Obsession (12/13)

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A/N: Almost done. One more and it's over.

This chapter was hard to write, mainly because halfway into it, I still had NO idea about what was going to happen. Somehow I managed to get to the end of it, and I really hope it makes some sense. My original plan was to split it in two parts, but then I thought I'd be nice and post the whole thing.

Btw, thanks for your comments. I really enjoy reading them. If you've got some extra time, check the new story I'm co-writing with seattlegirl, "Beyond Repair". I'd LOVE to hear what you think about that too. :)

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Chapter twelve
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Faith turned her head just as light exploded in the room, temporarily blinding her.

She squeezed her eyes shut and unconsciously shrank back against the concrete wall, dropping her purse to the ground.

"Bosco?" she called again, though her instincts were screaming at her to get the hell away from the place.

"Sorry darling, but this is a private party. Your friend's not invited."

The voice was soft, yet somehow sinister, and she felt her stomach turning as a wave of nausea washed over her.

She brought one hand up to shield herself from the blinding light and looked at the man standing before her. The man who'd made her life a living hell. He was dressed in khakis and a blue button-down shirt, with a baseball cap that covered most of his face.

This is it, she thought. One way or another, it would be over soon. Bosco, I'm sorry...

"What is it, honey? Are you all right?"

All at once, the voice clicked with a name. Her eyes widened. Her features paled. "Ch-Charlie?"

The corner of his lips curved into a smile. "Guilty," he said as he raised his head and stared back at her.

His gaze was soft but penetrating, and she found herself shivering again.

"Charlie, what are you doing here? I saw your picture on the news, they said they found your... oh my God..." she gasped as realization suddenly dawned on her. "The call at the hospital... it was you."

He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes was the answer she needed. It couldn't be. Charlie was her high-school sweetheart, not a cold-blooded killer. "You... you killed her?"

He shrugged. "Doesn't matter now, does it? Either way, the bitch got what she deserved."

"W-what are you doing here?" she asked again.

"What, you're not happy to see me?" he replied, taking a step forward. "You know, I've been waiting for this since the night we met four years ago."

She looked around, trying to locate something even remotely resembling a weapon. Distract him, she told herself as she eyed the lamp on the end table a couple inches from her.

"What do you want?"

His smile broadened. "You, my love. And now that you're here, it's gonna be forever."

Faith could hear the amplified pounding of her heart inside her chest and had the sudden urge to double over and throw up.

In all her years as a police officer, she'd never had to deal with something like this. A man whose obsession had led him to insanity, whose false beliefs had caused the deaths of innocent people.

"Charlie, where is Bosco?"

"He's not here," he answered coldly. "And I wish you'd stop worrying about him."

"I just..."

"WHAT?" he screamed as his eyes narrowed and the smile left his face. "You don't need him! I'm here now, and we're gonna be together."

Seeing her jump at his sudden outburst, he took a deep breath to try and relieve some of the pressure building inside. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Forget about it, okay? He's in the past now. We've got a whole life ahead of us."

Faith watched him advance another step and slowly moved toward the table. Keep him talking, she reasoned. Play his game.

"So all those gifts, the roses. It was you. Sixteen... why?"

His features softened. "To make amends. One for every year we spent away from each other."

God please help me, she prayed. This guy's sick.

"And the dress..."

"All the best for my girl. I bet Freddie never bought you something like that."

Her hand traveled against the wall. "No."

"Then it's a good thing you finally left him. You know, I've never liked him. Football players usually aren't the smartest guys, and he proved it the day he filed for divorce."

She nodded, wondering how long he'd been following her to know that many details about her private life.

"Come on, we gotta go." His voice broke her away from her thoughts. He'd almost crossed the distance between them and was now standing just a few feet from her.

"Go? Where?"

"Away. I got a car outside."

Fear coursed through her body. "What? Charlie, I... I can't just leave. My kids... they need their mother." Her fingers brushed the edge of the end table.

He stilled for a moment as his mind registered the words. He hadn't thought about that. Sure it would be nice to have a family, but traveling with children would be too dangerous, not to mention that it would considerably slow them down.

"We can't," he finally said, a sympathetic look in his eyes. "I'm sorry. Not now."

