Always Look Forward
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!
Chapter Two
Jackson had been on high alert for almost a week. A threat had been mailed to him—one which he had refused the heed the warning of—and he stepped up the security measures while Lisa worked, as a precaution. He wanted to tell her, but was afraid of how worried she would be because of the twins. When they had problems with threats previously, they had never had to worry about two young kids. Henrietta and JR were not to be exposed to the same amount of danger and running that had consumed Jackson and Lisa's lives for so long.
The Rippners would not back down and run unless they absolutely had no other choice.
It was on a hunch that Jackson had hidden with JR that evening. He knew how Lisa would react when she came home and he needed her to react that way. Lisa had no qualms with carrying or using a gun—even around the kids. Anyone who was perceived as a threat would be shot on the spot by Lisa, who would do almost anything to protect her family. She was extremely vicious when it came to protecting her kids. Lisa would have attacked and shot him, when he spooked her.
He knew better than to sneak up behind Lisa, yet he did it anyways. Some small part of him enjoyed the fear that he could feel prickling up and down her spine and rushing through her veins when he grabbed her. It was almost worth having her hurt him. But Jackson was too quick for that. He told her that it was him, and she immediately relaxed and stopped trying to sense his weak points that would allow her to attack. Lisa was determined to never be a victim again.
Jackson loved his feisty Lisa.
The two explosions confirmed his hunch. There was someone or a group of people, trying to break through his defenses, thereby detonating the tiny warning bombs. That meant he only had a few minutes to get his family out of their house and to safety. But where could they go? Lisa did not know about the safe houses he had set up and everyone who tried to kill them knew about Joe's house and would look there first for the fleeing Rippners.
There was no time to waste though. They had to get out of the house before the final security system set itself off.
That's why he convinced the kids it was a game. Whatever helped Lisa get them out of there and hopefully to safety was fine with him. He would take it from there with the intruders. He followed them from the closet, and drew his KA-BAR.
He watched Lisa lead the twins to safety when he heard the tell-tale sound of intruders searching for them. He slipped against a wall and waited for the best moment to strike. Once the two men in suits passed his hiding spot, Jackson jabbed the closest man in the back with the blade before withdrawing it to slice the other man's throat. He double-checked that both men were dead before the sound of a loud click filled his ears.
Someone had set off the timer to the main security bomb.
Jackson ran for the nearest exit and escaped the house just as the explosion occurred. The blast threw him away from the house and into a bush, before he cracked his head on the hard ground and passed out. As long as Lisa, Henrietta, and JR made it away; it did not matter what happened to him.
Lisa continued her futile search through the rubble. She passed two dead bodies, but neither of them was Jackson. It was hard to believe that their beautiful home was destroyed. Where were they going to live now?
A moan caught her attention and she headed towards the dust-covered body lying in the remains of the entrance hall. The gun shook ever so slightly in her hands as she examined the body.
"Jackson?" she asked quietly, noting a resemblance between the person on the floor and her missing husband.
Lisa knelt down beside the injured man and turned his face towards her enough to get a good look at him. Her hopeful face fell and she backed up a long ways before firing a single round into the man's head. The man had not been Jackson, but another killer.
"Mrs. Rippner, what a pleasant surprise," said a loud, booming voice from behind, causing her to jump.
"Get away from me!" she screamed at the businessman wearing a fresh, expensive suit stepped towards her, the blade in his hand reflecting the remnants of sun. She could tell that he had not been in the blast by looking at the state of his clothes.
"Nice shot," said the man, still advancing, as he pretended to admire her shot.
"What is it that you want?"
"Asking for a job with Rippner's help is pointless, so how about you? You come and help me carry out some hits and I'll let your kids go. If you behave, you might even be allowed to visit them. Sound good?"
"No," growled Lisa. "I will never work for anyone. I will never leave my family!"
"But you already have. You left them to chase your husband, who's conveniently managed to vanish. You don't have a family unless you come with me."
"Jackson!" cried Lisa in desperation. "Jackson! Henrietta! JR!"
"They're not going to respond, Mrs. Rippner," said the man with a sinister smile. "Come with me and you get a chance to save them."
Lisa was starting to cry. She did not want to believe this man. JR and Henrietta still thought that they were playing hide-and-seek with their daddy. They were not being held hostage somewhere as leverage. Jackson had escaped the house and he would come for them. She had to stay strong to save her family.
"No, I don't," she stated firmly as she pulled the trigger several times in quick succession.
She watched the body fall to the ground beside the man who she had shot earlier. Satisfied that they were both no longer threats to her safety, Lisa continued on. Everything was dusty and the air was thick and it was hard to breathe.
"I think the security system worked," joked Jackson, bitterly and with a slight rasp.
"Jackson!" Lisa turned around and enveloped him in a hug. Jackson kissed her passionately for a moment, as a way of expressing his relief at her being alive.
"You okay, Leese?" he asked after breaking the kiss, holding her chin in his hand.
"Yes, but I don't know about the twins. A man—he threatened me…" Lisa sobbed into his jacket, her tears washing some of the dust away as he pulled her close.
"It's okay," soothed Jackson, rubbing her back. "Where did you take them? Across the street?"
"Yes," was her muffled reply.
"Well then, let's go look for them," Jackson whispered, steering her towards the street. "We'll take the car."
Jackson's silver BMW was covered in dust, but psychically unharmed from the explosion. He opened the passenger door for Lisa before heading around to the other side. The car started and Jackson expertly spun it around and pulled in Joe's driveway.
"I'll get them. You stay here with the doors locked," ordered Jackson, his tone semi-businesslike.
Jack was starting to reappear. Lisa could tell just by looking at him and by his voice. He was starting to slip.
Lisa nodded in understandment, and watched him enter the house. He returned a few minutes later, JR and Henrietta in tow and a worried Joe on his heels. The dark-haired trip clamored into the car, as Lisa spoke to Joe through the rolled-down window. She was too tired to get out of the car and did not want to bring Jack out of Jackson in front of everyone.
It was only a matter of time before Jack struck again.
And she would be damned if she let it happen around her kids.
Author's Notes:
The beginning of the chapter back-tracks to see Jackson's side before moving on where it left off. Sorry if it is confusing. The next chapter should be up soon! Enjoy!