Newfound Clarity

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!

Chapter Twenty-Four

"I'm going hunting…To complete the mission…" ~ Hunter by 30 Seconds to Mars

Katherine Murphy smoothed her blouse and jacket. A pair of tailored pants covered the rest. Low heels completed the outfit. It was a stark contrast to her usual work clothes. Her healing wounds were covered rather well by the clothes.

"You don't have to do this," Lisa said, sitting on the end of her bed.

Kat turned to her. "Of course I do. You need to rest. I've had my chance. If I don't go back soon, I won't want to go back ever."

As it was, she could hardly keep from shaking. Her only saving grace was that her memories of the shooting were hazy. She just knew she'd have been worse off if she actually remembered. Kat closed her eyes.

"Just promise me… take it easy," Lisa said quietly.

"This… jackass took everything away from me. I can't let one day control me. He killed my child, Lisa. I can't sit here all day and think about her and what I could have done different. I need to do something normal. You understand, right?"

"Of course. After what Jack did, I didn't know how I could face my co-workers. I didn't think I could ever look at anything that reminded me of him without being sick. I didn't even want to go back to my dad's house. And forget planes…"

Kat shot her a half-smile. "I have to do this."

"I know."

Neither woman could have guessed at the chain of events set in motion by Kat's decision to return to work.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"She's here," his assistant said into the microphone as Katherine Robertson walked into the bank with just a slight limp.

"Good. Don't spook her. She was shot a few weeks ago. She's liable to be rather jumpy," his boss ordered from inside his D.C. office.

"Got it, boss."

He waited for the Audi to pull out of the lot. It was probably her husband behind the wheel. Not that it mattered. There weren't any bodyguards hanging around specifically to protect Katherine Robertson despite her father's considerable wealth.

Getting to the heiress would be a simple matter. Having her comply with directions was an unknown variable at this stage of the game.

Then again, that's what threats were for.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Kat took her desk over, trying to make herself at home. Unfortunately, her customers' had long memories. They knew she'd been shot. Every third person stopped to ask her how she was and if they'd caught the shooter.

After two hours of interrogation, from both her employees and customers, Kat retreated to the work room. She kept the door closed, keeping the noise of the teller line shut off. She pressed her back to a vault and slid down to sit on the cool ground.

This is too much… too soon…

She shook her head. She couldn't let the shooter win. Not after the hell she'd been through. She couldn't run home and hide. The bank needed her. Her employees needed her.

Your baby needed you, too…

The ache inside her stomach gnawed away at her intestines again. If she hadn't been a smart ass—no, he was a sadist. Hell, she hadn't even known she was pregnant. If she had…what could she have even done? It wasn't like she had a gun or a knife tucked up underneath her skirt.

Dad was right. The world is a dangerous place…

But was a bodyguard really an answer?

Jackson saved Lisa's life…

Kat put her face in her hands, massaging her temples with her cool fingers. There were no actual answers to that day. No one could have predicted a robbery with two trigger-happy killers. The money hadn't seemed as nearly as important as destroying lives was.

Her life. Lisa's life. Stacy's life.

Only, it was her life that ended in a blaze of gun powder and acrid smoke. Her baby murdered by a senseless killer. Her own life hanging by a thread. A thread that would have snapped without Jackson's warning.

Jackson saved her life. He interrupted the killers and got to her in the vault. Lisa's hands held her wounds closed while Jackson waited on the ambulances. Lisa and Jackson bought her precious minutes until the ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital.

Kat knew all about the agonizing fight to save her life. Aidan had told her about it, in between small fits of tears, along with the news about their child. Their dead child.

Tears wet her hands as sobs racked her frail body. Her job had cost her a precious gift. She didn't even need to work. She just liked to. Aidan was the same way. He only took jobs every few weeks to maximize his time with her. He didn't care about the money.

"Get up," she whispered to herself, her voice trembling. "You can do this. You're a Carter for crying out loud. Just… get… up…"

Her hand closed around the handle of the back vault, using it as leverage to get back on her feet.

Kat wiped the tears away and brushed imaginary dirt off her clothes. "Pull it together," she muttered.

She looked up into a camera and then to the nearby monitor. She looked strong and confident on the screen. She looked every inch a professional. No flirty skirts for Aidan's benefit after hours or on her lunch break. Simple was today's dress code.

Kat took a deep breath and stepped back into chaos.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Can I help you?" a female voice called across the lobby, catching his attention. He gave her a smile and stepped forward.

"I hope so. You're Katherine Murphy, right?"

The brunette tried to hide a frown. "Yes?"

"I have a proposition for you. A job offer."

"I already have a job." She took a step back, clearly nervous.

"I know, but this one… it's much better than this. It's far more suited to your level of expertise."

"What expertise might that be?"

"Psychology. You have a Ph.D. in it, correct?" he tried, knowing he had her on the hook right now. All he had to do was seal the deal.

"So what if I do?"

"My boss is looking for a consultant. Someone with a background in psychology. Someone like you…"

Katherine shook her head. "I'm sorry, but you've got the wrong person. My background is in abnormal psychology, not general psych. If you need someone for an HR department, I'm not that person."

"I know. The job is related to your talents," he pressed.

"Listen, Mr…"

"Bradley. Nicholas Bradley."

"Mr. Bradley, I'm not looking for another job. I'm quite happy where I am—"

"So that's why you're still talking to me?"

"Excuse me?" Kat interrupted.

"If you weren't slightly interested, you'd have already walked away. You want to know more, don't you?"

"No, I—"

He held out a card. "If you're still not looking for another job at 5pm, I'll be at the address on the card for an hour. Stop by."

He left before she could say another word.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Leese?" Jackson called, his cane pushing her bedroom door open.

"Go away!" she called, a pillow just missing his head.

"I heard about Keefe. I'm sorry. I know you… cared for him," he said softly.

"This is your fault, isn't it? What did you do this time, huh? Who did you call?" Lisa demanded, appearing in his line of sight. The first word that came to his mind when he saw her was fury. She was beyond pissed off.

"Not this time. I had nothing to do with this."

"I don't believe you."

He limped into the room, relying heavily on his cane. "You should, Lisa. Last time I had a job. Now I don't. I have no reason to want Keefe dead."

"Then why is he dead?"

"The same reason Kat was shot," he answered cryptically. "I didn't kill Keefe. Fate did."

Lisa was silent for a moment, clearly thinking it over. "Then who pulled the trigger?"

Jackson shrugged, sitting on the edge of her bed. "No idea. But if it really means that much to you, I'll find out…"

"Do that."

She turned her back to him, clearly done dealing with him. He sighed, standing up.

"I forgive you," he whispered to no one as he limped out of the bedroom.

Author's Notes:

I'm so sorry this took so long! It connects directly to the next chapter, so I wanted to make sure enough ground was covered here to make the next chapter work and vice versa. The other chapter should be up next week. It's a long one.

Thanks for reading!

EDITED ON MARCH 14th, 2010 – THANKS TO CYPRISS 88!