What He Really Wants

Chapter Twenty-two

Edna

I struggled to loosen the hold the rope had on me. I had lost track of time, and my wrists were bruised. I felt a wetness in my palm and knew I was bleeding. Hopefully, not much damage had been done and I wouldn't lose too much blood and lose consciousness. I could feel the dizziness starting to take control, and I tried my hardest to fight it. I was going to fight till someone found me. I couldn't let Selena get close to Peter. She reeked of pure, unadulterated evil. I am the only mother Peter can have; no one should take my place. I rubbed against the rough wooden edge of the chair. I made sure to move as quietly as possible so as to avoid drawing Selena's attention. She sat with her back on the wall at the far end of the room with her head buried on her raised knees. I wasn't sure if she was asleep or not, but she didn't seem to have noticed any of my movement, at least not yet. Besides, she'd be foolish to sleep in this situation — not that she wasn't already, of course. Her phone began to ring beside her; it was like the world was against me. I stayed as still as possible.

She raised her head to look at me, a wicked grin spread across her face. Guess she wasn't sleeping after all.

"It's Alexander Laurent," she informed me, obviously wanting to see a pained reaction from me. When my indifferent expression was the only thing she got, her eyes literally glazed over. The world was not against me after all. "If you scream, I will gun you down and you won't be able to see poor Peter again," she said, pointing the gun at me. I wasn't going to shout. I wasn't as stupid as she was. Even though I knew with all her threatening she wouldn't be able to do a thing, I wasn't going to risk it. Besides, it seemed like she learnt everything about threatening a captive from early morning telenovelas. Her attempt at breaking my will was pathetic, really.

"Hello, love." She said it in that too sweet, sugary voice of hers that never missed a chance to make me cringe. If she actually wanted to torture me, all she needed to do was talk in that manner for hours. She moved to me, placing the phone on speaker.

"Selena!" Alexander's voice boomed through the speakers. The last time he sounded this angry — that I heard him this angry — was years ago, and it was her fault then too. "What the hell did you do to Edna? If you hurt her, I won't forgive you. You'd pay dearly." A passionate promise, one I knew he meant to keep.

"Alex, baby, that's not fair." She pouted like a spoilt toddler. "You make me feel like an evil person. I did this because I love you. Edna is the problem, and I need to get rid of her." I was looking at her now, and she actually looked like she believed herself. She has lost her marbles.

Selena was a sociopath. She was obsessed with Alex. Who knows what extent she will go to get Alex?

"Selena, please don't do anything to her. Tell me what you want, but let her go." He sounded so desperate that it broke my heart. I didn't want him negotiating with her.

"I want you, Alex. You should know that by now, love."

"Anything. Anything at all. You can have me, but just let Edna go."

"Seriously, Alex?" She rolled her eyes. "You must take me for a fool." Well, I didn't blame him. She could have fooled me. In spite of my situation, I laughed internally at my own joke.

"I know by now, given the resources you have, you should have tracked our whereabouts. Don't do anything stupid. Come here alone without the police, and I will release Edna."

"Okay, I'll—" She didn't wait for him to finish before she hung up.

⸻

Alex

I had tracked Selena's location a minute into the call, long before she caught on and hung up. I wanted to keep her talking, though. I didn't want her attention to be on Edna. I clearly underestimated her, believed that she'd cut her losses and go away. A bad misconception on my part, a mistake I was no longer going to make if given another chance. I knew it was stupid to listen to her and come alone. I know very well that you don't bargain with someone like her. She was crazy, and there was no telling what she'd do, but if she wanted me to come alone to get Edna, that's what I'd do. Besides, I'm not completely stupid. I was giving the police a fifteen-minute head start.

I got to my car and started driving really fast to the location of the call. It didn't take me long to find the old abandoned block of buildings. It must have been used as a warehouse, but at the moment, it didn't seem like anyone had been in it for years.

I got out of my car, scanned with my eyes to see if any of the buildings seemed to have been used. An open window or door. My phone rang, breaking my train of thought. I answered on the first ring.

"Turn right and start walking forward. It's the last building. You'll see us on the top floor." A beep. She had hung up.

I didn't wait a single second. I ran to the building, taking the stairs two at a time. I burst in through a set of glass doors, and my eyes landed on Edna. She was tied up to a chair in the middle of the large room. Her hair was matted, and her lips split. She looked like she'd not had a drop of water in days, which was likely true. I was beside her in a second, trying to loosen the ropes.

"Aww, how cute. Move away, sweetie. Don't you dare try any funny games." Selena's voice came calm from the other end of the room. I felt disgust rise in my throat, and I felt ashamed. How did I manage to let someone as vile as her slither into my life?

"You know the deal, cupcake. I keep you, and Eddy here can go on her merry way." She had crossed the room and was standing in front of me, trailing her perfectly manicured nails on my arm.

"Selena? Don't do this." I attempted at placating. "You've proven your point — whatever it may be. Aren't you tired of this roller coaster? Surely it must be draining." As I spoke, even I knew that any attempt at changing her mind from whatever she had planned was futile. She believed she was a woman scorned and was ready to dish out cold revenge.

"To be tired is to be weak, and Alex, I am anything but weak. Can't you see that all I want is for us two to be together?" She has definitely lost her marbles, that is for sure. Alright, I would humour her — but only long enough for me to think of a way to get Edna and myself out of the mess I all but created.

"Fine," I said quietly. "Fine." My hands were wrapped in a tight fist. "Selena, I will go with you to wherever you want. You just have to let her go."

She put a gun to my head and motioned for me to move forward. I turned, but not before sparing a glance at Edna. My heart broke even further.

Tears trailed down her cheeks as she stared at me, too helpless to do anything. I wished for just a little while that I could hold her in my arms and let her believe that everything was alright.

"I'm sorry, love. I have to. You and Peter have to be safe."

"Urgh, boring," Selena rolled her eyes at us. "Keep moving the fuck on."

She walked me out of the building, and then everything happened really quickly. Selena was knocked down, and the gun kicked far out of her reach. It was Edna. She must have found a way to get out of the ropes Selena had her in. She wrapped me in a hug, and I placed kisses all over her face. Without a word, we ran towards my car. The gunshot followed first, and then the wetness. I was on the ground when I finally realized that I had been shot.

⸻

Edna

I rounded the hood of the car and crumbled on the ground beside him. How possible was it that he could lose so much blood so fast? I placed my hand on the wound, trying my absolute best to stop the bleeding. It felt useless.

A gun cocked behind me, and I didn't need to raise my head to know that she was behind me. "If I can't have him, no one can." She was going to shoot me like she did Alex. I didn't care. He was losing too much blood; it seemed impossible for him to survive it. I heard the gun fire, but the pain never followed. A light thud sounded behind me, and I turned ever so slightly to see Selena on the ground. A cop was not too far behind, and he was lowering his gun. I was stunned for a moment before I found my voice again.

"Help me, please!" I finally managed to yell. "He's been shot."