Mated to War (6 page)

Chapter Nine

Who
are you? And who is he?
she
asked in her head, hoping the woman would be able to hear her.

I
am Jonah’s handler, and he is who he said he is, Saul Biesterman’s nephew,
came the quick response through
their telepathic connection.
But the rest
is a cover. His father disapproved of his brother’s dealings and passed that on
to his son. Jonah has worked for the FBI since he graduated college and now
works in the organized crime section. He’s been trying to take down Delgado for
five years now. When his uncle was murdered, it was decided that he would do
more good undercover in the family business. We may be able to kill two birds
with one stone with you.

Why
are you telling me all of this?
Charli asked, unsure whether she really wanted to know the
answer.

Because,
Clarissa, Charli, whatever you want to be called, this situation is a win-win
for both of us
.
You are the key to taking down Delgado,
and once we take him down, you and your little sister can go about your lives
knowing he can’t hurt either one of you.

Pain shot through Charli’s head,
and she raised her hand to rub her temple. She had shared her thoughts through
telepathy only once before. The day Charli had been caught attempting to leave
the house without anyone knowing to head off to college. For that she had
received a severe beating from her father. The nurse who attended her at the
hospital had spoken to her that way. Like this woman, she was a telepath. She
ended up being instrumental in Charli’s escape.

After the ordeal, Charli had
experienced migraine-like symptoms but had attributed it to the beating and the
stress she’d been under. Now it would seem it was a side effect of talking to
someone telepathically.

That’s
because you are forcing your thoughts my way. Just think them and I will hear
them,
the woman
explained, accurately reading her line of thought.
Now company is coming. Your fae friend spoke to her mate in a similar
way we are speaking, warning him of Jonah’s presence. You need to get away from
all of them and meet me in the ladies’ before that headache grows worse.

Fear raced through her body.
Could she trust this woman? She had little choice but to discover that answer
for herself. Emily’s continued safety and future freedom depended on it. She
would give anything to offer her little sister the kind of life she saw her
friends at school living.

Looking around, Charli tried to
find the woman. Instead her gaze landed on an extremely angry male. In fact,
three menacing men stalked toward the table, their displeasure obvious for all
to see. Judge seemed to be assessing her, taking in her exterior, before his
eyes met hers. She could feel him deep within her soul.

His presence eased her fear,
allowing her to think rationally about her options. Really she only had one. Meet
this woman and free Emily from the prison she had been forced to live in for
the last two years.

“Biesterman, what are you doing
here?” Devil demanded, placing himself between the man and the table.

“I came to discuss business with
you and was rewarded with a bonus.” Jonah sneered down at Charli.

“You have no business here!”
Judge stated, moving into Jonah’s line of sight.

Move
now!
came the
voice in her head.

“Excuse me,” she said, standing.

“Where are you going?” Judge
asked, grabbing her arm.

“The ladies’.”

Leaning forward, he whispered in
her ear, “No more running, kitten.”

“Please, Judge. I need to use
the restroom,” Charli pleaded. “I’ll come straight back, I promise.”

Judge turned and nodded to two
of the suited men behind her. “I don’t care if everyone else has to wait, no
one is allowed to enter while she’s in the ladies’. Do you understand?”

With a nod, they came to stand
behind her. Judge returned his gaze to hers, silently pleading with her.
Releasing her arm, Judge brought his mouth down on hers. His lips moved over
hers, adding the perfect amount of pressure. Instinctively she opened for him,
inviting his tongue into her dark, warm cavern. He didn’t oblige. Instead he
pulled back on a groan. Desire had replaced his concern.

“Stay with the guys,” he said,
turning her. “And we’ll see you in a few minutes.”

On a nod, she began moving in
the direction he’d pointed her, momentarily lost in where she was meant to be
heading. Turning back to Judge, her gaze fell on someone other than her mate.
Jonah Biesterman sent her a knowing smile. She would have been embarrassed by
what had just taken place between her and Judge in front of these strangers had
they not represented trouble for her and Emily. The same trouble she had been
avoiding bringing to Judge’s doorstep when she’d run from him. Instead it was
Devil who had attracted Jonah Biesterman to the hotel and casino, not her.

Jonah Biesterman knew of her
tormentor. Delgado had forced her to do his bidding while she lived under her
father’s roof. He was the cousin of her father’s boss, whose links to the mafia
made him an extremely dangerous man.

