She Will Be Mine

Chapter 6: Charlie

​When I woke up, the whole team of doctors hovered over me expectantly. Murphy stood above them all, his shadow covering the light and darkening the room. "Hey Champ," he smiled down at me. "How are you feeling?"
​I grabbed at my head, an ache growing instantly. "I've been better Chief, I can say that for sure. How is Desiree?" I sat up fully, grasping the side of the hospital bed.
​The chief looked at me grimly. "We had a strong connection with her whereabouts before we lost contact on the phone. After you hung up, a text came through on the phone from Danny. He said that we had made a strong effort, but that Desiree would pay the price for the little stunt." He shook his head and sat down in the chair. "The whole team is waiting outside for you when you are ready. We need to get out back on your feet if we want to end this and get our Desiree back. Let me know when you are ready to go," he patted me on the shoulder as he left the room. Victor replaced him and sat down in the chair.
"Jeez dude can you believe it? Danny man, this is just not cool. I gave beer to that dude. I hooked him up with chicas! He is an ass if he thinks that we will just let him get away with our Desiree. He is loco, no?" I smiled at Victor's attempt to cheer me up, but I just wanted her back so I could really tell her how I felt.
"She told me she loved me Victor," I looked him in the eyes. "When I talked to her on the phone, she told me she loved me. And I didn't say anything back. I didn't say anything back," I buried my hands in my face. "And now she is god knows where, getting the shit whacked out of her because of me. And I didn't even tell her that I loved her,"
"Hey dude, its ok man. You will see her again. And then you just tell her that. She will come around. We just have to get her back first. We will do this bro ok? I got your back," I looked up and saw the whole PI department staring at me through the windows.
"Hey Victor, you want to help me get out of here? I need to kick some ass right now, and Danny's sounds particularly tempting."
"Yeah I got you dude. I got you covered," Victor motioned for the doctor to come back in.
"Alright Mr. Michael's, let's get you out of here. I am going to prescribe you some painkillers for that headache, and I want you to take it easy, but I see no reason for keeping you here any longer," he handed me a piece of paper with a number on it. "Call me if you need anything alright. I am a phone call away."
"Thanks Doc, it means a lot," I grabbed my jacket and walked out the door to applause. Every investigator was waiting for me, except for the one person I wanted to see the most.
* * *
I opened my eyes slowly, trying to adjust to the pain and the bright. My foot throbbed, and when I looked at it I nearly lost my stomach. It was wrapped in a white cloth, but it didn't resemble the foot I saw this morning. Blood had soaked through the cloth, and I didn't even think about walking. "Good to see you awake Darling," Danny looked at me eagerly. "I was waiting for those eyes to open again. We have reached our destination."
I sat up from my chair, and now that my eyes had fully adjusted I realized that I was sitting in my office. My office in the Empire State Building.
"What are we doing here?" I asked.
"Oh Darling," he rubbed his hands together gleefully. "This is where the fun can really begin." He stood up and pulled me with him. My leg crumbled underneath me, and I nearly fainted with the pain. Danny pulled me so I was leaning on his shoulder, and he made me walk to the front of the building. "See those cameras?" he pointed to the same cameras I had seen every day for my whole career. "Those cameras are going to broadcast us to the whole world. I have them connected to every flat screen in New York. If Charlie hasn't figured out where we are now, he will very soon." Danny turned around to face me. "This way they can see that you are mine, and that you will always be mine. This will seal the deal. You are mine," he grabbed my face between his hands and kissed my mouth. Trying to pull away was useless. I couldn't even support myself on my own two feet.
Danny smiled at me when he pulled away. "This is our moment," he smiled at me and pulled a remote out of his pocket. Holding that in one hand, he grabbed a gun from his back pocket and pointed it to my head. "Just so we don't have any difficulties with this broadcast Darling," He whispered in my ears. "Not that you would try anything anyways right?"
I was shaking next to him, my body going numb from the pain in my foot. As soon as that light changed from red to green on the recorder, this was going to get very serious very fast.
* * *
I was in a cab driving towards the Empire State Building when the whole world seemed to go into slow motion. First, all of the noises of the city died altogether. I looked up from my phone to see Desiree and Danny being broadcasted on all of the televisions in New York.
"Hello y'all," his voice permeated the cab doors. "I'm sure you all know who I am. My name is Daniel Streisand, most people call me Danny. And this wonderful lady to my right, this is Desiree Hunt, the love of my life. Until recently she didn't even know I existed. She was fascinated with a man that was too chicken to reciprocate those feelings. But now she is mine, and I want the whole world to know that. She is mine, and no one can take her from me."
Danny gestured to Desiree like she was a possession, and it made me want to puke. I looked for anyone I knew in the cabs around me. I saw Murphy and Victor in the cab next to me, jaws slack in horror. They were as shocked as I was over the whole thing.
"Now my dear followers, I'm sure of it that somewhere in this beautiful city Charlie Michaels is viewing this. I have a message for you Charlie. She is mine, and there is nothing you can do about it." He waved the gun around. "She is mine!"
​"Charlie," Desiree spoke up for the first time in the whole broadcast.
​"Oh Darling, did you want to say something to him?" My blood boiled as he mocked her.
​"Charlie," she looked up right at the screen. "I love you, don't forget that, I love you," she was cut short as Danny grabbed her mouth and pointed the gun at her head. "
"One hour gentlemen. I give you one hour to comply with my deal, or she is dead." Hatred glowed in his eyes. "I am willing to compromise on this little predicament that we are in. I am willing to give you back your precious Desiree, on one condition; you let me go free. That is my deal. You want her to die? Simply choose to ignore my deal completely, and in one hour exactly a bullet will be lodged in her brains. It's up to you." And with that, the TV's went blank.
* * *
I sagged under the weight of my own body as my foot finally gave out on me. I sank to the floor, and Danny let me fall. "Stupid girl," he spit at me. "I was going to give you the world. I was going to give you everything!" his hand rang across my face, leaving a stinging cheek behind. "So stupid!" I pushed it away, and it landed with a satisfied crunch. Danny turned towards my direction, and pulled me up so I was standing again. I groaned as my ankle wouldn't hold me up. "You are a stupid woman for throwing away this opportunity," he whispered in my ear. "A very stupid woman and your little friends are going to pay for what you did today."