Page 79 of Caretaker

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Red Valley police arrived on the heels of the Correctional Emergency Response Team, and I caught sight of the captain, his expression cold and forbidding as he shouted orders and tried to figure out who the enemy was.

It wasn’t just the vampires.

The guards were shooting anyone not dressed in prison uniform, or so it seemed. When the alarm had sounded, backup guards had been alerted, and they’d rushed from their beds to ferry across the lake to help. They’d probably believed the supernaturals had gotten free.

They were about to be proven right about that.

Clayton was suddenly in front of me. He wrestled Madalyn from the judge—who resisted even though was about to drop the woman—and slung her over his shoulder. “Follow me,” he shouted.

We didn’t need to go back to the front entrance—it was too far and they wouldn’t have admitted us no matter how hard we rang the bell—for Clayton had a keycard to the side. He’d filched it from one of the guards, or the warden, maybe.

In a few short minutes, we were inside the prison.

And we had work to do.

Silverlight went dark, but she didn’t shrink, and I knew that with all the different beings inside the prison, she’d likely burst into life again soon. “Clayton, take the judge and Madalyn to medical. I’m going after Angus.”

“No.” The judge grabbed my left arm and I cried out, nearly certain it was broken. “You will take us to safety.”

Maybe I should have been flattered, but I was just annoyed. I wanted to see to Angus before my adrenaline faded and my injured body slowed me down.

“Let go of her arm,” Clayton ordered.

The judge looked at him, and then he dropped my arm quickly. “You both will take us to medical,” he insisted.

“We need to hurry,” I said. The fight outside would soon end, and then it’d be too late. They wouldn’t free Angus with all the shit going on—no matter what deal the judge had made. “We also need someone who works here to show us where Angus is.”

“He’s still outside,” someone said, and Jamie Stone stuck his head around the corner. He withdrew it quickly when he saw Clayton. “I’ll take you there.”

“We won’t hurt you,” I said. “Join us.”

There was a female guard with him—a blonde woman with wide blue eyes and a gun in each hand. Fear lurked in her stare, but so did determination.

“Judge,” I said, turning to look at him. “This guard is going to take you and your wife to medical. Clayton will protect you. I’m going to get Angus.” He opened his mouth to argue and I pointed Silverlight at him. “I did what you asked. I found Madalyn. You don’t want to forget that.”

He swallowed, then nodded. “She’s dying, isn’t she?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Clayton, find me when you can.”

He nodded, but it was a reluctant nod. Still, he knew the judge couldn’t carry his wife. He’d do what he needed to do.

The female guard shook her head. “I’m not—”

“Melinda,” Jamie told her, squeezing her arm. “Help us out.”

She swallowed hard, then nodded. “Be careful, Jamie.”

Jamie shot me a grin, but pain lurked in his eyes. I was sure he had quite the headache from Al’s punch to the temple, but he didn’t appear to have a grudge.

“I’m sorry for what happened,” I told him, as we jogged down the hall. “We couldn’t trust you.”

“I know,” he replied, strangely hesitant. “That dude who hit me.”

“What about him?”

He shrugged. “I’ll take you to Stark if you give me his information.”