Page 12 of Cole: Bloodlines
— Richelle E. Goodrich
CHAPTER 5: TERROR TIME
Dane and Devlin waited in the corridorwhile Cole helped Gabe out of his hospital gown and into the scrubs. Devlin sat on the end of the bench outside the room, hands clasped, eyes on the tiled floor. The man had been a rock, looking after everyone else—even Dane—while his family’s lives hung in the balance.
“Hey.” Dane sat beside him and wrapped his arm around the doctor. Devlin’s head sank into his hands as tremors shuddered through him. “You don’t have to be strong for us,” Dane murmured. “We’re here for you to lean on, too. I know how scared you are. You don’t have to try to hide it for our sakes.”
Devlin lifted his head, his eyes moist. “It's easier for me,” he whispered, “to focus on others. When I do, I don’t think as much. If I do…” His throat tightened, and he shook his head. “… I’ll lose my mind.” His lips pressed together as his chin quivered. “If I lose my family…”
“You’re not,” Dane insisted. “We’re not losing anyone. Abel, Savannah, Maddy… they’re all strong. They’ve all been through shit that made them strong. And I know the termserial killeris a terrifying label, but he’s still just aman.A human being who canbleed.When he’s finally caught, ourspecialfriends willprovethat he’s just another human monster that can be erased. And theywillerase him.”
Nodding slowly, Devlin sniffed and wiped his eyes. “Do you… Do you think he will actually return Abel and the kids, like he said?”
“I don’t know,” Dane whispered. “But Gabe won’t turn himself over until he knows they’re free.”
Devlin hung his head low, running his fingers through his hair at the back of his neck. “What will he do to Gabe?” His voice trembled as he clutched the hair at the nape of his neck. “I love him, Dane. He and Cole both. Without them, I… I don’t know if Abel and I would’ve made it.” His body tensed as tears threatened to break through his voice. “They are everything to me… and to Abel.”
“To the rest of us, too.” Dane drew him closer and kissed his head. “Cole and Gabe are my brothers... our guardians... losing either of them would break the foundation of our family.” He hugged him tighter. “But we’re not going to lose Gabe, or Cole, or anyone.”
Inside his head, Dane fought his own battles as he tried to find comfort in his own words. Every minute that Abel and the kids remained in the “custody” of the Mangler, the hope of getting them back safe and sound seemed to grow thinner, like a rope fraying down to its last thread. What if they didn’t reach them before that final thread snapped?
If Angel loses Maddy to this madman…
Dane forced the thought out of his mind. He couldn’t go there, aware of the devastating impact of such an unbearable loss. He had caught a glimpse of the “effect” on Angel when Maddy allowed himself to be taken to the island. Angel continued to endure “aftershocks” from that experience.
Stop thinking about it—Maddy is coming home! Abel and Savannah are coming home!
But what would he tell Angel when he arrived? He would demand to know the truth and not back down until Dane gave it to him.
Jesus, how can I tell him?
Tightening his arm around Devlin, Dane prayed with all his might that God would come through for them one more time—and that this not be the moment He chose to stand back andobserve.
Dane turned his head and looked at the door to Gabe’s room; things were escalating, and there was no way to stop it. If the Mangler didn’t release Abel and the kids, then he would havefourof their loved ones, once he took Gabe.
As you told Devlin, Gabe won’t surrender until he’s sure they’re safe.But what if he had no choice? Dane stood up from the bench and took out his phone. He walked a short distance down the hall and made a call. After a couple of rings, Clint answered.
“Gabe is leaving,” Dane said. “To make the trade. He insists on going now.” He paused. “The deputy offered to drive him. I don’t like it. I don’t trust him. Something is off about that guy.”
Dane listened for a long moment without speaking, then nodded, his anxiety twisting his guts. “Okay,” he whispered. “I’ll tell Gabe.”
The Mill Creek Mangler took your brother…
Angel gripped the rail inside the elevator as his legs weakened, the upward motion of the elevator causing a rush of lightheadedness.
A serial killer has Maddy.
Angel clutched the rail so hard his knuckles whitened and his forearms ached. His chest tightened, squeezing off his air, forcing him to draw quick, panicked breaths. He bent forward, still clinging to the rail, struggling to pull air into his clenched lungs.
Fuck… fuck… fuck… I can’t breathe…
About to buckle to his knees, Angel suddenly gasped deeply and sharply when the elevator doors swooshed open. With achoked cry, he released the rail and staggered out of the elevator into the corridor. When he’d come through the entrance doors on the ground floor, he managed to ask at the nurse’s station for the number of Gabe’s room.
Angel careened down the corridor, his sneakers squealing against the linoleum as he ricocheted off walls, checking room numbers. When he skidded around the corner, his heart slammed against his ribs at the sight of Dane and Devlin hunched on the bench outside Gabe's room. Dane's head snapped up only when Angel's voice shattered the hospital's quiet.
“Dane!”
His husband bolted upright, color draining from his face. “Angel...?” Dane lurched forward then froze, terror flashing in his eyes.
