Chapter 192


    Edrick


    Ethan continued to hold the gun firmly up against Moana’s head. In the white blow of the bright


    spotlight that was trained on us, I could see the way that Moana’s red hair was stuck to her neck from


    sweating as her adrenaline surged through her. The ropes that held her to the hard metal chair in the


    middle of the floor crossed over her belly, restricting the little life inside of her. Seeing her like this made


    me feel physically sick, and if Ethan didn’t have a gun in his hand, then I would have ripped him to


    shreds as soon as I saw what he had done to her.


    “Just let them go, Ethan,” I pleaded as I took another tentative step forward.


    However, Ethan just pushed the gun harder into Moana’s temple.


    “You’re a liar,” he said through his teeth. “I know that you and your mother had something to do with it,


    too. Don’t take me for a fool, Edrick. Your family has done nothing but brought me pain, and now I’ll


    make you feel the same pain.”


    “Ethan, I seriously have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said. “My mother loved you like you were


    her own son. Sure, you and I never got along, but I would have never wanted your mother to die. I


    would never wish that sort of pain upon you.”


    Ethan stared at me for a few moments with the gun still pressed up against Moana’s head and his arm


    wrapped firmly around her neck. Thankfully, as I spoke his grip seemed to loosen, allowing Moana to


    finally draw in a deep breath. Beside her, E continued to sleep. I could see now that E’s chest was


    rising and falling gently, which filled me with immense relief; Ethan must have put her under a spell to


    make her sleep. I was d that she wouldn’t have to see any of this, and I hoped that she wouldn’t


    remember anything from this horrible night if I got her out of here.


    In the corner, though, Kelly stillid motionless on the floor. I couldn’t tell if she was alive or dead.


    “Did you kill Kelly?” I asked, nodding my head toward her.


    Ethan chuckled. “Not yet,” he replied.


    Good, I thought to myself. As much as I despised Kelly for what she did to Moana in the Rogue district


    and for how nasty she was, I didn’t want her to die. I knew now that Ethan probably yed a rather


    large role in that whole ordeal, too. For all I knew, he had been whispering bullshit into her ear since the


    beginning, molding her into this horrible person who hated Moana’s very existence. There was no


    doubt in my mind that Ethan had orchestrated this entire kidnapping as well, and has probably used


    Kelly as a pawn.


    “Listen,” I said, “Moana and E don’t need to be involved in this. They’re both innocent, and I know


    that you care about both of them, although you won’t admit it right now. So why don’t you put the gun


    down, and we’ll settle this like men?”


    For a few moments, Ethan just stared at me. He seemed to loosen his grip on Moana a little more, but


    he didn’t seem to fully believe me. He nodded at the cops with his head. “What about them? They’ll just


    shoot me if I put the gun down.”


    I shook my head, then turned back to look at the cops. “Why don’t we all put the guns down at once?” I


    asked. “Everyone. No one is getting shot tonight. You and I can handle this the old fashioned way: with


    our fists. No weapons, no interference.”


    There was a long silence. I stared intently at the cops, who looked back at me with disbelief while their


    guns were still trained on Ethan. Of course it was risky, but it was the only way to get the gun off of


    Moana’s head.


    Finally, the police chief nodded grimly and slowlyid his gun down on the ground. After a few


    moments of hesitation, the other police followed suit; what Ethan didn’t know was that there was a


    sniper trained on him from outside, ready to shoot just in case he tried anything. But, surprisingly, he


    didn’t try anything. Not yet, at least. Much to my surprise, he set his gun down and released his grip


    from around Moana’s neck. Moana let out a huge sigh of relief. I could see that her face was streaked


    with tears, but they had all dried by now. Later, I would have to make sure she knew just how brave I


    thought she was for holding it together; it was clear that she had been distracting Ethan and stalling for


    time when we came in. If she hadn’t done that, then both Moana and E very well might have been


    dead by the time we found the warehouse.


    “Untie her,” I said, nodding my head toward Moana. “E, too. Untie both of them and let them go over


    to the police.”


    Ethan hesitated for a few moments. I could tell that he didn’t believe me. He looked at Moana then.


    “Ethan, please,” she begged, her voice shaking. “Please. I know you care about us. Please let us go.”


    Something about Moana made Ethan do it. Solemnly, he untied both of them; first E, then Moana.


    E immediately jumped up and rushed over to E, who she scooped up and carried over to me. I


    pulled them both into my arms, feeling Moana sob quietly into my chest.


    Realistically, I could have had the police shoot Ethan while he was still standing there. But that night, I


    was overtaken with rage at what he had done; I needed to feel his flesh beneath my fists. I wanted to


    beat him to a pulp. He had put my fated mate, my daughter, and my unborn child in serious danger. If


    he thought that he felt pain when his own mother died, then that pain would feel miniscule in


    comparison to the pain I was about to inflict on him. Inside of me, my wolf raged nonstop. He couldn’t


    wait to sink his teeth into Ethan’s flesh.


    “Go and stand with the cops,” I whispered, cupping Moana’s face in my hands and kissing her


    forehead. “You’re safe now.”


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    “You’re not really going to fight him, are you?” Moana asked. “It’s too dangerous—”


    “I’ll be fine.” I kissed her forehead again, and reached over to touch E’s face. After all of this was


    over, I decided then and there that I was going to give both of them the best day in their lives. I didn’t


    care how much it cost; I just wanted to show them how grateful I was to have them in my life. I should


    have made sure that Moana knew that all along instead of pushing her away.


    Hesitantly, Moana carried E over to the police. I watched as the police surrounded her, barricading


    her within their circle. One of them took E, and another wrapped a nket around Moana tofort


    her while she continued to stare at me with wide, terrified eyes.


    “Well?” Ethan said. “Are you gonna fight me or not?”