Chapter Fourteen

Natalie didnt talk to anyone as she got back to the house and thankfully they were all busy with Bo, plotting on how to get the lone wolf by the lake. She took the oppourtunity to grab a quick drink and head to her room. Her mind on him and that horribly dreaded look on his face. It bothered her to see him that way, I mean this was John Mcbain, he never got hurt, not ever..

That night sleep didnt come well for her, her dreams were filled with him, as if she was reliving the moment over and over again..

In the meantime John was staring into the room of boxes, the ones he had just literally torn to shreds along with the picture of Caitlyn.. He sat on his knees as he looked at the destruction around him, it mimicked how he felt inside. Sweat poured from his hair as he breathed heavy..

"sir?" his butler said cautiously as John stayed in that position for a moment more before getting up and wiping the sweat from his brow..He faced the older man who looked at him with concern..

"take the night off" John said as he walked past him and his butler just stood there, staring at the destruction...

By the next morning natalie had been summoned to Bo's office and she had been expecting this, especially how she had left yesterday without saying anything to anyone..

"do we need to have a talk Natalie?" Bo asked with concern as she sat across from him..

"not really why" she tried to be nonchalant..

"Listen I know whatever you and Michael discussed was between the two of you and I dont want to invade your privacy" he began..

"Listen your the one who called him here, why did you do that anyways" she shook her head..

"to be honest I was worried about you, and I still am" he said honestly as she sighed heavily.."i just want you to know that if something is bothering you that you can come to me, you can always come to me" he said softly..

"i know" she said quickly, she knew he definitely wouldnt understand what she had been going through..

"so then there is nothing?" he asked again..

"Bo im fine ok, and if I wasnt well then I would talk to you" she said as she looked at her knotted hands..

"Ok, thats all I need to know" he said as he walked around his desk and looked at her.."have you been sleeping ok?" he asked and she just looked up at him..."Ok ok, no more questions" he smiled softly now, he really had become like a father to her, to everyone here..

Before either of them could say anything Steele rushed in, half our of breath.."we got a positive on that fucker" he said as he looked at Bo and then natalie..

"are you sure?" Bo said with peaked interest..

"absolutely, were filling up the truck now" Steele said as he then looked at Natalie who was standing up.."you coming?"

"i wouldnt miss it for the world" she said honestly, if this was their time to get vengence against the wolves then she was in..

It was odd being back in those same woods again, just days ago they had all been here but now they were minus one person, Brody..

"the son of a bitch stayed around" Steele whispered as he pointed at a fresh trail and some wolf hair. They all stayed together and kept themselves guarded but natalie couldnt even focus, all she kept seeing was John and how utterly devestated he looked. I mean why should she even care, he had choosen the life of crime over anything else and he had murdered a woman..But then again that didnt stop Natalie from sleeping with him and boy was that image still fresh in her head.."this way" Steele pointed over to a similar cave like last time and they all nodded as they surrounded it..

"nat you coming?" Rex whispered to her, snapping her from her thoughts as she quickly went over by them..

"Im gonna blast this sucker out" Steele said as he grabbed a very impressive home made bomb from the inside of his trench coat and then he was lighting it and just as quickly tossing it inside as they all ducked and covered their ears. Within seconds a loud boom was heard and the sound of a loud howl followed.."go go go" Steele yelled as they all took off into the dark cave with just their flash lights in hand.

It was completely covered with dirt and now dust from the recent bomb but the howls were getting closer as the ran. The smell of death and decay was everywhere and immediately they saw why as reminants of animal carcasses laid onto the ground, making it difficult to walk over them..But then the sight of red glowing eyes flashing through the darkness made them all stop, the wolf howled once more and they began firing like crazy as it ran towards them in a fury..

Two hours later..

"woo hoo we fucking did it" Steele yelled out as they all enjoyed beers out in the back, Bo had a barbeque going, it was definitely a time to celebrate but natalie just wasnt in the mood. Yes she was glad that Brody hadnt died in vein but she couldnt help but still feel somber as she sat back in one of the outdoor chairs and sipped her beer..

Everyone was having a blast but her it would seem..."You ready for another one yet?" cris asked as he walked over to her and smiled.. She didnt even feel like drinking, she had been nursing the one she had for over an hour..

"Nah im good" she said as she sat there and then Cris sat next to her..

