On Your Mind

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

Chapter Fourteen

Lisa heard the front door open and shut and Jackson's voice in the hallway from her position upstairs with Abby. It was if he were deliberately trying to be loud and heard. She even heard the car start and drive off. Finally, the dreaded footsteps sounded on the stairs.

It was growing late and she was soon to be trapped in the bedroom with Jackson. They would be sharing a bed that night and every night following it until one of them died. She would only be fooling herself to think otherwise.

"Leese," he was calling; his sickly sweet voice carrying to her and sending chills up and down her spine.

"Coming," she responded dully, kissing Abby softly on the forehead before handing the sleeping infant over to Norma. Her daughter was precious and it was for her that she stayed. She did not deserve to face Jackson alone.

She quietly followed him with her eyes trained on the floor. She knew very well what was coming and she was dreading the moment. Lisa knew that it was beyond her control and that fighting back was no longer an option. Jackson would only punish her for refusing him and it would serve no purpose except to irritate him.

It was no longer worth it. There was no sense in prolonging the inevitable.

She watched him lock the door and drape his jacket on the chair at her vanity table. He was undoing his tie and looking at her expectantly. She sat down on the end of the bed and undid the straps of her shoes and then removed the pins from her hair. She was undoing her jewelry as he removed his shoes.

Suddenly he was at her side and carefully unzipping her dress with a slow precision. There was no rush in his movements. Every motion was deliberate and planned.

The anticipation was gnawing at her insides and churning her stomach. Lisa did not want this, but she was helpless, trapped by his hands.

Soft kisses on her skin paralyzed her. She felt like an outsider staring at her body. It did not seem real to her. Her dress was gone as was his button-down shirt. He was straddling her hips and forcing her back into the mattress.

Lisa bit back the painful memories and forced back the tears. She knew that her body was trembling, but Jackson did not seem to notice. He kept on going. There was no stopping him. He would never stop.

Only Philippe could stop him, but he has forgotten about me. Maybe he was working for Jackson. Maybe I have no allies in this world. Jackson can get to me no matter where I run. It is useless to try to leave. He will always find me.

"Good girl," he whispered. "That's right, relax. I won't hurt you…"

You already have…

The next thing she knew, he was inside her. She lay still on the bed and gave in to his demands. She did nothing unless he told her. She was obedient. There was no spunk. The light in her eyes had gone out, along with her fighting spirit.

Lisa Reisert was dead and gone. There was only Lisa Rippner, Jackson's perfect wife, now. There were no emotions, no memories, and no pain. Nothing. Only emptiness and heartache remained.

He had broken her; destroyed her forever. There was no coming back now.

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When the morning came, Jackson was lying beside her, stroking her hair and untangling the curls. He had a possessive hold upon her still, even though she would never try to run. She had no desire to run from him. Everything inside her cried out that it was futile. She would never escape.

She had given in; crumbled.

Lisa was utterly submissive to Jackson's dominance.

Nothing that he could do would change her. She could feel that he knew that. That was what he had wanted from the beginning. Now he had won.

"Good morning," he said cheerfully with a wide smile.

She felt his lips caress hers, but she did not kiss him back. Every sign of affection was entirely one-sided. Everything came from Jackson, and never from her. She did not love him. She could tolerate him because her survival and the survival of Abby depended upon his mood and generosity.

"Hello," she replied stiffly.

"Sleep well?"

She nodded.

"Good."

The self-satisfied look was thoroughly in place. The caring side that he had shown her all night was rapidly disappearing. His patience was fading away quickly. He would hurt her soon. Her body was already beginning to tense in anticipation of the blows she felt sure would come.

"Lisa, relax. I won't hurt you unless you misbehave. I promise."

He forcibly unclenched her fists and then grasped her chin.

" Jackson…"

"Ssh, don't speak," he ordered. "Just listen to me. I have a present for you. A special present…"

A sadistic smirk crossed his face and she shook. Something was wrong with this. Jackson had some terrible surprise hidden up his sleeve. She could feel it.

"What is it?" Lisa questioned.

"Get dressed and I'll show you."

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Jackson had to support her the complete way down the stairs and into his study. He locked the door behind them, which seemed strange, especially when he used a key that he later slipped into his pants pocket. Lisa just quietly observed him from the chair he had seated her in.

He walked over to a bookshelf and did something with his hands that caused the shelf to swing into the room and revealed a hidden room. The room was dark and Lisa could vaguely make out a figure. She watched Jackson enter the hiding space and drag out the person. The man, she assumed, tried to fight the manager. Jackson just gave him a swift kick to the abdomen to cease the fighting and kept on dragging him into the light.

She peered on the edge of her chair, trying to spot his face. When Jackson stepped back, she gasped.

"Philippe," she whimpered before sinking back down into her seat. "No, no…"

"Yes, Leese," sneered Jackson, leaning into her ear. "It's your precious Philippe. He threatened to go against me, even though he was working for me. He was going to make sure that someone came to take you away from me. He wanted to hurt you and I can't allow that to happen."

"No, he's a good man…" she softly protested.

"He's a traitor. He went against me—against you. Now, he has to pay the price—"

"No, don't. Don't kill him! He has nothing to do with us!"

"Lisa, Philippe is going to die. His death is my gift to you. No one will ever hurt you while you are with me. And you are going to watch."

"No! No!" Lisa cried out, trying to lurch out of her chair. Jackson's strong hands grabbed her and he leered over her.

"You will stay in this chair during the entire procedure with your eyes open. I will tape them open if I need to and secure you to the chair. I'd rather not ruin the chair, but it's that or I'll kill Abby as well."

Lisa sobbed openly but obeyed. There was nothing that she could do. Philippe was going to die and she would have to watch. She had failed to save him and he had failed to save her.

Author's Notes:

This chapter was annoying to write. There's only one more chapter to write and it will be the fight between Lisa and Jackson, with Philippe on the side. Just curious, but how many people think Jackson should die versus Jackson should get the crap kicked out of him and end up in jail/mental facility? Thanks for all the reviews!