"Please..."

"Don't worry. Fred's gonna take good care of them," he reasoned, holding one hand out toward her. "And I'm sure in the future we can arrange to have some kids of our own..." Once again, the corners of his mouth turned into a smile.

Faith felt tears well up in her eyes but she blinked them back, refusing to show any weakness. She needed to do something. Whatever plan his twisted mind had come up with, she had to stop it. She couldn't leave without knowing what had happened to Bosco.

Her gaze went longingly to the lamp, so visible yet so out of reach. "Charlie, why don't we sit down and discuss this? We can try and..."

He shook his head, his composure beginning to slip. "There's no time. You're coming with me. Now."

Faith realized this was her last chance. If she was going to die then she'd better die fighting rather than passively accepting her fate.

With a swift move, she managed to knock over the lamp from the table. Grabbing its base, she aimed it at his head but he moved, and it just grazed his arm instead of the intended target.

The object fell to the ground with a loud clatter as she ran for the door.

Charlie stumbled backward but was quick to recover and went after her. She felt a force slam into her from behind and cried out in pain as her body was pinned to the wall.

"Shut up!" he yelled, his weight crushing her. "What is wrong with you?"

The concrete was harsh against her cheek, just like it had been in her dream. "Charlie, you're hurting me..." she whispered as tears finally spilled over.

"Don't you understand?" he went on, ignoring her plea. "I did it all for you! I thought we had something special!" His breath was hot against her ear. "I did it for you..."

Faith felt a surge of rage flood over her. "But I didn't ask for it!" she screamed as she twisted her body, managing to turn around and face him. She wanted to hurt this man. Even in pain, even in danger, she wanted to fight him. "I never asked you to kill those cops, to murder your wife! You did that on your own!"

"I HAD to! They wouldn't let me get near you, just like your partner. And Deb, she... she laughed at me when I told her that I loved you, thought I was a fool. Love is not a joke. I had to teach her..." His voice trailed off and for a moment a wave of sadness replaced the dangerous glint in his eyes.

Faith raised her head and stared right at him. "Charlie, look at me. Where's Bosco? What did you do to him?"

His gaze lit with fury again at the sound of the other man's name. "Why is it so important, huh?"

"I..." Think, Faith, think. "I just wanna make sure he's not following us."

Charlie's confused look told her he'd completely believed her lie.

"He... he thinks he loves me, and I'm afraid he's gonna try something."

"I knew it," he said, nodding his head. "The way he looked at you, I was sure of it. Don't worry, I left your friends something that'll keep them busy for a while. We're free to go."

Faith was barely able to contain the sense of relief she felt at the news that her best friend was still alive. If Bosco was okay, he would find a way to help her. The thought gave her enough hope to concentrate on fighting the man.

Then all of a sudden, the loud shrill of the phone ringing broke the silence, startling them both.

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Bosco made the drive to his place in less than ten minutes, ignoring speed limits and rules of the road as his feet lowered farther toward the gas and the blue Mustang shot forward into the city streets.

His mind was focused solely on Faith. Every other feeling, guilt included, had been pushed aside. There would be plenty of time to deal with it later.

He finally reached the building and whipped his car sideways onto the curb just as the cell phone that had somehow slipped into the backseat during his last drive started to ring. Slamming on the brakes, he pressed the device to his ear. "Faith?"

"I got a name!" Detective Johnson triumphantly announced on the other end of the line.

"Who?"

"They found a good print on that pic you brought in and ran it through the database. We've got a match." There was a moment of silence. "Our suspect's one Charles Green from Bayside, Queens."

Bosco smacked the steering wheel with the palm of his hand, then blew out an exasperated sigh. "Son of a bitch!"

"What, you know him?"

"Jag-off went to school with her. I met him a couple years ago but I would've never... wait, New Jersey PD's put an APB on him in connection with his ex-wife's murder," he explained as he reached for the door handle.

"Thanks, I'll give them a call. Where are you?"

"On my way upstairs."

"You find something you let me know, okay? I promise I'll do the same. We're still keeping that sector under surveillance."

"Sure."

