CHAPTER 9 MAN OF FAITH
The drop-off point led them into the impoverished slums of the city, guiding them through a web of backstreets that twisted and turned in such a confusing and convoluted pattern that even locals could easily get lost in the labyrinth.
When they finally arrived, they found themselves in a desolate parking lot of an old, abandoned machinery factory.
A single flickering street light cast a faint, eerie glow across the cracked concrete, where weeds had aggressively burrowed through the webbed cement, forming a stubborn takeover of the entire parking area.
“Give me the nightstick,” Gabe said.
The deputy reached under his seat and retrieved a short wooden billy club. He handed it to Gabe, who slipped it up the sleeve of his jacket.
When the men stepped out of the car, the air was thick with the smell of rust, dampness, and neglect, adding to the sense of decay and abandonment. Gabe looked at the towering structure, a shadowy figure in the night, and sensed eyes watching them from somewhere inside the hollowed-out beast.
“Do we wait here?” Gabe wondered. “Or go inside?”
A figure moved in a dark doorway. “Come closer,” the figure instructed. “Both of you.”
Gabe exchanged a glance with the deputy, and they moved forward slowly, carefully. “Remember,” Gabe whispered. “We wait until we know Abel and the kids are safe before we make our move.”
Deputy Roland nodded once.
The figure in the doorway became clearer as they approached. Gabe recognized him as the man who had visited his hospital room.
“It’s good to see you up and about,” the man said, watching Gabe.
“I apologize, I wasn’t able to give you more time to rest and heal, but…
” he tsked. “time is of the essence.” His eyes darkened when they shifted to the deputy.
“Deputy Roland. It’s been a long time. Can’t say I’ve missed you, since you were the one who put me in prison. ”
Gabe looked at the deputy; was that true? Or was this scripted?
“What can I say?” Roland drawled. “You were a killer. That’s where you belonged.”
“I should have known you would rush to warn Henry about me,” the man murmured. “But too little, too late.”
The deputy narrowed his eyes as the two appeared to be locked in a silent standoff. “He will never be what you want him to be,” Roland said softly, with a distinct bitter edge to his voice. “You should have understood that years ago.”
There was something going on between the two men that Gabe wasn’t privy to, some underlying animosity concerning Cole. Gabe didn’t like his husband caught in the middle of whatever this was.
“We’ll see,” the madman replied methodically. “There’s more than one way to…” His eyes flicked to Gabe. “… inspire a man to realize his destiny.”
The deputy’s face twitched. “You’re wasting your time.”
“It’s my time to waste, now isn’t it?” the killer muttered, and turned his focus on Gabe. “Henry chose well. I could see you were a man of integrity as soon as I met you.”
“You said you would trade Abel and the kids for me,” Gabe said. “I want proof that they’re safe.”
The man sighed and nodded as he took out his phone to make a call. He was about to put it to his ear when Gabe spoke.
“Put it on speaker.”
Smiling calmly, the man nodded and complied with the request. The line at the other end rang twice before Cole’s voice, shaky and sickly, came through the speaker. “Hello…”
“Your friends are at the park,” the man said. “The far end, by the pond. You can’t miss them.”
“Please don’t hurt Gabe,” Cole whispered, tears thickening his words. “Please… take me instead… I’ll do anything you want, just… just let him go…” His voice broke. “ Please…”
Gabe blinked back tears forming in his eyes. He couldn’t bear to see Cole like this; the man was a fucking rock. The only other time he’d seen Cole break like this was when Quint shot Gabe.
“You’re not taking my place,” Gabe said suddenly. “Don’t worry about me, babe. I can take care of myself.”
“ Gabe…” Cole broke down, sobbing. “ I love you… so much.”
Gabe swallowed the lump in his throat. “Tell me when I get home.”
“The park,” the man said and ended the call, tucking his phone away. He looked at Gabe with a dry smile. “Aren’t you two adorable? That was really considerate of you to make him think you were coming home.”
Gabe looked at the man, a raging hate in his gut. “I have every intention of going home. There are higher forces at work here than you .”
The killer blinked as if unsure he heard correctly. “Do you mean God?” He looked like he might burst out laughing but instead smiled. “Don’t tell me you’re a man of faith.”
“I’ve witnessed enough miracles to have faith.”
“Mm.” The man quietly cleared his throat. “Well, let’s see if we can test that faith, shall we?” He motioned for Gabe to enter the factory as he spoke to the deputy. “Why don’t you come along as well? After last time, I don’t think I trust you so much.”
Gabe exchanged a quick look with the deputy and let the tip of the nightstick slide into his palm from deep inside his sleeve.
They’re at the park.
Cole stood on unsteady legs, holding the phone tightly, tears streaming down his face. Relief and terror mingled inside him in a twisted, macabre dance.
“What did he say?” Angel asked, barely holding it together. “Did he let them go? Where are they?” His voice grew frantic, and Dane touched him to calm him down.
“At the park,” Cole whispered. “At… At the far end, by the pond.”
“Let’s go ,” Angel practically shrieked, rushing to the elevator.
