Page 69 of Caretaker

He shook his head, frowning at me. “I don’t know what that means.”

“Judge Bennett offered me a trade—his abducted wife for Angus. Only I lost her scent in the city.” I took a deep breath, then another, sucking in air that tasted like poison and smelled like pure blood.

That was why the vampire had risked everything to come to Byrd Island. He was after Madalyn. He’d scented her clean blood. And if one vampire had scented her, there would be more.

I didn’t question how a vampire had caught the scent of her blood across the water when I, a tracker, had not. I didn’t know. It didn’t matter. It just was.

I started to pull my cell from my pocket so I could call Crawford, but before I could, Alejandro took my arm.

“Someone’s coming,” he murmured. “Let’s get out of here.”

It was smarter to call the judge and Crawford when I actually had Madalyn in hand anyway. We jogged on up the path to the prison, and I didn’t know about Al, but part of me didn’t believe we’d actually make it there.

But we did.

“Listen,” I said. “Do you hear that?”

He cocked his head and narrowed his eyes, listening. “Sounds like a football game.”

From the distance came the sounds of yelling, stomping, cheering. I sniffed the air, and for a second I thought I smelled hot dogs and popcorn. I pushed the bell, hoping the people inside would tell us what was going on.

We waited impatiently to be acknowledged, and it took so long I was afraid they would simply ignore us and we’d have to find another way in. Finally, the heavy portcullis began to open, and we were admitted into the Byrdcage.

“Help ya?” the same woman called, once we stepped into the waiting area.

Alejandro and I walked to the window. “We’re here to see Angus Stark.” We placed our passes on the countertop.

She was already shaking her head. “Not possible. I don’t care who gave you passes. Warden will shit a brick if I let you in. Stark isn’t available tonight anyway.”

I pressed my palm against my stomach. “What do you mean, he isn’t available? Open the damn door.”

“Nope.”

Al squeezed my arm and grinned at the woman. “Sounded like a crowd had gathered back behind the prison. You guys having a party?”

“Oh yeah.” She returned his grin. “We throw the inmates a big party every weekend.”

“We like to party.” I tried to sound as lighthearted and bland as Alejandro, but I didn’t have it in me. I was too worried about Angus. And perhaps I was just a little worried about Himself ending my life if I didn’t do as he’d suggested and bring Angus home.

She picked up a blank sheet of paper, pursed her lips, and ran her fingertip over some nonexistent words. “Sorry, but you’re not on the guest list. Go home. Come back Thursday and maybe we’ll let you in.”

I slammed my fist into the window. It didn’t do a thing other than hurt my hand and piss off the receptionist.

She jumped to her feet. “Back the fuck up!”

“Open the fucking door,” I said.

She strode to the door inside the office and yanked it open. “Need you to escort some irate people off the premises.” She glanced back over her shoulder at me, not at all concerned with my temper. She knew I couldn’t get to her.

Then she went back to her desk and buzzed open the double doors across from us. Three guards hurried through, already pulling their weapons.

I didn’t recognize two of them, but the guard in the middle was Jamie Stone, the warden’s son.

His stare sharpened when he caught sight of me. “I’ll take care of them,” he told the other guards. “They’re not going to cause any trouble. Are you?”

I spread my hands. “No trouble. We just need to see our friend.”

“Stark’s not available,” the woman behind the window repeated. “I told you that already.”

Jamie Stone holstered his gun. “I’ll walk you and your friend out.”

He escorted us back through the entrance doors, and the portcullis began to descend almost before we’d cleared it.

“You have a plan to get us in,” Al said, staring at Jamie. “Don’t you?”

“Yeah,” I said. “He does.”

Jamie smiled. “Nothing like a nighttime tour of the island. Let’s go stir things up.”

He just wanted to piss off daddy. And that was more than fine with me. Jamie could throw daddy off a cliff and I wouldn’t argue, as long as he took me to Madalyn or Angus.

“I think we need to crash a party,” I told him.

“And I think you’re trouble, Sinclair. But then, I always did enjoy a little trouble.”

I let him take my arm.

And so it began.