AN: Chapter two is up! The case that I loosely based the Jury Selection scene last chapter on ended late last week. They wound up going through three jury pools before they felt they had 14 unbiased jurors. I am glad I was in the first pool and excused right away because of family connecting to the legal system. Now to encourage reviews and questions I am going to reply right here!
Guest: I'm glad you thought so! I am trying to keep it as realistic as possible, but I fear my lack of life experience may hinder that. I hope you continue to let me know what you think!
trudes193: I can't get enough of Jackson and Lisa, so I just had to start my own story. I am glad you like it and I hope you continue to as well. Like I said to the guest, I hope you continue to review and let me know!
Disclaimer: I, in no way, own the characters from the movie "Red Eye". The storyline and screenplay for the movie was written by Carl Ellsworth, and was directed by the amazing Wes Craven. The movie is a product of Dreamworks. I do not claim any knowledge of how they or reality would cause situations in this story to play out.
Lisa shoved the last of her cardboard boxes into the packed moving van sitting outside of her apartment. The judge had informed her that she was advised to move to the base as soon as possible and that a van would be waiting outside of her house by the time she would make it home. Sure enough it was, so now seven hours later with the help of her dad, her new Step-mom Nicole, and her Step-brother Alan, she was nearly done. Lisa still wasn't concrete in her decision to move like this; so alarmingly fast, but even her own father enjoyed the thought of her being under government protection.
"Are you sure you don't want to take your fridge, Lisa?" Her heels clicked back into her former kitchen to the sight of her father with his hand pressed against the stainless steel refrigerator, and Nicole propping open the door with her body so her hands could pick through Lisa's food items.
"I'm sure there'll be a perfectly good fridge for me to use at the base, Daddy. Go ahead and take any of the food you want, Nicole. It won't survive the trip to D.C." Lisa grabbed the leash for Noodles's collar and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek before she left the kitchen to start her final sweep of the apartment. She could not express how grateful she was for their help at such short notice, but the sudden turn in her life had left her mind reeling and her tone annoyed.
With her family's help, she had managed to pack everything fairly quickly and wipe the apartment down. On the way home from the courthouse, was when Lisa had made all her calls. First had been her dad, who had been excited at the new prospect of being able to gloat to his fellow retirees that his baby girl was going to work for the Feds. It was admittedly a step up from the Lux. Her second call had been to Cynthia. That one had been the nightmare that she knew it would be. Cynthia had been terrified of the idea of Lisa being anywhere near Jackson again, and Lisa regretted that she could not tell her friend any realistic reassurances; she simply did not have any herself.
The man still haunted her nights. The only relief being the fact that she had won; she had put him in the hospital and saved every innocent. Sadly, dreams don't always follow logic and sometimes she would find herself waking up in fear of Jackson teaming up with her attacker from the parking lot. Those were the dreams that hurt the worst. She had never known her attacker, who was still nameless to her and the police, but she felt betrayed by Jackson. He had pretended to be a civil and courteous man before the plane had taken off, and despite the awkward nervousness being near a male brought her, Lisa had felt herself enjoying his company.
Cynthia knew about all the fears that stemmed from her subconscious. The two women fed off of each other's anxiety; which only made matters worse. Lisa hated to admit it, but maybe some time away from Cynthia would be healthy mentally for the both of them.
She had also called her boss to put in her two weeks' notice and take out two weeks of built up vacation time. Even after the events on the Red Eye and the huge hole caused by Keefe's failed assassination, Lisa had only taken off when she had been needed for police questioning and testifying in court. Her boss had been less than thrilled to be losing an employee that many considered to be a hero, but Lisa's quick assurances of the Lux Atlantic's own fame had calmed his irate behavior enough for her to feel that she had left on alright terms. If anything, she was still the people pleaser-24/7. By the time she had arrived outside of her apartment, she was set.
The only rooms upstairs were the empty bedroom and bathroom. Well nearly empty. Noodles laid sprawled out in both doorways on his stomach with his hind legs jutting out to both sides comically. Her French Bulldog was more of a lover than a fighter, but for some reason strangers were more than nervous around her little, beige guardian. Hearing his master reach the end of the stairs, the dog grunted and stood up to stretch out his legs; licking his black muzzle while in the process of walking over to her.
"Hey there, Sir Noodles,"
o.O.o.O.o
Jackson twirled the keys to his new apartment around his finger as he walked up the concrete steps. He had been informed that his apartment would be full of all of the security measures that he was accustomed to and as he pulled out a slick key card from his back pocket he had to give them a nod of respect.
The metal key to his door was of a very complex design but Jackson cringed as he heard the metal on metal sound of the notches on the key slipping into the lock. Being able to make noise was not a luxury that he was used to having, and even now he had to force himself to not look over his shoulder. If anyone saw him glancing around while entering an apartment it could look very suspicious; especially in such a nice neighborhood.
