Disclaimer: I don't own anything having to do with Red Eye. This is all just for kicks and giggles.
Chapter Thirteen
Differences Aside
Lisa opened her eyes in the darkness. Jackson's arm was slung protectively over her stomach while he lay on his stomach and snored softly into his pillow. Something seemed off. Maybe it was the increased awareness Lisa had learned from Jackson; the fact that she could sense without seeing.
So, she shut her eyes once more and let herself listen. Waves in the distance. Snoring beside her. Her own slow breathing. A larger wave crashing. Then the creak of the screen door near the back. Lisa cursed herself for not being on her toes. She had assumed that this honeymoon would be safe. Nobody knew of their destination, she was pretty sure, aside from one or two Jackson had told. And knowing Jackson, he had made them swear on their lives not to tell.
"Jackson," she whispered softly into his ear.
"Mmmwhaa?" he mumbled back, not moving.
"Someone's in here."
That caught his attention and he was suddenly very awake.
"Stay here."
Jackson slowly sat up, letting his eyes adjust to the blackness around them, and then he grabbed a knife from under his pillow. Lisa rolled her eyes, wishing that she had thought to be more prepared. It was the moments like these that Lisa knew why she was still considered "in training".
Another reason Lisa was still "in training" was the fact that she didn't like to follow instructions. She wasn't one to leave Jackson to fight a battle on his own. So, feeling the flutter of rebellion, Lisa inched out of bed and crept behind Jackson toward the door.
"I thought I told you to stay."
He turned around and she could feel his glare in the darkness.
"I'm not a dog," she said back, placing her hands on her hips.
Jackson turned back around and eased around a corner. The second he was gone from Lisa's sight, arms wrapped gently around her waist. It was almost a loving embrace, had it been Jackson's arms. Whoever was grabbing her was clearly being delicate on purpose. She squeaked in surprise and the grip around her tightened. She heard the click of a gun cocking and Jackson reappeared.
"Adrian?"
"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, Rippner."
"Let go of her before I lodge this knife in your throat."
Lisa could feel the man's hot breath just above her shoulder. He must have been smiling. He inched Lisa backward and flicked on the lights.
"No sense in doing business in the dark, huh, Jackson?"
Lisa flung her head back and let the crown of her skull collide with the man's head. He screamed out in pain and Jackson lunged forward. Still, he seemed completely unaffected by the pain as he nearly threw Lisa to the side and into a corner and aimed his gun at her stomach. Jackson froze instantly.
"Put down the knife, Rippner, or I will make sure you two never have a child together."
Jackson clenched his jaw, but reluctantly dropped the knife.
"Kick it to me."
Jackson did as he was told. Lisa could see the blatant rage in his eyes.
"You know I will kill you for this, don't you?"
"Jackson. Just-"
"Shut up," the man spat, pressing the barrel of the gun harder into her lower stomach.
"If you hurt her in any way-"
"I'll only hurt her if I have to. I've been given strict instructions to not put Lisa in harm's way unless you give me reason to. Understand?"
"What is this for?"
"You'll find out when you're supposed to. For now, I need you to inject yourself with this."
Adrian dug into his pocket with his free hand and pulled out a syringe. He tossed it to Jackson.
"No. No, no, no," Lisa called. "Just… take me or whatever it is you came for, but he is not injecting himself with some mystery fluid."
Jackson simply glared at Adrian, not moving an inch for the syringe.
"It's a sedative. I can't have him coming after us."
"No," she ordered, twisting herself to face Adrian.
She took in his face. He wasn't familiar, but he didn't seem rightly cruel. He was no Cardin.
"We did that once. I damn near killed him. Take me, but he is not taking your word for it."
"Tell you what," Adrian said softly. "You knock him out and come with me. No funny business. He doesn't die, and neither do you or your little bundle of joy."
Lisa grimaced at his sarcasm, and nodded.
"Go."
He shoved Lisa forward, still being surprisingly gentle, and kept the gun aimed at her lower stomach. She approached Jackson sadly. She drew back her arm and Jackson closed his eyes.
"Oh," Adrian interrupted, causing the couple to look at him, "If I come over there and see that he's still conscious, I'll shoot him in the head. And you'd better believe that I'm a better shot than he is."
Lisa turned back to Jackson whose face was emotionless. She felt like she would cry. Scratch that, she was crying; hardly, but a tear slipped down her cheek. This would never be over. They would always be fighting.
"Just do it, Leese," he murmured gently. "I'll come for you. I promise."
"Jackson…"
"Leese. Do it. I won't let anything happen to you."
"As sweet as this goodbye is, we've got to get a move on. Knock him out or I'll shoot him up with drugs. Your choice."
Lisa sighed and then punched Jackson on the jaw with as much strength as she could muster. She needed to ensure that he would be unconscious. The last thing she needed to do was watch Jackson be shot right in front of her and then be whisked away to some mystery location. Lisa placed a hand over her mouth as she heard him grunt and then crumble to the floor like a doll. If there was one thing Lisa could do well, it was deliver a beautiful knock-out punch. Drake had been teaching her well.
"Great. Let's go," Adrian said as he checked Jackson.
"What do you want?"
"Me?" Adrian grabbed her arm and led her toward the door. "I want my daughter back."
"What do I have to do with that?"
"You're my leverage. A bartering item of sorts."
Lisa wriggled free from his light grip and backhanded him. Adrian growled as he lunged forward, no longer gentle, and hauled Lisa toward the door by her hair.
