Page 71 of Caretaker

Then Clayton strode from the darkness, pulling a pair of silver cuffs from his belt. “I’ll take care of him.”

Al slapped him on the back. “Good to see you, buddy.”

“Where’d you get the cuffs?” I asked.

“From one of the dead guards.”

“Drained?”

“No. The vampire who killed the guards didn’t appear to be after their blood.” He knelt beside Jamie, then looked up at me. “I saw Angus.”

“How? Where?”

“I followed the noise.”

I put my hand to my chest. “He’s fighting.”

Surprise lit his eyes. “Yes.” He stood, then dragged the restrained Jamie off the ground and slung him over his shoulder. “But I didn’t see a way to free him.”

“Madalyn Bennett is on the island.” I tapped the baton against my leg, trying to decide once again whether to track her or go to Angus. “If I find her, I can call the judge. He’ll give me Angus.”

“Then you should do that.”

I hesitated. “What was going on? Was Angus okay?”

His eyes were as empty as I’d ever seen them. He gave me nothing. But I didn’t have to see his concern. I could feel it. “We need to get him out tonight.”

That’s all he’d say.

And that was more than enough.

“We will.” I stiffened my spine. “That’s why we’re here.”

“Start tracking the woman. I’ll find you after I stash this kid.”

“Stash him good,” Alejandro told him. “He’s the warden’s son, and we may need to use him before the night is over.”

I clenched the baton. “I’ll track Madalyn after you take me to where you glimpsed Angus. I want to see him.”

Clayton shook his head and started to turn away. “No.”

“Clayton!”

He stopped but didn’t turn around. “You need to trust me.”

“I do trust you.” Tears burned my eyes. “But if one of the men were asking you the same thing, you wouldn’t hesitate.”

“You’re not one of the men, and he would not want you there. I won’t add to his problems by taking you to see his…” He hesitated.

“His what?” I dashed angry tears away. “His beast?”

“His darkness,” he murmured. “And all that it contains. Track the woman, Trinity, before it’s too late.”

He loped away with Jamie Stone, and I stared after him, torn. But in the end, I lifted my nose to the air and did what he wanted me to do.

I caught Madalyn’s scent. Then, with images in my head that were probably much worse than Angus’s reality, I began to track the woman who could help me lead him out of hell.