I May Have To Steal You

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

Chapter Twenty-five

Jackson wanted to know what had happened in that house. He could tell that Lisa was disturbed from the moment he saw her exit the house. He knew it wasn't just killing Drew, but there was something deeper, more psychological, that was affecting her. She couldn't tell him because she had passed out in his arms.

The important part was that the job was completed and they were safe, at least for the time being. Jackson still had to eliminate his former enemies and find out who had been responsible for all of the attacks. He had to keep Lisa safe.

With the assassination out of the way, he could focus more on her. They would fly back to Miami after he had a final word with Johnson. Then he would have to face Joe Reisert, who was probably still extremely pissed at him. And he would make sure that Lisa got the home of her dreams as well as her perfect wedding—no matter what. Lisa's happiness was key and more important than any of the trivial things that Jackson had done since his parents' wrongful death.

A muffled moan caused Jackson's attention to snap to the sleeping Lisa that lay on top of him. She shifted slightly and her eyes finally blinked open.

"Jackson!" she murmured, joy evident in her voice.

"How are you feeling, Leese?" he asked as she snuggled closer to him.

"I have a headache to rival that of the one following my head butt," she joked, eliciting a smile from Jackson.

"I've got some good new."

"Don't tell me you just saved a bunch on car insurance by switching to Geico," Lisa said, rolling her eyes.

"No, nothing of the sort," he said, shaking his head. "It's better than that."

"Really?"

"We can go back to Miami sometime tomorrow…"

"Hmm, and stay where? I'm not going back to my dad's, not after…" said Lisa, deep in thought and her voice trailing off.

"I'm not going to make you stay anywhere you don't want to be. We're going to go house shopping when we return."

"House shopping?" she inquired, raising an eyebrow. What wasn't Jackson telling her?

"I want you to be happy, Leese. I assumed you still wanted to get married—" he began, Lisa cutting him off.

"Of course I do! I love you, Jackson! I do!"

"That settles that," he said with a smile, a finger tracing her lips. "Because I love you too."

Lisa was his. She was always going to be his. She wanted to be his.

Lisa stepped out of the cab and gaped at the building in front of her. Jackson had told her a bit about the building, but his words hadn't prepared her for it. Jackson shook his head at her reaction as he opened the glass doors with his fingerprints.

"Stop looking like a fish, Leese. It really doesn't suit you," Jackson said, ushering her inside the building, checking for hit men outside and inside.

Lisa closed her mouth and Jackson wrapped an arm around her waist as they made their way through the high-tech building.

"Jackson Rippner, manager," he spoke clearly, placed his palm on the palm reader and letting the wall shift open. Lisa jumped as the wall moved and Jackson smirked before leading her towards the office marked 'Management'.

He entered the passwords as Lisa watched wordlessly. The door beeped and he opened it, yanking Lisa inside with him. Jackson had been in the outer office many times before, but none of those trips could have prepared him for what awaited them.

Rita and a group of hit men were inside, and their guns were trained on Lisa and Jackson.

"Don't tell me--you always get this kind of reception?" Lisa asked, jokingly.

"First time," he replied, stepping in front of Lisa, protecting her.

"What's a matter, Rippner? Don't like the welcoming committee?" Rita asked, mocking the former manager. "Aww, what a shame."

"Rita," spat Jackson. "Don't make me kill you all. Put your weapons away, and no one gets hurt."

"I don't think you should be the one giving orders, Jack. After all, I'm in charge. Since your untimely demise, I've become Johnson's top manager."

"I'm not dead."

"Not yet. But I can take care of that. Along with your girl. She's the one that made you fail, right? The Reisert bitch?" Rita said, trying to provoke Jackson.

Jackson's blue eyes turned cold and harsh as they narrowed. How dare she threaten Lisa? There was no doubt in his mind that Rita had been the one to send the hit men after them. Her animosity towards Jackson was strong, and powerful enough for her to send Roberts and many others after him, even after Johnson gave him a window of opportunity. She had the resources to track him down as well.

"What do you want?" asked Lisa bravely.

Rita laughed. "What I want is Rippner dead!" she said with an enthusiastic smile.

"Then kill me with your own hands," challenged Jackson. "What? Too scared to do the dirty work yourself?"

Rita's face changed from excited to menacing. How dare he challenge her? She clearly had the upper hand—yet he was still pushing it. Did he have a fucking death wish?

"I'll face you," she said, signaling for her men to put their guns down. "Besides, you've been bested by a girl before."

Lisa's face was concerned. What the hell was Jackson thinking? This woman was crazy—she'd kill him. Why was Jackson doing this? The risk was far too great.

Jackson nodded and turned towards Lisa. "It'll all be over soon. I promise," he whispered, holding her close and giving her a final kiss.

"It will all be over soon. The Keefes will be history, your dad will be safe, we'll both go back to…" Jackson said on the plane to a shocked Lisa.

