Savage Tracker by Maggie Cole

34

Selena

Obrecht getsin the shower with me. Blood mixes with the water and runs down my body and into the drain. I'm so cold. I can't get warm. It feels like I've been shaking forever.

When there's no more blood, Obrecht moves us into the tub. I curl into him. He pretzels his arms and legs around my body. A long time passes. In a gentle voice, he asks, "How are you doing, baby girl?"

I close my eyes. I don't want to think about what Mack would have done to me. "Why does my face still feel like the spandex is on it?"

Obrecht's chest rises, filling with air. He strokes his thumb on my hip. "It's not, baby girl. It never will be again."

I swallow hard. My mouth is dry. My muscles are sore. I admit, "I'm tired. So tired."

The doorbell rings, and I jump.

"Shh. It's okay. It's my mom and Stefano."

Panic fills me. I glance up. "Don't leave me. Please."

He gives me a chaste kiss. "I'm not. But I want a doctor to examine you, Selena. You're okay if Stefano does, instead of a doctor at the hospital, right?"

I slowly nod.

He kisses my forehead. "Let's get out and put some warm clothes on, okay?"

I agree. He diligently dries then dresses me in pajama bottoms and a long-sleeve top. He sets me on the bed and puts socks on me. "Do you want me to call Carla?"

I ponder the question then shake my head. "Not tonight."

"Do you want to get under the covers or go out into the other room?"

All I want to do is dive under the blankets and have him hold me. But I know if I don't let Stefano examine me, Obrecht will take me to the hospital. "I'll go to the couch."

He smiles. "Okay, baby girl." He takes my hand and leads me into the family room. Svetlana and Stefano are on the couch and rise when we enter the room. Svetlana's eyes tear up. She pulls me into a hug, and I cry again.

"Shh. It's okay, sweetheart," she coos.

I wish I weren't crying. I used to have no one and dealt with much worse than what happened today. Why can't I stop the tears from falling?

She rubs my back. "Let's have Stefano give you a quick exam to make sure you don't need any further medical attention. And when did you eat last? Are you hungry?"

My day spins in my head. "At lunch with you."

She pulls back and strokes my hair. "Why don't I make some dinner?"

"I don't know if I can eat."

She smiles. "I'll make it, and you can decide later, okay?"

"Sure."

She gives me another hug then releases me and goes into the kitchen.

I sit on the couch. I glance at Obrecht, and he takes the seat next to me.

Stefano smiles kindly at me. Over the next fifteen minutes, he asks questions and gives me an exam. "I don't think there is any long-term physical damage. You've got some bruising. You might feel a little worse in a few days from the lactic acid buildup in your muscles from holding that position for so long. Epsom salt baths will help with muscle stiffness. Overall, I think you got lucky."

Obrecht releases a breath as if he's been holding it in for a long time. He tugs me closer to him. His body is so safe and warm. I wish he could wrap it around me and I never had to leave it. He says, "This is good."

Stefano tilts his head. "Selena, I think it would be wise to see a therapist. This is a lot of trauma."

"I have one."

He smiles. "Great. I would feel better if you discussed this with him or her."

"I will," I promise him.

Svetlana comes over with a tray. She sets it on my lap. One of my favorite meals, avocado toast with a poached egg, is on it. A mug of hot tea is next to the food.

"I'm suddenly hungry," I tell her, grateful for her and all she does for me.

She puts her hand on my cheek. "Good." She turns to Obrecht. "You should eat, too. I'll go make you a plate."

"Thanks."

The doorbell rings. I question Obrecht, "Who would that be?"

"I'm not sure. Let me go see." He rises and leaves the room. Within minutes, Obrecht and Liam talk loud enough to know they are both upset but not enough for me to decipher what they are saying.

Their argument gets louder. Svetlana, Stefano, and I exchange a nervous glance. I set the tray to the side and walk out of the corridor right as Liam says, "Two weeks. He has to live for two weeks. Once his company goes public, then you can do whatever you want to him. I'll watch and hand you whatever instrument you want to torture him. The entire time, we'll keep him at the garage, in the cage, just like he did to Selena. But you have to give me two weeks."

