Five Years Gone
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye.
Chapter Three
Yellow tape fluttered in the late night breeze. Bright spotlights along with red and blue flashers lit up the entire parking lot of the apartment complex. The sirens had long since been turned off, but it didn't keep the gawkers away.
In the midst of all of the chaos, Lisa Reisert stood upright. She shook a little, her arms wrapped around herself for warmth. She answered all the questions presented to her with relative ease.
The questioning came to a halt when her fiancé showed up with a siren stuck to the roof of his unmarked sedan. Anthony flashed his badge and ducked under the tape. He didn't say a word as he strode over to her. Before she could speak, he pulled her into his arms.
"Lisa, God, when I heard… I thought…"
"I'm okay…."
He looked her over, searching for wounds. Despite the spray of bullets peppering her door, she had only minor scratches.
"If you hadn't—"
"I know. I should be dead," she said quietly, taking the words out of his mouth.
"I thought I'd lost you…"
She just nodded. She couldn't think of anything else to say to him. What ifs never helped her in the past—there was no reason to assume they would help now. She would do what she did best—adapt and survive.
He watched the police scrabble to take photographs and collect the bullets from Lisa's front door. He bristled when Anthony Greene strode onto the scene and threw his arms around her.
This is your doing…
He knew that this was no accidental shooting or drive-by. One, they were still in a nice part of town. Two, they focused solely on Lisa—not on the apartment complex in general. And three, this had all the ear-markings of a poorly planned hit.
Someone either wanted her dead or in pain. Whether it was a warning to Greene or just payback, Jackson wasn't sure. He didn't really care. All he knew was that Greene put Lisa in harm's way.
The only one allowed to harm Lisa in anyway was him. She belonged to him. If anyone was going to put a bullet in her, it would be him. That was his right.
"C'mon, you'll stay with me tonight," Tony said, his jacket resting on her shoulders.
"Tony—"
"Look, L… they're not gonna finish tonight or let you back in. The best thing to do would be for you to get some rest. You'll stay with me. I'll make sure you're okay."
"I don't—"
"Someone tried to kill you. Until that bastard is caught or dead, I'm not letting you out of my sight."
For some reason she couldn't logically explain, the very idea of being glued to Tony's side made her stomach hurt. It shouldn't repulse her—this was the man she was engaged to. The man who she was marrying in just a few weeks. He shouldn't make her feel sick at all. He was nothing like Jackson Rippner.
Maybe that's why. Even though he was a killer, he told you the truth. No lies, no sugar-coating. He didn't bullshit. Plus, I felt safe with him… even toward the end.
Until they played cat-and-mouse in her father's house. By that point, she'd become afraid of the man with cool blue eyes. By then, she wanted to save her father and herself. By then, she'd lost her temper. Years of rage just simmering underneath the surface of her skin boiled over.
Jackson Rippner became the focus of her anger. She attacked him because there was no one else. She didn't—no, couldn't—stop until after she shot him. After her father shot him again.
He looked so helpless—so pathetic lying there in the foyer as he gasped for air. She held all the power. She could have shot him a third time. She could have killed him. But Lisa couldn't. The rage disappeared and was replaced by pity.
Pity for a killer. She still couldn't believe it. That was her private secret. No one in her life knew that she'd felt bad for Jackson. Not even her therapist. Tony didn't know either.
Not that it mattered anymore. Jackson Rippner died that day. His blood still stained her father's house. He'd offered to have the floor re-sanded and stained to erase the blood. Lisa told him not to bother and to save his money for other repairs around the house.
The blood stain was her only reminder of what could've been. Her last connection to Rippner.
Lisa took a quick shower at Tony's place in order to loosen up her tense muscles. He was waiting for her, wide awake, when she entered his bedroom. He whispered sweet nonsense into her ears, bidding her to come to bed with him.
She wanted to refuse, but she didn't. She needed comfort and he promised it.
His hands found their way underneath the thin cotton top and across her breasts. His thumb stroked the old scar, causing her to gasp against his mouth.
For a moment, one brief moment, she was back in the bathroom with Jackson Rippner. Tony's hand was his, his soft caress. His blue eyes, once so harsh, softened. Even his voice was filled with concern; genuine concern.
