CHAPTER 37 MORE THAN ENOUGH
Axel's hands trembled around his coffee mug, the ceramic long since cooled to room temperature. This was his fifth cup, or maybe his sixth or seventh; he’d lost count. The caffeine buzzed through his system like electricity with nowhere to go.
Across the table, Kane twisted his own mug in slow circles, leaving damp rings on the wood. The kitchen light carved deep shadows into the worry lines that hadn't left his face all night.
“It's been hours,” Axel whispered, setting down his cup to stretch fingers that wouldn't stop trembling.
His insides vibrated like a tuning fork—the unholy trinity of sleeplessness, caffeine overdose, and relentless anxiety coursing through his bloodstream.
He pushed back his chair and began to pace, the linoleum cold through his socks.
“Why would he keep us in the dark like this?”
These were questions he’d been asking all night. Kane's shoulders sagged. “I wish I knew,” he said, the words barely audible.
The house had grown quiet. Luke, Hope, and Tae had surrendered to exhaustion hours ago.
Zoe had finally retreated to her bedroom, though Axel doubted she was sleeping.
In the living room, the television cast blue shadows across Donald and John, fighting sleep on the sofa.
In the corner armchair, Ash sat motionless, trying to disappear into the upholstery, a family member still wearing the careful posture of a visitor.
Axel's phone sat heavy in his pocket, silent for hours since Clint's call.
Every few minutes, his fingers twitched toward it, wondering why Angel hadn't reached out.
He'd nearly dialed his brother a dozen times but always stopped, thumb hovering over the screen.
What would he even say? Angel might be in no condition for questions or platitudes.
Clint's words echoed in his mind: Cole and Gabe were found. They were all right. But it was what remained unsaid, the careful neutrality in Clint's voice, that made Axel's stomach knot. If everyone were safe, the phone would have rung hours ago.
Axel glanced toward the living room before sinking back into his chair, his voice barely more than a whisper.
“What if they can't find Maddy... and Savannah and Abel?” The words caught in his throat.
“Or what if when they do, it's already—” He couldn't finish.
His eyes burned as he choked out, “If something happens to Maddy... Angel will never...”
“Hey.” Kane's hand found his across the table, warm and steady against Axel's cold fingers. “We don’t know anything yet. The men… they’re capable. Rescuing kids is what they do. They’ll find them.
” His grip tightened. “I believe that. We have to keep faith. Things have looked grim before— really grim—and we made it through. We may have had some repercussions, but everyone we love came back to us. Maddy, Savannah, and Abel… they’ll come back, too.
We have to believe that. We have to believe that God will keep them safe—”
Axel's phone shattered the silence. The ringtone he'd heard a thousand times now sounded alien, urgent. His fumbling fingers nearly dropped it twice before he managed to press it to his ear. “Hello?” The word came out strangled, desperate.
In the doorway, John and Donald materialized like sentinels. Across the table, Kane froze, suspended between heartbeats.
“Axel?” The familiar southern drawl nearly crippled Axel with relief for a moment, just knowing his cowboy was safe.
“Clint…” Axel’s voice shook a little. “What…” He swallowed. “What’s happening? Why didn’t you call sooner?” Did you find the kids? Abel? The questions wouldn’t come as he feared the answer. He held his breath, unable to breathe as he waited for what felt like an eternity for Clint to respond.
“Maddy is safe,” Clint said. “They’re all safe.”
A shuddered breath escaped Axel, and he wilted deeper into the chair, nearly dropping the phone.
“What?” Kane swallowed. “Is…”
Axel trembled and nodded as he straightened in the chair. “They found them. They’re safe.”
“Thank God,” Donald whispered as he hugged John tightly. “Oh, my God, I was so scared.”
Axel sniffed. “Are you okay?” he asked thickly. “Cochise? Is anyone hurt?”
The brief pause at the other end of the line scared Axel before Clint replied, “We’re okay. A couple of flesh wounds, but nothing to worry about.”
“Promise?” Axel smiled small, his voice cracking with emotion.
“Yeah,” Clint murmured. “I promise.”
“When will you be home?”
“Not for a while yet. We still have a few things to deal with.”
Axel didn’t ask for specifics; he knew what kinds of things they had to deal with on their jobs. “Just come home as soon as possible.”
“Plan to.”
