I do not own Monk

WARNING: This chapter contain strong scenes/language.

I let some words in Portuguese because it's bad slang and Monk got the meaning of it anyway...

Hope you enjoy it!

MR MONK MEETS THE REDEEMER

CH 35

"You, huh? If I had not seen Mr. Monk on the way here you were lost!" said Carlos to the man.

"But that's what we're paid for, Carlos. To watch each other's back!" said the man, turning off the phone.

"Shut up and pay attention, boy. Let's finish this before the stage comes back. Come, let's put the two side by side; they will think the two were havin' some fun and ended up falling in a gap, getting stuck on the pulleys. This is even better; we finish with the two and end the history here!"

The men pulled Monk beside Natalie, who was still unconscious.

"C'mon, Boss wants to talk to us." said Carlos, leading the guy to the stairs.

As the two left, Monk, who pretended to be unconscious, opened his eyes and quickly pulled Natalie out of the danger area. His head throbbed and a thread of blood trickled down his forehead. The voice of Natalie's kidnapper was not strange, he had heard it before. Monk lowered near Natalie's head and called for her. She did not respond.

When Monk was preparing to raise Natalie and carry her out from there, he was surprised by the same man who had brought Natalie down there. "Hey! Mão pra cima! Mão pra cima, mehmão. Hand on the head! Hand on the head! NOW!" said the man, pointing a gun at Monk.

"Seu merda, gringo de merda! Cê tava quereno put me down, man! I gave you um arroxo lá no morro, mas acho que não foi enough, huh?"

Monk did not understand what the man said, and as he came closer, Monk recognized him; he was the leader of the gang that had kidnapped him and Bianca.

The guy then came closer and speaking too much, gestured to Monk to move away from Natalie. Monk did what he was ordered to and leaned with his back against the wall, sitting on the floor. His head was in severe pain.

The stage had begun to return to its original position. Soon it would be back at the starting place right above them.

"É, mehmão, pó wait here pro palco chegá que eu vou hit and delete you two. The music vai abafá the shot." Monk understood the intention of the thug when he branded the gun and walked closer to Natalie. "She's the first, then you, gringo!"

He pulled the mobile out from his pocket and before he could connect Monk jumped on him making him fall down, dropping the gun and the phone away. They both started to fight and Monk, weakened by the previous hit in the head received a kick in the stomach that made him fall on his knees.

Just before Monk was about to be beaten with a piece of wood the punk was holding, he was surprised by Natalie shouting, "Stop, I have the gun! Hands up!"

The scum froze holding the wood above his head, turning around to check on Natalie. She was standing up holding the gun with both hands pointing at him.

"It is not loaded, babe," said the bad man, walking slowly to Natalie, brandishing the piece wood. "Come here, cachorra, come closer, I wanna talk to you" he said, approaching her as she repeatedly squeezed the trigger without any effect.

He took the pistol from her and brutally twisted her arm behind her back, pulling her closer, saying into her ear, "Precisa esperar muito não, blondie. Let me finish pops here first, then I'm all yours." He licked Natalie's ear, making her cry in horror and anger.

Turning to Monk, he was surprised by an accurate punch to his chin and fell immediately unconscious to the ground. Natalie was astonished to see Monk visibly upset, breathing hard, with closed fists and looking angrily to the kidnapper on the ground.

Monk then raised his eyes, "Are you okay, Natalie?"

"Yeah. I'm okay. Are you okay, Mr. Monk?" asked Natalie, approaching him to check the cut on his head.

"We better come up with a good plan now. Carlos is involved too. And he'll be back here soon."

"What?" Natalie asked when looking for a handkerchief in her pocket, to contain Monk's bleeding.

"We better come up with a good . . ." Monk started to repeat louder.

"I got it, Mr. Monk. So, Carlos is involved too?"

The stage returned to its original position, and the noise was as deafening there as outside. Natalie cleared the blood from his forehead with the handkerchief and left it with Monk, who held it up to the cut. She then pulled Monk to the corner opposite the stairs, speaking into his ear. "Mr. Monk, I don't have my phone here. I do not know what we can do; you must go to the doctor and we must get out of here."

Monk was feeling a little dizzy, "In a minute he'll wake up, Natalie."

Natalie suddenly laid her back against the wall and pulled Monk closer positioning him immediately in front of her and leaning toward his ear. She said in a low tone, "Do not say anything Mr. Monk. He is waking up. Let's keep it quiet hidden in the shadow; he won't see us."

The offender got up visibly stunned. After a few seconds, he looked around quickly, and began searching for his pistol and phone overturning the sand with his foot. The two remained closer together. Natalie was supporting her hands on Monk's waist, which in turn was supporting his chin on her shoulder. Over Monk's shoulder Natalie was watching the kidnapper's movements. Monk was with his back to the man; both Monk and Natalie quietly hidden in the shadows.

Monk noticed that the robber was approaching them because Natalie embraced him more firmly, placing her arms near the center of his back and pressing her hands right below his shoulders. With this move their two bodies were pressed together. Monk and Natalie were embracing each other with equal intensity; he with closed eyes to sharpen his hearing and she watching closely the movements of the criminal. There were minutes of tension. The bad guy passed very close to them, a bit over inches away which made Natalie press herself harder against the wall and pull Monk closer. But luckily, the man found his cell phone and picked it up, shifting his attention away from their position. He turned the phone on and walked away toward the stairs.

The two remained in their embrace. Natalie was staring at the stairs to make sure that the guy did not return. Monk had turned his face toward Natalie's hair and once more being that close to her did not cause him surprise but nervousness. Monk reconsidered his decision of placing Natalie as his assistant above all and everything: her importance in his life was increasingly evident. All events of the recent days had weakened Monk physically, but had also shown him the woman who was there in his arms belonged there.

Monk began to break the embrace, diverting his face to Natalie's neck, from where he captured a sweet gentle scent. An almost uncontrollable desire to feel her lips on his began to fill his senses and almost unconsciously, Monk felt the need to externalize it. With his mouth next to her ear and in a smooth tone, Monk began "Natalie. I . . ."

"He's gone, Mr. Monk. We're free to go now." Natalie said, gently pushing him away, leaving his embrace and the darkness.

"Let's go. Let's call the Captain" said Natalie, pulling Monk by the arm and driving him up the stairs. Monk clenched his eyes briefly, outlined a defeated smile and let her carry him out of there.

Thank you, Jayna!