"Please tell me you're joking," Dennis said into the phone, looking at Natalia. "I wish I was. I got stuck in traffic, and by the time I got here, all hell was breaking loose. Captain Clifton was strangled, and Jon simply walked out. They're checking the cameras now to see which direction he went. Jon has about a thirty-minute head start on us." Andy sounded frantic on the other line. "Dorian uncovered that the captain was working with Jon, so I wonder why he killed him?" Dennis asked, almost to himself. "If that's true, and the captain had helped him, he may have had a change of heart once Jon was in custody. Right now, it doesn't matter. We have a serial killer that has escaped, and if he had a mask to look like me, who knows who else he has one of? Are Natalia and Krista ready to go into witness protection now?" Andy questioned, hoping they realized how detrimental this was to their safety. "No, we're not going anywhere. If we disappear, so will Jon. I would ra
Natalia stared at the ring and then at Hayden. He had just asked her to marry him, and she was too stunned to say anything. She wanted to be with him forever, but she didn't think he was going to propose in the middle of all the chaos they were experiencing. As she saw his smile start to fall, she realized he must think that she was unsure, so she decided to put him out of his misery. "Yes, I'll marry you." She answered with tears running down her face. Hayden sighed in relief. When she was quiet for so long, he thought she was having doubts, and his heart hurt thinking she would say no. He slid the ring on her finger and stood up so he could kiss her. "You scared me." He said against her lips. She smiled and held him where he was so she could give him a deeper kiss. "I was so shocked it took me a minute to get my bearings. I love you, Hayden. There's no way I would say no to being your wife." She rubbed her hand over his cheek, looking into his eyes lovingly. "Tha
Jon stared at the woman in disbelief. She wasn't drunk at all; she was a damn cop. He saw red and got ready to lunge at her. Before he could move, someone busted down the wood-covered door. When he turned around, Jon saw Andy and several others all running in with their guns drawn. How had they found him and had time to set him up? "Get on your knees and put your hands up now," Andy yelled at him. They knew precisely where Jon was heading thanks to Dorian's fast camera watching. When they saw him standing against the building like he was waiting for the right woman, they called an undercover that was already in the area pretending to be a prostitute. She bought a bottle of booze, dumped it on herself, messed up her hair, and smeared her makeup. She tried to make herself as easy of a target as possible, and it worked. They knew when she said to freeze; it was their signal to come in from where they were waiting outside the door. If Jon had bothered to look around, he w
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
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
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
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
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
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