Chapter 64 - New Rommate

"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 rather bait him out them let him slither away like a snake. We're staying in mine and Hayden's apartment. Dorian and Krista are staying with us." Natalia spoke with determination while looking at the others, who were nodding in agreement. Dennis looked at the two couples, and he had to agree with them. However, this time was going to be different.

"I'm staying with them too. No one is to come into this apartment. I'll pick up food and anything else from downstairs. I'm not leaving until we catch Jon." Dennis looked at Hayden and Natalia, who both stared back at him in surprise.

"You're staying with us?" Hayden asked. Not that he was complaining. He was just surprised Dennis would do that.

"Yes. I'm not letting Jon get in here again. I'll have my wife bring some of my clothes." Dennis could do his work from their apartment.

"Alright, I'll let you know if we find anything here. Dorian, I don't care about any formalities or anything else. Do what you can to find this bastard. I don't care what it takes." Andy was furious not only about Jon getting away but also that he could get to them so easily by pretending to be him. Dorian looked toward Dennis to see if what Andy said was true.

"Do it," Dennis replied. He was as fed up with Jon as Andy was. It was time to play a game of their own.

Dorian didn't say a word. He pulled out the computer he had been carrying in his bag since leaving the hotel. He never went anywhere without it. He quickly sent a message to his team telling them what was going on and that they had the FBI and NYPD blessing to find Jon themselves.

Once he got their replies, he started looking at the cameras around the police station, backing up the feeds from a little over thirty minutes ago. He and Krista began scanning people looking for Jon. He didn't have a mask on, so when they saw him casually walk out, he was extremely easy to spot.

"We found when he left. We'll let you know where he goes," Dorian stated without looking up. Dennis went behind him and stared at the screen in shock. How could he get these video feeds so quickly and easily jump from camera to camera? He was truly impressed.

"Andy, Dorian is tracking him. I'll let you know when we find out where he's going." Dennis disconnected to call, still caught up in watching Jon.

"Dennis, are you sure you want to stay here?" Hayden asked as he sat next to Natalia with his arm around her. The short time they were apart in the hospital had affected them both. He had been frantic that something had happened to her, and she had been scared for his life. Now they didn't want to stop touching each other for even a second. It was as though they each thought the other would disappear.

"I'm positive. I'm not taking any chances with him getting in here again. Whenever I leave the apartment, I'll give you a password. When I return, you ask me what the password is to verify it's me. No one will know what it is except for us." He turned back to watch over Dorian's shoulder. The large man was fast as lightning on the computer.

They watched Jon walk down the street without a care in the world. He wanted to speed the video up but understood they couldn't. If they tried to skip ahead, they might miss where he turned off or someone he talked to.

Natalia looked at Hayden's bandaged shoulder and felt sick. He wouldn't have been hurt if he hadn't jumped in front of her. However, she would have most likely been killed if he hadn't. With the bullet going all the way through his shoulder, it was amazing that she wasn't hit.

"What are you looking at?" Hayden asked, kissing her forehead.

"Your shoulder. It's my fault you got shot. He was aiming for me." She had tears running down her face when she looked up at him. He wiped her tears away and kissed her gently.

"Don't cry, sweetheart. At least no one got killed. We're not going to let Jon take either of us out of this world. There's so much I want to do with you, and we haven't even gotten started yet. In fact, there's one thing I want to do right now." Hayden stood up and, with one arm, began pushing her chair to the bedroom. It was difficult and slow, but he was determined to do it on his own. He already felt worthless by not being able to stop Jon, and now he can't take care of Natalia alone. He felt less of a man than ever before.

"What are we doing?" She asked as he shut the door. Natalia didn't want him to try and lift her alone, or they'd both get hurt. He pushed her over to the couch, and she had to admit it felt good being in her familiar surroundings. Although once this was over, she wanted to find a new place that was hers and Hayden's with no reminders of Jon.

"I have something that I've wanted to do for a while. I kept putting it off, saying we had enough drama in our lives. My plan was to take you away to a secluded tropical beach where we could be alone on our own piece of heaven. You're casts would be off, and we could swim in the sea naked with no one around. There were so many things I had planned that I wanted to do, but each time I start planning, other stuff gets in the way." Natalia watched as he paced around the room, rambling.

Hayden knew she was probably confused about what he was saying, but that was okay. He looked at her, and his heart swelled with love for the woman who changed his life and made him whole. He was nothing without her. He walked over to the nightstand and opened the bottom drawer. Reaching into the back, he pulled out something he had hidden right after she asked him to move in with her.

Natalia watched, somewhat amused, as Hayden walked around the room. What was he doing? Was he in pain, and it was making him act funny? She was baffled when she saw him looking through one of the nightstand drawers. When he stood up and walked over to her, she could see he was sweating profusely.

"Is your shoulder in pain?" She asked with concern. He shook his head and gave her a small smile.

"Right now, nothing is hurting, and I feel great." He answered, and Natalia looked at him in doubt.

"You don't look like you're feeling great." She looked him up and down with concern. He walked over and knelt down in front of her taking one of her hands in his.

"I know this isn't the best time, but I don't think there will ever be a best time. I have wanted to do this since the first day I met you. We have been through many ups and downs from the beginning, but I know as long as we're together, we'll prevail. I love you, Natalia, more than I ever thought possible. Each thought I have is about you. Every breath I take is so I can spend another minute with you. You are everything to me, and I never want to be without you for as long as I live." Natalia had tears streaming down her face from his heartfelt speech.

"I feel the same way. I love you too." She tried pulling him to her to kiss him, but he stopped her.

"I'm not done." He said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a little box. When he opened it, she gasped. There was a beautiful princess-cut diamond in a platinum setting. She looked at Hayden with wide eyes as he smiled at her.

"Will you marry me?"