Inevitable pt. 25
The tires slowed, and finally stopped on the dirt and gravel of the tiny road. John turned to find Natalie staring out the windshield in silence. Neither of them had spoken for the rest of the drive, and he wasn't sure if that was good or bad? He only knew that he felt bad, and didn't know why, or how to fix it? "Wait here," he said quickly, before climbing from the car.
"Where are you going?" she asked, nervously. "John?"
He bent down and looked at her, wanting to smile at the uncertainty on her beautiful face. "Just wait here, Natalie. I won't be long." He shut the door, but only got about two steps away before she was yelling at him over the roof. He turned and held his finger to his lips and she closed her mouth. This time he did smile, he couldn't help it. "Stay put, I'll be right back." Then he disappeared into the bush, and left her behind.
Natalie stared blankly at the bush for a minute. Where is he going? She sank back onto her seat, feeling very, very anxious. They should be at the property by now, but instead, they were once again parked in the middle of nowhere. "Damn it, John!" she muttered, running a hand over her silky hair. She took a deep breath and found herself staring out the windshield again, and she felt heavier. Her mind drifted to her memories of his touch, his kiss. She closed her eyes and warmed at the thought of his breath. Things were getting much too difficult now. They were no longer just physically connected, and she knew she was kidding herself in believing that had ever been the case. They've been connected from the moment she looked into his baby blues, but it was becoming so much more. He was becoming so much more. It had to stop. She needed to concentrate on Christian and her work, and she had to actually stick to the decision. She had too, but it made her incredibly sad. It made her heart break.
The door opened and she jumped, staring into a pair of familiar, piercing eyes.
"Sorry," he said, joining her in the car and shutting the door. He turned on the engine.
"What the hell were you doing?" She waited for him to speak, but he wasn't forthcoming with his answer. She was beginning to get ticked off. "John?" she pressed, turning her body to face him.
"The house is close. It's just up ahead." He looked at her. "I wanted a peak at what we were about to get ourselves into, so I went to check things out."
Natalie swallowed. "And? How were things?"
He twisted so that he was facing her. "Not like they appear. There's definitely something going on." His gaze was intense. "I want you to stay in the car, Natalie." She just stared, and he felt his anger stir. "I mean it! Until I know what we're dealing with, you need to stay in the car. You need to listen to me."
"I can take care of myself, McBain."
"DAMN IT!" he shouted, reaching over and grabbing her shoulders. "This isn't a game, and I never wanted you here in the first place! This could get dangerous, Natalie. Do you understand that?" He felt his heart pounding, terrified that she wasn't going to listen.
She shrugged from his grasp. "I understand, alright? I get it John, okay?"
His eyes softened. "Just stay put until I have a chance to check things out a bit. I'm the cop here, remember?"
"How can I forget? You keep reminding me." She sighed. "I'll stay, but I'm not staying in the damn car forever."
He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Deal."
She licked her lips. "Deal."
Then he put the car in gear and drove forward.
Caitlyn slammed the door to the apartment and threw her purse to the ground. She was beyond furious now. John was off God-knows-where with that woman, and she wanted to break something. She wanted to break Natalie Vega! The dinner had been a ploy to determine whether her darling husband was sleeping with the redheaded whore. She had watched them closely, and decided that they were in fact having an affair, but then she and John had come home for the evening and he had been so intense, so passionate. He touched her with such insatiable determination that it changed her mind. How could he be sleeping around on her, and then making love with her so completely? Well now she was right back to her original opinion.
She had gotten off work early, and went by the station to surprise him. Maybe even have another round of love-making, but she was the one who had gotten the surprise. He was not only out in the field, but out with that bitch, and she couldn't take it anymore. Nobody treated her this way! She was Caitlyn Fitzgerald for christsake, not some common woman! She walked into the livingroom and threw a lamp against the wall. She gave five years of her life to a man who was, for lack of a better term, beneath her, and it was all for nothing. He was a liar! He didn't love her or keep his promises, and as far as she was concerned, he could go to hell and take that bitch with him!
