Steal My Life
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!
Chapter Twenty-four
Jackson slipped into the silent apartment and removed his carefully-placed cameras. He was terminating all surveillance of Lisa Reisert under Craig Smith's orders.
Once he had packed up all of his equipment into a black bag, he lingered in Lisa's bedroom. He reclined on the queen-sized bed and breathed in the flowery scent of her perfume from the pillows and sheets. He could imagine falling asleep beside her in that bed every night and waking up beside her tightly curled figure in the morning.
Lisa had a tendency to curl up when she slept. Not that it bothered him…it was a peculiarity that belonged to his beloved Lisa.
Sighing, he stood back up slowly, eyes on the comforter as he made sure that no signs of him remained. He trudged to the front door, heavy bag in hand, and half-smiled at the empty apartment.
"Good-bye for now, sweetheart," he whispered to the still, scented air and closed the door behind him.
Hungry flames eagerly licked the stack of photographs he had placed in his fireplace. The burnt edges curled away and he slowly watched her burn—purging her from his memory as best he could at the same time.
This is only temporary, my love. I'll come back for you once it's safe.
He was going through the motions of destruction to save her life. After a few jobs, he would take his revenge. When Craig least expected it, he would find a shinning blade plunged deep in his back and Jackson's hand tightly enclosed on the hilt.
A very literal back-stabbing… he thought dryly. I wonder what a shrink would make of that…
As the last of the vigilantly shot photographs were reduced to mere ashes, Jackson felt a stab of pain in his heart. To his surprise and utter joy, one photograph remained—with Lisa's face featured prominently—and was rapidly disintegrating.
No, no, no!
Jackson poked at the small fire with a poker, attempting to rescue the final photograph. When his hurried movements worsen the small blaze, he abandoned the poker and reached directly into the fire. Singing his skin slightly, he plucked out the half-burned photograph and let out a sigh of relief.
You haven't won…
"Welcome back," Craig Smith greeted him joyfully a few days later.
Jackson slunk into the office and reclined in a chair; barely resisting the temptation to place his recently-shined, Italian-leather shoes on his employer's desk. He settled for a sour look and a disinterested tilt to his head. Leather gloves covered his hands and hide the minor burns from the fire.
"What's the job?"
"Always the businessman," chuckled Craig. He pushed a folder towards the manager. "The target's name is William O' Donald. He currently holds the position of Deputy Director of Homeland Security."
Jackson raised an eyebrow. "This reeks of political trouble," he said, wrinkling his nose and pushing the folder back. "I don't do political."
Craig sighed and reached for another folder. "Meet Teresa Edwards—the wife of millionaire Ron Edwards. She's been cheating on him for a good year. He wants her disposed of for the tune of 500 grand."
Jackson whistled at the price. It was the same amount he had offered Andrew Karr seven years ago to off his unfaithful wife. "Any certain way?"
"He wants to it to look like a robbery gone wrong. Someone snuck in and she got in the way—bang, she gets popped, dies. That sort of thing."
"When do you need the plans?" he asked, the folder open and his blue eyes scanning the multitude of papers inside. A photograph of a dark-haired woman sealed the deal.
"A week from tomorrow. Can you do it?"
A twisted smile crossed his face. "Of course I can."
Your kind doesn't survive, Sofia. I'll make sure of it—personally…
Dressed in black from head to toe, Jackson slipped passed the by-passed security system. For such a rich-man, Ron Edwards' security system was bottom-of-the-line. Not that it mattered to him. He would have been able to beat a tougher system without a second thought.
The suspecting, unfaithful woman was lying in bed upstairs. A scan had already confirmed her location and her solitary presence. It was only the two of them. Edwards' hired goons were down the road at a guard shack or making rounds on the property.
He withdrew the sharp, shinning blade from its sheath without a sound. He crept up the stairs and into the bedroom, watching her chest's steady rise and fall with each breath.
Not for much longer…
As the floor creaked under his feet, Jackson began to make noise. He started rummaging in drawers in search of money, jewelry, etc and banged his knife around. The young woman quickly bolted awake and screamed at the sight of him.
He spun around and advance on the helpless female with a blood-thirsty grin. He had been denied the pleasure of killing Sofia the first time—there was no way he would pass up a second opportunity.
"Hello, sweetheart. Did you miss me?" he questioned coldly, lunging for the frightened woman and quickly sliding the knife against her throat.
As she proceeded to scream and thrash about, Jackson roughly stabbed the blade into her chest and twisted the knife.
"How's that feel, bitch? Does it feel good?"
He shoved a cloth he had stolen from a drawer into her mouth to muffle the cries. Then he went to work cruelly mutilating and murdering her.
Do you feel sorry yet, Sofia? Can't see you what you did to me—what I had to do because of you? You stole my life, you little whore…look at what I've been reduced to…
An hour later, blood-spattered and elated, Jackson made the final cut—a deep slash to the throat that sprayed what little blood remained on the wall. He sheathed his bloody knife and continued upon his business before exiting the house in a similar manner of silence.
Author's Notes:
Only one more chapter to go! Jackson's being rather passive about losing Lisa, but remember, he was able to keep cool when he discovered his wife was being unfaithful to him. He's actually using logic at the moment. Of course, he can't resist an opportunity to kill a woman fitting Sofia's profile. Not that it matters, because in the next chapter, everything goes back to what he wanted anyways.
Thanks for reading/reviewing!