Page 38 of Cole: Bloodlines
Could he, though? As horrifying as it was before, the trauma and pain were his own—this time, it was Maddy. Despite Angel's strength and fight, losing Maddy would break him, and there would be no way back this time.
A soft knock sounded on the door, then Devlin quietly entered with Abel. The boy was cleaned up and wearing a hospital gown. On the outside, he looked almost new again, except for a few visible bruises on his arms and face. However, the nightmare still lingered in his eyes.
“He wanted to see Angel,” Devlin murmured as Dane left the bed.
Abel walked to the bed and crawled up beside Angel, wrapping his arms around the other boy. In his sleep, Angel grabbed onto Abel, and the two boys clung to one another. The sight of them broke Dane’s heart.
“I want to give you a sedative, as well,” Devlin spoke softly to Abel as he approached the bed. “You need to rest.” The boy didn’t object.
Dane watched them, tears welling up. His throat and chest grew tight as the pain in his heart became unbearable. When Devlin turned and locked eyes with him, a shared fear passed between them:What if they don’t come back to us?
The two men exited the room without voicing their fears.
Dane cleared his throat as they stood in the corridor outside. “Max will be calling soon, wanting to know what’s happening.”
“What do we tell him?”
“I don’t know,” Dane sighed. “But we can’t tell him about the park. They don’t need to know that. But we need to let them know Abel is with us.”
“They’ll be relieved about Abel,” Devlin whispered. “But it won’t ease their worries for Maddy and Savannah.”
“Doesn’t ease mine either,” Dane mumbled.
“Or mine.” Devlin sank into one of the chairs outside the room. Despair hunched his shoulders. “Savannah is like my own little sister.” His chin trembled. “She’s the one who saw something beautiful between Abel and me, before we did. She told me not to give up on him when he showed resistance. She and I…” Breath shuddered out of him as tears rolled down his face. “… we were kind of a team from the start. I loved her spirit from the beginning. Even facing a terrifying diagnosis, she was more concerned about Abel and me. She always had a smile for me.” A quiet sob shook him, and he pressed his face into his hands. “We can’t lose her… we can’t lose Maddy… we can’t.”
Dane sat in the chair next to him and hugged him. “We’re going to find our way through this fucking nightmare,” he whispered. “Weare.We’re getting the kids back. We’re gettingGabeback. This fucker doesn’t get to win.”
The sound of footsteps caught Dane’s attention as Cole came in, looking almost hesitant with red-rimmed eyes, showing recent tears. Cole appeared as broken as the two boys inside the room, trapped in the belief that he was responsible for all their family’s pain and suffering. Despite efforts to comfort him, nothing seemed to help. Dane understood this well; though it was heartbreaking to see Cole bear such unbearable guilt, he knew he would have done the same in his place.
“Someone should talk to Max,” Cole murmured.
“We were thinking the same thing,” Dane said.
“I’ll go,” Cole offered. “I won’t tell them about the kids in the park.”
Dane stood. “Maybe we should stay together.”
Cole shook his head, looking defeated. “He doesn’t want me,” he whispered. “He only wants tohurtme… and he’s already done that.”
CHAPTER 16: SIBLING RIVALRY
During his time alone,before he brought his father here, Byrne had transformed the underground level of the abandoned machine factory into his own private sanctum. The damp concrete walls sweated with decades of industrial grime, but he'd made it his—a place his father knew nothing about, where he brought the hollow-eyed boys he plucked from bus stations and alleyways—forgotten children with dirty fingernails and unwashed hair. Disposablecompanionsto ease his loneliness until his father arrived, and together they could finish what should have been dealt with years ago.
Byrne's footsteps echoed as he entered his makeshift living quarters, the pale fluorescent bulb buzzing overhead like trapped insects. A metal desk with chipped green paint occupied one corner, flanked by two mismatched office chairs. Against the far wall sat a military-style cot with neatly tucked wool blankets. The mini fridge hummed in another corner; its white surface yellowed with age. The electric heater glowed orange, pushing back the perpetual chill of being eight feet underground.
Byrne lowered himself into his chair, the springs protesting beneath his weight as he swiveled to face the final item that completed his grotesque home: the large cedar crate, its lid secured with a single heavy-duty padlock.
Leaning forward, Byrne rested his elbows on his knees, the worn fabric of his jeans stretching taut across his thighs as he exhaled a sigh that reeked of stale coffee. “I know I've been neglecting you these last few days, but it's almost over. Then you will have my full, undivided attention once again.” He stood, joints cracking a bit, and walked to the crate. He squatted down, his calloused hands splayed across his knees for balance. Hepressed his mouth against the wooden box, feeling the coarse splinters catch on his chapped lips. The rich scent of cedar filled his nostrils, mingling with the musty undertone of what lay inside. “Won't you like that? I know you must miss me.” His lips curled into a smile that never reached his emotionless eyes as he patted the top of the crate, the hollow thud echoing in the cramped space. “It won't be long now, I promise. We'll have story time afterward, and I'll tell youallabout it.”
Byrne grabbed a beer from the mini fridge, the aluminum can slick with condensation, and walked to the door of his small living quarters. The door hinges squealed as he pushed it open, foam hissing over his knuckles as he popped the tab on the beer can. He took a long pull, Adam's apple bobbing, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he surveyed the outer sanctum. Three pairs of sunken eyes stared back at him from behind rusted metal bars, pupils dilated with terror, dirty faces streaked with dried tears.
“No worries, my lovelies,” he murmured, voice honeyed yet somehow devoid of warmth. He rubbed his crotch and grinned. “I haven't forgotten about you, either.” He finished off his beer, crushed the can, and tossed it aside with a hollow clack against the cement floor. “But first, I have important business to take care of.” He winked at the terrified boys, thoroughlyusedbut not entirely worn out. Another brutal fuck each, andthenhe would butcher them. “I’ll be back soon. Then we’ll have afuckinggood time together.”
Byrne left the lower floor and returned to ground level, then made his way through the vast factory to the makeshift office his father had claimed for his own. The man stood outside the office in the corridor, talking on the phone, his back to Byrne, who paused and listened. His father was giving instructions toHenry.
“What’re you doing?” Byrne asked stiffly when the call ended.
Daniel turned around as he put his phone away. “Excuse me?”