Swiping the key card as soon as the latch of the lock was removed from the door, he entered the modern looking living room. Jackson ran a hand through his hair and kicked off his gel padded shoes before collapsing and sinking into the couch. Today had been a stressful effort on his part. The Feds had him filling out so many forms declaring his utmost loyalty that his hand felt calloused and sore. He knew that had to be an exaggeration, but since being out of the hospital, his tolerance for pain had declined; hence the gel padded shoes.
His fingers crawled into his pocket to remove the item that had been digging into his skin for the past few minutes. The shiny standard USB unit was supposed to have some sort of form for him to fill out regarding the information he had promised them. It also probably contained some sort of virus that would hack into his laptop and give the Government full access to everything he did online and offline. Thoughts like these would have made him feel overly paranoid except for the fact that he had worked with hackers and had used viruses and programs like that to his benefit in jobs past. He wouldn't do much on his laptop here anyway.
The electronic form was simple and to the point; with spots for names and their connections. He had been informed that Lisa had been hailed for jury selection that morning and that the judge was an old acquaintance, Michael Reynolds. He had been before that judge so many times when he was younger- under a different name of course. Very few knew that he had originally resided in the Miami area while growing up. He still had some of his contacts from his early days of crime, but most of them had left Florida a long time ago. One of them he just wasn't ready to give up yet. He knew there was no way to easily contact him without alerting his new employers; he just had to hope the man was smart enough to grab the rope Jackson was throwing him.
The government issued, Alienware laptop had already been 'personalized' for him. Loading up the new email account the Feds had created for him, Jackson found the address that was taunting his mind. He knew very well how to plant thoughts in people's heads and with just one email; he planned on doing just that.
"To the Honorable Shamus Ramage… I regret to inform you that I am not the sole holder of the complete directory of client and company information. If you and your colleagues would deem it beneficial to your cause to have the complete directory, then I would insist you contact my equal from the company, Marc Tyler. I am sure that he would not hesitate to take a deal. He is a smart man. Do not worry, I am sending my half of the directory with this message…Respectfully, Jackson Rippner.
It was nearing midnight by the time Jackson heard the low roar of an engine pull up outside the Savannah, Georgia apartment. Knowing the U-Haul with Lisa's belongings must have arrived; Jackson closed his laptop and went to unlock the door. In all honesty, he had waited up for the sole purpose of making their re-acquaintance as uncomfortable as possible. He knew the chances were slim that Judge Reynolds or the driver had informed Lisa who she would be living with; not that he was very pleased with this decision either. He was determined to appear the gentleman though, and help them move her boxes inside.
Falling into his persona, he distanced his body from his mind and heard the subtle click of the door opening. His eyes were greeted with the sight of Lisa carrying a box- similar to the kind he had seen in evidence lockers- that appeared to be full of some sort of linen. She had not changed much in the past three years. Lisa's auburn hair had been cut recently to maintain that same length that she was accustomed to, and in the dim lighting of the street lamps, it was the first bit of color to attract his eyes.
Next was her unusual attire. He was never made aware that she even owned anything remotely casual aside from her sleep ware, but here she was, walking towards the cold apartment steps, in a loose navy hoodie with thin horizontal white stripes over the lower half and a pair of worn jeans. If he hadn't known any better he would have assumed her to be a typical college student and not a twenty-nine year old woman.
"Well someone certainly didn't waste any time in coming to see me, did you, Leese?"
The smug cockiness in his voice was hard to miss; as was the widening of her confused green eyes. It didn't take much guessing to figure out that he was one of the last people she had expected to see.
Pausing her movements, Lisa had to take a quick step out of the way to let the mover pass her with a couple of her boxes in his arms. "What- what are you doing in my apartment, Jackson?" Her voice was steady and only conveyed her confusion and not the tingling shivers of fear creeping up her spine.
This was not how her nightmares started and for that she was thankful. In her dreams she had always been lured into a false sense of security, but tonight she had felt more tensed and nervous than safe. Her only regret was not thinking to stash a weapon in her pocket-just in case. While no one had ever said it, she had been led to believe that her 'alliance' with Jackson Rippner would at least wait until morning. Well I don't have to get along with him right now, do I?
"Well as fate may have it, this is our apartment," Blocking the doorway while leaning on his arm against the frame, Jackson gave her another of his electrifying smirks. "Looking very sharp as well Ms. Reisert,"
"Bite me, it's past midnight and I was in a van for over seven hours. Now either leave me alone or start unloading. Your choice,"
Her blatant use of the phrase "bite me" piqued his curiosity, and rather silently, Jackson moved his arm from the doorframe and went towards the van. This was clearly not the same Lisa he had observed for those eight weeks two years ago. The thought that he might be to blame for that almost caused a true smile to grace his lips; almost. Instead he let his eyes wonder over the different boxes at his disposal; trying to find the ones which she would be least comfortable with him carrying and potentially unpacking.
