Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Red Eye.
A big thank you goes out to BregoBeauty and Kaikamahine Mai Hawai'i for the beta read and helpful advice. Both your assistance is very much appreciated.
I've read a lot of great Red Eye stories, so any similarities are unintentional.
Please leave feedback if you can and thanks for reading.
Chapter 1:
Jackson looked over at Lisa, who was fidgeting nervously in her seat while looking out the window. She had become increasingly restless once the flight attendant announced their upcoming arrival to Miami, and it was starting to wear on his patience.
"We're almost there, Leese. Relax," he said quietly, leaning in toward her.
She looked ahead at the seat in front of her, and could tell that he was looking in her direction. She cleared her throat while shifting in her seat again, felt the pen that she tucked inside her skirt move slightly downward and abruptly sat still.
After making the second call to the hotel, she was silently sobbing for the remainder of the flight. Having to learn after-the-fact that the hit was not only on Keefe, but his family as well, was devastating. Jackson shushed her once and that made her hold back further whimpering noises, but didn't stop the tears from pouring out. She was disgusted with the man sitting so close to her, sick to her stomach that she went through with making the call, and now refused to look at him.
He leaned even closer to her, squarely looked her up and down without moving his head and sighed. His tone clearly sounded disappointed.
That was it – she'd had enough of this man! That one little sigh put her over the edge and she suddenly found herself hunching over on her lap acting nauseous. While putting on this show, she discretely slid her right hand to the side of her hip, and moaned again as if she was going to be sick.
"What's wrong now?" he asked with a hint of irritation in his voice.
"You hit me on the head and slammed me against the wall, remember?"
"Well suck it up. You've come too far, don't blow it now."
She reached for the pen, hoping he wouldn't notice.
"Come on sit up…sit-up Leese," he hissed.
She sat-up quickly and closed her eyes while leaning her head toward the window, gripping the pen tightly. She could painfully feel her nails digging deeply into the sensitive skin of her palm and that was fine by her. Not only did she have what she needed, she had it right where she needed it.
"Almost there now," he reassured her again.
He found himself assessing Lisa several times since she made the call. He knew he was putting her through hell but he had to ensure his number one witness wasn't going to blow it for him and his associates. 'Don't let your guard down with this one.' Observing her actions further, he noticed her right arm stiffly stuck straight by her side. He watched as she brushed the side of her hair with her left hand, placing it on the side of her jaw, as if she needed to rest her head against it.
"Leese. I need you to put both hands on your lap and sit quietly." She didn't move. "Now," he said in a more demanding yet soft tone so as to not cause attention, as if he was talking to a child.
Suddenly she looked up and faced forward, jerking her left hand to her lap. She held a short breath for several moments and exhaled slowly while gazing out the window again.
"Do it," he ordered. She finally turned to look at him and both stared at each-other for what seemed like an eternity. His was the look of "go on, test me", and hers was the look of "oh shit, now what?"
He leaned back in his seat facing forward and shaking his head, knowing she wasn't going to comply. 'Why is she so damn difficult?' Abruptly and swiftly, he reached over and grabbed her right wrist, hitting her stomach hard in the process with his arm. Smacking her wrist on her lap, he looked down and saw her right hand white knuckling the pen. She jumped slightly but no one around them paid them any mind.
He looked at her immediately, clearly showing an expression that was beyond irritation, and could feel her trembling within his grip. "Planning on writing a letter or did you have other plans for that?" he smirked and laughed under his breath, grabbing the pen from her. "What am I going to do with you?" he questioned as he tucked it in his jacket pocket.
With a grim look on his face, he reached over and grabbed her left hand, gripping it tightly, while bringing it close to his side. He kept his grip tight and steady, letting her know who was in control. "I guess I'm going to have to go with Plan B now," he said without glancing at her.
