Chapter Twenty-three

Deja took over making breakfast. Caden needed to see Sage before he lost control over his other side.

“Sageray.” His hand caressed the side of her face. She opened her eyes still looking drowsy.

“Hi, baby.”

This time he didn’t growl. He climbed onto the bed with her and drew her close.

“What’s wrong?” Her voice was a whisper. His heart was pounding against his chest so fast he could see the outline of it.

He rocked her gently back and forth increasing the worry she felt.

“Caden, please tell me.”

“Detective Baker wants you to turn yourself in. He thinks you killed those women. I can kill him tonight, and we can go to a different city.”

She laughed against his chest. “We won’t be killing people just because we can. That would make us no better than Jim and his friends. I didn’t kill those women. You believe me, right?”

“I know you didn’t kill them.”

“Then maybe this will work in our favor. If I’m in jail, then Jim can’t get to me.”

He nodded, but he wasn’t buying it. What would make the detective think she did it unless it was a trap?

“When do I have to turn myself in?”

“Fire bought us a few hours. I want you to sleep, shower and eat.” He wanted her to be awake so she wouldn’t be a helpless victim.

He closed his eyes and began to plan.

*~*~*~*

Sage was dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. She was sitting at the kitchen table watching Caden cook her meal. The last meal of the condemned she thought before she cut off the laughter. It was funny to her, but it was also sick. She was being condemned for something she didn’t do.

He placed a steak and a baked potato in front of her with green beans as a side. She protested when he first mentioned it. He won by saying the side of her that was integrated with him needed red meat. There was also the possibility that it would help her fight off her need to sleep. So, she was cutting into her steak wondering why she protested in the first place, it tasted so good.

He sat and watched her until she was finished eating. Then he cleaned the dishes like it was a normal day. She went and put on her shoes and grabbed a sweater, in case she needed it.

“I’m ready.” She was sitting on the couch waiting for him to come out.

He went and took her hand helping her to stand. They silently went to his Jeep where Xander and Ven were waiting for them.

Xander hugged her. “We are going to make this right. I promise you, sister.” He climbed into the back seat.

“Jim will pay.” Ven hugged her close before climbing into the back seat.

She watched as they blended into their surroundings. Caden helped her into the front seat before closing the door.

“This is what we are going to do.” They had gone over the plan several times, but he wanted to make sure they all played their part.

“Xander and Ven are going to go into the police station looking for Jim or his minions. If they spot them. They will stop them. Everyone else will be patrolling outside the station. I will be sitting inside the station waiting for your release while monitoring the front door.”

“I understand, and I will fight sleep.” His hand went over to capture hers.

“Do the best you can Sageray.” She nodded holding onto him tightly.

They were at the station before she knew it. Caden climbed out but held his door open longer letting Xander and Ven come over the front seat and exit the car. This way, no one would wonder why the back doors opened. Then he came around and opened the door for her.

“Ready?”

She nodded and smiled. “Show time.”

They walked up the stairs, and she whispered a soft prayer to come out of this alive.

“Hi, I am here to see Detective Baker. My name is Sage Stewart.” The officers approached her with handcuffs out. Caden was in front of her ready to spring when Detective Baker walked in.

“That won’t be necessary. Ms. Stewart if you will come with me.”

He took them into a conference room.

“We need your fingerprints. We found several pairs on the female’s necks. They all seem to be female by the slightness of the hand and the width of the fingers. Naturally, since you were in the room, we want to rule you out as a suspect. If the prints come back as a match, then we will hold you until we can get to the bottom of this.”

“I understand detective.” She reached out to touch Caden making sure he stayed calm.

“I will send a tech in.”

He took her fingerprints, and she waited for the detective to come back in the room.

“I’m sorry the prints came back as a match.”

“Detective I didn’t kill those women.”

“Ms. Stewart, I can only follow the evidence. We will have to process you. We will continue to investigate and keep you informed of what we are finding.”

He turned to look at Caden. “You can leave we will take good care of her.”

“I’ll sit out front. Will there be a problem with that?”

“Sit there all night if you want.”

An officer came to lead Sage away. He pulled out handcuffs. Caden moved toward him.

“Those won’t be necessary.” Detective Bakers words cut Caden off.

Sage went with the officer. How had this happened?

It took them over thirty minutes to process her. Now she was in a cell, but the surrounding cells were empty. That didn’t make sense because they passed other empty cells with other inmates in the ones surrounding them.

“Caden?”

“I’m here Sage. I haven’t left you alone.”

“I’m in a cell, but there is no one around me.”

“How do you feel?”

“I’m a little tired and a bit nervous.” She was scared, but she wouldn’t tell him that. This felt wrong, but what could she do?

“I’m going to rest a little but not sleep. Did Jasper or Chase find anything?”

“They said they found the smoking gun. Now they are alerting the police silently. According to Jasper, he doesn’t want me killing all the officers, he thinks the humans need them.”

She laughed feeling a moment of relief. “Remind me to get Jasper more than a card for Christmas.”

“I will Sage. I love you, hold on.”

“I love you too, baby.” His growl made her feel good.

She had been sitting in her cell for over an hour when an officer came down the hallway.

Had he found the proof they needed to set her free? Why hadn’t Caden told her?

“Hi, are you here to set me free?” He could just be making rounds making sure she hadn’t escaped.

“The detective wants to talk to you.”

“He does? Do you know why?”

“Why would I know why?” He unlocked the cell. The way he walked was wooden as if he weren’t comfortable in his own skin.

“I don’t want to go. Tell him I refuse. He’ll have to come here to see me.” She was backing up not having anywhere else to go.

When the officer got close, she hit him. He laughed.

“Caden help me. They’re taking me!”

He put a cloth over her face, and she passed out.

*~*~*~*

“The person we have in custody for the mass murder of all those women didn’t do it.”

Detective Baker was on the phone. He counted his breaths before he answered.

“What do you mean she didn’t do it? You ran the prints twice assuring me that they were a match.”

“They were, are a match. We went back to look at them again, and that’s when we realized that the prints were planted. Her hands aren’t wide enough to match where the prints were placed. We took some more time and discovered that her prints were placed over other prints to destroy the real evidence.”

“Why didn’t you look for that in the first place?”

“It’s never been down before.”

“Are you sure this time?”

“Yes, she’s not the murderer. We have the spacing of the hand, it is not a match with either of her hands.”

There was a frantic pounding at his door.

“Thank you, I have to go. Come in.” One of his junior officers walked in looking flushed.

“Sir, we have a problem. The man who came in with the murder suspect has gone crazy demanding to see her.”

“We told him that was impossible, but I sent someone to check on her, so I could reassure him. Sir, she’s gone.”

“She escaped?”

“I don’t think so. Someone is watching the tapes, but it looks like there was a struggle in the room. I think someone took her.”

“Follow me.” He went out front where Caden was confronting his officers. He was on his way out, but the officers were trying to block his path.

“You, Detective Baker.”

He had never heard his named sneered the way Caden did it.

“If anything happens to Sage, you will pay for it.”

He turned and walked out the building.

“What are you staring at? Who is searching for our missing inmate who happens to be innocent?”

They bumped into each other trying to organize a search party.

“Where are we going?” Xander was already in the driver’s seat waiting for Caden.

“To Jim’s apartment.”

“They aren’t there,” Ven told him. “Alpha put two males on his apartment, in case he was stupid enough to come back. They are inside right now, and it’s empty. Looks like he may have come earlier and left in a hurry.”

Where are you Sageray? Where would Jim take her that he would make him feel safe? That was the key. Somewhere he would think I would never look.

“Go to the warehouse.”