Obrecht steps closer to Liam. "I don't give a damn what you have going on. He dies as soon as I get to the garage tonight."

"You're leaving me tonight?" I cry out. New tremors take hold of my quivering insides. I can't handle Obrecht being away from me right now and especially not for days on end.

Obrecht spins. "If not tonight, tomorrow. Jack needs to pay."

"And you want him alive?" I ask Liam.

"You shouldn't hear this. Jack is going to pay. We aren't waiting two weeks," Obrecht seethes.

"Why do you want him to live for two weeks?" I blurt out.

"For nothing important," Obrecht states.

Liam's eyes widen. "You think I'd let that monster live all these months, and now for another second, after what he put Selena through if it wasn't important?"

Obrecht sniffs hard. He turns to me. "I failed you, my dorogaya. I shouldn't have listened to anyone and killed him when I learned what he did to you. For that, I'm always going to be sorry. I'm not making the same mistake again."

Liam squeezes his eyes shut. He breathes deeply a few times. His hands clenched into fists, similar to Obrecht's. It's clear they both want to get their way.

"Where is Jack?" I ask.

"I told you. At the garage," Obrecht says.

I cross my arms. All the months I've known about the garage, I've never asked questions. I suddenly want answers. "Where is the garage?"

"It isn't anything you should know about."

"Why?"

"It could put you in danger."

"How?"

Obrecht shifts on his feet. "If anyone ever finds out where the garage is, legally, you could be in trouble."

"No, I can't."

"Yes, you could."

"No. We're married. Isn't there some rule in America where whatever a spouse tells another spouse is protected?" I ask.

Obrecht shakes his head. "I don't know. I'm not an attorney. But I'm not putting you at risk."

I step closer. I ask Liam again, "Why do you want Jack to live?"

He scoffs. "I don't want him to live. I only want to keep him breathing until he signs for his company to go public."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you."

It's rare for me to feel strong, or act like I have any power over decisions men make, especially ones as strong as Liam and Obrecht. Usually, I would never interfere in whatever they're involved in. All the years of suffering Jack caused me suddenly make me feel as if it’s my decision what happens to him. In a firm voice, I demand, "If you want my help, you need to tell me why."

Obrecht blurts, "Selena, this isn't—"

"I'm not talking to you right now. I'm talking to Liam. Don't try to sugarcoat whatever is going on. I don't believe Liam would make this decision if it weren't important," I snap, and Obrecht's eyes widen.

"Thank you. It is," Liam states and glares at Obrecht.

"Don't scowl at my husband," I reprimand.

Liam's face turns red. "Sorry."

Obrecht gives him an arrogant look.

"Don't be an ass to Liam," I scold Obrecht.

He arches an eyebrow. Confusion isn't something I see in Obrecht a lot. I also don't usually tell him what to do. Something within me has shifted. It's like all the broken pieces within me are jagged glass and I want to utilize them appropriately. Jack always had all the control. For the first time ever, I hold some sort of power over his fate. I want him dead. I'm not sure what to do with this decision, but something within me tells me there's a crucial choice to make.

I assess both men. One is my husband, whom I love more than life. Without him, my life would be empty. The other is a friend who seems desperate for Obrecht to wait to unleash his wrath on Jack. This is why Obrecht didn't take care of Jack all these months, so it must hold some importance.

"If Jack's company goes public, will it be destroyed, or will it survive?" I ask Liam.

His face hardens. "It'll go up in flames until it's nothing but ashes."

"And you can keep him alive, suffering for these next two weeks? You guarantee he won't be able to escape or harm me ever again?" I ask.

"Selena—"

"Obrecht, please let me speak and don't interrupt me."

He clenches his jaw and sighs.

I step toward him. He puts his arm around me and tugs me closer. I focus on Liam and repeat, "Can you guarantee those things?"

