Chapter 61 - The Game

"What the hell are you talking about, you sick bastard? I don't owe you anything." Natalia spat at him, and he smiled sickly.

"You're wrong. You owe me everything, including your life. Do you understand what it did to me when you humiliated me in college? It caused me to get payback on all these women because I was angry at you. If you had stayed with me, no one would have died. So really, all these women died because of you." Jon sat down in a chair, playing with the gun in his hand. He was in no rush to begin. The sooner he started, the sooner it would be over, and he wanted to enjoy this.

"You cheated on me. I wouldn't have broken up with you if I hadn't seen you bragging about all the girls you slept with. You broke my heart when I thought I was in love with you." Natalia said, trying to make him see reason.

"What do you mean you thought you were in love with me? Of course, you were in love with me. I treated you better than anyone I'd ever been with. I slept with the others because you wouldn't give it up. You didn't really expect me to wait around forever, did you? I had needs that you weren't taking care of." Jon watched her face as she looked at him in disgust.

Hayden was trying to get his hands loose from the zip-ties. He hated listening to the conversation between Natalia and Jon. He didn't want to think about her having feelings for any man other than him. He looked toward Dorian and Krista, who were still passed out on the other end of the couch. What had he given them?

"I never loved you. Now that I know what it feels like to be in love, I know that what I felt for you wasn't love. Don't pretend like you cared for me. If you did, you wouldn't have had sex with all those other girls. You would have started killing women either way because you're sick." Natalia was trying to keep Jon's attention on her, hoping Hayden could free his hands. She saw him trying to pull them loose.

"You can kid yourself all you want, but you know you're to blame for those women's deaths. Why do you think I killed women who looked like you?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder to ensure the other two hadn't woken up. He only gave them a mild sedative. He wasn't planning on Dorian being there, but that was okay. He would let him and Krista play the game too.

Jerry had finished his mask within one day; it was the fastest he'd ever done one for him. He told Jon that it was easier to make one look like someone specific than someone he was making up himself. He had only been able to get one done, but that was enough for Jon right now. While the real Andy and Dennis were busy, he decided to test the mask out. The security and police didn't pay attention to him when he got on the elevator. He still had the penthouse key card from when he pretended to be the delivery woman. Everything had gone smoother than he could have hoped.

"It's all in your head. You need someone to blame, so you chose me. You decided it was my fault because I was the one you couldn't have." Natalia saw Dorian start to move, and she didn't want Jon to notice.

"I can have you right now if I want to. It's not like you could stop me, but that's not what I want anymore. I've been preparing a game for you, and it's almost time to play. Let me explain how the game works." Jon sat back with a smile. He'd been waiting for this for a long time.

Hayden saw Dorian waking up, and he made eye contact with him. Where he was, Jon couldn't see him unless he turned around. Dorian slowly straightened up and looked at Krista. She was still sleeping. He was glad; something told him she would be safer the longer she was unconscious.

He started moving his hands. Jon had put the zip-ties on tight, but Dorian could tell they were looser than they should be, most likely because of his size. Jon hadn't been able to put his hands behind him well. He looked at Hayden and nodded slightly, letting him know he thought he could get loose. He glanced at his open laptop seeing a message from his men that Dennis was still alive. He knew that asshole wasn't telling the truth.

Jon had told them who he really was right before he stuck the needle in Dorian's neck. When he was passing out, he saw him grab Krista and do the same to her. He felt his zip-ties start to loosen more, so he kept working them while Jon talked to Natalia.

"I don't like games," Natalia said plainly.

"Sorry darling, it's not a choice. Like I said, the name of the game is competing for love. What you have to do is prove to me how much you love Hayden, and he has to prove how much he loves you." Jon pulled a knife from behind his back.

"What's that for?" Natalia asked with fear. For some reason, she found the knife scarier than the gun.

"It's an essential part of the game. I'm going to give you a choice. Do you want me to cut you, or do you want me to cut Hayden? Letting me use the knife on you is the only way to prevent the one you love from getting hurt. Whoever is still living at the end of the game wins. Although something tells me that killing you would be a mercy kill because you're an obvious burden on Hayden." Natalia glared at him.

"You're a piece of shit. I don't understand how that rotten brain of yours works. What if we don't play because we can choose not to say anything? Something tells me that you only get your reward by making us talk." She smirked when she saw his face turn red with anger. Natalia knew she was right. He didn't expect them not to play his game, but if they didn't, he would just be cutting them up for payback.

"You have to play the game, or I'll kill you both and chop you into little pieces. I'm sure you've seen what I'm capable of. Do you want to picture your precious Hayden in pieces all over this room? I'll let you watch as I kill him first. How would you like that?" Jon was speaking with fury. How dare she threaten him when he has a knife and a gun?

"Sorry, but I don't think you'll do it. You like the fight too much. You want someone to beg you to stop. That's why you killed in the places you did. I saw they were locations where the women could scream, and no one would hear. I'm not a screamer and won't give you what you want." She saw Dorian almost had his hands out, so she kept making Jon madder and madder so he would stay focused on her.

"You'll do what I say, or your death with be painful as I gut you both. I know how to make people suffer, and I've wanted to watch you suffer for a long time. You won't beat me. I'm the worst serial killer they've ever seen. A bitch like you can't win against me." Jon was furious. She was supposed to be crying and begging him to let them go, but instead, she was acting as though she was better than him.

"You're not the worst serial killer they've ever seen. You're the stupidest. You put your videos out there for everyone to see without trying to hide your identity. Who does that? Good serial killers are never caught. You can't even walk down the street without a mask. What kind of life is that? You're a pathetic loser that is too dumb to know when you've been had." Natalia smirked at him as Jon stood up, looking down at her with rage in his eyes. He laid the knife on the table and picked up the gun.

"I'm the stupid one? You should have kept your mouth shut. I don't want to play the game anymore. I'm just going to kill you and get it over with." Jon had completely missed what she had said. Dorian had gotten the zip ties off his hands and was slowly standing up. With Jon next to Natalia, he couldn't see him at all.

Dorian slowly walked up to him, and when he was only a foot away, he grabbed him from behind in a bear hug. Jon was so taken off guard at first that he didn't know what had happened. He tried to kick and squirm, but Dorian had him so tight it was like a vice grip.

Dorian saw Jon trying to lift his hand, and that's when he realized he had the gun. He saw him trying to point it behind him, and Dorian tackled him to the ground. At the same time as they went down, two things happened Hayden jumped in front of Natalia, and Jon pulled the trigger.