Page 7 of Cole

The worker blinked, startled. “Huh?”

“My son. Have you seen him?”

“Uh, he might’ve gone to the bathroom or something. Just check—”

But the mother wasn’t listening. She dashed past the worker, ignoring the muffled protests from the others who’d begun to stir at the disturbance. She didn’t care. She had to find him.

The city's frigid air struck her as she stepped through the shelter’s door.Jesus. It was just before dawn, and the cold wind pierced her lightweight jacket, chilling her skin. She wrapped her sleeves around her hands, her gaze sweeping over the deserted street, where a stretch of gray snow and slush lay before her. The dark alleys gaped wide, empty except for the occasional flickering streetlight overhead.

She called out to her son again, her voice breaking.

Her feet quickly went numb as the cold seeped into her bones, yet she pressed on. She had to; he was out there somewhere.

Her eyes darted across the street, scanning every shadow and abandoned storefront. He was out there; he had to be.

Then, something caught her eye. Just up ahead, near an alley leading to a run-down deli, she saw the skateboard her son hadfound in the dumpster yesterday.He had promised to wait until that morning before going skateboarding.He’s still a kid… he couldn’t wait.

She walked forward slowly, a different chill permeating her bones. The skateboard was there… but where was her son? Standing at the mouth of the alley, she looked all around. There was no trace of her son. When she bent down to pick up the board, she noticed the tire tracks, barely visible in the melting slush. Horrific thoughts filled her head—images of someone grabbing her son off his skateboard and taking him… where?

ICE. Had ICE taken him?He was only half-Hispanic and a U.S. citizen, but that seemed irrelevant these days. She had heard stories of legal immigrants being arrested and deported—some sent to terribleprisons, never to return.

Not my boy. Please, God.

She remained still, glancing around in despair, fully aware that no one would aid her in locating her son or even show concern for his disappearance. She was utterly alone.

Kneeling on the cold, wet ground, the woman hid her face in her hands, weeping as her deepest fear became reality: her child had vanished.

CHAPTER 2: WHAT’S IN A NAME

“What are you talking about, Cole?”Dane had seen Cole in this state only once before—when Gabe was shot. But it wasn’t just about Gabe this time. “What the hell is going on? Who is the Mill Creek Mangler?” The sick feeling in Dane’s gut intensified with each passing second as full-blown nausea began to take over.

Maddy, Savannah, and Abel are missing. Is this “Mangler” the one who took them?

Did Dane want the answer to that question?

Beside him, Cole sat shaking, head down, with his fingers laced behind his neck. “He… he killed a bunch of women… when I was a teenager.” Cole swallowed hard, his eyes vacant as he stared blankly at the floor, and his voice took on a hollow tone. “Didn’t just… kill them…” His chin trembled, and the horror that crept over his face scared the fuck out of Dane. “He…rapedand…butcheredthem. He kept souvenirs… jewelry mostly… like littlemementosto remember them by.” Cole squeezed his eyes shut and dug his fingers into his neck. “He made me…help him.”Sobs swelled in his throat as utter despair overwhelmed the man. “He wanted me to belike him.”

Dane struggled to process the information. Glancing at the others, he noted their struggles as well. None of them knew about Cole’s past; that was the one thing he had never discussed. Now, Dane understood why. How does one go about telling their friends and loved ones that they are the child of a fuckingserial killer—that the same poisoned blood flows through their veins?

He must’ve been fucking terrified that we’d all find out… and disown him?

How could he not consider such an outcome? Dane would have feared the same thing.

“Cole…” Dane touched his back. “… does… does this person have Abel and the kids?” Dane couldn’t express how desperately he wanted Cole to say no, even though he already knew the answer.

Cole nodded once.

Quiet horror masked Devlin’s face. “Does he… want something? Will he give them back?”

The prolonged silence from Cole terrified everyone. He parted his lips as if to speak, but no sound emerged. An unfathomable terror radiated from his eyes. Somehow, he appeared even more frightened than on the day Gabe was shot—and that was a sight Dane never thought he’d witness.

Clint narrowed his eyes slowly. “What does he want?”

His shakes intensified as Cole gripped his hair in fists and cried brokenly,“Gabe.”

Gabe. Cole lifted his head, his heart pounding wildly. “Gabe… is he…?”

“He’s okay,” Devlin said. “He should be out of surgery any moment now. You can see him when they've settled him into his room.”

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