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Chapter 9

"John, what do you mean, you have no brakes?" Natalie asked, scared when he started to swear to himself.

"Natalie, climb in the back with Aiden. Now Natalie, now!" John told her harshly as he tried so hard not to lose his cool. He knew he needed to get them somewhere safe, and fast, slow the car down as much as possible and then use the emergency break. He prayed to god that would work, it had to, everyone he loved most in the world was in the car and counting on him.

Snapping out of his thoughts before he killed them all he headed toward the quarry. It was deserted and there were long stretches of hill that he could use to slow the car down with. He knew if he turned off the engine or put the car in neutral and tried to go up the slight hills they would slow the car down enough to use the emergency break and stop the car.

Natalie sat in the back seat of the car nervous and upset, she reached out and held on to Aiden as he sat in his car seat. She may have squeezed his arms to tight cause he started to cry, a piercing cry as if he knew something was wrong.

John was almost at the quarry, he was about to approach one of the hills, the perfect hill he thought. It wasn't too big of one but it was big enough to shut the car down and use the emergency brake. He was almost upon the hill and was trying real hard to stay focused and not think about what he could lose tonight; he heard Natalie in the back seat trying so desperately to calm Aiden who was crying loudly. John was upon the hill now and he said a silent prayer as he slammed the car into neutral and took his foot from the gas peddle after a minute the car slowed down and gradually stop on the incline of the hill. Then he felt the car start to move backwards off the slight incline of the hill, when the car was just about on flat ground he reached with his foot and pushed down hard on the emergency brake. John held his breath and the car came to a stop just slightly jerking them.

John took a breath and he looked in the back seat to see Natalie hovering over Aiden who wasn't crying any longer. He reached his hand over and touched the top of her head, and then he heard her speak.

"I told you Aiden, I told you your daddy wouldn't let anything happen to you or to me, he never has"

"Natalie?" John questioned surprised by her words, it almost sounded like she remembered something, or was remembering.

"It's over right John?" Natalie asked and John shook his head yes.

"yeah, It's over" he told her as he looked into her eye's and reached his hand out to touch hers, after a few minutes of just sitting there still touching hands John moved and took out his cell phone to call Bo. He got out of the car as did Natalie.

John grabbed a pair of latex gloves from his glove compartment and then crawled under the car, seeing just what he suspected, that the brake lines were cut.

"John" Natalie said as she saw him come out from under the car.

"What happened?" she asked as she saw his face

"Someone... someone cut my brake line."

"How? I don't understand. Obviously they were fine when you came to the carriage house, there wasn't anyone there that would have cut them, so how did they...?"

"I don't know, but I could venture a guess who's behind it" John told her

Twenty minutes later Bo and a couple of Forensics Tech's showed to inspect the car and evaluate situation. Natalie had taken Aiden out of his seat; she and John were sitting over by a big boulder while they watched Aiden run around a little trying to get into all sorts of trouble. John looked at Aiden as he played and then back at her, they were both so beautiful to him, so important to him and they probably didn't even know it. After what could've happened tonight, they could've both been gone.

"Hey Nat" a Tech said as he walked over to the three of them

"Ummmm.. Hey" Natalie said not remembering the man

"So why'd ya have to wait for us to get started processing things, did ya just do your nails?" the man joked and he laughed, Natalie watched him and obvious from his words this was some sort of joke the two of them must have shared at one time or another.

"Yeah, something like that" Natalie said as Bo came over.

"Why would someone cut your brake lines?" Bo asked turning to John after telling the Tech what he wanted them to do John shook his head not knowing or was he just no saying cause Natalie was right behind him. John took Bo over to the side for a private conversation so Natalie wouldn't hear when they saw Darren appear, Darren walked right over to Natalie and Aiden.

"OH. My. God. Are you two all right? My God Natalie something could have happened to you! Are you sure you are alright?" Darren said to her as he picked up Aiden and then leaned over and hugged her tightly. Natalie didn't know what to do she let him hug her and then she looked behind him. There were news reporters, cameras, she wasn't dumb and she knew this was for their benefit, what little bit Jess had told her about Darren was that he was a media hog who was trying to get elected to office, he was definitely acting different then he was at the hospital when she first saw him.

"Get off of Her " John said as he approached Darren who was still hugging Natalie and holding on to Aiden. John pushed the bastard away from Natalie, the bastard who he would bet money had his brakes cut, shoved him to the side and tried to take Aiden from him but Darren wasn't going for it. All the reporters and the Camera people jumped at the chance for photos, obvious photos of a scene, not a happy scene, but a scandalous one.

One reporter put himself in Natalie's face and started to ask her questions as Darren and John were gently tugging at Aiden, Aiden started crying and all hell broke loose.

"Mrs. Southers, can you tell us about your abduction, how is your boy Mrs. Southers, who is the man you were almost killed with Mrs. Southers, Mrs. Southers..." a reporter started harassing Natalie when Bo stepped in.

"Get these reporters and camera people out of here" Bo called to his men as he took Natalie out of the way, Natalie glanced at Darren again; he and John were still playing a gentle tug of war with Aiden.

"Will the two of you stop it already! He's not a wishbone! Give him to me, Darren I said give me my son!" Natalie told him irate. Darren handed Aiden over hesitantly sulking, when a reporter who was lurking ran up to him.

"Who's the man Mr. Southers, and is your wife having an affair with him, what was your wife and child doing in a car with that man, was her kidnapping a fake? " The reporter shot out rude question after question till finally Bo physically removed the man himself.

Natalie stood with her son a few feet away after the chaos calmly, all the chaos and those damn blood hungry reporters. She shook her head remembering what one had said; they said something about her and Aiden being abducted, something about a kidnapping. When the dust seemed to settle she asked her uncle who had returned to hold her son. She walked over to Darren and John.

"Was I kidnapped? Was Aiden kidnapped too?" Natalie asked gently as she looked at John and then she turned her eyes to look at Darren.

"Natalie, I think it's best if maybe you rest" John told her seeing how upset she was starting to get.

"No! I don't want to rest now, right now I want answers, like who took me, why and how did I end up losing six years of my memory?"