In stunned silence, Jackson parked in his usual spot across from Lisa's condo, her vacant parking space mocking him. It was incredible that she had left her home at this hour. Why?
His thoughts drifted back to the phone call he'd received, informing him that Lisa had been contacted by someone in Dallas - probably her mother - a short time before she had left the condo. It wasn't a stretch to think these events were tied together. Had Lisa gotten some sort of upsetting news?
I lost her.
He leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes. She'll come back. She always does. But still his stomach twisted. One thing was certain, he would make damn sure she would not get away from him again. The empty parking space in front of her condo was punishment for his inattention.
What now? He could wait here for her return, or drive the streets of greater Miami in a pointless search. Jackson did not want to continue making mistakes, most of which had resulted from his unwillingness to hold still and wait. Such restless anxiety in himself was unheard of.
Just wait. She'll come back. She'll come back to me. Just wait…
As he repeated this refrain mentally, he began to relax. The car's engine thrummed quietly. Minutes passed. Cooled now, Jackson directed the air conditioning away from his shirtless body; sucked in a deep, calming breath. Lisa would come home any time now.
Any time now…
A police cruiser slunk by. The brake lights lit up as it slowed, and Jackson knew he was being observed by the officer. Any cop would take an interest in a man sitting in a parked car past midnight.
"Shit," Jackson's hand dropped to the shifter, but he held his ground. If he were to move now, that would only further provoke the officer's suspicions.
The bright red of the cruiser's brake lights dimmed again as the cop moved on, turning back onto the boulevard. But Jackson knew he had been noticed. The cop would be back, and if he was still here, he would be questioned. This just figures. He had finally gotten himself composed enough to sit tight and wait for Lisa, and now he would have to give up his position. But it was not worth the risk to remain - there would be no explanation that would satisfy the officer.
Jackson waited for a minute, then pulled out of his spot and back onto the road. His head had begun to ache and pound with tension. Since he could no longer remain in place near Lisa's condo, he was now limited to driving around in hopes of passing her somewhere, or watching via laptop for her return home, neither of which suited him.
He stomped the gas angrily, making the Lexus fishtail for a moment. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of his own eyes, hollow and haunted in the shadows beneath his damp hair. The vision disturbed him. He had lost weight on this assignment, he could see it. But that was not half as distressing as his growing lack of discipline, and the painful truth was that he was not sure he trusted himself to make the right choices any longer.
Only the night before, he had identified this problem. And for the last time, he had almost made a correct decision - to remove himself from the job. And he should have. He had so thoroughly immersed himself in Lisa's life that he could not imagine moving on to the next job; it was a horrifying affliction that had crept up on him and now held him in a stranglehold. What have I done to myself?
Heat lightning flashed silently overhead as Jackson drove, inspecting every car he passed in desperate hope of spotting Lisa's Camry. It was nearly one o'clock in the morning now, and Jackson could not imagine what Lisa could be doing after leaving the beach, but he knew he would never find her this way. The only viable option now was to go back to his hotel room, set up the laptop and watch for her to come home.
Keeping his eyes on the road, Jackson brushed away the beach sand on the passenger seat - remnants of Vicky's presence. Then with one hand he reached into the back seat and retrieved the laptop from beneath the towel, where he'd hidden it earlier, and restored it to its place of honor beside him. "Come back to me, Leese."
He never saw it coming.
There was a rushing, roaring sound in his head, and Jackson opened uncomprehending eyes…a terrifying burning in his lungs seized him, and he realized he could not draw a breath. In agony, he crumpled forward in his seat, and with an effort of sheer will he pulled air into his body with a long excruciating gasp. He hung onto the steering wheel, and drew a second, rending breath that seemed to take forever.
Okay. I've been in an accident. His breathing, though still painful, was coming a little easier, but a lightheadedness was enclosing him softly. Turning his head against the steering wheel, he tried to see outside of his vehicle. Someone had run up to his window and was knocking on the glass rapidly.
Jackson made a supreme effort to feel his way to the button that lowered the window. Warm air rushed in, and Jackson struggled to hold on to consciousness.
"Oh my God. Are you okay?" said a concerned voice.
Jackson nodded, still clinging to the steering wheel, unable to speak. Even through his suffering he noticed that there was no airbag before him - it had not deployed. World class safety, my ass… Jackson thought bitterly, snarling in pain.
A hand reached in through the window and rested on his back. "Are you all right? Can you talk?"
Grimacing and feeling tears of pain rolling down the sides of his face, Jackson forced himself to sit back in his seat. "I'm okay," he rasped.
How bad is this? Looking around, he saw that he had been struck in the middle of an intersection and spun around. The crumpled front fender of the Lexus bulged upward, but the damage was much less than he expected. The other car involved sat nearby, its grill smashed, fluids trickling over the asphalt like blood. A teenage girl sat crying on the curb, unhurt.
"She ran the red light," the person said to him through his window. "It wasn't your fault."
"Thank God for that," Jackson said hoarsely, glancing at the speaker. Witnessing his misery was a young woman with long, strawberry-blonde hair and large, worried eyes.
This was a very bad development. Now there would be police on the way, and he would have to give his information to them. He had a solid alias, but it would be shitty luck to have it on record with the police department in Miami for a traffic accident.
Leese…where was Leese?
