"This is taking too long," Jericho said to Trey Roberts as they waited at the front desk of the prison. Tim Oberto was arguing with the deputy warden. The deputy was looking through his computer, making phone calls, and giving information to Tim. They knew where Stephanie was, but no one was answering the female block of the prison.
"It's highly irregular," the deputy was explaining as he hung up and tried again.
"I am going in to get her," Jericho warned Trey, "Enough of this bullshit. We are going to her cell block and getting her."
Trey nodded and just as Tim looked up, gave him a nod. Jericho heard Tim tell the deputy to bring them there immediately. He stood, recognizing the direction in Tim's voice. In the out world, Tim was Justice North's voice, and if Justice North demanded that a prisoner be released, then it would happen.
The warden began walking them through a series of gates and locks. Jericho kept his sunglasses on and his weapon at the ready. This place was a cesspool of suffering and hate. He could smell it all around him. And in case that wasn't enough, he could hear it in the threats and taunts being called out to him from the cells.
They were led through one more set of gates to the women's block where a very nervous looking guard was manning the desk alone.
"Why weren't you answering the phone?" the deputy asked the officer.
"I'm sorry, Sir," he said, "I missed it."
The man was lying. Jericho could smell the deceit. Something bad was happening here and he didn't want anyone to know what it was. He heard a scream, and the deputy jumped, "Open the doors, Matthews."
"Sir," the officer's hand was shaking and the doors disengaged. They began running down the cell block, following the sound of the screams, to a cell. Jericho stopped as they reached it, shutting his eyes tightly against what he was seeing.
"Jesus Christ," the deputy said, and then roared, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!"
Trey, Shane, and Tim had their weapons raised and were sighting in on a guard who was assaulting a female inmate. Jericho roared and the guard jumped.
The man tripped over his pants, and the task force moved into action. They grabbed cable ties from their back pockets and secured his hands behind his back. Shane, who had some training as a medic, began administering basic first aid to the female. Jericho breathed quickly through his nose, the scent of fear and sex making him sick. It was too close to the smells from Mercile. He didn't know who this woman was, but no one deserved what had been done to her.
"Where are the female guards?" the deputy asked, as if to himself, before grabbing his radio and calling in, "Warden? This is Bill. We have a big fucking problem, and we need to clean house. Ready emergency officers. I'll explain when you get here."
Jericho had to move away from the cell, his anger at the man threatening to make him lose control and rip him to pieces. As he moved down the hall, the smell began to clear and he caught a familiar scent; his mate. It was masked by a heavy cologne, but Jericho was able to follow the scent trail to a cell.
It was her. He could smell fear. Pain. Despair. Confusion. It was too much and Jericho grasped the bars to stay upright. He turned around and barreled down the hallway. He shoved aside the humans on the Task Force and grabbed the guard, hauling him up by his collar and shoving him against the wall. He hissed and snarled at him, baring his sharp fangs, "Where. Is. She?"
"Who?" the guard asked in a shaky voice.
Jericho shook him again, "My mate," he began dragging the man down the hall. The humans stepped neatly out of his way, making no move to stop him. When he reached Stephanie's cell he pushed the man against the bars, slamming his head into the metal, "Here. Where is this female?"
"Uh," the man hesitated and Jericho drew him back and slammed him forward once more.
The man cried out and Jericho turned him around, baring his fangs again, "You have three seconds to tell me before I rip your throat out."
"Probably the infirmary!" the man cried out, "Randall always takes them to the nurse so she can knock them out and strap them down!"
Jericho howled, a sound of utter desperation, "Where is the infirmary?" He yelled at the deputy.
The deputy began moving fast, "Throw him in the cell," he said to Jericho, "He's not going anywhere. And follow me."
Trey and Tim continued with them, through a series of halls. The deputy was nearly out of breath by the time he opened the final gate, "Here," he said.
Even if the deputy hadn't been leading them, Jericho would have been able to follow the cloying scent of cologne and the fainter scent of his mate's panic.
Jericho heard a quiet whimper and recognized it immediately. He took off down the hallway, coming to a door labeled "INFIRMARY" and kicked it open. Then he was moving without thought.
He saw his mate, strapped to a gurney, her legs lifted and spread, strapped in stirrups. He saw a man, studying her and slowly unbuckling his pants. Jericho grabbed the man, who let out a tiny squeak of surprise. He grabbed him by the throat and threw him as hard as he could. The man slammed into a metal cabinet of medical supplies, before crashing to the floor. He was caught up in his pants and couldn't get away, which was perfect for Jericho. He reached down, grabbed his throat once again, and squeezed as hard as he could, until he could feel the man's cartilage and small bones crush. Two hands around his head and a quick jerk broke the man's neck and then he was forgotten.
Trey was unstrapping Stephanie from the gurney.
"Don't touch her!" Jericho yelled, his voice inhuman.
"Jericho," Trey said quietly, his hands up as if to calm him down, "She's having trouble breathing. You need to let me help her. "
Jericho went immediately to her side. Trey was right, her lips were turning blue and her eyes were struggling to stay open. She still made the small sad whimper that had alerted Jericho to her location.
Her eyes suddenly locked on his, widening for a second as they roamed his face, "Beautiful," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, before her eyes closed.