'Shit, shit, shit! Plan B….what?' Tears were now flooding her cheeks as she tried pulling her hand away from him to no avail. "Holding my hand is not necessary. I promise not to pull anymore stunts and…and you're hurting my hand," she shot back in a low pleading voice.
"What's wrong, you don't like this?" He tightened his grip with a stone cold look on his face, seeing her wince in pain. "You need a scolding for pulling this little stunt." Satisfied that he made his point, he loosened his grip slightly. "Better now?" he asked, beginning to rub her hand as she tried to pull away from him again with no success.
"I thought…" she cleared her throat again, "I thought we're going to sit and have lattes, while you waited for the call?"
He laughed lowly while shaking his head. "When we get off the plane, I'll follow you to the lobby, and then we'll see how this all plays out".
She felt dizzy thinking about what would happen after the plane landed. "What did you mean Plan B?"
He leaned over and gave her a direct look, squeezing her hand again. "I mentioned it earlier but I have a feeling it went right over your head."
She was puzzled and then a sudden thought occurred to her. She believed it to be a sarcastic joke but he mentioned earlier that he'd steal her. Her stomach twisted in knots...'No, that can't be it.'
"Look, I did as you asked and your plan is in motion. After our business is done, I plan on walking out of this alone. As for my dad, you call your dog off as soon as you can." They sat for several moments, just glaring each other.
"As long as the plan goes accordingly, then Dad should be fine. However, there have been unfortunate circumstances where those who play a key role in the plan itself may have tried to botch the job, such as yourself, who aren't so fine. Sometimes those situations, well... go awry".
He noticed her throat moving as she swallowed hard. Clearly she was shaken by his last comment from the terrified look on her face.
She broke from his hold, yanking her hand away. "You don't mean that. I did what you asked." Tears started rolling down her cheek. "I should have known," she said as if understanding what her fate would be. "What's one more life checked off on your 'to-kill' list mean? Obviously, nothing."
"Don't get so worked up Leese. The job will be completed-that I can guarantee, and all will be fine." He watched her cross her arms and scoot toward the window, seeming somewhat satisfied with that answer.
The plane started making its descent to the runway and she gripped the arm rest, feeling as though she really was going to be sick this time.
The plane landed smoothly, but to Lisa, it was more like a horrible rollercoaster ride. She groaned, knowing that once the door to the airplane opened, her world would become more chaotic than it was now. He'd ruin her life and destroy the Keefes'. How was she going to explain all this? And because of this man, how could she trust anyone again after this? 'Bastard.'
When the plane finally landed and was rolling down the tarmac to the gate, the passengers applauded, excited to be at their destination. The fasten seat-belt sign had finally turned off and the passengers started flooding the aisles in preparation for their departure. "Come on," Jackson said, standing quickly.
She stood with her legs shaking and watched as he grabbed her purse and carry-on. Putting the purse on his chair, he reached in and grabbed her cell phone, shoving it in his pants pocket. He looked at her briefly and handed her the purse but kept her carry-on. "Get in front of me," he ordered.
The moment she stepped in front of him, he started pushing her along. Maneuvering past the other passengers was tricky, but he was determined to keep moving forward. He looked up to see the blonde hair lady smiling at him while giving him a come-hither look. He smiled cordially back at her and continued down the path with his smile wiping off his face. 'Bitch, I won't be so charming next time'.
Lisa tried to get past the many passengers who filled the cramped aisles, but it was made difficult by the other passengers' eagerness to get off the plane. All of the pushing and shoving made her feel claustrophobic and dizzy. Jackson himself had bumped her several times and having his body press against her, even for those quick moments, sent a shiver up her spine.
Finally, they reached the door and she could feel the air flowing in. Now was the time to run, she thought, quickening her pace. But as quickly as that thought appeared, it vanished once he grabbed the back of her arm, keeping her in check.
They headed toward the lobby of the airport when Jackson's phone suddenly rang. He escorted her to the window with a firm, "Stay put". He could see that she looked relieved knowing that the call had come. In fact, she started tearing up. The whole ordeal was finally almost over.