Tony pulled the shirt over her head. Lisa closed her eyes, blinking away Jackson's face, and kissing her fiancé.
Make me forgot. Keep me safe…
Out in his car, Jackson fell asleep once the lights went out. The modest house belonging to Anthony Greene was quiet except for breathing. He caught that over the microphones planted around the home by a flunky of his employer.
That was after hearing Lisa moan and gasp for what seemed like hours.
Jackson couldn't help but picture Lisa with him; the two of them sweaty and intertwined as he fucked her. He wasn't someone who usually "made love". That was a romantic notion that escaped him. He had sex; not love.
The picture in his head of Lisa sprawled below him as he covered her body with his did little to sate him. He wanted her in his car, in his bed—anywhere but his head and Greene's bed. She was far too good for Anthony Greene.
That didn't mean that he was any better for her. He was a killer after all with a list of enemies longer than he cared to remember. He didn't form attachments or relationships because of this very reason. He wasn't about to put someone he cared about in danger just because they knew him.
Lisa was on enough hit lists without him befriending her. He wasn't about to risk her life on some stupid fantasy. He knew better than that. He was better than that.
Too bad his traitorous heart couldn't stop imagining Lisa's curvy body moving against his own in a rhythm only they knew. He wanted her.
Was it a case of simple jealousy? Or did he really want her?
Jackson Rippner didn't know the answer for once in his life. Not knowing disturbed the unflappable manager just like being around Lisa Reisert tended to throw him off balance.
Lisa slipped into the bathroom first thing in the morning. Her body ached, both from her mad duck at her apartment and Tony's idea of comfort. He'd been unusually rough, which he claimed was because he thought he'd lost her. She didn't believe him.
She soaked in the warm water, her green eyes closed tightly. She couldn't remember when the last time was that she had done something for herself. Even something as simple as taking a long, hot bath or having her nails professionally done. Her last haircut was over three months ago and she'd done it herself, just trimming off the ends a bit.
Sure, her hair was a bit uneven. Did she care? Not really. The advantage to curls was that an uneven cut wasn't noticeable—unless one straightened out said curls. Lisa tucked her flat iron away in order to resist the urge.
In the past five years, she'd gotten used to sharing her personal life. Immediately after the bombing, Lisa found herself thrust into the national media spotlight with reporters camping outside her father's house and her apartment as well as constant phone calls and paparazzi following her every move. And that was before the police and FBI were involved.
She barely had time to think, let alone do anything for herself. Then she fell for Tony.
There wasn't a break between the flight and her engagement. Tony charmed her, seduced her, and made her feel safe, loved, and protected. He was everything she wanted in a man and everything she'd hoped Jackson Rippner would be.
Stop it! He's a killer, remember?
But in a way, so was Tony. He carried a gun. He'd been trained to kill if necessary. He probably had killed.
And so had Lisa. Except, her weapon wasn't a lethal steel contraption meant to kill but rather a two-ton Jeep meant for transportation.
Stop it, Lisa. You're driving yourself insane. Tony is NOTHING like him. He's law enforcement, not a terrorist. And neither are you. It was self-defense. Even the courts agreed, remember? You are not a killer…
But she was sleeping with one.
Author's Notes:
I decided to hint at Tony's darker side in this chapter. Lisa's starting to see the cracks now, which means her life could very well be in danger. By the way, an intrepid reviewer noticed that I had named him Timothy in the first chapter, then switched to Anthony. Sorry for any confusion that might have caused. His name will be Anthony from here on out.
Jackie boy needs to get laid. He's got a little too much unresolved sexual tension with our heroine. Which means, he's gonna do something stupid. Soon.
The allusions between Tony and Jackson are deliberate. Tony's more like him than Lisa would care to openly admit—she's been keeping a blind eye to it. But now that she's been shot at, his perfect façade is going to shatter.
Hang in there. There should be another chapter soon. I think chapter 5 will be when Lisa and Jackson finally meet face-to-face. The next chapter will skip in time a bit.
Thanks so much for all the reviews so far! Please keep them coming!
Tina – Thanks so much! :)
Mj – Sorry for the shortness. Future chapters should be longer. Thanks for reviewing! :)