Lisa's eyes closed as he kissed her and she willed the kiss to memory. This might be the last time Jackson ever kissed her, ever held her in his arms. No, Jackson was stronger than that.

"We'll talk again," he rasped, through the hole in his throat as the sirens grew louder.

"Come on, lover boy," Rita hissed and Jackson spun around, his right arm up to block her punches.

Lisa was forced to watch, helpless, as one of Rita's men grabbed a hold of her—restraining her from pouncing on Rita and killing her. She glared darkly at the man keeping her from helping Jackson.

Jackson head butted Rita and sent her sprawling towards the floor, where he pulled her up by her hair and transferred his hold to her throat. She struggled and gasped for air as Jackson ruthlessly pressed her back into the wall and tightened his grip.

"No one hurts Leese," he rasped, blue eyes wild. This was enraged Jackson, not the charming and caring Jackson that Lisa loved. "Ever."

"Go to fuckin' hell, Rippner…" gasped Rita, before Jackson finished strangling her.

"Let Lisa go," he hissed at the burly man restraining her.

The man looked upset. He looked like a little kid whose mother had taken candy from. He shoved Lisa roughly to the ground. She quickly crawled away, despite the fiery pain in her knees. Jackson helped her up from the ground and guided her away from the lifeless body of Rita.

Rita had been the one behind the attacks. She had been trying to kill them. She had sent Roberts to hurt his Lisa and to kill him. He had accused her of sending people after him and she had sent all of them. Rita had arranged the hits on Jackson and Lisa.

But now she was dead. Her life had been snuffed out by his bare hands. If he felt the slightest bit of remorse for what he had done, he didn't show it. All he could hope was that Lisa understood why he had acted violently.

"Come on, Leese," Jackson said, arm around Lisa's waist as he led her into Johnson's office. He glared darkly at Rita's men, who seemingly cowered in his wake. He was a ruthless killer in their eyes.

Johnson looked up from a file upon his desk. "Did you finish the job?" he questioned, even though he already knew the answer.

"Yeah, and by the way, you might want to hire a new secretary. Preferably one who doesn't hold grudges against me," said Jackson, a disgusted look upon his face.

"What did you do now, Rippner?"

"Took care of a problem. Seems that Rita wasn't good at following your orders."

Johnson sighed and asked, "Is this the Reisert girl?"

"Correct," said Jackson with a nod of his head. "Leese, meet my former employer, Johnson."

"Hi," said Lisa, shaking Johnson's hand.

"Ms. Reisert," acknowledged Johnson. "Now, you're sure the job's done?"

"Drew Rosemond is dead as of midnight. I shot him myself," said Lisa, her voice turning cold.

Jackson raised an eyebrow. Lisa was still keeping something from him. She wasn't telling what happened inside that house. If only he could have figured out a way to sneak in with Lisa. She had been clearly disturbed upon exiting the house and seemed to have been drugged. Had Drew attempted to sleep with her, like he had many others? Did Lisa fight him before he could touch her?

"I'm assuming the scene is clean? Nothing to link us to the crime?" Johnson inquired and Jackson nodded. He wasn't stupid enough to leave traces behind.

"Good," said Johnson, leaning back in his chair. "You are both free now."

"We're really free? You'll never send anyone after us again?" Lisa questioned, suspicious. This was almost too good to be true!

"Correct."

"Good-bye then," said Jackson with a curt nod as he steered Lisa towards the door. He didn't want to stay in the office any longer than necessary.

"You know that you can never speak of us!" Johnson called as Jackson opened the door.

"Yes!" Jackson shot back, annoyed, as the door slammed shut behind them.

Lisa and Jackson left the building with a little bounce in their step. They were free. They blinked furiously as their eyes adjusted from the dim lighting to the harsh brightness of freedom.

Jackson Rippner was no longer a manager.

Lisa Reisert was no longer a pawn in an elaborate scheme.

Author's Notes:

Hope everyone likes this chapter! It was annoying to write. And by no means are Lisa and Jackson safe yet. Next chapter coming soon!

Reviewers!

Sarah – Thanks!

Jesika – Thanks!

Coneflower Adams – Thanks! I'm sorry to hear about you being affected by the hurricane.

Laurenmlbc – How could I kill Jackson? I wouldn't be able to live with myself. Joe's feelings about Jackson might change over time—but it could take a while. Thanks!

Dave-The-Laugh's-NewHotness – Thanks!

be11011 – He's dead—at least I think so. Thanks!

LadyJaye – You have a good point. The last bit was rushed, but keep in mind that Lisa was drugged, and she may have imagined things and panicked. Drew did clean her cuts, which were fake ones created by Jackson with make-up. Thanks for the review! It was nice to hear some opinions about it! I didn't like the end of the chapter and it was pain in the ass to write.

The Phantess – Thank you so much!