Page 15 of Cole: Bloodlines
“I am,” the deputy murmured. “And Ididn’trealize that he had tried to trade himself for your friends. I apologize.”
Gabe wasn’t sure whether to believe him. His impression was that the deputy knew about the situation—that he was present when Cole told Dane and Devlin that the psycho wanted Gabe. Maybe he was wrong about that, but he wasn’t mistaken about the warning tone in Dane’s voice or his own gut feeling. Something about this guy made him uneasy. Maybe because of Dane’s warning, but it felt like more than that… somethinggrindingin the pit of Gabe’s stomach, trying to tell him something his mind couldn’t quite grasp.
“What was it like for Cole as a kid?” Gabe asked quietly. “I mean, before his dad turned his life into a living hell.”
“He didn’t tell you anything about his past?”
“No.”
“How long have you been together?”
“We’ve known each other for almost five years,” Gabe said. “But we’ve only been married for about a year.”
“And he never told youanythingabout his past?”
“No.”
The deputy snorted. “That didn’t seem strange to you? Didn’t you ask?”
Gabe sighed. “Most of the people in our family come from traumatic backgrounds. No one asks questions unless the person offers details.” He shook his head. “I didn’t care about his past. I loved him, and that’s all that mattered. I had a shady past, too, and he didn’t press me about it, either. It’s called respect.”
“And now?”
“And now what?” Gabe looked at the man.
“Does it matter now?” Roland asked. “His past? Now that you know the blood of a serial killer—a serialrapist—runs through his veins? Doesn’t that give you pause for thought?” He chuffed. “Just saying.”
Gabe stared at him through narrowed eyes. “No, it doesn’t. I know what kind of man Cole is—andisn’t.I’ve seen him do some pretty fucking heroic things. There’snothinghe wouldn’t do for the people he loves—or pretty much for anyone in need of help. I don’t give a fuck about hisbloodline,he’s agoodman, agood guy,and he always will be.”
Roland nodded. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to imply anything. I was just asking.”
Didn’t mean to imply anything—bullshit.“You may have known Cole as a child, but you know nothing about him now. And this fucking psychopath? He doesn’t knowshitabout Coleor his family. He may be a brutal bastard, but so are we when someone threatens us. Maybeheshould be worried aboutus.”
Byrne swallowed the urge to laugh out loud. The arrogant fucker had no idea who he was dealing with—whathe was dealing with. But he would soon; they all would. Then that puffed-up ego would shrivel like a cock in ice water, and they would understand, finally, that this was theendfor them. Their “heroics” weren’t enough to save them this time, not even with the big bad gangsters backing them up.
“Let’s hope he hasn’t already harmed your friends,” Byrne said, summoning a note of apprehension and sympathy.
“He better fucking not have touched them,” Gabe muttered.
“And what if he has?” Byrne asked as he struggled to suppress his amusement. “Touched them, I mean. What will you do?”
“I’ll fucking kill him.”
Byrne nodded. “How?”
“What?”
“How will you kill him? He has the upper hand, the leverage. What exactly will you do if he’s already harmed them?”
The man stared at him, eyes steely beneath a pinched brow. “I’ll find a way.”
Byrne breathed deeply, exhaling slowly, and nodded. “I believe you.” He didn’t. “I got the impression the boy, Abel, is pretty special to you and Cole.”
“Yeah,” Gabe whispered, a note of anguish in his voice.
He’s really fucking scared for the kid. Good.
“Why is that? Did something happen between the three of you?” Byrne had learned some details about Henry’s life and his friends, but not all of them. He only knew that Henry and hishusband adored Abel and were possibly in love with him, but he didn’t know how that had happened.
