Chapter Ten
Jackson stared hard at Rupert, trying to read his movements. Rupert was suppose to meet Jackson here at Adam Hawk's house, from there they would take him out. Believing that was what was suppose to really happen, Jackson had left Lisa alone, and unarmed. Anyone could have broken into his house and harmed her. Seeing Lisa trapped in the arms of Rupert with a gun to her head, made him sick to his stomach. This whole mess was because of him.
"What happened to the plan?"Jackson glared at Rupert. The sunset reflected in Jackson's eyes, excentuating the cold look on his face. Lisa closed her eyes, hoping for a way out of this, and that Jackson would save her. She loved him, and if she died now, he would never know that.
"We're still going to follow through with the plan, but I just thought I would bring something to make sure the job gets done."Rupert used his eyes to point at Lisa.
"You just brought her to save your own ass."He was boiling with anger, and Jackson wanted to pull the trigger on Rupert, but didn't want to risk Lisa's life.
"I'm going to put her back in my car, then we will take out Hawk."Rupert was afraid of Jackson but knew he had the better advantage. Backing slowly across the street, Rupert watched as Jackson followed, gun still aimed at him.
"My car. You put her in my car."Jackson ordered, signaling to his black BMW with his gun. Rupert stopped, thinking about it for a moment. Then he cleared his throat,"Why does it matter?"
"It just does. Now...put her in my car."Hearing Jackson's demanding voice, he knew it was not a choice. Jackson was still the boss.
"Ok, fine."Cautiously, Rupert walked over to Jackson's car, keeping one eye on Jackson who was pulling out a set of keys from his jacket. Opening the locked car, Jackson stared at Rupert, then over to Lisa. He held the door, letting Rupert place Lisa in the backseat. Rupert moved his gun to Jackson.
"Come on Jack, let's get this over with."Ruperts voice was a little shaky. Jackson stared at Rupert a moment longer, then he knelt down to Lisa's height. She almost knocked Jackson over as she jumped into his arms. After Lisa finally let go of him, he reached under the seat, taking out a small first aid kit.
"Jack, we don't have time for this."Rupert was becoming impatient. Not looking up, Jackson took out a roll of bandage.
"This job would have already been done if you hadn't brought Lisa into it."Jackson informed him, trying to curb back as much anger as he could. Tearing Lisa's pant leg away from the wound, he examined the damage of the bullet. He had to stop the bleeding, so he quickly cleaned the wound, making Lisa cringe at the sting, when he rubbed her wound with the cleaner. Jackson could see the bullet was still stuck inside the flesh of her leg. He looked up at Lisa, wondering if she had known.
"What?"Lisa's voice was a little worried. Then she saw what Jackson had seen. The bullet is still in my god damn leg! She screamed in her head.
"No!"Lisa shouted at him. Jackson put his hands on Lisa's shoulders.
"Lisa-"He tried to calm her but she cutt him off.
"You're not touching my leg."She tried to turn her leg away from Jackson but he grabbed it and held it in place.
"I have to get the bullet out or it will get infected."Jackson moved a hand from her shoulder to her cheek. Rupert stood impatiently, surveying Adam Hawk's house, making sure he did not suspect anything.
Lisa hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly gave in, letting him continue careing for her wound. He took another long look at Lisa's leg, trying to decide how to get the tiny metal bullet loged in her leg out. Taking out a pair of small tweezers, Jackson gave another look at Lisa. She was trying to prepare herself for the pain.
"Lisa...you look like you are about to pass out."Jackson laughed a little. He knew the bullet wound hurt, but the look on Lisa's face was priceless.
"It's not funny, Jack!"She scolded him, wanting to slap the smug look off his face.
"I'm sorry."He said, but he was still smilling. Rupert put his gun away, feeling safer. Thinking that Jackson would not touch him until the job was done.
