Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! We're closing in on 200 reviews and I'm sure you all know that nothing would make me happier than to hit that lovely number! Help Breezi out! Okay, I'll stop whining now and let you get on to the story.
Chapter Ten: Shanty in the Woods
Jackson guided the BMW around the curves of the windy road with an exquisite ease that he had acquired over the years. He paid close attention to what was going on behind the car. There was no sign that they were being followed, but that didn't mean that they weren't. It was black outside. Pitch black. It was very possible that there was a car following no more than ten feet behind them with the headlights turned off. It would be tricky for the driver, but not impossible. He had done it himself a few times. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment except keep a look out for any sign of a tail, and if they were in fact back there, pray that they would make some kind of a mistake that he could use for his own benefit. He risked a sideways look at Lisa.
She was slouched down in her seat, knees pulled up to her chest, arms pinned between her thighs and abdomen. She had her forehead resting against the glass of the window as she gazed out of it, chewing absently on her bottom lip. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, but she was too anxious to close her eyes and actually attempt to sleep. They rode in silence with the heater going full blast, and still Lisa shivered. Her nerves were a ball of knots in her stomach that kept trying to leap up into her throat. She just kept waiting for a car to come flying up behind them and slam into their bumper. It felt like it could happen at any second now. The way the day was turning out, she wouldn't have even been surprised. When she had woken up this morning, she had been a politician's fiancée who had just decided that there was no time like the present to move forward with the future. And now, after having learned that that same politician was currently involved in an assassination ploy, in fact he was bankrolling the whole damned thing, she was running in fear for her life, willingly locked in a car with the very same man who had attempted to kill her two years back. If nothing else, life had one sick sense of humor.
Lisa tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and straightened her legs out, wincing at the stiffness in her knees. She sat up and turned in her seat to look at Jackson. His profile was to her, illuminated only by the dim light of the dash. Something about the image struck Lisa as haunting. The utter perfection of his profile in the darkness was both beautiful and melancholy all at the same time. With a shaky breath and only a slight hesitation, she reached over and touched his hair, some part inside of her urging her to be a part of this startling portrait.
The unexpected contact caught Jackson by surprise, and on reflex he caught her wrist in his hand and twisted it down to his side, bending it at an odd angle. The smallest noise of pain rolled from Lisa's throat, and Jackson released her. She pulled away from him, clasping her arm to her chest with a whimper.
"Lisa," Jackson said, trying to swallow the regret that had risen like vile inside of him, "I didn't mean to…"
"I know." Lisa cut him off.
"I'm sor…"
"Don't." She said, interrupting him once more. She knew he was sorry and that he hadn't meant to hurt her; all previous evidence to the contrary. But, if he apologized to her for it, it would be like he was saying he was sorry that he was who he was. Besides, apologizing just wasn't what Jackson Rippner did so she didn't want to hear it. So, she turned so that her entire body was facing him, rested her head against the seat, and offered him a sad smile, just to let him know that it was okay. She didn't really know if he needed that at the moment, in fact she doubted very much that he needed it; but she did know that she needed to give it to him. Then, she let her eyes flutter closed and tried to turn her mind off.
Jackson scolded himself in his head. He had more or less just tried to snap Lisa's wrist, but…she couldn't just do that! He wasn't used to having somebody touch him unless either A: he initiated it, or B: they were trying to kill him. He cast a fleeting look over at her. Maybe she needed physical contact right now. He wasn't accustomed to having somebody with him who needed to be comforted…or caring for that matter. He wasn't altogether certain whether he liked the feeling or not. He licked his lips, held his breath, and then placed a tentative hand on the side of her head. Lisa's eyes opened languorously, so big and pretty. Jackson turned his head to her as his fingers gently stroked the silky tendrils of her hair; he released the air from his lungs and felt some of the tension drain out of his body. The corners of her mouth tipped upward again, and she touched his wrist to hold his hand in place, turned her face and placed a quick soft kiss into the palm of his hand.
The gesture stirred something inside of Jackson. So, he thought silently, that's what affection feels like.
He looked back toward the road and flipped back into Jackson mode. He pulled his hand away from Lisa and put it back on the wheel just in time to turn onto a gravel road that was partially obscured by trees and thick bushes. Jackson didn't even tap the brakes and the car skidded slightly to the side, but he recovered in less than a second. The beamer jostled and jolted as the tires bounced through every single pothole in the road, of which there were many. Lisa's fingers dug into the armrest for dear life as she was tossed about in her seat.
After about fifteen minutes of this plentiful pothole escapade, they finally slid to a halt in front of an old run down cabin. Okay, not really a cabin. More like a shack. And as for 'run down'…a more accurate description was probably condemned.
Lisa looked from window to window of the car, taking in her surroundings. They were in the middle of nowhere, encased by trees on all sides, snow covered the ground and treetops, and there was no sign that any intelligent life had ever been here…other than the miniscule shanty.
"Why are we stopping?" Lisa asked as Jackson opened his door.
Jackson pushed the button underneath the dash that popped the trunk before responding, "Because they don't expect us to."
The door shut again as they exited the car. Lisa remained sitting there for another minute before finally pulling her wits together; she pulled on the handle and pushed her shoulder against the door. Snow covered her shoe as soon as her foot hit the ground, icy liquid immediately soaking through and being absorbed by her cotton socks. She ignored the bitter sting of pain and trudged around to the back of the car where Jackson was digging through to trunk, pulling her shirt closed around her chest to fight off the chill of the wind. Jackson straightened from the trunk and earned himself a smile from her when he draped a heavy fleece blanket over her shoulders, pulling its edges together just under her chin.
