Chapter Thirteen

Sitting at the large dining room table with her friends, she couldnt help but remember what had happened, she tried not to think about it especially since this was a rememberance dinner in honor of Brody..

"I would just like to say that brody was an upstanding man, he always did for others and even in his death he fought for what we believe in" Bo said softly as natalie sat there uncomfortably.. She was glad that no one here could read her mind otherwise she would have an awful lot of explaining to do.

"he was my best friend, someone I felt honored to call my brother in arms" Steele said with emotion in his voice.."here's to the bravest man I knew" he finished as he held up his glass and everyone did the same..

By the time dinner was over, natalie helped to clear off the table with Gigi. Everyone was in a very somber mood but thankfully Bo hadnt asked her what she had left the house for, he too was more quiet than normal..

"i cant believe he is really gone" Gigi said as they placed dishes in the sink..

"I know me too" natalie said quietly..

"do you ever wonder if what we do even make a difference" Gigi said with sadness in her voice..

"everything we do makes a difference" natalie said honestly..

"is it true that he was there, that he was behind this" Gigi looked at natalie who swallowed hard.."I mean thats what everyone is saying"

"I dont know why he was there Gigi" Natalie began as Gigi looked at her..

"You dont think he was involved, do you?" Gigi asked as Natalie began to wash dishes, ignorning her friend as she did so.."what happened in Milan"

Natalie looked at her friend now, she hated that she felt like she couldnt talk to anyone about this. No one would understand.."Nothing it was a bust" she said nonchalantly..

"if something did happen you would tell me right" Gigi looked at her friend, searching her eyes, natalie swallowed hard..

"Of course" she faked a smile.."come on lets finish up these dishes"

That night natalie couldnt sleep at all, she spent the majority of the time reliving what had happened earlier.. My god she had given in to him and to make matters worse she wanted more now but he hadnt even said a word to her, she hated how much that affected her and she was never one to get sentimental over sex, cause sex was just that, sex..

John laid in his bed as well, he hadnt been able to get her off his mind for the entire night.. He was annoyed with himself that all he kept thinking about was how good she felt and how much he wanted her again..

His mind began to drift to Caitlyn and how this is all how he begun with her.. He had been sworn to protect her from a distance, to watch over her but he couldnt help himself, he was drawn to her.. He had to shake his head to get the images out, there was a huge difference now, he was an angel and he wasnt sworn to protect anyone. Hell if anything he has spent the last hundred years do the opposite, he wanted to show his brothers and his father that he didnt care about them or anything. All he cared about was himself and for a hundred years it had worked but now, well now he wasnt so sure..

His mind went to Mitch now and that ring, his ring and he wanted it back. Not because he had any intention of begging the ones above for forgiveness but because he couldnt be at full power without it. And thats really what he wanted he kept telling him. Natalie was a means to an end and that was that..He sat up in bed and quickly got up.. He would get his hands on that ring today and then he would leave this fucking town..

By morning Natalie was more determined than ever to get that damn ring and that book. The fact that Mitch was in town was her perfect oppourtunity to do so, she pulled out the necklace from the top drawer of her dresser, she wondered if John noticed it was gone but then again why should she even care, he was part of the enemy here, or atleast that is what she kept telling herself..

She quickly put the jewerly on as she got dressed, it was now or never and she was going to do this thing once and for all..

Word got around quick that Mitch Lawrence was in Lanview and it made it that much easier to track him down. The house was absolutely buzzing with the news and Bo had already ordered a stat meeting to see what they were going to do about the recent news, Natalie slipped out though before anyone could notice. She knew there was no way Bo would of agreed for her to go again and she didnt want to be under constant surveilance..

The Hilton hotel was located on the other end of the town, situated near a busy street and bussling with people going to and from work. Natalie pulled into the parking garage and took one final look at her getup. If this didnt get Mitch's attention then nothing would..

Natalie fixed her lip stick and pulled the top of her very revealing dress down to show off her ample cleavage, she smiled at herself in the window of the car, oh yeah she still had it but when she turned her eyes got wide cause the one and only John Mcbain stood there and he looked none too pleased...