"Can we hurry this up a bit?"Rupert leaned in a little closer to Jackson. Despite him being so close, Jackson ignored him. He placed the tips of the tweezers around the bullet. Lisa closed her eyes, tightly holding onto the fabric of the backseat. Quickly, Jackson yanked out the bullet, and Lisa let out a small scream. Jackson had not even considered her screaming. He softly placed a hand on Lisa's small mouth, he didn't want to, but knew he couldn't have her alert Adam of their presence.
"Lisa, I know it hurts, but you have to try to be quiet."He begged, holding her to his chest.
"Damnit! Jack! She is gonna blow this whole operation."Rupert yelled, now staring at the door of the detective's house.
Jackson let go of Lisa and quickly wraped the cloth around her leg, tight enough to stop the bleeding but not the circulation in her leg. He looked over his shoulder to check if Adam had heard her, then turned back to her, helping lay her down in the car.
"Just stay put, soon the pain should pass."Jackson assured her, then closed the car door, locking it."Alright, let's go."
After waiting for so long, Rupert was pleased to finally hear Jackson say those words. Both pulled out their weapons, quietly headed for the house. The overpowering smell of freshly cutt grass, clouded around Jackson and Rupert. The sun was setting, soon night would come.
Picking the lock, Jackson kept an eye on both Lisa and the doorknob. She may be wounded and locked up in a car, but that wouldn't stop her from trying to escape. Jackson knew this all too well from personal experience. Rupert looked through the window that was located next to the door. No one was downnstairs. But a light could be seen up stairs.
Finally getting the door opened, Jackson walked into the quiet house. Following behind him, was Rupert.
Lisa waited until Jackson was inside, along with Rupert. Her leg hurt anytime she tried to move it, but she had to try and ignore the pain for the time being. Once she was sure Jackson wasn't watching her, she shuffled around the car, trying to find something that could help her escape. All the doors were locked, and impossible to open without a key. The windows also would not open without a key.
Crawling into the passengers seat, Lisa opened up the glove box. Shifting through papers, Lisa came across several interesting items. Such as several drivers license, all with Jackson's picture on them, a few pens, and a small knife. Taking the knife, Lisa slipped off the tan cover. Getting back into the backseat, Lisa put the knife in the side of the window. Trying to make it easier to knock out the window. She worked away at the rubber surounding the window for several minutes, and she began to wonder if she would be too late.
The rubber gave way, and Lisa sat back, kicking as hard as she could at the window. It took several tries, but the window finally fell out, shattering when it hit the asphault outside the car. Lisa closed her eyes, hoping Jackson hadn't heard it. When she opened her eyes again, she saw no one headed towards the car. Some of the glass was still attached to the car but she had knocked out enough of it that it was big enugh for her to fit through.
Carefully trying to avoid as much of the sharp edges of the glass, Lisa squeezed out of the window, almost falling on the asphault with the broken glass. The knife was still tightly clenched in her hand. She held it so hard that her knuckles were white.
Sprinting across the lawn, Lisa watched out for any sign of Jackson or Rupert. When she reached the open door, she first peeked in through the crack. Once she felt the coast was clear, she stepped inside. Unlike Jackson's house, Adam's floors were covered in grey carpet, which made it easier for Lisa to step quietly. She could hear voices upstairs, especially the cold voice of Jackson. Lisa didn't know what she was going to do when she got there, and only a knife to defend herself. All she knew was that she had to help Adam. One knife against two guns...real smart...Lisa was trying to keep herself together. But the reality of the situation scared Lisa to death.
Climbing up the carpeted stairs, the voices grew louder. One room down the hallway had a light on, and Lisa assumed that was where they were. Was she too late? She had not heard a gun shot. Did they already kill Adam?
Question after question ran through Lisa's head. Moving closer to the door, Lisa could hear Adam's worried voice. She could not understand what he was saying though.
