Page 21 of Cole

Tremors rippled through Cole, and he nodded. His shaky hands nearly dropped the cell phone. “Please, go… go find Dane and… and Clint.”

Devlin looked anxiously at the phone Cole was clutching in a death grip. “Are you going to wait for us before you… before you call… him?”

Cole seemed barely aware of Devlin, as his eyes glazed with a fresh film of tears. He stared blankly at the device in his hands. “Just go… find them,” he whispered hollowly.

“All right,” Devlin murmured, squeezing Cole’s arm. “Maybe wait for us, though… okay?”

No response as Cole continued to stare at the phone.

Devlin sighed and nodded. “We’ll be back soon. Just… wait for us.” Devlin took out his cell as he walked away down the corridor, calling Dane. “Hey,” he said when Dane answered. “Are you with Clint?”

“No, I’m looking for Deputy Roland. Have you seen him?”

“No. Why?”

“I’ll explain later. Have you talked to Cole? How did things go with Gabe?”

“I spoke to Cole,” Devlin said. “He’s a mess. Gabe wants to make the trade immediately. I think he was about to call…him…when I left. I asked to wait for us, but…” He shook his head. “… I don’t think he will wait. Where is Clint? He’ll want to know about this.”

“He’s busy at the moment, but he’ll be along soon.”

Devlin rounded the bend in the corridor and spotted the deputy near the nurse’s station. “I found Deputy Roland,” he told Dane. “He’s at the nurse’s station. Do you want me to tell him you’re looking for him?”

“No. Just take him back to Gabe’s room and keep him there, if possible.”

Devlin frowned. “All right,” he mumbled. “Is something wrong?”

“Just be careful.”

“Careful? Why?”

“Because the deputy may not be the friend Cole thinks he is.”

Cole sat on the bench when his legs weakened.Wait for us.He stared at the phone and watched numbly as his fingers dialed the madman’s number. Cole pressed the cell shakily to his ear.

“Son.”The man’s voice dripped with satisfaction.“I wasn’t expecting your call so soon. I was almost in the middle of something.”He chuckled, and the sound sent a chill down Cole’s spine.“You don’t want to know what. Trust me.”

“Don’t hurt them,” Cole pleaded in a broken whisper. “Please, don’t hurt them. I’m the one you want, just please… please take me.”

“But you’re not the one I want,”the man said.“Have you had your little talk with him yet? He seemed quite eager to understand the situation. Did you explain it to him?”

“Yes.” Cole squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his forehead into the palm of his hand as a powerful wave of dizziness triggered a bout of nausea.

“And?”Another chilling chuckle.“Or do I even need to ask? Your hubby is an upstanding man; I saw that after just a minute or two of speaking with him.”

“Why are you doing this?” Cole choked. “Why do you want to hurt me?”

“You tried to kill me, son. You should have tried harder.”

“I didn’t…” Cole whispered. “I-I was just trying to get away…”

“Sons are supposed to honor their fathers. You dishonored me when you ran away and left me for dead. I thought you were my good son, the son I could be proud of.”Slight pause.“You disappointed me—in a big way. You shouldn’t have done that, son.”

“Then punishme,”Cole cried. “Not my friends… not my…”

“That’s what I’m doing… punishing you. Now, talk to me about the trade because I’m not sure I can hold out until tomorrow.”He laughed low.“This pretty young lady is awfully tempting, and I’m starting to think she likes me. Don’t you, darling?”

Cole went rigid when he heard muffled whimpering in the background. “Don’t touch her.” He sprang to his feet, terror coursing through him. “Don’tfuckingtouch her!”

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