"you really are a piece of work, you know that right" he said with a tight jaw as she tried to act unaffected..

"i take that as a compliment" she smiled as she went to walk past him and he grabbed her arm..

"Oh I dont think so" he said warningly as she turned slighly to look at him..

"excuse me, im working a case" she said quickly as she tried to yank her arm back but he held onto it..

"I specifically told you to stay away" he said with increasing anger..

"and you dont tell me what to do" she snapped at him, suddenly she felt very angry, maybe it was the fact that he had not even said a word to her after the afternoon delight not that she had expected him to have pillow talk, she hated pillow talk!

"I wasnt kidding and im not kidding now" he yanked her close to him.."You have no idea what your up against"

"Um must I remind you that this is what I do, and for your information I havent gotten myself killed yet" she pulled her arm back quick and this time he let go of her..

"Your really starting to piss me off" he said as gritted his teeth..

Natalie rolled her eyes.."whatever" she walked past him but this time he got in front of her, his eyes incredibly angry and she hated to admit it but damn it he looked sexy as hell when he was mad.."im going in and you cant stop me" she stood her ground, trying to not look affected by the close proximity..

"would you like to put that to the test" he said cooly as he stood there..

"hey I told you I was going to get that damned book" she snapped angrily.."and I could of gotten it in Milan if you hadnt" she didnt finish her sentence as he got right in her face..

"do you really want to finish that sentence" he said warningly..

"You dont scare me you know" she said as she stood there..

"leave now natalie" he said matter of factly..

"no" she stood there..

"Your gonna leave me no choice" he warned her..

"Oh really what the hell is that suppose to mean" she began to say sarcastically and then within seconds he lifted her and actually threw her over his shoulder, cave man style.."what the hell are you doing, are you crazy!" she yelled but he ignored her as he got to his car, which happened to be a very nice Chevy Impala and if she wasnt so pissed right now she may of just complimented it.."put me down..put me down now" she continued as he opened his car door and swiftly put her into the passenger side. She attemped to jump out but he leaned against her, his face incredibly close..

"dont push me Natalie" he said and then not only was he seat belting her in tight but seemingly out of no where he had a pair of hand cuffs and he cuffed her literally to the door..

"are you insane" she yelled at him..

"Oh you have no idea" he said and then he was slamming the door shut as she fought against the restraints but then he was jumping in the drivers side door..

"My car is here!" she yelled at him but he ignored her as he turned on the ignition and revved the engine.."Hey, you cant do this!" she snapped but it was useless cause next he was peeling out of there like a bat out of hell..

Natalie honestly couldnt believe that he had handcuffed her to the door, not to mention the seat belt was too tight and he was swerving through traffic like a lunatic.."seriously John, your gonna get us killed" she yelled at him as he finally looked at her..

"Oh so now your worried about dying, huh?" he snapped back at her.."Just a few minutes ago you were gonna see Mitch, do you have a death wish!"

"Oh I totally had this under control" she snapped at him..

"Oh and by the way this is mine" he reached over and grabbed the necklace off of her as she huffed.."you didnt think I would notice that it was missing" he said sarcastically as he shoved the necklace in his pocket..

"you know what, you really are an ass" she snapped and then quickly looked out the window..

"You can call me what ever you like but your not going to see Mitch, not now, now ever and definitely not when you steal something of mine" he said as he kept swerving through traffic..

"Im sorry were you saying something cause I dont understand bullshit" she said sarcastically..

"You should be lucky I came when I did" he said angrily..

"Oh please I dont need saving, and I definitely dont need it from you" she huffed.."and this" she moved her cuffed hand some.."ridiculous"

"whatever it takes" he said dryly as he continued to drive..

"so what are you going to do, keep me as your prisoner?" she rolled her eyes at him..

"dont tempt me" he said seriously as he looked at her but not only did he look serious, he looked completely and utterly turned on and she had to look away cause she had already screwed things up, no pun intended!

She didnt say anything as he drove but then he went right past the road leading to her place.."seriously where are you taking me" she huffed at him..

"do you ever just stop talking" he kept his eyes on the road..