Without thinking, Lisa rested a hand on a small wooden table that stood by the door. A small bamboo plant was displayed on top of it. Along with a pen that Lisa had not seen, and unfortunately for her, she noticed it too late. As soon as her hand brushed up agianst the small round pen, it rolled across the table, making a rather loud tapping sound, then it hit against the wall as it fell to the floor. It wasn't the sound it made when it hit the carpeted floor, it was the noise it made as it had rolled across the table and the way down to the floor when it hit up against the wall. That was what caught Jackson's attention.
Shit! I hate pens! Lisa thought, then she started to back away from the door. The room had gone silent now, and Lisa watched as the door opened just a little, revealing half of Jackson's face. Oh my god!
Not wanting to stick around any longer, Lisa turned and ran for the front door.
"Damn!"Jackson rasped, not really surprised at all at Lisa finding a way out of the car and then running when seeing him."Keep an eye on him."He ordered to Rupert then darted out of the room after Lisa. Catching up to her at the stairs. He leapt for her, grabbing her by the waist. Both of them went flying to the bottom of the stairs. Jackson used his body to sheild Lisa from the floor. The impact to the floor and Lisa landing on top of him knocked the air out of him, but he kept his hold on Lisa's arm.
She screamed, kicking at Jackson's side. Her leg throbed with pain, but she kept kicking. Jackson fought to grab her arms and legs, finally pinning her legs under him and grabbing her wrists."Stop, Leese."He warned, his hair covering his blue eyes.
Looking up at him, she felt fear run through her body. He looked the way he had the day he had tried to kill her. Same suit, same hair masking his eyes, same voice. And she was the one trapped, with him having all the power.
"I thought I told you to stay put."Jackson was holding her hands above her head. When they had fallen to the floor, it had sent the knife Lisa had been holding across the floor and out of sight. Jackson's gun was lying next to them.
"I can't let you do this!"Lisa shouted at him. She kept trying to kick at him, and tried to free her wrists, but Jackson just held tighter. Fighting against him for several seconds, Lisa grew tired, and was out of breath. Stoping her fight, she layed her head to the side, closing her eyes."Don't do this."She pleaded, trying to catch her breath.
Taking her wrists in one hand, he reached the other up, combing his hair out of his face. He cocked his head to the side, trying to catch Lisa's gaze. With her sad, green eyes, she met his stare, still lying her head to the side.
"Lisa, we talked about this already."His voice was quiet, and Lisa could see the softer Jackson.
"That doesn't mean that I am going to just sit back and let you do this."Lisa was determined to get Jackson to stop, even if it took everything that she had.
"I-"Jackson stopped, looking behind him up the stairs, Lisa and him could hear shuffling, and then the hallways were filled with shouts from the other room. Jackson let go of Lisa and took his knife in his hand. Getting off of her, he rushed up the stairs. Lisa quickly got up and followed, knowing this was her chance to run, but curiosity took over.
They reached the top of the stairs, when they heard a silenced gun ring out. Jackson ran quicker, not caring that Lisa clung onto his jacket. There was no more shouting, no more fighting.
She stayed behind Jackson, as they entered the room. On the floor, Rupert was curled up into a ball, holding a wound in his shoulder. Blood soaked the carpet around him, and the once grey floor, was now red. The window was wide open. There was no sign of Adam. Jackson held his gun in both hands, moving towards the window, looking for any sign of Adam.
"Fuck!"Jackson shouted, returning to Ruperts side. He was still breathing, and still concious. Jackson put his gun away, pulling out his cell phone. He dialled for an ambulance.
Lisa's head spun with questions, was why did Adam run? He was a detective and more than likely knew how to use a gun. Adam had to be just as strong as Jackson. And why would he just leave his own house? It wasn't like Adam, he never ran from a fight. She stood still in the doorway, this was the third time she watched as a man died from a gun shot wound. The first time had been Jackson, the second had been Adam. Each time, that person had put her in danger, and still, she stayed to help them.
