"No, you can't!" Natalie said again. "Cris is working for the Santi's now. He might hurt my family if I have him arrested." Natalie explained.
"Cris is working for the Santi's?" Rex almost shouted. Natalie flinched at the sudden outburst and Rex's expression quickly changed. "I'm sorry Nat. I didn't mean to startle you." Silently cursing Cris again for turning Natalie into someone who cringed at sudden loud voices.
"It's not you Rex. Its just that sometimes Cris would yell before he.." Natalie couldn't finish as she started to cry.
Rex pulled her to him again and held her as she cried. Neither hearing the soft footsteps behind them.
Natalie lay curled in Rex's embrace when all of a sudden she heard a thud. Rex went limp and toppled over. Natalie scrambled up looking around. "Rex! What happened" Seeing the man standing there behind Rex with a stick Natalie knew a sudden moment of paralyzing fear and then she got angry.
Seeing that Natalie was frozen in fear the man lowered the stick and rushed her. He had orders to take her alive. He never even saw the hatched Natalie had grabbed.
Natalie swung the hatchet at her attacker. She watched numbly as he ran straight into the blade as it came down hitting him in the neck. Blood sprayed from the wound and he fell to the ground screaming. Natalie just watched as if in a trance.
Natalie stared at the body of her attacker for a long time still holding the bloody hatchet. She felt like she was disconnected from the whole scene. It was like she was watching it play out from outside her body. The only thought in her mind had been that Rex was hurt. "Protect your self!" screaming in her brain. Natalie sank to the ground still staring at the body and holding the hatchet.
Rex began to stir. Opening up his eyes he groaned. What had happened? He sat up and a sharp agonizing pain stabbed his head. Natalie! He remembered. Some one had hit him in the head. "Natalie!" he called. Looking around he spotted her. She was partially visible next to the couch. She was sitting on the floor just staring at something, he couldn't see what.
Getting up gingerly he walked around the couch and almost threw up. Natalie was sitting in a pool of blood staring blankly at a dead man. Rex grabbed the phone and called the only person he knew there.
"Natalie?" John answered the phone, after having looked at the caller ID.
"John, its Rex. Get over to Natalie's right now." Rex said urgently.
"I'll be right there," John said hanging up. Not wasting time saying goodbye he raced to his car and sped over to Natalie's knowing in his gut that something terrible had happened.
As Rex waited for John he called an ambulance even though he knew that the man was dead. Natalie had not uttered a word so far. So traumatized by what had happened she was as still as death. Just staring blankly at the wall.
John arrived just as the ambulance left. His heart in his throat he raced up the steps and to Natalie's apartment door. He knocked loudly and rapidly and Rex opened the door. John went inside looking for Natalie. He spotted her next to a police officer. It looked like he was arresting her.
"What happened here, Rex?" John demanded. Looking around at the apartment he saw that huge stain of blood on the floor and the bloody hatchet in a plastic evidence bag on the table. "Is she ok?"
"I don't know John. She hasn't said a word since it happened." Rex said.
"Since what happened?" John asked confused, but also dreading the answer.
Looked at him, then touched the back of his head gingerly. "I was comforting Natalie when someone hit me in the head knocking me out. When I woke up Natalie was sitting on the floor covered in blood holding a bloody hatchet and some guy was on the floor dead."
"Oh my god!" John said. Rushing over to Natalie John flashed his badge saying, "back off. Can't you see she isn't in any condition to answer any questions?" Natalie just looked at John as if he weren't even there. "Natalie? Natalie? Can you hear me, Honey? It's me John." When she didn't react at all John began to worry. "Natalie!" John said louder and was relieved when she blinked and looked at him. This time there was recognition in her eyes.
Natalie blinked and looked at John. Sudden understanding at what had happened hit her. "Oh god" Natalie moaned and threw her self into John's arms. "I didn't mean to kill him, John. I swear I didn't!"
John wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. Murmuring into her hair it would be alright he rubbed her back. Suddenly Natalie shoved him away and looked around. "Rex!" She called.
"I'm right here Natty" Rex said, both relieved and puzzled. How had John been able to reach Natalie and he had not? He wasn't jealous but he was puzzled. Just who was John to Natalie? He found it hard to believe she would get involved with anyone when she was still married.
Natalie broke away from John and ran to Rex hugging him tight. "What happened Natalie?" Rex asked gently.
Natalie shuddered, "I saw him standing over Rex with a stick or something. He rushed me. I grabbed the first thing I laid my hands on and swung." Natalie said flatly. Trebling anew she continued. "there was so mush blood. I must have hit the jugular. There was blood all over." Looking over at Rex she said, "I thought you were dead and I just couldn't take it. I don't remember anything else." Everyone was silent as the absorbed what she had said. Natalie went back to John and he simply held her.
Suddenly the phone rang. No one bothered to answer it and the machine picked up. It was Jessica.
"Natalie, You need to get out of there as soon as you can. Cris knows where you are. He is very angry about this divorce. I'm not sure what he will do. Call me as soon as you get settled somewhere safe. I love you." That was the end of the message. Rex and Natalie just looked at each other stunned. Cris might have been behind this.
"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" John asked, both elated that Natalie was ok and angry that someone was obviously after her.