To everyone's surprise, Krista shrugged her shoulders as if finding out Jon was in her apartment was not concerning. "I'm glad I'm here with you all rather than at home. If I see him on the street, I may kill him myself. He didn't hurt me, but I can't imagine why he would think someone like you made him a sick freak." Krista said to Natalia. The other woman started laughing. She liked Krista's spunk. "I like you," Natalia said as she took a bite of her pizza. Dorian looked between the two women with disbelief. Where did these women come from? He wasn't used to being around strong women who didn't cry when things didn't go their way. Hayden saw the look on his cousin's face and chuckled. "Dorian, you will learn when it comes to women; they're like puzzles you can never quite figure out," Natalia smirked at him. "We have to be that way to keep men on their toes." She winked at Krista, who giggled while she chewed. Maybe having the near-death encounter with Jon w
"I know I'm safe here, but hearing a direct threat shook me a little," Krista said, still looking at Dorian. He wanted to put an arm around her, but he didn't have the nerve to do it. "We won't let him get near you. At least he doesn't know where you are." Dorian said, trying to calm her. "Can you see where he went after he left my job?" Krista asked, looking back at the screen. Dorian started looking at the cameras again, switching from one camera to the next as Jon walked down the street. The nice thing about New York is that the city has cameras everywhere. Dorian had learned to hack into them long ago and used them many times. Krista was once again impressed by the speed he was able to track Jon. His large fingers flew on the keyboard so fast that sometimes she felt hypnotized. They followed him to a restaurant, where he stopped to get lunch. They saw him waiting to cross the street, and he was in the middle of a crowd when he started to walk in the crosswalk.
"Dorian, are you okay?" Krista asked, looking up at him with concern. He hadn't said anything for a few minutes. He was staring at her as though he was frozen. "What did you say?" He asked, wanting to make sure he heard her correctly. "I said I like you and think we could be great together. Don't worry. I'll give you time to get used to me, and I won't rush you into anything." Krista smiled up at him and saw him look at her in confusion. "Are you messing with me?" He asked with his brows furrowed together. Krista stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. His face immediately turned bright red. "I wouldn't mess with you. You're a nice man, and I'd like to get to know you better," She said. Krista saw his eyes light up, and he broke into a big smile rather than the half smile she'd seen on him before. It made him look even more handsome. "I'd like to get to know you better too. Will you tell me if I say or do anything you don't like?" Dorian asked, already worried
"You think he's going out to find another woman to kill?" Krista asked in disbelief, looking at Natalia with fear in her eyes. "Yes," Natalia answered her. She didn't want to tell Krista he needed someone to take her place since she had gotten away. "Where will he take them? I'm sure he won't go back to the place he had taken me." She felt Dorian take her hand, and she squeezed him in thanks. "It looks like he left your phone in the hotel room, but I'm going to see if we can track him by the cameras. Hayden, are you okay with me slipping Dennis the location of the hotel?" Dorian looked toward his cousin. "Yeah. If Jon feels they are closing in on him, he's bound to make a mistake." Hayden said as he put his arm around Natalia. Dorian took Krista's hand and put it on his arm so he could type with both hands but still have a connection with her. He sent Dennis an anonymous email with Jon's hotel location. He then quickly worked on following him with the cameras. Th
"Please find him, Dorian. I know he's doing this because I got away. Don't let him kill another woman because of me." Krista had tears running down her face. All she could think about was the woman they had seen on camera. Did Jon have her somewhere right now, killing her? Dorian saw the tears on her face, and his heart hurt. He used his thumb and gently wiped them away. He didn't like seeing her cry. "I'll do whatever I can. Don't cry. This isn't your fault. Jon's sick, and he kills because he can. I don't ever want you to think you had anything to do with what he's doing." He put an arm around her and pulled closer. He used his free hand to look at the cameras to try and find where Jon went. His men were also driving around the area looking for them. Dorian had sent them a picture of the woman and how Jon was disguised. His phone started ringing, and he put it on speaker. "What's going on, Colby?" He asked anxiously, feeling Krista tense up against him. "We
Dennis and Andy went to the hotel where they had received the tip Jon was staying. They confirmed with the hotel clerk that someone matching Jon's description had checked in and was in the room number they had been given. When no one answered their knock, they used the keycard to open the door and go inside. They were astonished at what greeted them. The room was relatively neat. However, there were about a dozen prosthetic masks on one of the two beds. Jon could change his look from a teenage boy to an old man and even a few women. "I have never seen so many masks before. Some of the people I've caught had one or two, but not this many. They are excellent quality, making it hard to even tell you're looking at a mask." Andy said as he looked at them closely without touching them. "At least if we have all these, he won't have them, so it will be harder for him to conceal his identity. I'm concerned that he's not here. It's late; if he's out, he's probably looking fo
