BK 2 - Chapter 43 - Criminal Minds
Thatcher had been searching far and wide for many years for a caladrius, and now he was close. He had tracked down a family with the last name of Sterling, but he couldn't find what had happened to them. They weren't full-blood caladrius, but that didn't mean that one of their children or grandchildren didn't develop abilities.
As he searched the names of the Sterling children, he came across the names of two grandchildren. Valerie and Craig. Thatcher found where their mother Mia was deceased, but what happened to her children?
After hours of searching, he found that Valerie had married a human named Roger Brooks, and they had no children. Thatcher knew that was a dead end because nothing pointed to Valerie having any gifts. He began focusing on Craig.
It took him a few days to find that Craig had changed his last name from Sterling to Cox and married a human woman named Paula. He also found Craig's obituary, which mentioned his wife and daughter.
Thatcher was so focused on his research that he went two days without any blood and began feeling weak. After drinking some from his personal supply, he picked up where he had left off.
He found that Paula had remarried and died, leaving her daughter Emma in the hands of her stepfather. Thatcher also found Emma's death certificate. He thought it was the end of the Sterling bloodline until he found the birth certificate of Caterina Cox.
Thatcher got excited but finding Caterina ended up being rather tricky. It was as though she had fallen off the map. However, after extensive searching, he found a marriage license with her name. According to the license, she was now married to Trey Galloway.
He wondered why that name sounded so familiar to him. It didn't take him long to find that Trey Galloway was the oldest son of North America's most powerful werelion pride. That was good news and bad news.
It was good because Thatcher knew if Trey marked Caterina, her caladrius blood would come alive and give her the abilities he needed. The bad news was they were werelions and not easy for vampires to fight. He sat back, exhausted. He wasn't going to let a couple of large cats get in the way of what he wanted. He had to figure out the best way to overpower them and take Caterina.
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Caleb Pierce walked around the prison yard in pain. Every day since being locked up, the other inmates let him know what they thought of pedophiles. He had heard some talk about a prison break, and at first, he ignored it. However, now that it was a matter of life or death, he was thinking about joining them.
He didn't know how much more his body could take from their beatings and sodomy. He had to spend several days in the infirmary the last few times they had gotten to him. As he walked past a group of men, he overheard them talking again about the upcoming prison break, and this time he stopped to listen. None of these men were the ones who put him through hell. Otherwise, he would have kept going.
"So the guards will be training the new recruits in ten days. While they're busy getting their assignments and finding out who they will be working with, it's the perfect time for us to leave. There will be the least amount of security during that time. The rest of the guards are too lazy to notice what's going on right in front of them."
Caleb scuffed at their plan. They may have thought the guards were lazy, but he knew they were pretending so the prisoners would get comfortable and try something. It was at this moment that one of the inmates noticed him.
"What are you looking at? Did someone invite you to this meeting?" A big burly man walked up to Caleb as he tried to find his voice.
"No, I just think there are some flaws in your plan. I can help if you take me with you." The large man looked toward the man who had been going over the plan. The man at the table looked thoughtful for a minute, and then he nodded.
"Fine, but if we get caught, you're dead." The man was very matter-of-fact, and Caleb nodded at him, not daring to argue. If they got caught, they would be dead anyway.
Jordan was in the guard tower and had watched the entire interaction. The men planning the so-called escape were locked up for minor offenses and agreed to help entrap Caleb. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He texted Trey a message to let him know Caleb took the bait.
Trey looked down at his phone with a smile. It looked like they would be eliminating Ricky and Caleb soon. If it all worked out according to plan, Ricky would be gone in a few days. Vasco received a text saying he would be in Sacramento in two days because the prosecution was looking for a missing key witness.
"What are you so happy about?" Cat walked over to him with a smile. They were babysitting Vasco at the hotel while Kitty and Aiden got some rest. Their hostage was sleeping on the extra bed.
"I have something I need to talk to you about. I'm going to let it be your decision if you want to be involved or not." Trey made sure Vasco was tied securely and led Cat outside to one of the picnic tables that sat in the courtyard of the hotel right outside the door.
"Alright, I'm intrigued. What are you planning?" She sat down next to him and waited.
"Caleb is going to attempt an escape from prison. He will succeed, and we'll be waiting for him." She stared at him in shock. Cat had decided to forget about Caleb and what he did to her, but apparently, Trey wasn't willing to let it go.
"You can't be serious. You will let the lions do what they did to Leo? Aren't you worried someone will find out?" She wasn't opposed to it but didn't want to get caught.
"No one will find out because no one knows what's going to happen. Caleb's going to disappear once he escapes, and he'll never be heard from again. They'll look for him for a while, but as time goes on, he'll go on a list as an escaped convict." Trey watched as Cat bit her lip. He and Atlas were killing Caleb; there was no question about that. He wanted to know if she wanted to be part of it.
*"I know you're nervous about doing this, but think about it. He not only hurt you but there were also others he hurt. You'll be getting justice for them all. You won't have to do anything. Atlas and I will take care of him."* Saira was looking forward to paying back the man who almost killed Cat. She hadn't been there yet when he kidnapped her, but Atlas had told her what she looked like when they found her.
*"Is it right for us to take justice into our own hands?"* She was conflicted. Cat wanted justice for everyone, but a part of her was uneasy.
"You don't have to be part of it if you don't want to. Atlas can handle him alone." Trey said, and they heard Saira give a small growl, causing them both to laugh.
"Alright, you all win. Saira, you can help Atlas with Caleb. He is just as bad as Leo, after all, and when I was young, I always wished to have a way to get revenge on those who hurt me. It took a werelion to come into my life, but now it looks like justice will be served." Trey laughed at the look on Cat's face. They were definitely made for each other.
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Ricky started planning for his short trip to Sacramento. He wasn't telling anyone where he was going. No one knew that he knew the name and location of the person who turned in the money clip. She would disappear and never be heard from again. No one could say he had anything to do with it because no one would know he was going to Sacramento.
He was leaving in two days. It was a short drive, but since he had a couple of days, he decided to extend his trip. Make her watch as he raped and tortured her mother. Then he would kill the kids. When she was going out of her mind, he would kill her boyfriend after he made him watch her getting raped. Ricky didn't worry about evidence because they would never be found after setting them on fire.
He looked out the window of his penthouse apartment in downtown San Francisco. During the trial, he had been staying there rather than at his house outside of the city. Two days and the little bitch would be nothing but a bad memory.
