Hi all! I'm not sure if I'm supposed to put my comments in the same text box as my chapters but...I'm doing it anyway. Thank you to my reviewers! Blushing sigh: I didn't mean to disable the anonymous review option. I didn't even know it was disabled...haha. But, I changed it. Thanks for letting me know. I was worried about the characters being OOC, especially because I hadn't seen the movie in awhile when I started writing (Although I did get to see it at a cheap theater last night, which was awesome.) Reading all of th fanfics has softened the characters in my mind. I'll try to be better about keeping them in character. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them. :)

Chapter Two

When Lisa reopened her eyes, she was surprised to find it was mid-morning. Memories from the night before came flooding back to her as she surfaced from a deep sleep.

"Someone must've been tired."

Lisa sleepily turned to her companion. "Mm," she mumbled. She was sore from the uncomfortable position and she wanted a shower badly. "Where are we?"

"We just left Birmingham," he replied. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head, although immediately afterward wondered why she had said no. She was starving.

"Well, we can stop later if you want."

"Aren't you tired?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I'm ok."

"I can drive for awhile if you want."

He smirked. "I'll pass."

"You don't trust me," she realized. She supposed she didn't blame him.

He looked at her briefly. She flinched a little in surprise as his fingers suddenly grazed her cheek. She immediately tensed up. He sensed it and quickly brought his hand away.

"You surprised me, is all," she said quietly, referring to her start at the touch of his hand.

"I don't blame you," he said flatly, with a little shrug. "If someone had tried to kill me and someone close to me, I probably wouldn't want him to touch me either."

A few moments later, they heard the sound of Jackson's cell phone vibrating. He picked it up. "Yeah?" Jackson listened, his face growing darker. "Fine. There's not much we can do now, is there?" He hung up the phone, angrily throwing it to the floor of the car.

Lisa knew it was better not to bother him, but asked boldly, "What's going on?"

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "We just have to go to another location once we get to St. Louis. But we either go there or you get stuck with some other men from my company, which is not going to happen," he said. "This other location will be a good deal more dangerous, and we will have no protection. And if my company fails their little job…well, we'll cross the bridge when we get there. But it may involve a good deal of running." He looked at her with a sarcastic squint of his eyes.

Lisa swallowed but nodded. "Where…where are we going?"

"In St. Louis, we will take a private jet to a place forty miles south of Sacramento, California." He accelerated and changed lanes. "I have instructed our place to be nothing but the best."

Lisa nodded again, and soon they entered the outskirts of St. Louis and he was exiting. He stopped in front of an old warehouse and led her inside and up some stairs to an office, but before going in he quickly ushered her into a darkened side hallway. He forcefully pushed her back into the wall, and she whimpered slightly.

"Do not say a word in there," he warned, his eyes flashing darkly as he gestured towards the office. "Do you understand me, Lisa?"

She was taken off guard by his sudden change in demeanor. She struggled to be confident in her reply, but her voice trembled slightly. "Yes."

He started to back away but then came close to her again, this time with a strange softness. He placed his hand on her cheek and smiled very slightly, allowing the hint of fondness to shine only slightly through his angular features and potent gaze. Just as soon as the brush of affection began, it was over, and he led her back to the office and opened the door, where two men sat at desks.

They both looked up; one went back to his work, no expression on his face. The other asked, smirking at Lisa and eyeing her, "Is this the girl?"

Lisa felt Jackson's hand slip to her back and he stepped slightly in front of her. "Yes," he answered. "When will the plane be ready?"

"Six in the morning," the man said, walking around the desk he'd been sitting at to Jackson and Lisa. She leaned discreetly into Jackson and his arm tightened around her. The man handed Jackson a folder, then turned to Lisa and put two fingers under her chin, lifting her face and inspecting it. His hand dropped, lightly but deliberately brushing Lisa's breast as it fell to his side. Lisa stepped back, this time not caring about how obvious her movement was. The man laughed but was quickly silenced by a look of pure venom from Jackson. Jackson turned, practically dragging Lisa out of the office, and closed the door behind them. He half-shoved Lisa down the stairs with him, holding her so firmly to him that she stumbled. "Let go of me," she snapped as he ushered her out of the warehouse, struggling against his iron grasp. "What the hell-"

He suddenly slapped her and the harsh sting brought tears to her eyes. She felt anger rushing to her reddened face, but he kept walking. She took the opportunity to slip away from him and took off. She didn't know where she was going, but all she knew was that she had to get away, fast. She heard him curse after her as she ran in the direction of the main road. If she could get someone to see her, to help her-

He tackled her from behind, forcing her into the harsh gravel. She struggled against his grip and managed to shove her knee into his stomach, but he barely seemed to notice and simply pressed her legs down with his own. "I was wondering why you weren't putting up more of a fight," he growled. He straddled her and turned her around, grabbing her hands. He jerked her arms back and she cried out in pain. She felt a tight rope slip wrap around her wrists. When he was finished, he pulled her up from the ground, gripping her arm hard enough to bruise it.