The impact had sent the laptop to the floor of the car. Jackson reached for it, pulling it back up onto the seat and opening it. It appeared undamaged.
"Oh, sir, please don't worry about your things. You should sit still until the paramedics get here," the young woman pleaded.
Jackson, aggravated by his pain, snapped, "I'm fine. I just had the wind knocked out of me." He regretted his words as the woman backed a step away from his car, wringing her hands. "I'm sorry," Jackson said, feeling a faintness coming over him again. "I'm sorry… but I'm okay." His own voice seemed to be coming from far away. Don't pass out…don't pass out…
Sirens…
Jackson opened his eyes to a uniformed man leaning in his window - a young paramedic who was checking his pulse at the wrist.
"Can you tell me your name?" the man asked, in a deadpan, uninterested voice.
Jackson pulled his arm away, out of the paramedic's grip. "Yes."
"What's your name?"
"Jackson Rippner."
"Really," the paramedic said doubtfully. "Do you know where you are?"
"Yeah. Miami." The guy already rubbed Jackson the wrong way. He grasped the door handle and started to push outward, but the paramedic obstructed him.
"Stay still, please. Do you know what time it is? Or what day of the week?"
Jackson looked at the clock on his console. "Looks like 1:08 A.M. to me," he said sardonically.
"Are you allergic to any medications?"
"No," Jackson said. "Now, I would like to get out of this car, if you don't mind."
The young man looked into the icy blue of Jackson's eyes, seeing the lucid composure there. "Suit yourself." He stepped back.
Jackson pushed the door open and stood, fighting another rush of dizziness, which passed quickly.
"Are you feeling pain anywhere?" The paramedic resumed his interrogation.
Walking to the front end of the Lexus, Jackson saw that the wheel was undamaged. The car was still drivable, but he would have to call the rental company first thing in the morning and get a replacement vehicle.
"No," he answered. In all honesty, he felt fine now.
"Could you stand still please, sir? I need to get your vitals."
Jackson ignored him, his eyes falling on the driver of the other car. The girl was being consoled by the strawberry-blonde woman. He walked over to them, the paramedic trailing behind doggedly.
The girl was still crying, and drew back as Jackson approached, as if expecting him to strike her.
"I'm so sorry," the girl wept. "I wasn't paying attention. Oh my God, your car…" she wailed at the damage to the Lexus.
"Don't worry about that," Jackson said. "It's only a rental. I won't take it personally," he smiled gently.
Relieved, the girl broke into hysterical sobbing. "I thought I killed someone! You weren't moving."
Jackson almost laughed at her overreaction. "I'm okay, I promise. Just lost my breath for a minute. I probably needed some sense knocked into me anyway." He smiled at the redheaded woman. She returned the smile. Jackson thought she seemed familiar, but was not sure why.
"Sir, I need you to step over to the ambulance," the paramedic said from behind him.
Jackson brushed past him and headed back to his car. The headlight was shattered, but he was fairly certain he would be able to drive the car from the scene. Though it was halted against the curb where it had rolled after the collision, it was still running.
"Are you refusing medical treatment, sir?" the paramedic's voice was tired.
"Yes. I am," Jackson said. "There's nothing wrong with me." He opened the door of the car and waited.
The man sighed. "Then I have to advise you of the possible consequences of refusing medical aid. And you'll need to sign the RMA form."
"Let's do that, then," Jackson said, nodding and gesturing in a get-on-with-it manner. "I don't plan on suing anyone." He fervently hoped that he had not sustained some sort of injury he could not feel, but he would have to take his chances. Allowing himself half a day in a hospital - hours when he would not be able to do his job - was not something he was willing to do.
Jackson only half-listened as the paramedic went through the formalities of discharging him. He signed the forms with some unease, releasing his information, then repeated this with a police officer. People who had gathered on the sidewalks to watch the scene began to drift away as they realized there was no blood or serious injuries involved, and Jackson's impatience to be on his own way grew.
Permitted at last to leave, he closed himself once more into the cool luxury of his vehicle. Twenty-five hundred dollars a week, and the airbag doesn't work, Jackson thought cynically. He backed off the curb, carefully avoiding the tow truck that had arrived to remove the other car.
As he drove away from the scene, he repositioned the laptop on the passenger seat and turned it on. Back to business.
At the first sight of an empty parking space, Jackson pulled into it, unable to wait until he got to his hotel. He logged on, thankful that the laptop was no worse for wear after the accident. His mouth was dry as he waited for the image to load. He did not think he could take it if Lisa had not come home yet; he'd been through all he could handle for one night.
Lisa was on her sofa, right where she should have been. Safe.
Seeing her at last, Jackson covered his eyes with a trembling hand for a moment, consumed by relief. And something more, something powerful, almost painful in its intensity. He did not even know what it was.
An old black and white movie flickered on her television screen. Lisa watched unmoving, like a still life.
Jackson reached out to trace her image with his fingertips, outlining her graceful limbs. It was hard to believe he would soon meet this woman who controlled his every move like an uncaring, demented puppeteer. Hatred and attraction warred within Jackson as his finger teased along the smooth screen. There was no way yet to know where he would meet Lisa. He wondered if he would be able to touch her. Maybe, just maybe, she would see past the circumstances of their encounter…and see him.