"this is just great" she said with annoyance.."You have no right to do this"

"Like hell I dont, you dont know Mitch like I do and you cant just go in there guns blazing" he said sarcastically..

"Oh please I knew what I was doing and you know what, im damn good at it and I think your just jealous" she finally said as she narrowed her eyes at him..

"Jealous? Now I really think your crazy" he shook his head..

"admit it, I can get closer to Mitch then you, I could of got that book and the ring for that matter" she said quickly and then immediately realized she said too much as he looked at her..

"what did you say?" he said as he stared at her, he hadnt told her about the ring, he hadnt told anyone but Mitch..

"nothing" she said quickly as she looked out the window and then he was slamming on the brakes as he pulled over onto the dirt.."jesus are you trying to kill us" she said somewhat out of breath and then he was leaning over to her..

"what did you just say Natalie" his eyes looked furious..

"nothing, I could get the damn book, thats all" she said a bit nervously now, damn it why did she have to open her mouth..

"I heard exactlly what you said" he looked absolutely pissed.."how do you know about the ring"

"You know you should really do something about that anger, there is classes for it" she said quickly, right about now she wanted to get out of that car but unfortunately she was cuffed to the door..

"Im gonna ask you one more time, how do you know about the ring" his tone got louder as he moved closer to her and she swallowed hard..

"i dont know what your talking about" she breathed heavy, she was so screwed..

He leaned over her now, his hand on her arm, holding it tight as he looked at her.."tell me"

"Listen your starting to freak me out ok" she said honestly..

"the fucking ring Natalie, who told you about the ring" he yelled now and she honestly didnt know what he was capable of doing..

"fine...just calm the hell down, I know about the ring ok" she said quickly as he stayed there, not moving..

"and?" he looked so mad, she swallowed hard again..

"I just, I kind of found out" she said with a lump in her throat..

"your lying" he was completely serious..He searched her eyes.."show me" he said and before she could react he was touching her head. It was something that he hadnt done in years, he had never really had a reason to but now, now he was borderline obsessed. She felt like her head might explode..

The images flew by his head fast, like a movie replaying, one that was completely in her point of view..

"he's looking for a ring Natalie, one that he cant possess" Michael continued as she looked at him.."the ring is powerful and once in his hands" he shook his head..

"a ring?" she said as she remembered the trip to Milan, John was searching for something, something he was sure Mitch had, was it the ring?

"it belongs to the brotherhood and it was lost in battle" he began as Natalie looked at him..

"Let me guess Mitch lawrence has it" she said bitterly, her stomach was in knots..Michaels eyes got wide.."he was looking for it, thats why he brought me to Milan as a distraction" she continued.."but he didnt get it"

"he will try again" Michael began..

"then why cant you just go to Mitch and take it, better yet why dont you just kill him once and for all" Natalie said annoyance..

"if it was that easy believe me we would of done it awhile ago" Michael said honestly.."Mitch has protection spells all around him, ones that keep him safe from evil and from us"

"he has the book of the dead" she began quickly..."he has it in his study back in Milan"

"i see the wheels spinning in your head Natalie but this isnt your fight" Michael said softly..

"Like hell it isnt, this is my life" she said angrily.."i can stop this, I can"

"you are still only a human Natalie, powerful but mortal, this is my fight" Michael began seriously..

"No, I wont sit back and watch this happen" she said seriously.."Im involved now whether you like it or not"

"natalie you need to understand that this is beyond your control, my brothers and I, this is our fight" he said as he stepped closer to her.."You need to let it go"

"I can help" she said abruptly as he looked at her a bit in shock..

"I can not allow you to be put in danger Natalie, we are sworn to protect innocence" he said honestly..

"and I can also get close to John" she said quickly..

"absolutely not, I wont allow it" he said sternly..

"and why the hell not, I could get that ring, hell I could get that book" she said as she stood there..

"Listen to me Natalie, you will not interfere in this" he said seriously.."You have no idea what you are up against, John may not have all of his powers but he is still very strong, manipulative, your in too deep as it is"

"he killed an innocent woman!" she yelled angrily.."I wont just sit by and...and" she began to breath heavy.."i can do this"

"you are so much like your mother, do you know that" Michael said as she stared at him him shock..