Her gifts were what he sought,
and she had denied him them by going to college. She’d chosen her college for
many reasons, but the main one was the high level of organized crime present
within the area. The fact that the city in which she studied was run by a crime
boss was her saving grace.

Delgado couldn’t have crossed
territories without inciting a war. Especially not for some insignificant girl.
Because Delgado wouldn’t have freely divulged Charli’s ability to anyone
through fear of losing control over her. He had just planned on waiting until
she returned home, which she didn’t do until Emily’s mother was murdered.

Forcing her mind onto the job at
hand, she continued to walk, looking around for the bathroom sign. Had she
somehow missed it? There was nothing lit up highlighting which way she needed
to go. Thankfully one of the men behind her tapped her on the shoulder and
pointed toward the far corner. Following his direction, she came across a
wooden door. Upon it was painted the universal symbol for the female and male.
They would have been barely larger than her hand, positioned beside the handle
that blended in with the dark wood. How was someone of her height supposed to
see that over the significant crowd?

Twisting the handle and pushing
her way through the door, she entered a narrow corridor. Her guards continued
to follow her until she reached the door that held the female symbol. Forcing
the heavy door to give way, she moved in through it before letting it swing
back into place. Only it didn’t. One of the guards held it open.

“The boss wants you safe,” he
said. “If you’re not out in three minutes, we’ll be coming in.”

Nodding, she continued into the
large, marble bathroom. Waiting until she heard the soft click of the door
closing, she began to search for the telepath. All the stall doors were open
bar one, and the wash area was vacant. Unsure whether the stall held her and
unwilling to disturb a patron going about their business, she waited. Only
seconds passed before the stall door opened.

A slim, stunning woman walked
over to one of the sinks and washed her hands before wetting some paper towel.
“Wet your neck, ears, and temple. It will ease some of the pain.”

“Thank you,” Charli said, taking
the offered relief. Her skin tingled when the cold water made contact.
Remembering the time limit her guards had placed on this meeting, she asked,
“What do you want from me?”

“Your help to take down Delgado.
Jonah’s able to destroy his uncle’s empire, but he’s still trying to discover
everyone who was in his uncle’s pocket. He suspects there’s a list somewhere,
but the accountant’s missing. That being said, after five years of
investigating Delgado’s operation, Jonah wants to be there when Delgado gets
his comeuppance. You can do that!”

“How?”

“I can take him down in a week,
but only with your help,” the woman replied. Fear shot through Charli at the
idea of being anywhere near that man again. Her head began to shake its
refusal. The woman’s hands came up. “Just hear me out.”

“You better make it good, and
quick,” Charli said, sure that she would be refusing anything this woman had to
say. “The guards gave me three minutes before they are coming in.”

“I won’t need that time.
Firstly, let me introduce myself. They call me Iris.” She held out her hand. As
Charli shook it, her head turned back toward the door. “Look, Charli, I need
you to trust me on this. Delgado’s expecting a shipment of drugs in the next
week. Rumor is he’s going to be there to accept it. All I need from you is the
location.”

Charli slumped in relief. Was
that all Iris required, for her to use her ability? That shouldn’t be too hard.
Closing her mind off from everything except the monster who had stolen her
youth.

She
found herself coming face-to-face with the man in question. It wasn’t her eyes
she was looking at him through. Moving her gaze, she found a mirror. Staring
back at her was a woman no older than twenty-five, though her eyes would
suggest they had seen more than most. Fear filled her, but it wasn’t Charli’s.

“Don’t
you look away from me when I’m talking to you,” an all-too-familiar voice
demanded as the young lady’s head was yanked back to face Delgado. “You will
get rid of the brat.”

“No!”
The woman’s hands went to her stomach.

“I’m
not having a bastard kid of mine walking the streets. And I have no plans on
marrying you, so you have little choice.”

“But
I could
…
”

“You
could get rid of it or I will do it myself,” Delgado shouted at the woman. “Here,
let me show you.”

With
no warning a fist landed hard into the woman’s stomach. She doubled over in
agony. Seconds later, pain radiated through her head. The strike sent her skull
slamming into the wall.

A hand landed on Charli’s
shoulder, pulling her from the nightmare vision. Iris was asking her if she was
all right as the restroom door slammed open. Her guards came barreling in.

“What happened?” one of them
asked.

“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 toward 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.