She sank onto the couch and took deep breaths. When her heart slowed, no longer pounding against her breast, she collected her purse and grabbed her phone. She wiped a cold tear that had streaked over her cheek, and dialed. It rang. "Daddy?" she said, barely holding herself together. "I need your help. You were right." She sat back against the sofa and filled her father in on everything that was going on, and when she was done, she smiled.
Natalie reached out and grabbed John's wrist, preventing him from stepping from the car. He looked at her questioningly, and she forced herself to push forward. "I'm going away with Christian," she blurted, matter-of-factly. "I just wanted you to know that." Then she let go of him, and felt an overwhelming sense of loss. He nodded, but didn't say anything, and she wanted to scream at him. "Please say something?"
He licked his lips, and bore his eyes right into her very soul. "I get it, Natalie. It's okay."
It didn't feel okay! She had a desperate need to explain herself. "This thing with us... it's getting impossible, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," he answered, sounding just a bit sad. His hand slid over the side of her hair. She looked so fragile, but he knew that she was stronger than he was. He grinned softly. "I guess, as far as good-byes go, this afternoon was pretty good?"
Her eyes were beginning to moisten. She grinned too. "Better than pretty good McBain, and you know it."
He touched her hair again, and then finally dropped his hand. "Stay put Natalie," he ordered, losing all playfulness from his tone. "You know how it works. I secure the scene, and then the tech-geeks come in."
"Watch who you're calling a geek, you ass!" She watched him grin and get out of the car. He walked along the driveway, nearing the house, and she felt very, very nervous. He was right, that was the procedure, but he was doing this without backup and she was terrified. She felt like she couldn't catch her breath.
John knocked on the front door, quickly glancing at the car. He could hear movement and music coming from inside, and he had a fleeting moment of regret. He found himself wishing he had the sense to handcuff Vega to the steering wheel. Then the door opened, and he stood face to face with the pretty secretary from the church. "Hi," he greeted, casually glancing through the crack of the open door. "Sarah, right?" The girl smiled, and swept over him with a clear interest in her eyes. He grinned too, because she didn't recognize him. "I'm here to see the good father. Think you can help me out?"
"He's busy," she said quietly, continuing to eyeball him, "but I could keep you company?"
John nodded slowly, and raked his own gaze over her slender frame. "Lucky me." She opened the door wide and he entered.
Natalie sat in the car, feeling very freaked out now. She watched John step inside over twenty minutes ago, but there has been no sign of him since. This was a bad idea, a horrible idea! What the hell was she doing here? He should have back up from real police, not a glorified lab technician! What if something happened? What would she do? What could she do? Staring hard at the door, she realized that she couldn't wait out here forever, so she slowly stepped onto the dirt. The music in the house grew louder, and her heart began to pound more aggressively in her chest.
Swallowing, Natalie quietly closed the passenger door to the car, and took a few cautious steps toward the home. She was quickly distracted however, when the sound of another vehicle approached. She froze, breathing only when she finally got a glimpse of the black and white. She lowered her head and took a deep breath. Thank God! she thought, relieved. A pair of uniforms got out and walked closer, and she smiled. "What the hell are you guys doing here?"
Baxter smiled. "What do you think we're doing here? The commissioner got nervous when he didn't hear from you and McBain." He glanced around the yard. There was long grass and weeds blowing in the soft breeze, and not much else. He turned back to Natalie. "Where is McBain?"
She opened her mouth about to answer, thankful that help was finally here, when a loud boom echoed through the air. She spun around, staring at the dilapitated house. Another exploding sound erupted. Natalie watched numbly as the two men ran toward the building with their guns drawn, forcing their way inside. That was gunfire! Someone was shooting, and she couldn't think. John was in there.
"Vega, get down!"
She blinked, jumping at another loud crack, before she finally ran behind the dark Sedan. "John," she mouthed, not sure whether any sound was escaping her tight throat? She knelt on the gravel, feeling sharp rocks stabbing into her knee, and focussed on the open doorway. There was a lot happening in the tiny building, but nothing that she could see - but she could hear. Her blood ran cold at what she heard.