"Yes. I one hundred percent guarantee you he will suffer and will never harm you again. There is no escaping his fate at this point," Liam claims.

"How quickly will his company go down?"

Liam tilts his head and squints. "Two to four weeks once it goes public is the estimate."

I nod and pace the corridor. It's so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Jack may have abused, broken, and disrespected me, but I know everything about him. His company is his lifeblood. Part of me wants him to be alive when it falls apart. Another side of me wants him to die as soon as possible.

I speak to Liam. "You have two weeks. At that point, you will ask me what I want. You will tell him that I'm in charge of his life at this point. I want a photo of him in the cage—every day. I want an untraceable picture, and you're going to deliver it to me." I turn to Obrecht. "You aren't allowed at the garage until I'm ready for him to die."

His eyes widen. "Selena!"

I cup his cheeks. His jaw clenches under my fingers. "I don't care about having input in a lot of decisions you make. I trust everything you do. If this weren't important, you would have gone against Liam."

"I was wrong." His jaw clenches under my fingers.

"No, you weren't. And I want him to suffer," I admit.

Obrecht fiercely states, "He is going to suffer. I will make sure he suffers."

Tears fill my eyes. My voice shakes. "Yes. And until that day comes, I want him to know what it's like not to be free. I want him to crouch in his cage and go crazy, learning what it's like to be powerless, feeling like an animal. I want him to think of me and all the ways he tortured me. Then, when he thinks he can't take it anymore, I want you to unleash whatever it is you want to do to finish him off."

Obrecht studies me. For months, he's spent countless minutes watching me, staring into my eyes, trying to figure out what I'm feeling or thinking. No moment has ever been this intense.

A tear drips down my cheek. I manage to summon all the courage I have inside me not to crumble and back down. "I need this. I need to know everything Jack valued is gone. It includes his business. He spent his life building it. All the shady things he did that he bragged about to his friends to get ahead, I know about. He thought I was too brainless to understand things. His belief that he's untouchable, and I could never take him down, was ingrained in him. Every moment, from here on out, I want him to know that I'm pulling the strings."

Obrecht continues to pin his icy-blue eyes on mine. He finally nods and quietly says, "Okay, baby girl. If this is what you need, I'll agree to it."

I lean into him. "Thank you." I spin back to Liam. "Are you clear on what I want?"

"Yes. I will deliver your photos each day."

"Thank you."

"Thank you, Selena." He nods and steps into the elevator.

Obrecht circles his arms around me. I embrace him as tight as he holds me. What we have is precious. It's unbreakable, but we as individuals aren't. Since I left Greece, I've never had a family or friends. Now, I have everything. Jack is going to get what's coming to him. My husband, the man who has shown me nothing but love, loyalty, and compassion, will always protect me. He'll always have my trust and heart. There's no doubt he'll always do what he believes is the right thing for me.

But he also taught me there are times I need to stand up and do what I feel is best for us or just me. I may not exercise it a lot; I usually don't need to. The few times I have, he's always put me first. Unlike Jack, he made it clear, relationships need balance. There are times each person has to submit to the other. If you don't, you risk tearing the other person apart and destroying everything you hold dearest to your heart.

I reach up and hold his cheeks. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby girl."

"I'm not letting Jack steal any more of our life."

He palms my ass. "I'm sorry—"

"Shh! This was not your fault."

He closes his eyes briefly and stares at the ceiling. I already know I can tell him until I'm blue in the face there was nothing he could do to prevent what happened, but he's always going to feel guilty. I wish I could change it. Some things, no matter how hard you want the reality to be different, just aren't. All I can do is show him every day how much I love, adore, and am grateful for how much he loves me.

"Hey," I softly say.

He glances down at me.

I smile and trace his jawline. "You're going to love what I want us to do for the rest of the night."

He arches his eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Sit down with your mom and go through all the loose ends for our wedding."

He chuckles. "Bring out the bridal magazines."