"its weird you know, celebrating his life like this" Cris said as he looked at her..

"thats what he would of wanted" she said honestly and Cris nodded as he sipped his beer..

"you doing ok?" he ask cautiously..

"Yeah, just tired thats all" she lied, she honestly didnt want to have this conversation with him..

"its been one hell of a week thats for sure" Cris continued..

Meanwhile John on the other hand was desperately trying to lose himself in a bottle of scotch and three young women he had met earlier that day. The girls were beautiful, all three of them but he just couldnt even find it in him to enjoy their company even as they all sat around him kissing on his arms and neck..

He felt humiliated right about now, natalie knew the truth or atleast part of it but that didnt really make a difference, he had to live with his decision, he lived with it every damn day..

"You know we could take this little party to somewhere a bit more comfortable" the blonde girl smiled as she ran her long nails up and down his arm..

"i second that" the other blonde licked her lips seductively, now normally he would of just taken all three women to his room and used their bodies until he couldnt think anymore but now he could barely even keep an erection, what the hell was wrong with him..He began to get up, suddenly feeling incredibly uncomfortable with them hanging on him, he almost felt closterphobic.."lead the way" the blonde grinned at him..

Before he could answer the sound of his very loud door bell ringing made him snap his head around and he groaned, he had given his butler the night off and he hated answering his own door, you never knew who was there but right now he wanted nothing more than to get out of that room with those girls..

"start without me" he said to them as he quickly headed out of the room and to the door..Part of him wondered if it was her, natalie and that same part got pissed that he was even thinking about her, he never missed women before, he opened the door quick and disappointment raced through him.."Mitch" he said as he looked at the older man..

"John" Mitch said back quickly.."i take it you forgot about our meeting" he continued with a none to pleased tone and John sighed heavily, yep he had forgotten about that already mainly cause his mind was consumed with Natalie..

"something came up" John began, he wasnt entirely lying as he spoke and then the sound of women giggling in the background caught Mitch's attention..

"company?" Mitch said with wide eyes..

"come on in" John moved from the door and allowed Mitch to move inside..

"I love what you have done with the place" Mitch smiled big.."You really do have an eye for decorating" he looked back at John but he didnt look happy at all..

"i was going to call and reschedule" John began as Mitch looked at him but his mind was on the laughing females in the other room.. John decided to use it as a distraction.."drink?" he said as he began to head back to the room where the girls were nearly naked now. Mitch let out a small gasp as they got in and the girls stopped their intimate acts as they looked up at the men.."scotch, right?" John said nonchalantly as Mitch grinned now..

"scotch is fine" Mitch said as he eye balled the women.."dont stop on my account, please do continue" Mitch grinned with wide eyes as the girls laughed some more and then began kissing one another.."I have to say John, you really do know how to have a party" Mitch said as he continued to look at the girls and John walked over with a glass of scotch for him..

"Your more than welcome to them" John said to Mitch as he walked back over to the bar and poured himself a drink.."i mean its the least I can do since I stood you up" he continued as Mitch sipped his drink..

"I do believe your onto something here John" he said as he smiled at the girls and then waved one of them over to him, she hesitated for a moment and then walked over to him, completely and utterly naked as he stared at her body up and down.."Now arent you a sweet little thing" Mitch said as he reached his hand out and ran it down her neck.."are you sure?" he said to John who was finishing off his drink..

"Knock your socks off" John said and just as quickly mitch was downing his own drink as he pulled the girl close to him and within seconds he was kissing her hard, John took the oppourtunity to leave the room, he never was one for voyerism..

Natalie had excused herself from the party, faking exhaustion and thankfully everyone was too busy having a good time that they hadnt questioned her, but even though she really intended on going to her room she instead found herself heading to her car, she didnt know, and she honestly couldnt rationalize it but she found herself driving to see him, to see John..

John stood in his study, he had to put the music loud to drown out the sounds of moans from the other room. He held a cup of whiskey in his hand as he sipped it, Mitch was playing games with him and he wasnt in the mood, he gulped back the rest of his drink and then he turned and looked at his door. She was there, he could sense it. He quickly went to the front door and swung it open, for a moment he thought he was going crazy but there she was, standing there at his door step.. His mind immediately went to Mitch and then to her, god she looked amazing..

"what are you doing here" he said quickly, his voice filled with annoyance, Mitch was literally in another room and if he saw her, god he didnt want to think about what that would mean..