His finger clicked the 'end' button then frantically dialed his own number as he raced inside, hoping against hope that his partner, safe and unharmed, would pick up.

--

Charlie turned around, trying to locate the source of the noise and momentarily loosening his grip on Faith. She took advantage of the situation and shoved him as hard as she could, freeing herself from his grasp and rushing to the phone.

Something flared in the man's dark eyes. Anger. Hurt. Disappointment. It was hard to tell. Once again, he regained his balance and in a matter of seconds was at her side, yanking the phone out of his socket and smashing it against the opposite wall before she had a chance to answer it.

The room was small and offered no escape, but she was still determined to fight.

Toppling the coffee table over so it would stand as a barrier between them, she frantically reached for the door, but soon felt a grasp around her neck and a weight on her back.

"No!" she cried as they both went down hard.

"fck!" Charlie smacked her across the face as his legs straddled her body. "fck, fck, fck!"

Pain immediately exploded in her cheekbone, but that didn't stop her hands from flailing wildly, desperately trying to hit him.

The man's right hand curled around her throat and he started to squeeze.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered as her lungs burned and she gasped for breath.

"Sorry? Sorry doesn't help!"

Faith's heart was beating so loud that she could hear it over the man's voice. Her world started to spin, but she forced her eyes open. When they focused on the blurry shape of a gun, she stopped moving and realized everything was over.

--

Bosco shut his phone and scrambled up the stairs as fast as his legs could carry him. Something was very wrong. He could feel it.

His mind was going equally fast, trying to remember any useful detail about Charles Green. But as frustrating as it was, he couldn't find anything.

The man he'd met years before was everything but dangerous. He'd even encouraged her to take him up on his offer to meet after the shift. Nothing could've prepared him for the news that he was the stalker that they'd been looking for.

The hallway was silent as he walked through it, the rhythm of his heartbeat matching the seconds as they came and went. He reached for the gun at the back of his waistband and prayed to whoever God was in charge that Faith was still alive.

As soon as he neared his door, he thought he heard voices inside. Adjusting his grip on the gun he leaned forward, straining to hear even the smallest sound.

There was movement, then a noise, like something crashed to the ground. Finally, a man's voice. He sounded angry and upset.

Against his better judgment and every ounce of police training that advised not to let his presence known, he called his partner's name.

Every noise in the apartment stopped. Then after a moment, another voice.

"Bosco, help me!"

That was all he needed to hear.

Taking a step back, he raised his foot and kicked the door open. Weapon drawn, he stepped inside and stared, eyes wide, at the scene in front of him as an eerie silence took over the room and time seemed to stand still.

The living room was a mess: the table had been turned over, the couch moved from its original place. The scattered remains of what had once been his phone lay on the floor amongst other pieces of plastic and metal.

Faith was on the ground, unable to talk or move as one of the man's hands covered her mouth and his body was holding her down.

Her terrified gaze met his, and just like it had happened thousands times in the past, their eyes asked questions and found answers, both of them conveying in that simple act all their deepest emotions.

"Get off her!" Bosco yelled, unable to contain the anger in his voice.

Charlie shook his head. "You know officer, Faith and I were doing just fine until you came."

"Yeah, she looks like she was having a real blast," he replied, aiming the gun at the man's head.

Faith shifted her weight to get Bosco's attention. She could feel Charlie's gun pressed against her ribcage and desperately tried to warn him.

"Leave her alone!" Bosco spoke again, his patience wearing thinner by the second.

Charlie sighed. Plain hostility had always bored him. "You have a definite problem with authority, don't you?" A sadistic smile curved his lips. "Well guess what, Boscorelli. You're not the one running this show."

His left hand suddenly appeared from under him, holding a gun. "I am." Her pressed it against Faith's temple. "Now YOU drop your weapon."

Bosco flinched at the sight of the gun pointed at his partner's head and immediately did as instructed, slowly lowering his own to the ground and kicking it a few feet away.

"Good. Now put your hands up."

Satisfied that he wasn't a threat anymore, Charlie moved away from Faith and rose to his feet. "What do you say, honey? Should I kill him, or just make sure he doesn't get in the way?"