“I love you.”
“I know.”
Axel smiled. “Shut up. Say it—I don’t care who’s there.”
A low chuckle rumbled through the phone. “I love you, brat.”
“That’s better, cowboy. Don’t make me work for it… or else.”
Clint chuckled again. “I like the sound of that.”
Max clung to his last thread of hope—his mind scared and worn out, his faith torn—standing in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at his own reflection.
The man looking back was barely recognizable after a sleepless night that was somehow still haunted by nightmares.
Dark circles had formed beneath his eyes, and in the hours since his family disappeared, he had seemed to age ten years.
Abel was home, and for that, he was grateful to God.
But the kids were still missing. Cole and Gabe were gone, too.
Not only was he worried about their welfare, but he was also concerned for Angel and Abel.
Both boys had spent their lives protecting their siblings—now they were gone, taken by serial killers.
Max couldn’t imagine the horrific scenarios playing through their minds.
Or maybe he could… as the same scenarios had been playing out in his own head all night long.
Gripping the sink, Max hung his head, his eyes closing. His body was weary with stress, exhausted from fear. He just wanted his family home— and safe.
“Please, God,” he whispered through a constricted throat. “Please bring them home safe.” Tears thickened his voice. “Please don’t take them from us. We can’t…” He sniffed, his chin trembling. “… we can’t live without them. We can’t…”
He raised his head and looked at his reflection. A tear rolled down his face. He’d been praying the same prayer all night and wondered why he continued. There was no reason to think this prayer would garner results when none of the others—
A phone rang in the kitchen. His phone. The ringtone was still echoing in the air when Horatio answered.
Max couldn’t move; his feet rooted to the bathroom tiles.
He was terrified of what was at the other end of that call, a power that could end his world in the blink of an eye.
When he heard Horatio walking down the hall toward the bathroom moments later, Max gripped the sink harder, every muscle in his body locking with tension—and terror.
“Max?” Horatio knocked softly on the door. His voice was neutral, and Max couldn’t decipher his tone.
“Yeah?” Max replied with a noticeable rasp.
“Are you okay?”
Max stared at his reflection as tears filled his eyes. “Who… Who called?”
The short pause caused his heart to beat faster with fear. Horatio quietly cleared his throat, his voice thick with emotion when he said, “Dane.”
Max trembled, waiting— praying harder than ever before.
“The kids…” Horatio’s voice quaked with tears. “They’re… back. They’re safe.”
Max’s paralysis broke in that instant, and he spun around, jerking open the door. “What?” He grabbed onto Horatio, tears spilling over. “They-They’re safe?”
His face wet, Horatio smiled. “They are, babe.” His throat worked. “They’re at the hospital now, with Dane and the others. They’re okay.”
Max hugged him hard, clutching his body as he broke into sobs. Horatio held him tightly, crying with him. Shuddering, Max suddenly drew back. “Cole? Gabe?”
“They’re safe, too.” Horatio sniffed, wiping his eyes.
“What about…” Max cleared his throat. “What about the one who took them?”
“Clint and Cochise are dealing with them.”
Max trembled, nodding slowly. “Good. That’s… good to know.”
Horatio smiled small, relief reflecting in his watery eyes. “Yes, it is.”
When something outside the blissful haze that kept the nightmare at bay tugged at Angel’s mind, he pulled away from it.
Where he was, he was floating on what felt like clouds; the terrors quieted, and the pain in his heart softened to a dull throb.
He didn’t want to go back there, and he fought the “pull” with all his strength.
Hands gripped his arm through the haze, and fingers touched his face. “Baby…”
Dane. Angel’s first instinct was to reach for him, to crawl into his protective arms… but out there, with Dane, the nightmare was alive—and it would finally, once and for all, break Angel. He wouldn’t heal, not this time.
“Angel, baby… wake up.”
Angel whimpered as gentle hands shook him.
Don’t make me wake up—please don’t make me.
Tears welled behind his eyelids, and he squeezed his eyes shut tighter, forcing the tears to slip down beneath his lashes.
He could feel them running down his face and felt his husband’s tender touch as he wiped them away.
“Angel…”
His chin trembled as he clung to the haze, fighting desperately to stay there.