Natalie swallowed hard as she looked at him, he looked amazing and even from here she could smell his cologne, she tried to act unaffected..."You know usually people say hello" she said a bit sarcastically as she looked at him, he still seemed so mad..

"You shouldnt be here"he said seriously and then she heard something, music coming from his place..

"are you having a party" she couldnt help the jealousy in her voice..

"what? No.. and its none of your business anyway, why are you here" he said coldly now..

Natalie was still taken back by his attitude, ok so maybe she had yelled at him the day before.."listen I didnt come here to fight" she began but then a very distinct female voice was heard and her eyes got wide as some young blonde came walking out, completely naked, he turned too and looked at her..

"come on arent you going to come join us" she smiled hazily as she walked over.."who is she?" the girl smiled seductively at Natalie as she looked her up and down and it sent chills down her spine and not just that it made her sick to her stomach..

"Your right I shouldnt of came" she said as she spun from him and the naked girl.. John was half tempted to run to her and tell her the truth, the look in her eye, god it did something to him..

"John?" the girl continued as Natalie peeled out of there in a hurry.."are you coming?" she touched his arm and he spun around now, his eyes darkened..

"dont touch me" he snapped at her as she laughed a little as if he was joking and then she was backing up..

"fine, be that way" the girl said as she headed back inside and John stood there, what the hell had he done?

Natalie couldnt believe how upset she was about this, tears were pricking her eyes now. How could she of been so stupid, how could she of allowed herself to feel anything for him at all. He wasnt a stand up guy, he was a womanizer and tonight she got an eyeful. She had to pull over as the tears came harder now and she cried for the first time in so many years..

By the time she finally got home it was quiet inside, almost everyone had gone to sleep, everyone but Cris who was coming out of the kitchen, a hazed drunken look in his eyes..."hey...i thought you went to bed" he said as he stumbled over to her some..

"i just needed some fresh air" she lied, her heart was still racing hard, god she couldnt get the image of that girl out of her head and she couldnt stop thinking about what he was doing to her right at this moment. She distinctively heard the naked girl say 'arent you going to join us'.. Did that mean there was more women in there, all naked? The thought made her fell ill..

"You know its dangerous out there" Cris said softly as he walked over to her..

"Im more dangerous than anything out there" she said sarcastically and he stepped closer..

"you are so beautiful, you know that right?" he touched her face and for a second she almost flinched but why, I mean cris was an attractive man and it was obvious he cared for her, why the hell shouldnt she let him touch her.."I'll probably feel like an ass for saying this tomorrow but god Natalie, I want to kiss you so bad" he said with a heavy and very intoxicated breath..

She swallowed hard as she stood there, his hand still on her face.."then why dont you" she forced the words out as his eyes got wide in shock and then she was closing in the distance and kissing him..

Images of John passed through her head and she quickly pulled back.."Im sorry I shouldnt of" she began to say but then he was kissing her again and damn it she wanted to be kissed, she wanted to be touched but not by him, it couldnt be by him, she quickly pushed him back.."Im sorry cris, I cant" she said as she ran past him and to her room, quickly closing the door as she leaned against it. My god she cared about John, she hated that she cared about him but she did..

She couldnt even sleep as she laid in her bed, her head was playing every scenerio possible and then she thought of Michael and what he had said. Was she playing with fire, was that it? She rolled onto her side as tears began to fall once more..What the hell was happening to her? She wasnt some soft girl who wept over men, she never cried about a guy before and definitely not one like John, the enemy.. The kind of guy who didnt care about no one or anything..

By the morning her feelings of sadness and pity had turned into something else, anger, a lot of anger..

"hey there sis, just in time for breakfast" Rex grinned from ear to ear and that definitely wasnt like him.."you should see what Gigi cooked"

"why are you so happy" she couldnt help the bitterness in her voice..

"damn you could atleast say good morning" Rex said dryly at her as Gigi came into the room, apparently she hadnt seen Natalie yet cause the next thing she heard was her friend, the only girl in the house besides her, call Rex babe, it took Natalie off guard and apparently Gigi too as she stopped in mid sentence..

"Oh hey your up" she said nervously as Natalie looked between the two of them and then it hit her, like a mac truck, her brother had slept with Gigi.."i um made breakfast" Gigi said as she tried to keep her distance from Rex who was looking at her cautiously..