"You know, I have two of those syringes."
"Jackson!"
"You got him good, Lisa. He'll be out for a while."
"Jackson!"
She was still screaming when Adrian got annoyed and injected her with the syringe full of sedative. Then he caught her as she collapsed and carried her down to the boat that was waiting for him by the dock. The good thing about people is that everyone has a price. For some it's a few dollars. Others it's immunity. And for the poor people tangled in this mess with Ossen? Their price was their loved ones. Some would have to pay.
Lisa couldn't help but smile. She snuggled back against Jackson on the couch as his mother told a story of him as a child. Jasmine laughed whole-heartedly.
"Classic!" she called.
No doubt Jasmine had heard the story plenty of times before tonight. Jackson was always comfortable with discussing the "good times" back when his mother still lived with them. It was only when a touchy subject emerged did he throw up the fact that she left he and Cole alone to fend for themselves. The wounds hadn't healed. But on nights like this, a third party viewer couldn't tell the difference. Jackson eased forward in his seat, getting ready to stand, when Lisa reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Don't go," she whispered, still smiling.
"I'll be back," he responded, kissing her on the cheek.
"No, don't go."
She could feel the urgency slipping to the surface. She didn't want him to leave. He couldn't leave. If he did, they'd be forever separated. She'd lose him forever; never see him again.
"I'll come for you, I promise."
Those words. A wave of déjà vu washed over Lisa as he stood and walked away, the only trace of him was a fading scent of his cologne on the air. Lisa stood up, beginning to panic, but everyone continued with their jokes and stories as normal. She searched the house frantically. But Jackson was gone.
Hopelessly lost.
She'd never find him.
She'd never see him again.
She woke up screaming.
"We're not there yet, so I hope you're ready for more nap time. Don't worry. It won't hurt the baby."
Lisa struggled against the metal handcuffs that bound her hands and feet. She was hopelessly restrained in her seat on the plane. A plane? She tried to look of the window, but she could see nothing but water.
Then there was the prick in her arm and she screamed out against the cloth in her mouth. After that, the world became fuzzy again as she slipped into another lost and lonely dream.
"Son of a bitch," Jackson mumbled as he idly fingered his jaw.
He drew in a sharp intake of air as his fingers hit the tender spot where Lisa had punched him. That sent him wildly back into the present. He sat up quickly and let the room swim around him before he checked his watch. He'd have to congratulate Drake for doing a fine job of teaching Lisa to hit. Jackson had been out for an hour and a half. He cursed and hefted himself up. By now Lisa was long gone.
He ran over to the bed and dug through the nightstand until he found his knives and his gun. He nearly ripped his cell phone from the wall on his way out to the beach. He'd commandeer one of the boats and get headed back to one of the main islands to catch a plane. He dialed Joe Reisert's number frantically and swore again as there were no boats out on the beach. He'd have to make his way down the beach to one of the main docks.
"Rippner! How goes the honeymoon?"
"Horrible. Joe. Lisa's been taken."
Jackson could tell he was furious simply from the silence that resonated from Joe's end of the phone.
"Who?"
"Adrian. He claims he's working for someone."
Jackson touched his jaw again and cringed. Joe growled into the phone.
"This is ridiculous. Where is she?"
"I have no idea. He had her knock me out and then they left together."
"I know where they are…"
Jackson whirled around and withdrew his gun at the same time, cocking it and pointing it at the man before him.
"Who's there?" Joe questioned.
He was clearly shuffling around on the other end of the phone, probably getting dressed.
"Cardin. What have you done with Lisa?"
Frank Cardin smirked, his gun also pointed at Jackson's head.
"Me? Nothing. I wanted to go off into hiding and live out my life. Instead? Adrian comes and kidnaps my daughter."
"If you're lying…"
"Jackson, shoot him," Joe called, not quite hearing the conversation.
"I'm not," Cardin responded. "I know where she is because I know where my daughter is. Vincent Ossen is trying some power-trip, Rippner."
"So why haven't you gone to get her?"
"What's he saying?" Joe asked, huffing into the phone.
"I'll call you back, Joe."
Jackson snapped his phone closed and pocketed it, still keeping his gun trained on Cardin.
"First I had to find out where he was keeping her. Which I did just earlier from Adrian before he knocked me out." Cardin gestured to his bloodied appearance for extra effect. "But I can't do it alone. He's got that place built up as a fortress."
"Ossen is a nobody."
Cardin laughed.
"Then you go. Alone. Have fun dying, Rippner, while you watch Lisa die, too."
Jackson grimaced. The thought of having to pry information from Cardin didn't appeal to him. He just wanted to be back on his honeymoon with his wife. How could this happen?
"Put down the gun, Rippner. If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it long before now. I hate to admit it, but I propose we put our differences aside and work together. It's the only way to get back the ones we love…"
Jackson weighed his options. He knew that Cardin was the only person with some inside information. Cardin was the person whose help he needed the most. Jackson lowered his gun reluctantly.
"If this is some kind of trick, Cardin, you'd better believe that you will pay."
Frank Cardin smirked.
"I want my daughter back. It's as simple as that."
"Fine. I'm going to call Joe and then you're going to tell me everything you know."
A/N: I know I say it often, but… thanks for keeping up with this! I'm sorry it took me a while to update, but we've been having midterms and papers due at school. Stress has been pretty high. But! How do you guys think Jackson and Cardin will be working together? And Jasmine? And Joe? It's going to be interesting…