The three men kept a brisk pace as they followed, joining Angel as the doors swished open.
The trip to the parking lot felt like it took forever.
Cole’s feet refused to cooperate, and his stomach twisted, threatening to throw up what little it contained.
Abel and the kids are safe, he told himself, feeling a deep sense of relief.
But he has Gabe. And that was where the relief ended and the terror took over.
Cole sat in the front passenger seat of Devlin’s car while Dane and Angel drove Dane’s vehicle.
Devlin’s face was tense, as if he couldn’t relax until he saw with his own eyes that Abel and the kids were safe.
Cole felt the same way. What if this was some kind of trick?
Would the madman really let them go? Something felt off, but maybe that was because Gabe was still in danger.
“Should we call Max?” Devlin asked quietly.
His nerve frayed, Cole shook his head. “Let’s just get to them first… then we can call him.”
Glancing at Cole, Devlin murmured, “They’ll be there.” He injected hope into his trembling voice. “Safe and… untouched.”
Cole looked out the front windshield as the city lights flashed by in a blur. This all felt like a living nightmare… where hope was often a casualty.
Angel clung to the passenger door, his whole body stiff with tension, eyes fixed on the streets ahead. His breath was ragged, making his chest hitch.
“Maddy will be there,” Dane spoke softly, reassuring the frightened young man. “Safe and waiting for us.”
Tears shimmered in Angel’s eyes, unresponsive to his husband’s words.
“Baby…” Dane reached over and took his hand. “It’s going to be okay, I promise.”
Angel began to tremble. “When is it ever going to stop?” he whispered, chin quivering.
The wall of tears spilled over, running down his face.
“I watched over him… protected him…” He bit his lower lip, chin trembling harder.
“Now, it’s like… it’s like something out there is pissed and…
and determined to get him… and hurt him like I was hurt.
” His slender body curled in on itself as he pressed his face to the cold window and cried.
Blinking, Dane squeezed his hand. “Baby, nothing is going to get him. He’s coming home tonight.”
Angel choked on his sobs. “What… What if that… man … did something to him?”
“He hasn’t had him very long,” Dane said. “The deal to trade for Gabe was made quickly. I think… I think he just wanted them for leverage.”
“Dane…” Angel looked at him, horror radiating from his face. “He’s a serial killer. A serial rapist. What if he raped him?” he cried. “What if he raped them all?”
Dane couldn’t allow his mind to go there, even though Angel’s fears were real and justified. The madman was intent on hurting Cole — to make him suffer by hurting those he loved. For a serial rapist, violating his victims seemed like the natural starting point.
Gabe slightly shielded his arm behind his back as the short club slid further into his hand. Had he not known the deputy was an imposter, he might have found it strange that the madman didn’t disarm him.
When Roland discreetly moved his hand toward his sidearm, Gabe made his move—striking the deputy alongside the head with the club.
The man yelped in pain and shock, staggering to the side.
Gabe’s body wasn’t working as well as usual; his injury and recent surgery kept him from delivering the full force of his strength into the strike.
The momentum threw him off balance as a sharp, stabbing pain shot through his fresh wound into his chest and shoulder.
Gabe threw himself into Roland, taking them both to the ground, and kneed him in the balls as they fell.
The Deputy grunted, the air rushing out of his lungs as Gabe scrambled for his weapon.
The sidearm was still secured in the holster, and Gabe fumbled with the snap, yanking the gun free.
He spun around and fired, with no time to aim, praying he hit his target.
The killer swore sharply and ducked into the doorway.
Gabe stayed crouched low to the ground, using the deputy’s distorted body for minimal cover.
He aimed the weapon at the entrance and along the dark windows next to it.
“Poke your head out, motherfucker,” he whispered tightly.
Roland swore at him and started to move.
Gabe kneed him in the kidneys. “Move and I’ll blow your fucking brains out, Mark ,” Gabe hissed.
“Yeah, I fucking remember you, motherfucker.” He winced as the pain in his side billowed outward, and his head felt heavy.
He blinked as his vision blurred a little. Please, God, don’t let me pass out.
“You’re going to regret this,” the madman spoke from somewhere inside the dark factory, his voice echoing through the skeletal ruins like a sinister ghost.
“Stick your head out,” Gabe growled. “And we’ll see how much I regret it—” Gabe propelled back seconds before he heard the gunshot, his right arm nearly wrenching from its socket as the bullet blazed a clean path through the outside of his bicep, tearing flesh and spraying blood.
The gun flew from his hand and struck the concrete with a hollow clatter and skidded away.
The deputy crawled to his feet before Gabe could recover, still feeling the impact of the knee to his groin and kidneys. The man stepped on his chest, bent down, and punched Gabe in the face, then kicked him in his injured side.
Gabe gasped sharply as he struggled for breath, tears burning his eyes as the nightmare transformed into a monster, the likes of which they had never faced before.
The madman approached and stood before Gabe. “How’s your faith, son-in-law?” Cold satisfaction laced his voice. “Still believe in God? ”