...Medic...Natalie call for back up...
Her cheeks were wet, and she knew that she was crying, although she couldn't feel a thing. Who needed the medic? She crawled into the car and radioed the station, but it would be awhile before help would arrive. This God forsaken place was in the middle of nowhere, damn it! Then she stared out the window trying to see something, anything? A blur of dark hair streaked through the door, only it wasn't John, it was that bitch who let him into the house. Without thinking, Natalie reached into the glove compartment and shot outside, chasing the woman down. She caught up to her quickly, and forced her to the ground face-first.
"Let me go!" the woman screamed, squirming and trying to break free from whoever had her in their grip.
Natalie grabbed strands of long hair and tugged, ignoring the cries of pain that were coming from her. She pulled out a pair of handcuffs that she grabbed from the car and used them, preventing her from going anywhere. Then she hauled the woman to her feet and turned back toward the house. There was still no sign of anything. They both walked to the car, and Nat tossed her suspect into the backseat.
She slammed the door, and ducked when another shot was fired. "Get down!" she shouted into the air. She watched the brunette fall to the seat trying to shield herself, before refocussing on the house. The walkie talkie that was in the front of the car was crackling and she stared at it, ignoring the terror that was gripping her stomach. ...officer down...need medical assistance at 4235 Purvis Lane...
Natalie was fairly certain that she wasn't breathing. She stood straight, staring toward the open doorway with watery eyes. God, what's happening? she wondered, more afraid than she ever remembered being. ...officer down... "Please God, no," she muttered aloud, waiting for any sign of life. Was anyone alive in there? After a torturous amount of time passed, she couldn't stand it anymore. She needed to be in there, and to know what the hell was going on? She only got a few steps closer though, when Baxter emerged with Father Timothy in tow. The man was handcuffed, and bleeding from the side of his mouth. She held a breath as they moved past, and grabbed Baxter's arm, stopping him. "Where's John?" she asked with a croaky voice. He nodded toward the door, and she spun around.
He was okay. He was okay. She watched him step outside, helping Officer Scott, who had a gunshot wound in his thigh. He lowered him to the stoop, paying close attention to his leg. John was okay. She felt her heart beating again and her lungs taking in air, and then she walked back to the car. "Back up is on the way," she said, licking her dry lips.
John was applying a tourniquet to the wound on Scott's leg. He glanced briefly toward the car, and caught a glimpse of red hair. Good! She was okay. He tugged harder on the belt, wincing at the man's cry. "Sorry man, but it's gotta be done." He pulled again, and then tied it off. The paramedics were on their way. He stood and wiped his brow with the back of his bloody hand. "Baxter, get your ass over here!"
Natalie leaned on the hood of the car and stared out at the bushes. Everything was going to be okay now. She turned to the priest who was locked up tight in the back of the police cruiser. This was his fault, but they got him. Now he would pay for Martha, and for everything else. She was going to make sure he paid.
"Aaah!" she screamed, jumping from the sudden touch of a hand on her shoulder.
"Easy," John said, watching her closely, "sorry."
"Damn it, John!" she yelled, furiously. "Don't do that!" She took a deep breath, and then allowed herself to look into the probing eyes in front of her. "Are you okay?" He nodded. "Good." She forced her eyes away and opened the trunk of the car. She pulled out her kit.
"What are you doing?" he asked, standing closer to her than he probably should, but he was worried about her. She looked at him, and he felt warm all over.
"My job, and you have to do yours. You need to get these two to the station for questioning."
He frowned. "What do you mean..you?"
"My job is here, with the evidence." They were staring again and she wanted to lose herself in him, but she couldn't - they couldn't. She walked toward the house.
"Vega?" She stopped, turning back. "Nice job on collaring the girl." John walked over to Baxter and the priest. He focussed on his job, because there was a lot to do still, and because it was safer than focussing on Natalie.