risk exposing ourselves when the humans could fix her.” Chaos patted Judge on his back. “You know that better than anyone.”
“I know,” Judge conceded, finally looking at Chaos. The warlock looked tired. “Did you get everything squared away with Iris and Biesterman?”
“Yes, I found three traitors in the teams that were there today. Biesterman’s going to check them out and hand them over to his boss,” Chaos replied. “One of them appeared relieved when Delgado was pronounced dead at the scene.”
“But relieved because he can’t get fingered or because he was forced into the association with Delgado?”
“That, my brother, is for Biesterman to work out. Then he will have his hands full on returning to Vegas. I handed over the information that Gabby’s brother stole from Biesterman’s uncle. He should now have all the names of those in his uncle’s pocket. Minus those two cops from Gabby’s brother’s case. Viper is convinced they deserve a second chance after their help with protecting Nikki from her ex.”
Judge snorted at Chaos’s comment. Since when did they give second chances? Immediately he knew the answer. Since the girls had walked into their lives and upturned them. He would take as much mayhem in his life, if only his woman made it through this ordeal.
A hand squeezed Judge’s shoulder. “You know she’s going to be all right, don’t you?”
“Are you psychic too?” Judge queried, looking up at Chaos.
“No, I just know that your girl is strong.”
“You know, Devil thinks you’re a threat to my relationship with Charli because of your use of the endearment sweetpea?” Judge said, looking down at his hands.
“And what do you think?” Chaos asked, sitting in the chair beside Judge.
“It’s not what I think, but what I know.” Judge returned his gaze to his now-seated brother. “I know that you have no sexual feelings for Charli. It’s your way of identifying those women special to you. You feel a connection to her, don’t you?”
“Yes, but how did you know?”
He leaned back in his chair and patted Chaos’s broad shoulder, offering comfort to the man the only way he knew how. “Do you remember that kitchen hand, about twelve years ago?” Chaos nodded. “You called her sweetpea too. You were protective of her in a brotherly way. If I remember rightly her name was Crystal, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Have you maintained contact with her?” Judge asked, suspecting the answer.
“Yes. She’s mated with a cub on the way,” Chaos explained. His response wasn’t a surprise to Judge.
“Do you go to her when you take off from the hotel?” Chaos nodded again. “How does her mate feel about that?”
“Like you, he understands the connection between us. Though it did take him a while. He doesn’t know me as well as you do.” Chaos rubbed his hand over his shaven head. “It’s not the same as the one I have with Charli. Hell, I don’t even understand it.”
“But I thought the connection you shared with both Crystal and Charli had something to do with your similar pasts. Each one of your families have used your abilities for their own gain.” Each brother knew the others’ story of their first life, though they rarely discussed it.
“It is, but with Crystal it’s stronger somehow. As if we share something more than family betrayal,” Chaos said, standing.
“You don’t share DNA, do you? Maybe your family trees cross somewhere.”
“No, I checked that out. We share no genes at all.” Chaos looked at the waiting room door. He moved toward it and threw the attention back onto the problem at hand. “I’m going to hunt down some coffee and fill Devil and Viper in. The girls are going crazy for information.”
“Emily doesn’t know, does she?”
“No.”
Judge’s shoulders slumped in relief. “Good, keep it that way.”
Chaos bowed his head slightly in deference to Judge. It was his family, so he made the rules. “As you wish. Do you want some coffee?”
Standing, Judge ran his fingers through his hair and began to pace. “What I want is for someone to tell me what the hell’s going on.”
“Two coffees, then,” Chaos said as he walked through the door.
Twenty minutes later, Chaos walked in with two steaming cups of coffee. To Judge’s surprise they weren’t in the usual Styrofoam cups but proper porcelain mugs. After a sip he realized it tasted like real coffee rather than that crap most hospitals had.
When he questioned Chaos about it, the big man just shrugged and admitted, “I sweet-talked the nurses into letting me use their machine in their kitchenette. Nikki and Gabby told me to do it.”
“How’s everything back there?”
“The girls send their love,” Chaos replied, taking a long sip from his cup. “And they fear that keeping Charli’s condition from Emily might not be that easy. She had a vision last night and called out to Charli. When Nikki asked about it Emily claimed to be too tired. Then this morning she told the girls what she saw.”
“Why the hell didn’t they warn us?” Judge fisted his hand around the mug. It shattered. His only saving grace was that it was empty.
“They tried but we had already gone silent, remember. No phone or radio contact with anyone.” Chaos shook his head, pointedly looking at the broken mug. “You can explain that to the nurses. I’m not.”
Turning his hand over, Judge took in the damage done by the avenging porcelain. He had tiny cuts across his hand. Cuts that were already healing. It was nothing compared to what his mate was currently enduring. Where the hell was that doctor?
