Free Mated to War by Emma Anderson Page B

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,