He shoved her into the car and closed her door before walking around to get into the driver's side. With a squeal of the tires on the driveway; they skidded back onto the main road.

The rush of emotion from the events of the past few minutes caught up quickly with Lisa. She felt a low desperateness swell deep within her, and wondered vaguely how she had survived this long without breaking down. She was far from home with a dangerous man and with the uncertainty of whether or not she'd even be alive the next day. In a few moments she had been reminded her captor was still far from a comfort, and yet, he was all she had. Anxiety surged through her as tears streamed down her cheeks. There was nowhere to run. There was nothing.

Jackson realized she was crying and his voice, low and mocking, spoke to her. "Sorry Leese, but you'll have to pull it together and get over it."

Gasping for air from her sudden shortness of breath and from her throat tightened from crying, she could not reply. She buried her face in her hands. Soon afterwards she felt the car lurch to a halt, and Jackson cut off the engine.

"Time to go, Leese."

She lowered her hands from her face and Jackson caught site of her, and once again his character seemed to reverse. She looked completely miserable, with red, swollen eyes and her face blotchy and tear-soaked. Her shirt was caked with mud from where she had fallen. Jackson went around to the other side of the car and when he helped her out, he wasn't as harsh. He placed a hand on her back in an almost comforting manner and led her to what appeared to be a small, private airport.

Dusk was falling, and the two-story building seemed empty. Jackson pulled a key from the envelope and held the door open for her; they stepped inside. The building was dark; it seemed nothing more than another old warehouse. She wondered how he even knew where he was going. He led her up some stairs and produced another key from the envelope. He unlocked the door and swung it open, and turned on a small light just inside the doorway. They stepped inside, and he closed and locked the door behind them.

The room was decorated just like any other ordinary hotel room, with two beds, a small table, and a television. Lisa stood near the door, unsure of what to do with herself. He disappeared into a small hallway, and when came out he turned his attention to her. "I will untie you," he said, walking up to her, "But if you so much as look like you're thinking of trying something funny, I will tie your arms and your legs."

Lisa sighed miserably and turned so he could untie them.

"There's a shower through there," he said, nodding to a small hallway. "You may take one if you wish."

Lisa gladly accepted and took her things into the bathroom. It was small, but clean. She observed quickly that anything that might serve as a weapon had been stripped from the room. Even the towel rod was gone. She took a long shower, letting the warm water calm her aching muscles and her shot nerves. She dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and brushed her teeth before walking back out to him.

He was lying on one of the beds, reading a book, when he looked up at her. He set it down and stood up to meet her.

"Leese," he murmured, approaching her and taking her arms in his hands. "I hope I can trust you to not do anything stupid while I'm sleeping. I promise you it will create tons more trouble for you if you either run away or hurt me, because then you will be taken care of by someone not nearly as nice as me." He smirked slightly. His tone was calmer now, and he seemed tired.

"I won't do anything," she said, and she meant it. It was no use fighting him, and besides the fact he had basically kidnapped her, she had no reason to fight him. He didn't seem to want to hurt her; if he was telling the truth, the only reason she was with him was for her own protection. But still, why would he be concerned with protecting her? She had almost killed him. The question almost frightened her.

The light suddenly cut out, and Lisa heard the sheets on the bed beside her rustling. "Go to sleep, Leese," he mumbled. "We have an early morning tomorrow."

Lisa did as she was told, but the black pressing down around her felt suffocating. Anxiety gripped her, and she wondered vaguely how she'd ever get through the night. Her mind drifted to Jackson, just as it did almost every night as she drifted off to sleep, regardless of whether or not she was near him. Her mind replayed the events of the red eye, and to the airport in Dallas. She couldn't help but wish for that man back, the man she'd met at the airport, but she knew she never would. Even if there were something behind Jackson's possible concern for her, she'd never be able to see him as simply funny or kind. She'd never be able to feel anything for him without the added feelings of guilt and even disgust to make everything more complex. And yet, just like those months after the red eye, she could not make her fear and disgust of him the only thing she felt when she thought of him. Despite how she wanted to feel about him, the mere fact that she was unlike anything she'd ever known intrigued her. She sighed, and struggled to clear her mind. Gradually, she drifted off to sleep.