As if conjuring her up by thought alone, a doctor entered the waiting room, still in scrubs. “Are you Mr. Martin?”
“Yes, that’s me,” Judge said, jumping up from the chair he was sitting in. “How is she?”
“She’s going to be fine. Very sore, but she’s one lucky girl. The bullet hit an artery as I had originally suspected. We’ve had to immobilize her arm. She’s going to have to keep it as still as possible for a while. But she should make a full recovery.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Judge said, fighting the urge to hug her. “Can we see her?”
“Yes, but not until she’s been moved. I’ll have the nurse let you know when you can see her.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Judge called after the retreating woman as he slumped in his chair. His mate was going to be okay.
****
Images of Emily tied to a chair, followed by a man lying in his own blood on the ground, floated through Charli’s hazy mind and had her screaming. Something squeezed her hand and she struggled
to open her eyes. Her eyelids were heavy, refusing to budge. She tried to bring her other hand up to clear her faulty vision but her arm stayed where it was. The pain was now through her whole shoulder and she cried out again.
“Shhh, kitten, you’ll wake the whole hospital.”
Judge’s words had more images running through her mind. Images she knew were real. Delgado was dead, and she had been shot. She tried to assess the damage by attempting to move her shoulder again. Only this time she was expecting the pain. Still it remained immobile.
“Charli, don’t try to move your shoulder. It’s been bound to protect it from any further damage,” a female voice instructed.
“The doctor’s right. If you need anything ask me,” Judge cooed, squeezing her free hand. “That’s what I’m here for.”
“Eyes won’t open. Heavy!” she croaked as she yanked her free hand from Judge’s hold and grabbed her throat. It felt like she had swallowed razor blades.
A wet cloth was wiped across her eyes right before something cold touched her lips. “Open up for me, kitten. This will help your throat.”
A sliver of ice hit her tongue and immediately melted. The drop of cool liquid that drizzled down the back of her throat was surprisingly refreshing. Another ice chip was held to her mouth. She welcomed it, desperate for its soothing qualities.
Finally when her throat had cooled enough and she managed to open her eyes a slither, she asked, “Delgado, is he really dead?”
“Yes, kitten. He’s no longer a threat.” His attempt at reassuring her was ruined by his angry glare at her shoulder.
“He’s the one who shot me, wasn’t he?”
“Yes,” Judge hissed. His gaze moved to the machine monitoring her heartbeat. “The agents were lapse in their judgment of his condition. They assumed he had been incapacitated by his injuries. They were wrong and you nearly paid for it with your life.”
“Hey, Judge, look at me,” she encouraged. Initially he fought her request, but finally his green eyes met hers. Squeezing his hand, she added, “I’m here. Safe and alive. That’s more than I can say about Delgado. With him gone from our lives Emily and I can move on and look to our future with you. A sore shoulder is a small price to pay for our freedom.”
“I nearly lost you,” Judge said, putting his head down on her leg.
“But you didn’t.” She ran her good hand through his golden hair. “Now did the doctor say when you can spring me from this joint? I want to go home.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
The doctors weren’t overly keen on releasing her. Especially when they discovered that she intended on flying home. But four days later, and only on the proviso that a doctor would be flying with them, she was discharged from the hospital. Of course, Charli knew it wouldn’t have been that easy if they realized the doctor they were traveling with had no medical qualifications. He was a warlock whose magical blood would be able to counter any further injury to Charli. Judge had informed her that his blood could also heal her, but she quickly vetoed that idea. Drinking blood, anyone’s blood would definitely be a last resort.
It had taken them longer than usual to get home. Judge had decided that their traveling would be broken up into small stints on the cramped plane. So instead of a direct flight, Charli got to see more states in America than she had planned. Well, their airports at least.
Finally they were close to the pride lands. Charli was desperate to see Emily. She had spoken to her sister several times, reassuring her that she was okay and Delgado could no longer hurt them. She sent Emily a photo of her shoulder from the airport. She didn’t want her sister to be scared when she saw her bound arm. Or lack of arm hanging from her top.
At the doctor’s insistence, Charli was to keep her left arm bound to her body until she could see her doctor back home. They were worried that the jostling often experienced on planes could disturb the stitches, both internal and external. It meant that her left arm had to remain hidden underneath her clothing.
Or Judge’s, to be more precise. Her tops were too tight, so she had taken to stealing Judge’s shirts. Not that he minded, if his continual appraising looks were anything to go by. They made her hot under the collar and her underwear wet.
She was in a constant state of arousal. Due to her arm’s immobility, Judge had taken to dressing her. His torturous little nips and kisses to her bare skin as he pulled her clothing on had her previously clean and dry underwear soaking. He was driving her to distraction.