In truth, it wasn't a real question, for he'd already planned to kill him before they left the place.

Faith sat up and gave Bosco an apologetic look. "There's no need to kill him. He... he's not gonna say anything." She touched Charlie's arm. "Come on, you said we needed to go."

Bosco's gaze never left her side as he wondered what to do. Attacking the man without a weapon could result in both of them getting hurt or worse, killed, so it was definitely out of question. What he needed was a diversion. Have Faith distract him long enough for him to reach for the gun in his ankle holster.

He searched her eyes again, then lowered his own to his right leg to try and communicate his message.

She gave him a slight nod and swallowed hard. Her hand cupped the man's cheek. "Come on, it's getting late. Don't worry about Bosco, I can promise you he's not gonna be a problem."

Charlie put his hand on top of hers, enjoying for a moment the feeling of her fingers against his skin. "My girl..." he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her. "I've waited for this long enough..."

Then without any warning, he grabbed her arm and twisted it painfully behind her back. "Too bad I don't believe you!"

At almost the same time, he caught a slight movement out of the corner of his eye and quickly turned around, firing a shot.

"BOSCO!" Faith screamed as she watched her friend's body sag to the floor.

She broke loose of Charlie's grasp and pulled herself across the hardwood floor to retrieve Bosco's gun.

"Don't come any closer or I'll shoot you!" she warned as she stood up again, her finger itching on the trigger. The man's gun had fallen to the ground during the fight.

"Do it," he challenged her.

"I'm serious, Charlie. Don't move."

He ignored her and took a step forward. "I'm not going to prison, I've got the best lawyers around. And even if I do, I'll be out soon and I'll come back..."

The thought sent a shiver down her spine.

"Charlie, you need help..."

"No! I need you... to listen to me!"

"I just want you to..."

"Shut the fck up!" he shouted, throwing his arms out in frustration. "Why don't you understand? We're supposed to be together! That night at the prom, I realized you were my soul mate. But I was afraid at first, and that's why I planned that trip to Europe after we graduated. I needed to clear my head."

He ran a hand over his face. "I didn't expect to find you married when I got back but it hurt. It hurt real bad 'cause it was my fault, and I could do nothing about it. So I got married, but it wasn't what I wanted. Deb... she just wasn't you."

Faith listened to his words, her gun still trained on him.

"Then we met, and I felt that old sparkle again. After that night, I couldn't stop thinking about you. My life was empty. I was empty."

He was standing right in front of her, blocking her view of Bosco. Her heart ached for him, but right now she needed to focus on Charlie.

"I love you. And I'm not going back to my old life so you'd better kill me now 'cause I swear to God I'll be back soon and you're gonna be mine... Or maybe I should pay a visit to your beautiful daughter, what do you think?" he finished with an evil grin.

Faith's eyes widened in fear. "Son of a bitch! You leave Emily out of this, you hear me?"

His hand disappeared into his jacket pocket as he kept staring at her, a smile plastered on his face. "You're not going to kill me. The girl I fell in love with in high school would never be able to do it."

Faith watched his arm move slowly. "You're wrong. I'm not the same girl anymore."

Then without hesitation, she squeezed the trigger.

Two shots rang out, and the man fell flat on the floor as a picture fluttered in the air for a few moments before coming to rest on the ground next to him.

She jumped, startled by the second shot, and looked up to see Bosco leaning against the wall, his gun still aimed at the dead suspect.

Her shaky fingers released the grip on her own weapon and she lowered it to the floor, then pulled herself unsteadily to her feet and staggered across the room.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. It's just a flesh wound," he replied, showing her the place where the bullet had grazed his arm.

"I thought he had another gun."

"So did I."

"Bos..." she began, but that was all she managed to say. As she nervously bit her lower lip, her shoulders started to shake and finally, she began to cry. Hot tears streamed down both her cheeks but she didn't care. She wasn't afraid to expose her fears to him anymore.

Bosco put his good arm around her and pulled her close.

"I'm sorry..." Her voice was muffled against his chest.

"It's okay," he said gently as the sound of a siren filled the air. "It's over."

Faith wiped her eyes but didn't move.

He wouldn't let her go until she was ready.

TBC...