Chapter 72 - Who Hired the Hitman?

"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 have an ending.

"I agree. I don't think it's him, and I don't know who else it could be. Everyone that was after us should be locked up. Shania, Cara, Cliff, and Jon. Is there anyone I'm missing?" Hayden ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. His body was jittery like he was a bundle of nervous energy. He wanted to go for a run to expel some of it, but there was no way he was leaving Natalia.

"Patrice never came after us directly, but she's in jail too. Hayden, I can feel how tense you are. If you need to get out of here for a little while, you can. I'll be okay." She saw how his jaw was clenched and how hard his body felt behind her. Even with everything they'd been through, she'd never seen him this wound up before. When he looked down at her, his face softened.

"I'll be alright. It just makes me mad that someone would go to the lengths to hire someone to kill us. I don't understand who it could be and why." Hayden kissed Natalia on the forehead, and some of his anxiousness left him. Just being close to her and having her in his arms was enough to make him feel grounded.

Dorian had been busy finding everything he could about Simon Allegri. What he'd seen so far wasn't anything good for them. Simon was fifty-eight and had been a hired hitman since his twenties. He worked for whoever he wanted with ties to the mob as well as high-profile gangs. The authorities had never caught him because he was like a ghost. He was average looking, and that made him easy to blend into any environment.

From what Dorian found, Simon hadn't been in New York long, but nothing showed who had brought him here. The hitman was careful with covering his tracks and leaving no paper trail. That's why no one had been able to catch him yet.

Dorian didn't let that stop him. He went further into the deep net, looking for breadcrumbs. No matter how careful people thought they were, there was always a way to find them. Dorian was determined he would find the one who was behind this mess.

Krista watched Dorian working with a feeling of dread in her stomach. She realized whoever hired the hitman it was most likely to kill Natalia and Hayden, but that didn't make her feel good about her and Dorian not getting killed. Krista thought Jon was the biggest monster they would have to face. She didn't know how Natalia and Hayden had the strength to keep fighting these people coming after them.

She didn't regret her decision to stay with them or start a relationship with Dorian. However, she was wondering how much longer this was going to go on. When could she and Dorian start their work on making firewalls? Was she in over her head making friends with these people who were way out of her league? Krista watched as Natalia and Hayden were talking quietly on the other end of the large sectional. When she looked up at Dorian, he was staring at her with concern.

"Is everything okay?" Dorian had felt something was off with Krista. It was like she was pulling away from him even though she didn't move.

Krista looked up into his eyes and felt warm all over. She relaxed as she leaned her head against his shoulder. No one had ever made her feel like Dorian did. He treated her like a cherished treasure.

"I'm worried about this man getting to us. We just started our relationship, and I'm not ready to lose you." She tried to smile, but he noticed it didn't reach her eyes. Dorian was worried she was having second thoughts about being with him. He'd never loved anyone before, and the thought of her leaving made him feel like he couldn't breathe.

"Are you wanting to leave me?" Krista's eyes widened at the emotion she saw on Dorian's face. She reached up and rubbed her hand on his cheek.

"Of course not. I love you, Dorian. I'm just scared, that's all." Dorian let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He leaned down and kissed Krista's forehead. The way she made him feel was sometimes overwhelming and made him think he was dreaming.

"I love you too, and no one is going to hurt you. I promise." Krista felt her heart swell at his sweet words. The heaviness she felt eased a little, but she'd feel better once this man was out of the picture.

Natalia noticed Hayden grimacing, and she looked at his shoulder. He'd been resistant to taking pain medication, but she knew it had to be hurting.

"Why don't you take something for the pain? I can tell it's bothering you." Natalia looked into his eyes and saw the pain there.

"I don't need that stuff. I'll be fine. Besides, I don't need anything affecting how I think when I need to be on alert." Hayden's shoulder was throbbing with pain to the point it hurt to breathe.

"You need to take something. You can't continue trying to cover up how much you're hurting. In order to be fully alert, you need to get your pain under control. Krista, will you please get Hayden's pain medication from our bathroom?" Natalia asked her with a smile. Krista jumped up without looking at Hayden. He still intimidated her with his intensity. She got the pills and a glass of water, setting them on the table next to him.

Hayden looked at the little bottle of pain pills in disgust. He was against taking them because he'd seen how easily people got addicted. However, he was in a lot of pain, and taking one pill wouldn't hurt. Hayden reluctantly reached for the bottle and took one of the pills. Natalia let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you. I don't like seeing you in pain." She said, leaning against him. Hayden kissed her cheek.

Dorian was getting excited. He was onto something. Simon kept meticulous records, but they were buried where most people wouldn't think to look. Now he just needed to trace the money to who hired him. As he broke through each firewall that was put up, he knew he was getting closer. When he finally found the payer for the hitman, he couldn't believe what he was reading.

"I found who hired him, and they have the same name," Dorian said, looking at Hayden.

"Who was it, and what do you mean they have the same name?" Hayden asked in confusion.

"Shania's dad, Simon Black, paid Simon Allegri to kill you and Natalia."