That would have been fine had he been willing to follow through on his attentions, but he wasn’t. Even when he had the opportunity to lie down with her, he refused. Instead he wedged pillows at the back to ensure that she couldn’t inadvertently turn over onto her sore shoulder while she slept. He then slept in an uncomfortable chair, causing him to get a crick in his neck. Stubborn man!
She looked over at the man in the seat beside her. His eyes were trained on the road as he took a bend with an expertise that came with experience. Even in the limited light offered by the moon she could see that he was tired, and she knew she was the cause.
Soon they would be back at pride lands and out of sight of the prying eyes of the humans. Chaos would be able to examine her injury more closely and hopefully reduce the impact of it. He would have done it once they left the hospital, but he insisted that she would have had to rest for a day before they flew. That was unacceptable to Charli. She needed to get back to her sister. They hadn’t been separated for this long in the two years they had been together. Neither of them liked the distance.
Emily’s greeting when they finally arrived at the pride lands was proof enough of that. She flung herself into Charli’s good arm and refused to let go. Her sobs broke Charli’s heart.
“I’m here, honey,” she cooed. Emily’s arms tightened around her neck. “I’ve got you. Are you okay?”
Emily nodded into her shoulder. Charli moved toward the steps that led up to Judge’s house. A hand landed on her back. As it had been since the first day she met him, Judge was there to catch her if she fell. Slowly, she made her way up the several stairs, balancing Emily’s tiny weight on her hip.
After greeting everyone she was led up to the second floor. The truth was she was so shocked by the hug she’d received from Devil she didn’t ask where they were going. She found herself in the master bedroom with Judge, Chaos, and Emily, who was still holding on tight to her.
“Okay, sweetpea. I’m going to take a look at your shoulder,” Chaos explained. “Why don’t you sit on the edge of the bed for me?”
Carefully she lowered herself and Emily onto the massive bed. Dislodging Emily’s hold on her, Charli set her little sister beside her. Still Emily maintained contact by holding on to Charli’s arm. Judge stood behind Chaos as the large man folded himself in two and ran his hands over her injured shoulder. Judge didn’t look too happy.
Once he stood to his full height again, Chaos turned to Judge and said, “To heal it, I need to get into the wound.” Judge’s hiss had Chaos laying his hand onto her mate’s shoulder. “Why don’t you take her top off and help her to lie down on her side? That way you can cover her up, leaving only her damaged shoulder exposed. I’ll wait outside.”
Judge’s shoulders slumped as he watched Chaos leave the room. “Okay, kitten, you heard the man. It’s time to get undressed.” His smirk didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Are you okay?” She wriggled her backside back further onto the bed.
“Yes. I find it hard to see other men touching you,” Judge said, moving over to help her off with his shirt. “I had to repeat over again that Chaos has a mate. He’s not a threat.”
That piece of information surprised her. “Wait, Chaos has a mate? Who?”
“None of us know.” Judge pulled the bed covers back so she could lie down. “He didn’t claim her when he met her ten years ago because she was too young. Now I think he’s worried that his size and dominance will scare her.”
“But he’s so sweet.
How could he possibly worry about something like that? His mate is lucky to have such a gentle giant,” Charli stated. Tensing, ready to stand up for the one man apart from Judge who she truly felt safe with, she flinched as pain radiated out from her wound.
Judge’s hand landed on her arm, soothing the ache. “Calm down, kitten. I suspect that his mate has no idea of how important she is to him.” He encouraged her to lie down on the bed. Emily lay beside her, facing her. “Now let’s get you covered up so Chaos can work his magic. I have plans for both of your arms tonight.”
With a pat to her backside, Judge walked over to the door. Chaos quickly returned to her side. His soft touch did nothing but ease the pain even further. Relaxing, she concentrated on what Chaos was doing.
“Okay, sweetpea, I want you to tell me if this gets too much,” Chaos said softly. “I’ve been told my healing energies feels like mini electric shocks.”
Forcing herself not to tense at his words, Charli expected agony. It never came. She sensed rather than felt Chaos’s hands moving over her wound but felt nothing close to what he had described.
His magic zinged through her, reaching every nerve ending in her upper body, but she felt no pain. If she had to describe it she would say it was similar to pins and needles, tickling and irritating her shoulder, but nothing she couldn’t handle.
She turned her focus to her little sister, appreciating how relaxed she appeared. Their gazes met and she sent Emily an encouraging smile. As they continued to stare at each other, she became aware of something significant. With each breath she took in, so did Emily. The rise and fall of theirs chests were in sync. Every droop of her eyelids matched her little sister’s. Charli was so relaxed, feeling safe for the first time in a long time, she found it increasingly difficult to reopen her eyes.
She was vaguely aware of voices mumbling around her. They spoke so softly she couldn’t make out the words. They mattered little at this stage. Sleep was calling her. She felt movement as Emily wriggled into the curve of her body. Wrapping herself around her little sister, Charli allowed sleep to take her.
Mated to War Page 14