Grabbing a box that appeared to contain items with frilly lace, if the little wisp of fabric peeking out of the handle was any indicator, Jackson took his time carrying it back up the steps and into the apartment. Finding Lisa to be rather occupied unloading towels into the bathroom closet, Jackson entered the nearly bare bedroom now belonging to her and not so gently dumped the box out on the bed.
"Oops," His smirk returned full force at seeing her almost scandalous under garments in a messy pile on the mattress. Turning to leave the room, Jackson let himself savor the anger and frustration that he was surely about to unleash. He had no real interest in whatever that woman decided to wear under her clothes; he was not perverse enough to get off on a woman's lingerie.
Despite the fact that his anger towards her had mellowed out long ago, Jackson was still fully aware of the undesired emotions she could bring out of him. If his actions- childish as they may be- caused Lisa to be just as angered and frustrated as him, then he might just feel a little better about the whole living arrangement.
The mover had been carrying out the job that he had been paid to do while Jackson had been taking the time to enjoy his bitter thoughts. The front room was littered with white boxes already, and the horrid image of the clutter against the pitch black canvas of his eyelids was enough to create a dull throbbing near his temples. She better sort this shit out.
He was aligned again with the back of the moving van when he heard a shrill sound that brought both joy and mischief to his suffering heart.
"Jack Rippner!"
O.o.O.o.O
Lisa stood as the end of the nearly bare queen sized bed. Lying atop the plush mattress, were scattered piles of her bras and panties; and a box staying on the bed by mere inches. Clamping her lips shut and working them into a thin line, Lisa's heels emitted a harsh clacking sound as she made the short walk to the oak chest of drawers. Throwing the top drawer open, she hastily tossed in her unmentionables and left the room; after slamming the drawer shut first.
Being careful not to trip over the boxes placed all around the room; Lisa stomped back out to the van with quiet resolve. Ignoring the amused expression on her dreaded roommate's face, the choleric woman pulled up on the handle and opened the passenger side door before her arms disappeared inside. Her hands found the comforting softness of her smallest yet greatest friend; Noodles.
Lifting her furry companion out of the vehicle, Lisa pretended not to notice the glimpse of surprise she had seen in Jackson's eyes. She would not let that man get to her. She had won the last time they had seen each other, and nothing he could do would stop her from winning this time as well. Lisa even had backup in the form of an adorable bundle of ears, teeth, and claws this time around.
o.O.o.O.o
Morning came way too early for Lisa. The green, polyester gathered dress was slipped over her body at a sluggish pace. Nothing about this day held any interest to her, and as she pulled her hair back through her hands she realized that the only way to avoid Jackson would be to finish moving in. Only the essentials had been pulled from boxes last night including Noodles's food and food bowl. Noodles must be hungry by now…
A bare foot had barely escaped the confines of the room when a loud thwack and splintering could be heard right next to her ear. Resting beside her head was the tail end of a knife embedded in the wood frame. He's trying to kill me already!
"What was that for? Did I manage to damage your throwing arm too?" Words were spat from her lips before she had given herself time to regain control.
"That, was just a reminder," Jackson took his time to chew on his over easy egg and lick his teeth before looking at her again, "And I feel much, much better now,"
Jackson let out a grunt of amusement when he saw the attempt Lisa made to pull his knife from the wood. It was stuck all the way to the hilt, right above her eye level and once she realized it would be more beneficial for her to leave it alone, Lisa gave up and went to the pantry.
"You're an ass," It was meant to only be a mumble to herself, but to her embarrassment Jackson laughed and kicked the pantry door shut, narrowly missing her outstretched fingers. Instead of looking at her, Jackson's eyes were looking off to the side at the floor. Following his line of sight, Lisa saw Noodles, laying down and looking right up at her with his heart melting, beady eyes, right next to a bowl of his favorite crunchies.
"Not much of an ass now, am I?" Gesturing to a manila folder in front of him Jackson gave the woman a slight glare that Lisa had a hard time identifying, "Get some breakfast. Then we'll talk about our first job and how you are going to listen to me this time, compris?"
AN: Second chapter is complete! I recently downloaded a translator app on my phone so forgive me for bits and pieces in this story not being in English. I have a feeling Jackson would have to pick up different languages in his line of work and I see him as a sexy, cultured asshole. Pardon me for the language, but I believe that is why I enjoyed his character so much.
I encourage my readers to please leave me reviews, questions, and constructive criticism!
Compris: (French) Understood