Playing with Lisa's fingers, Jackson stared out the window. He had one hand on the wheel. Lisa's eye's were half shut, but she refused to fall asleep. It was dark now, and Rupert had been taken away in an ambulance.They had been on the road for at least twenty minutes, and still had a few more to go before they reached Jackson's house.
"You should call your hotel and book a room for two."Jackson broke the silence, he was staring at the rearview mirror.
"What?"Lisa asked, she was a little confused by the question.
"Just call your hotel, Leese."He looked over at her, then back to the road in front of them. She could see the Lux Atlantic's tall shape in the distance. Jackson tossed his phone into her lap."It will be safer there."
"OK."She hesitantly put in the number and put the phone up to her ear. Cynthia picked up on the other end.
"Hello, this is the Lux Atlantic. You are talking to Cynthia."Cynthia's cheery voice rang over the phone.
"Hey Cynthia, it's me Lisa."She answered, a small smile on her face. She loved how Cynthia was always so cheerful.
"Hi! I've been worried sick about you. Your dad said that you were on vacation, how is it?"Cynthia asked. Lisa had almost forgotten about the note Jackson had written before they had left for his house.
"It's great, but I actually was calling to see if I could book a room for two."Lisa told her, glancing over at Jackson, who kept looking in the rearview mirror, then back to the road.
"Oh, ok. When did you plan on staying here?"She could hear Cynthia typing something into the computer.
"Tonight. I am on my way right now."Jackson nodded at Lisa in approval.
"Hold on, just a second...ok, you are all set."Cynthia informed her.
"Thank you, Cynthia."Lisa said goodbye then hung up, handing the phone over to Jackson.
"Ok, we have a reservation."Lisa said, leaning her head back on the seat. She closed her eyes, and gave itno sleep. Only to be woken up by Jackson a few minutes later.
"We're here."He shook her awake. The door was open, and they were parked in Lisa's reserved parking spot for work. She got out of the car and took in a deep breath. The air felt so good.
Inside, Lisa walked up to the front desk with Jackson, where he pulled out a wad of cash from his wallet and handed it over to Cynthia. After Lisa took the key to their room, she let Jackson lead her to the elevator. She stopped abrubtly in front of it as the doors opened. This was the same elevator Adam had been shot in. And she would never be able to erase the vision of the whole event from her head.
"Leese, it's ok. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."Jackson assured her, then helped her into the small moving room. In the elevaor, they did not talk, but Jackson ran his hand up and down the small of Lisa's back.
They reached their floor, which was on the second to bottom. And after walking down several halls, and past many doors, they arrived at their hotel room. Opening the door, they were met by the aroma of cleaner. Just like any other hotel room, there was a small restroom with a sink, shower, and toilet in it. Along with a couple of maroon colored chairs, and a small TV with a VCR.
Lisa found herself relieved to find that there were two beds instead of one. She may feel safe in Jackson's arms, but tonight all she wanted was to be able to stretch out and sleep without being crowded by Jackson. Just to have the night to herself.
"Let me have a look at your leg."Jackson said, then followed Lisa to the bed by the window, where she sat down. He put her leg in his lap, softly peeling back the bloody bandage."It's looking better."Then he carefully wrapped her leg back up.
Lisa looked at him, then leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kissed her gently on the lips, caresing her cheek with his hand. Placing a hand under her shirt, he massaged the skin of her back. She played with his hair, her fingers tangled in his soft, brown waves.
Pulling away to breathe, he layed Lisa down on the pillow. He gave her one last kiss goodnight, then got up and headed into the restroom.
She heard him turn on the shower, and she wanted to stay awake until he got out of the restroom, but sleep took control over Lisa's exhausted body, and her eyelids closed. Sending her into another night of endless memories of the past. Memories that would stay with her for the rest of her life.
OK, well, there it is. Chapter Ten, hope you enjoyed reading it and I will try to get chapter eleven up soon. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope to get more. They are very much appreciated.