"You knew my mother?" she could barely get the words out..

"Victoria was just as driven as you, she looks over you still" he said softly..Natalie couldnt even speak, she had to suck back tears as she stood there.."please natalie let us do our job"

"if you knew my mother and we are so alike then you know I cant do that" she finally said strongly.."let me do this please, I have to do this" she pleaded with him as he stood there and just looked at her..

He blinked in shock as he looked at her and then he was moving back into his seat as he breathed heavy.."You know, Michael told you" he said in shock as he stared straight forward..

"How did you" she swallowed hard as he looked at her. There was so much sadness in his eyes, he looked so lost, she couldnt help but feel bad right now as she looked at him..

He quickly put the car back into drive as he skidded out of the dirt, he didnt say anything as he spun the car around quickly and headed back down the road..

"John listen" she began, god he looked absolutely broken, what had she done?

"dont" he said bitterly..

"I just want to know why, you killed Caitlyn" she began as he looked at her, he looked like he may explode..

"dont you dare say her name" he was seething..

"what the hell John, I would of found out one way or another" she snapped at him..

"You know what natalie, how about you and my brother both go to hell" he said with heavy breaths..

Natalie was absolutely shocked by his behaviour, I mean it wasnt really the behaviour of a ruthless killer, he looked hurt, lost even.."dont look at me like that, I dont need your pity, I dont need anything from you, not anymore, you were just a fuck and an easy one at that" he said bitterly as she gasped a bit in shock now..

"You bastard!" she yelled..

"Hey you want the truth, there it is" he snapped at her.."I hope you enjoyed plotting against me with Michael"

"I wasnt..i mean" she began to ramble, right now she felt horrible, she didnt know why but she did..

Within seconds he was pulling up to the gate to her place and then he was grabbing a key as he uncuffed her roughly and then opened her door.."get out" he said angrily as she sat there..She went to say something but he yelled.."I said get the fuck out"

She scrambled to get out now and once her feet hit the pavement he took off, the door swinging open for a few seconds before it slammed closed as he drove away.. Wow she had really fucked up..She watched his car drive off until it was no longer visible and then she exhaled hard as she stood there..

"You didnt get the ring did you" Michael said from behind her as she jumped..

"dont do that!" she snapped at him..

"what happened" he began as he looked at her red wrist.."what did he do" he said with concern..

"nothing ok" she quickly hid her hand and then in a surprising move his hand went to her head as she let out a groan and then he was yanking his hand back as he looked at her with wide eyes.."damn it does this run in the family" she said as she grabbed her head..

"You went to bed with him" he said in shock..

"You know what I dont even want to have this conversation" she spun from him and he was right there and she jumped again.."stop doing that!"

"please tell me that your not falling for him" Michael said seriously as he searched her eyes..."You are" he said before she could answer..

"no im not" her voice squeaked as she stood there..

"you think that he could be redeemed?" he said in shock..

"You know what you have too much time on your hands" she said sarcastically..

"natalie you cannot do this, he is dangerous" he said with concern..

"you know what Michael, I honestly dont know what to think anymore, he knows that I know about everything, about you, he looked upset" she said honestly..

"wow" Michael ran his hand through his short hair.."You think that there is more to the story, more to him" he began as she looked at him with a lump in her throat.."he is a murderer, a fallen angel, an abomination and he is doomed to hell" he said seriously..

"i dont even want to talk about this anymore" she pushed past him and began heading up the long driveway..

"You saw what he did, you saw with your own eyes and yet you feel sorry for him?"he called out and she kept walking without saying anything.."he will get you killed or worse"

"You know what Michael, you want honesty, so here it is" she snapped around and looked at him.."i didnt see the reaction of a murderer, I saw some one broken and lost, not ruthless"

"he's manipulating you" he said loud.

"he was hurt damn it, I saw it" she snapped.."whatever the hell happened, whatever it was it fucked with him, I saw that, now if you dont mind im going inside, this conversation is over" she snapped at him and then stormed up the driveway as he stood there and watched her..