Wow. It's been way too long since I last updated. There's been a looooot going on recently, what with midterms and SATs and a death in the family...All I can say is I'm sorry.
So here's the next chapter for your enjoyment. Just a few comments, because I had to refresh my memory when I was writing this, so I thought I'd make sure everyone was up to speed. This chapter starts with Charles Westley, who is Jackson's boss and the head of the Company that Jackson works for. When we saw him last, he was conversing with Ivonov, his Russian informant. So remember those characters! And a new character (who is very important, so pay close attention to his name) is introduced. Oh, and I jump back and forth with the time here. The first part with Westley is before Jackson kidnaps Lisa, as you'll see. And I forgot specific times in the last chapter, so if you do the math, the car accident happened in the early morning of May 17th. I like keeping track of the time.
So there you have it. Some questions will be answered and we get to find out what happens to Lisa and Greg. Ok, read on.
4 Weeks Ago, April 20…
"You're sure he said the 17th?"
"Yeah. He has everything ready. This guy's a sick bastard, though; he wants to drag this thing out."
Charles Westley sighed. He knew it was only a matter of time before Fedorov decided to go through with the assassination, but he honestly thought he'd have been notified of the date sooner. Ivonov was a prestigious manager and assassin in the Russian branch of the Company and kept Charles updated on most all of their plans, but even he wasn't informed until the very last minute. Information was kept from a majority of the people in the Company; it was a precautionary measure in case someone was selling information. Which, of course, was exactly what Ivonov was doing. And it was costing Westley a pretty penny, too. But he didn't care. He needed to keep his name out of this shit, and if it cost him $5 million a phone call to frame Rippner, so be it.
"What do you mean by 'drag it out'?"
Ivonov sighed on the other end. "Fedorov has trouble controlling his temper. You really pissed him off. It's not even about the money, it's about, how do you say… praid, pride. He's the head of our company and has never had a problem until now. How is someone, during a routine explosives transaction, able to steal billions of dollars from our secure bank accounts? That does not happen. He wants whoever was responsible for this to understand fully the consequences of his actions before he is killed."
"So you mean torture."
"Yes. But it's like game for Fedorov. He enjoys it. He likes the chase more than the actual murder, he toys with his victims."
Charles didn't understand why Ivonov sounded so concerned over something so trivial. He'd tortured plenty of people in the past and hadn't given it a second thought. And although it wasn't exactly fun and games for him, torture came with the business. It was something you learned to deal with.
He shook his head and decided not to worry about Ivonov's strange concern. "Yeah, well the sooner this is over the better. I'll make sure he's there on the 17th. Did you get the documents I sent?"
"Yes, I already handed them over. I think Fedorov is planning to give them to Rippner at some point before he kills him."
"Good." Charles cracked his neck, his face emotionless. "Let's finish this."
He hung up without waiting for a reply. Reaching for his cell, he called Jackson who was downstairs in the gun range and told him to come to his office immediately. He sat down at his desk and gathered up the papers strewn across the wooden surface, erasing all signs of his plans to frame Rippner. He had just stowed away his profile report when there was a knock on the door.
"Come in."
The door opened and Jackson strode coolly across the carpeted floor. He looked good. He was back in shape and the air of confidence he had lost after the Keefe assignment had finally returned. Charles knew the Reisert bitch was the only thing keeping him motivated at the moment, but it still impressed him how quickly he was able to overcome such a devastating failure. Really, it was too bad he had to kill him. The kid had potential.
Jackson stood in front of the desk and waited for Westley to speak.
He looked Jackson in the eye and made sure his face stayed stoic. "A client has been in contact with me recently, asking for a job to be completed in three months time. I need you to oversee it."
If Jackson was surprised, he hid it well. "You want to give me back my management position?"
"Yes. I believe you've proved yourself worthy in the last several months. You've come pretty far."
Jackson's crystalline eyes, which had begun to glimmer with egotistical confidence at hearing such a praise come from his higher up, suddenly narrowed as he realized what Westley was really telling him. "Three months?" His boss gave a slight nod of assent. "So you called me in here to tell me I can't deal with Lisa Reisert."
It wasn't a question, and Charles smirked at the kid's boldness. Maybe he chose the wrong guy to frame.
"No, I'm telling you to get it done sooner. The safe house is open on the weekend of March 16th and 17th. You can deal with her then, or else the management job is no longer available to you. Understand?"
Jackson clenched his jaw, holding back his bitter remark. Only two days? After all this time, he'd only get two days with Leese. The fucking bastards gave him moths to plan this out, letting him think he'd have all the time in the world. If it weren't for the fact that he needed this job, he'd have quit right there and then to deal with Lisa on his own time. Instead, he took a deep breath and gave his employer the expected response.
"Fine. I'll get it done."
Charles smiled. "Good."
He dismissed Jackson and watched the kid stride angrily out of the office. He leaned back casually in his chair and allowed himself the opportunity to fully appreciate how all of the pieces were slowly, finally, forming the whole of a puzzle. For the first time in a very long time, Charles Westley felt relieved.
Present Day
May 18th, 9:47 AM
Lisa sat up in her hospital bed, rubbing her tear stained eyes and stretching her stiff muscles. She had only been asleep for a few hours, but she felt extremely well rested. She looked around the room and smiled when saw Greg passed out on the chair next to her bed. He had stayed the rest of the day with her in the hospital, but she really hadn't expected him to spend the night, even after what he had done for her only a few hours ago.