Dorian had the best sleep he'd had in a very long time. Normally he only took little naps from time to time because he was always glued to his computer. However, with Krista next to him, he had slept like a baby. When he woke up, he had to get his bearings, and he looked down into her shining eyes. "I didn't want to move because I was afraid I would wake you," Krista said softly. She had been awake for a while watching him sleep. She'd only met him the day before, but she already felt like she'd finally found what she never knew she needed. She snuggled closer to him and smiled when she felt his arms tighten around her. "Did you sleep okay?" Dorian asked, not sure what else to say. This was the first time he'd ever woken up next to a woman. All of his sexual encounters had been quick, with no cuddling or anything. They hadn't had sex, but somehow this felt more intimate. "I had the best sleep I've had in a long time. I guess we better get up so we can go upstairs. Let's find th
"You think someone else is helping him?" Natalia asked. She wondered who would be sick enough to assist someone like Jon. Who would knowingly help a murderer? "We found the hotel he was staying in and all his masks, thanks to an anonymous tipster." Dennis glanced at Dorian, who kept a straight face. "So he has no masks now? That's one good thing, at least. What makes you think someone is helping him?" Natalia asked again. Andy and Dennis looked at each other, wondering how much they should say. "When we searched his room, we found evidence that someone was feeding him information. We don't know who this person is, but I'm sorry to say it seems they work at NC." Natalia looked at Andy with widened eyes. Someone at NC was helping Jon? She didn't believe it. "Are you sure? What makes you think they work for me?" She asked, clutching Hayden's hand. "We found documents from your office, including your personal itinerary, meeting dates, and times. Your contact
Three Months Later Natalia finally had the casts off her legs and was working with her physical therapist, Hannah. She was able to take a couple of painful steps before having to sit back down. It was slow work, but it would be worth it in the end. Hayden came to every appointment with her, much to the delight of Hannah, who had an obvious crush on him. Hayden avoided her as much as possible while staying near Natalia. It made him uncomfortable each time Hannah accidentally touched him when there was no reason for her to do so. Natalia laughed it off, telling him he should be used to it by now with how handsome he was. However, Hayden was getting seriously annoyed and was close to saying something to her about it. "How soon before Natalia will be able to walk like she used to?" Hayden asked Hannah, rolling his eyes when her face turned red, and she fluttered her eyelashes at him. "It may be months. So you may have to come here for a while." She answered, pretending to accidenta
Nick, Colby, Teo, and Kyle sat in the van across the street from the apartment building, waiting for Simon Allegri to show up for work. It was close to seven in the morning, so they expected him soon. They were upset about not being able to take out Jon before the authorities got him, so this was a way for them to redeem themselves. A few minutes before seven, they saw Simon walking toward the entrance. He was carrying a duffle bag they were sure had his gun hidden inside. They weren't going to make a move while he was in the apartment building. Instead, they would follow him when he left and take him off the street. It was time for the hunter to become the hunted. They didn't move all day while they waited. The four men got ready for quitting time so they could follow the hitman. When he walked out of the building, Teo and Colby hopped out of the van to follow him on foot while Nick and Kyle stayed in the van. As they followed him, the four men were conscientious, knowing Simon
"I never thought they would sink that low to kill us because we got their daughter locked up. They have taken this too far." Hayden pulled out his phone, ready to call the Blacks but changed his mind. Natalia had been right. The pain medication was helping his pain, and now he could think clearly. "What do you think we should do?" Natalia asked, noticing that he was no longer grimacing with every move. "We need to talk this through. I was going to call Simon Black and give him a piece of my mind. However, I don't want him to know we're on to him. We need to make the hitman disappear and then give proof to the authorities of who hired him." Hayden looked toward Dorian, who was nodding in agreement. "We at least know he's got a job here in the building, and he starts tomorrow. We also know what he looks like, so I can have my men take care of him. Let me work on getting something to hand over to the police about Simon Black." Dorian sent a message to his men and aske