But as Dane pulled him further from the comforting void, images began to seep back into his mind—gutted corpses of teenage kids hanging from branches, swaying in the icy breeze, promising that next time—when he opened his eyes—it would be his little brother… it would be Savannah.
“No…” The whimpering sob pushed up Angel’s throat when Dane continued to coax him back into the nightmare that awaited him. Why would he do that? Why wouldn’t he just let him sleep… and never wake up again?
He felt his body lift slightly as Dane’s arm slid beneath him, around him, cradling him against his chest. Lips touched his brow, face, and mouth. “You can wake up now, baby,” his husband whispered softly against his lips, a tremor of emotion in his voice. “The nightmare is over.”
Angel trembled against Dane’s body, fear gripping his heart. What if it was a lie? What if it was something else—and not his husband—tricking him, trying to draw him back into its horror show?
Another soft kiss pressed to his lips. He knew that kiss…
knew it better than the sound of his own heartbeat.
His chin trembled more as he slowly opened his eyes, hot tears streaming down his temples.
He clung to Dane desperately, terrified that the nightmare was right there, ready to slash into his flesh with its relentless, jagged talons.
“Hey,” Dane whispered, his throat working as tears rolled down his handsome face. His thumb brushed Angel’s wet cheek, and he kissed him again.
Angel’s eyes flicked past his arm to the window, where pale light filtered through the glass. He started to shake; it was morning. Hours had gone by. Angel buried his face in Dane’s neck and sobbed, his fingers digging into his chest.
“Hey… baby.” Dane kissed his head. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart,” he whispered against Angel’s hair.
Angel shook his head, his sobs growing more intense as his fingers dug deeper into Dane’s muscles.
“Baby…” Dane gently untangled him and pushed him forward. He swallowed hard, his dark eyes glassy with tears… but he was smiling . “Look.”
“What…” Angel’s voice bubbled wetly with tears as he slowly looked past his husband—to the boy standing by the door. Angel trembled, a numbness spreading through his body. Was this real? Was he real? “Dane…” he whispered, shaking.
“It’s him,” Dane murmured, swallowing a sob. “It’s Maddy.”
Angel began to breathe harder. “Maddy…?” His face crumpled as sobs burst from his chest. “ Maddy .” Angel scrambled off the bed on shaky legs, but Maddy was already right there, crying and hugging him.
Angel clung to his little brother in a death grip, sobbing against his shoulder.
Through a haze of tears, he saw Savannah standing beside Devlin, the two holding tightly to each other. “Abel…”
Turning around, Angel hurriedly crawled onto the bed, shaking Abel awake. The young man opened his eyes slowly, tears leaking out. “Angel… what…?”
Crying harder, Angel hugged him—which momentarily scared Abel.
“Angel, what’s wrong?” Abel choked. “What…” His words died away, and he went deathly still in Angel’s arms as he looked around the room. “Savannah…” he whispered as if speaking her name any louder would vanquish the vision before him.
“I’m here,” Savannah cried softly and rushed to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I’m here, I’m home.” The two held each other tightly, crying together.
Angel crawled off the bed and hugged Maddy again, trembling with sobs. “Are you okay?” he whispered brokenly. “Are you…”
Maddy hugged him tighter and sniffed, his voice shaky, “I’m okay. I am.” He pulled back and looked Angel in the eyes. “I really am.”
Angel stared at him, his perfect face swimming before him. The traumatized boy who had come back from the island—the boy Angel had been terrified wouldn’t return from this even if he made it home—was gone. Standing in front of him was Maddy .
Maddy —who kicked Byrd’s ass.
Maddy —who proved he was a man when he extended a forgiving hand to Axel.
Maddy —who had endured years in the apartment without breaking.
Angel bit his lower lip as it trembled. “I was so scared that…”
The boy shook his head, tears shining in his eyes. “Don’t be scared,” he whispered. “They didn’t…” He swallowed. “I got away before…” His gaze shifted to Savannah as Abel held her tightly against him. “We both did.” He looked at Abel. “We’re both… okay.”
Abel broke down and hugged his little sister tightly. “Thank you. God,” he sobbed softly. “Thank you… thank you…”
As Angel looked at the blessing before him, his heart weeping with gratitude, he knew the nightmares would still come when he closed his eyes—the trauma of the park embedded deep in his soul. But the living nightmare was over... and here and now, that was enough.
More than enough.