"yeah well she is in a bad mood, probably hung over" rex snapped as he spun from Natalie.."Im starved" he said as he walked into the diningroom and Gigi stood there nervously..Natalie was half tempted to say something to her friend but she decided not to, she wasnt in the mood and so she just walked past her..

"Hey um nat" Gigi called out as Natalie stood in the doorway to the kitchen.."I um" she continued to stumble her words..

"if you hurt my brother,... I will hurt you" Natalie said without looking at her and then she was heading into the kitchen, she needed coffee and a lot of it..

Two cups of coffee and a piece of toast later natalie was feeling much better even though her bitterness knew no bounds now but thankfully Cris was keeping his distance, apparently he had felt embarrassed and she honestly didnt want to have to deal with that kiss..

Bo had called an emergency meeting shortly after she finished her coffee and soon they were all standing in Bo's office as he paced back and forth.."we have a bit of a mess on our hands" he began as he looked at them all.."i just got some entail from a reliable source, Mitch Lawrence is in town" he said as gasps of shock were heard from everyone but Natalie though she didnt let her expression give anything away..

"what? Since when?" Steele said with anger..

"we have to get that son of a bitch" rex added quickly..

"Listen everyone settle down, there's more" Bo said cryptically as he looked at them all and Natalie suddenly felt a knot forming in her stomach, something big had gone down, something she had a feeling that she didnt want to hear.."he got a new partner" he said and as soon as natalie heard his words and his tone she knew immediately who he was referring to, it had to be John, she wanted to vomit..More sounds of shock and commotion continued until Bo let out a loud whistle, startling everyone.."will you all let me finish" he snapped angrily as everyone got incredibly quiet, natalie felt her stomach get queezy.."like I was saying, he has a partner and some of you already know who that man is" he looked directly at natalie now.."John McBain"

"what? Are you fucking kidding me" rex began to yell as Natalie felt the room spin, how could this be happening, how could he help Mitch? I mean she knew that he could but why, because of that damn ring?

"settle down" Bo barked out again as the voices quieted.."we cant allow this to happen" he said seriously.."the damage the two of them could inflict" Bo had concern in his voice.."but we have someone else on our side" Bo said as a huge gust of wind filled the room and everyone turned to see Michael standing there, gasps were heard all around as Natalie stared at him wide eyed and he looked at her too..She couldnt take anymore, she just couldnt and with that she spun and quickly left the room, even as Bo called out her name..

She felt like she would hyperventilate or have a panic attack, maybe both. She quickly got outside and breathed deep as she stood there.. She bent over and breathed hard, he really was just an evil man capable of so much harm..

"i told you that this would happen natalie" Michael said from behind her and she stood up now and spun to face him..

"well then you must be very proud of yourself" she snapped at him bitterly..

"do you think this makes me happy? I didnt want to see him go down this road Natalie but it was enivitable" he said softly..

"You know what, you never really gave a shit about him, apparently no one has" she yelled at him..

"You still want to save him?" he said as more of a statement than anything else..

"You know what I really dont give a shit what he does" she snapped..

"something happened with him, again, didnt it" he stepped closer to her but this time she stepped back..

"keep your freaky mind reading hands away from me" she said seriously.

"I am trying to help you here" Michael began as others from the house began to come outside, they looked at Michael then at her..

"i am not doing this" she spun from him, she didnt want anyone to see her like this, she couldnt, this was so unlike her..

"Nat, wait" Rex yelled out as he ran after her..

"Not now rex" she said as she got to her car..But he put his hand on the door before she could open it..

"what is going on with you Nat, talk to me" rex said with worry..

"You know what, you guys can deal with the angel, I have to get out of here" she said as she yanked the car door open..

"is this because of him, because of john?" rex said as she looked at him..

"you have no idea what your talking about" she snapped angrily and then she was peeling out of there, she needed to get far away, very far away..

John grabbed the suitcases he had by the door, this was the only way he could get what he wanted, his butler came over as he got to the door..

"how long will you be out of the states Sir?" he asked with concern..

"indefinitely" John said quickly as he stood there.."watch over the place for me ok" he said as he opened the door and very much to his surprise Natalie was standing right there and she looked absolutely pissed.. Before he could even say anything she struck him in the face and hard, he stumbled back some as he looked at her in shock..