"You've got to be fucking kidding me. Who would hire a hitman to come after us?" Hayden said with fury coursing through his veins. Hadn't they been through enough? He looked at Natalia; her face was void of emotion, as though she couldn't process this information right now. "I don't know who, but I'll see what I can find out. In the meantime, he'll be working in the building, so we need to be on high alert. He'll find whatever way he can to get to his target." Dorian sometimes hated that he was so good at doing what he did because it made him the bearer of bad news more times than not. "Do you think Jon would go to these lengths?" Krista asked, looking around at everyone. "I think he's more hands-on. It's not about us being dead for him. He wants to experience the killing for himself." Natalia spoke in a monotone. She felt as though she was ready to break. Why would someone hire a hitman? Her life was turning into something of a bad movie that seemed never to hav
Hayden and Krista helped Natalia into the restroom. Actually, Krista helped while Hayden supervised. He couldn't stop the nagging feeling as though someone was watching them when they went for their walk. When they returned to the living room, Hayden looked at Dorian. "Are you able to tap into the cameras outside the building?" He asked his cousin, who looked at him in confusion. "Yeah, were you looking for something specific?" Dorian asked as he turned on his laptop. Krista sat next to him, plastered to his side. It was their favorite way to sit together. He had never been in love before, but he knew that's what he felt for her. He just hadn't had the nerve to say it yet. They'd only been together for about a week. "When we were walking, I felt like someone was watching us. I may be paranoid, but I just want to be sure. We've had enough surprises." Hayden glanced toward Natalia, who was staring at him with concern. He hoped he was wrong. They had enough to worry
Todd got comfortable across the street from Natalia and Hayden's building. Those who hired him originally only wanted Natalia to be killed. After seeing how connected she and Hayden were to each other, they decided it was better to get rid of both of them. Todd was a hired hitman, and the people that hired him had a lot of money. He didn't understand why they wanted this young couple dead. From what he'd read about them, they were decent people. However, they seemed to have someone constantly trying to tear them down. Todd didn't need to know his employer's motivation, but he liked to have the background of those he was hunting. He knew Natalia had no family and had built her business from the ground up. After being pushed in front of oncoming traffic, a serial killer started hunting her. Hayden was from a wealthy family whose business had been struggling until he took over. Neither of them seemed to have many close friends, only acquaintances. From what he found, neither had bee
Sofia was so sure that she was going to cause a scene that she crossed her arms and leaned back with a smirk. However, she saw Hayden and Natalia look at each other before they started laughing. "You thought that was going to be breaking news that caused Hayden to suddenly want you or something? First of all, I know Hayden has never spent all night with anyone besides me. Even if you did sleep together, I'm sure it was a one-and-done like every other woman he'd been with before me. You were obviously not good because he doesn't even remember you. So if you thought this would cause some type of conflict between us, you're mistaken. Hayden and I both have pasts, and we're not jealous of them. Unlike you, we look to the future." Natalia had a fire in her eyes, causing Sofia's face to turn red as though she'd been slapped. It was then that she realized Hayden was on the phone. "Hi Paul, this is Hayden Sumner. I need to talk with you regarding Sofia Spurling." Sofia felt sick as she
Sofia looked between Hayden and Natalia wanting to bring up the fact that she was with him first. She wanted to break their happiness and have it for herself. However, the longer she waited, the more her nerve started to fade. Seeing how Hayden was with Natalia, she knew talking about their few minutes of sex that obviously meant nothing to him wouldn't matter to either of them. "What did you want to say?" Questioned Natalia with a small smile. "I just wanted to say that I am going to do everything I can to have Jon sentenced to death. He has killed too many people to skate by, with life in prison. I want his head on a platter." Sofia spoke with conviction as she pulled out a pad of paper from her briefcase. She was still going to get around reminding Hayden of who she was, but she decided it would be best done in private. Maybe he would see her out when she was leaving. Natalia looked at Sofia, not believing she was being completely honest. It felt as though she had
Jon sat in the interrogation room across from Andy and Dennis with a smirk on his face. He hadn't asked for an attorney yet, but he would eventually. He knew there really wasn't a point in having an attorney when he flaunted all of his crimes online and even bragged about them. "Do you have anything you'd like to say?" Dennis asked, letting his disdain for him be heard in every word. Jon shrugged. "What's there to say? I killed a lot of people. I think about killing people all the time because I get off on it. Think about the best orgasm you've ever had and multiply it by a thousand. That's how it feels when I cut those whores into little pieces. Although when I get out of here, I think I won't only kill women. I'll kill men, too. After all, blood is all the same color no matter who you are." He started laughing like a maniac as Dennis and Andy stared at him with disgust. "You were good at disguising yourself. Even walking right in front of several officers as a w