Lisa felt a wave of happiness crash over her as she recalled their day together. At first it was a bit awkward; neither knew each other, and yet Lisa was very insistent that he stay, at least for a few hours. She was simply afraid to be left alone. Of course she didn't tell Greg this, but he didn't mind staying. He had nowhere else to go, and it looked like Lisa needed some company.
The first hour or so they chatted about little things; movies they loved to watch over and over again, their favorite food, music they listened to. Lisa was grateful for Greg. Without him, she'd be a complete emotional wreck. With him sitting next to her though, she was able to keep a smile on her face and hold up her end of the conversation. Whenever she felt the waterworks coming, she'd focus all of her attention on the handsome man sitting beside her and, for some reason, she'd be able to calm herself down. But she knew it would only be a matter of time before she slipped.
Greg kept up most of the conversation. He seemed to sense something was upsetting Lisa besides the trauma of the accident. Maybe it was the glassy faraway look in her eyes, or the way she'd flinch every time he made a sudden move, but he never once got frustrated with her or forced her to explain why she kept rubbing her wrists. Every time he thought she was going to have a breakdown, he'd pick a new topic to talk about to keep her distracted.
It was around eight at night and they had just finished a rather lengthy conversation, but Lisa couldn't really remember what they had been talking about. She was starting to think about everything that happened. Her hands started shaking and she took a deep breath to try and calm herself. Greg noticed her sudden agitation and hastily cleared his throat.
"So, I now know what your favorite color is, the first car you owned, and the fact that you like to put mayo on your burgers." Lisa let a small smile touch her lips, but she still wasn't completely focused. Greg was nervous she was going to start crying, and so he frantically searched for a new, safe topic of conversation.
"What do you do for a living?"
Lisa snapped her gaze up to meet his. Her breathing hitched, but just for a moment. Calm down. Just answer the question.
She took a deep breath. "I um…I'm a hotel manager at the Lux Atlantic. I have been for about three years now."
Greg looked impressed. "Veeery nice! Do you get to keep those fuzzy robes they put in the bathrooms?"
Lisa laughed, not because she thought what he said was funny, but more because her nerves were starting to break. She held onto the sides of the bed to keep her hands from shaking. "Yeah, I love those things. It's hard to find a nice bathrobe anywhere nowadays."
"How about discounts? Like, if you were to travel, would you get free rooms in the other Lux Atlantics?"
"I don't know about a free room, but yeah I'd probably get a ton of money off. Although I don't think I'd choose to stay at a Lux…When I went to New York a few months ago I found a Hilton. I honestly don't like to spend any more time at that place than absolutely necessary."
Greg smiled. "Oh god, I know the feeling…"
"Oh yeah? And what do you do that you could possibly hate so much?"
"I don't work at a hotel, but it's almost as boring."
There was a slight pause in the conversation, and Greg kept his eyes trained on Lisa. She waited for him to continue, but after a few seconds it was clear he was waiting for some kind of response. Please, please don't make me guess…
Greg finally realized she wasn't going to ask too many questions, so he spoke up. "I'm actually a manager, too. I work with…"
Lisa's chest had constricted as his first words registered in her mind.
"Nah, manager…"
He kept talking, but Lisa had stopped listening. It felt as though she was suddenly being covered with wet cement. Memories she had been working so hard to suppress for the past couple of months suddenly came crashing down on her, suffocating her. All the noise in the room became muffled and the sound of her racing heart was all she could focucs on. Lisa closed her eyes to try and shy away from the pain she was suddenly feeling, but that only intensified the pictures flashing through her mind. Jackson buying her a drink, sitting next to her, shoving her against the wall, his fingers digging into her face, his hand curling around her throat, his nails digging into her flesh, her body falling down the stairs, his hand smothering her mouth, a needle piercing the side of her neck and the feeling of helplessness as the drug raced through her veins, strong tape cutting off her circulation, the assassin's smiling face before he slammed into the Mercedes, glass flying everywhere, stabbing her skin…
She clapped a shaking hand over her mouth to try hold back the scream that was crawling up her throat. But that didn't stop the tears. She let out a lung wrenching sob as she finally let down all of her defenses. It felt as if all of her emotions were just waiting to come out, like she was bottling them up these past months as if trying to prove to Jackson that she could control herself when need be. It felt nice to finally let out all of the hurt, pain, and confusion. With each sob that wracked her body, Lisa could practically feel herself healing.
She sat there on the bed crying and shaking uncontrollably. She lost track of time, whether it was minutes or hours before she was slowly able to calm down. She took deep soothing breaths and forced herself to quiet until all that was left were soft, silent tears streaming down her blotched cheeks. Her heart went back to a normal steady pace and she was able to once again become aware of her surroundings. It was only then that she noticed a comforting arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders, and her face lying against a tear stained shirt. She looked up and saw that Greg had moved her so that he was lying on the bed, and that at some point Lisa had found her way into his embrace. He smiled down at her and his hand traced reassuring circles against her arm. Too tired to be embarrassed, Lisa laid her head back against his muscled chest and listened to Greg's strong heart beats as they gently nudged her into sleep.
Ok, I really want to update. So I'm ending the chapter here. Sorry there's not a whole lot of action in this chapter, but be assured I will update ASAP, which is true because I'm supposed to be studying right now and I don't want to, so this will be a good distraction. PLEASE REVIEW! It's all about Jackson in the next chapter. We'll find out what was in those documents and maybe Jackson and Lisa will meet again…? Hopefully. We'll see…