"Hey…nope...no word yet. Sit tight, I'll be contacting you soon once I get the call." He put his phone on vibrate, unbeknownst to Lisa, and clipped it back on his belt. He looked down at her, shrugging with an amusing look on his face, knowing that she wasn't going to like what he was about to say. "Not the call we needed." He grabbed the back of her arm and started back down to the lobby.
They passed a coffee shop, heading in the direction of the main parking lot. "Wait! Where are we going?" Lisa questioned as she slowed her pace.
"Well, you and I need to go somewhere a little more quiet."
"I prefer to stay here," she said, trying to hold her ground, but forced to continue walking at his pace when he grabbed her hand and tugged her roughly behind him. Before she knew it, they were walking out the airport lobby to the parking lot. "Please stop!"
"How about I put it this way? Until I get the call, I need you in an enclosed space, which would be my car. I don't need you running off and getting both of us in trouble."
"I promise I won't run."
"Come on, Leese. You've pulled quite a few shenanigans on this job. Now you've left me with no choice but to keep an even closer eye on you." He yanked her arm, forcing her to walk a good distance, crossing over several lengthy parking rows, and finally stopping in front of a black BMW. He opened the passenger door and almost like gentleman caller waited for her to get in. His expression alone was not to be reckoned with. "Get in," he finally ordered, annoyed by her delay.
She got in the car and was surprised she didn't run when he walked around the car to get in, but truthfully she felt drained and too mentally exhausted to even put up a fight. He looked at her again with a longing gaze, which made her feel uncomfortable. Much to her surprise, he started the car and made his way out of the parking lot toward the entrance to the freeway.
"Where are we going?" she nervously asked.
"I'm dropping you off at your place. We'll wait there for the call, that's if it hasn't come yet."
She shot him a look of uncertainty. 'That's right, you know where I live, don't you, creep?'
The ride home on the freeway was nerve wrecking. He drove rather fast and furious, yet methodically focused on the road. Anxious to get home and seeing her exit, she blurted out, "We're getting close to my exit."
"I know," he said, looking at her with a slight smirk on his face.
Just when it looked like he was going to continue past her exit, he swiftly jerked the car, screeching his tires, onto the off ramp. He was shaking his head, as is telling himself 'no'. She looked at him in disbelief. Why did this guy toy with her so much? Did he actually have another destination in mind to take her to, besides her home?
They finally got to her house. After the car stopped, she made a move to exit the car but he put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Ah-ah." First they awkwardly sat in silence, but he started whistling and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, looking in the distance in front of him, as if his mind was elsewhere. She was becoming unnerved by his behavior and felt as though she needed some space. It made her feel…
"I need to go to the bathroom…I've really gotta go." This time she was serious. In fact, she needed to go back on the plane after the call was made, but she didn't dare make that same request again on the plane. Not while he was around anyways.
He shook his head with an astonished laugh. But the pained look on her face made him seriously contemplate her request. Finally he nodded his head in agreement. "Ok. Get your keys ready, I don't want to be waiting at the door."
She nervously fumbled for her house keys and once retrieving them, made her way out of the car. Jackson was a step behind her as she approached her doorway. He stood uncomfortably close to her and she couldn't seem to open the door fast enough to get some distance between them, even with the keys ready in her hand. 'Please give me some breathing room for the love of…'
Lisa heard the familiar clicking of the lock as the bolt unlocked and she opened the door to what should have been her safe haven. She paused when a sudden wave of dread flowed through her veins.
Why was she just now thinking of the repercussions of having this man in her home? 'I'm going to be alone…in my home…with a trained killer…who may want to get rid of any loose ends. That would be…Me!'
"You'll need to take a step in, Leese, and you'll be headed in the right direction."
"Right," she said nervously, stepping into the living room. 'I'm so dead'.
TBC