"Okay, here's what's going to happen," Jackson said, "you're going to go inside. You're not going to come out no matter what you hear. Agreed?"
"What are you gonna do?" Lisa asked.
"Don't worry about that. Just go inside."
"You're gonna leave me alone?" No. He could not leave her alone. He needed to be within her sight at all times so that she knew he was okay. God, what a ridiculous thought! He was Jackson Rippner, for crying out loud! If there was anyone in the world that would be perfectly fine on their own, it was him.
"You're gonna be fine." Jackson said, "I'll be in in a minute."
Lisa was reluctant to leave him, but she did what he told her to do. The inside of the shack/cabin/shanty/whatever you wanted to call it, wasn't really as bad as she had thought it was going to be. It wasn't large, one room really. There was a kitchen adjoined to a living room and one door leading to what she assumed was a bathroom. Though, from what she had seen of the exterior of the place, it was probably a door leading to an outhouse. That was pretty much everything. The living room contained a large well worn leather couch that had a single pillow at one end and a blanket draped over the back, a coffee table that was littered with stacks of books, and an end table with a desk lamp. That was it. No chairs. No television. No stereo. Just a couch, a blanket, and some books.
Lisa walked over to the couch and sank down into it. She heard a creak and nearly jumped out of her skin. A tree branch brushed against the side of the cabin and she started again. She buried her face in her hands and took three deep breaths. Okay, calm down, she thought. She let her eyes glance over the titles of the well worn, heavily creased books on the table. The Art of War, Utopia, Metamorphosis, and The Iliad were a few among others. Lisa almost rolled her eyes. It figured.
Outside, crouched and quick, Jackson moved with easy stealth through the woods surrounding the safe house. He just needed to check for any tracks which might indicate whether anyone had been snooping around. They shouldn't be, considering nobody even knew about this place's existence. He had little places like this scattered randomly around the country…around the world for that matter. Each purchased through a different means and under a different alias. Untraceable. Always be prepared. He was the ultimate freaking Boy Scout.
The sun was starting to show its head over the horizon. He needed to get back to the house, or more accurately, back to Lisa. Then he came upon something that caused him to falter a step. Just one.
About a hundred yards away from where he currently stood, roughly half a mile away from the shack, was a dark blue Mercedes; empty. It was an abandoned car on his property. An expensive abandoned car on his property. One that was entirely too close to Lisa for his taste.
Stealth went right out the window as Jackson spun around and took off in a dead sprint towards the house, cursing himself under his breath. The bastards had been following them. He had had a feeling in his gut the entire ride up here, but he had convinced himself that it was paranoia and that they would be fine. He knew better than that! Maybe he was paranoid, but damn it all to hell, being paranoid was the very thing that had kept him alive for this long.
Lisa sat curled up in a ball on the soft couch with her head leaned back, watching the sun come up through the window. She wished Jackson could have had at least a stereo. She hated silence. Not to mention, that she never would have taken him for the hermit type. No, he had always struck her as a materialistic kind of guy, what with the expensive suits and fancy Italian shoes. She took another breath and let her eyes flutter closed. Maybe she could at least sleep for a little while. She doubted it, but it was worth a go.
About five minutes later, Lisa heard the door open and opened her eyes, a slow sweet smile spreading across her mouth. She moved to turn around. "I was beginning to worry."
The smile left her face and she sprang to her feet.
"Miss Lisa." Jack said, his eyes scanning the room.
The blanket slipped from her shoulders and she slowly stepped backwards, putting a little more room, not to mention the sofa, between them. Jake took two more cautious steps into the house.
"I think you should come with me now, Miss Lisa." Jake said.
Lisa sidestepped. "Forgive me if I don't agree."
Then, Jake smiled. Lisa didn't think she had ever seen him smile before. It was not a very pleasant sight. He came at her. Lisa made for the door, but Jake got a hand on her and she stumbled. He came at her again, and she pulled the gun from her waistband and pointed it at him. Her hands were trembling as she pulled the trigger.
A loud click came from the gun, but other than that nothing happened. Lisa looked at it in confusion and pulled the trigger again. Another click. Jake laughed as he ripped it from her hands and threw it out the open window. He then grabbed Lisa by the shoulders and slammed her against the wall three times. More bashing against the wall. Were men always so repetitive? Imagination, boys, come on!
"Helps if you take the safety off, dear." He said, "Now, Miss Lisa, I want you to come wi…" his voice trailed off as his gaze traveled once again over to the window. When the hell had it opened?
Across the room, the very distinct sound of a gun hammer cocking back drew his attention. Jake looked over and found himself staring at the business end of a handgun held by Jackson Rippner. He quickly jerked Lisa away from the wall and held her in front of him like a shield. Jackson knew that he probably should have just shot him instead of cocking the gun, considering the fact that it was a semi-automatic and didn't actually require cocking. But, here's the thing…guns were great from intimidation purposes, but in Jackson's hands…he was just as likely to hit Lisa as he was to hit Jake.
"Hello Rippner." Jake said.
"Hi, Jake."
"You are a pretty one, aren't you?"
Jackson smirked, "It's been said a time or two."
"Word is you're one freaky bastard. A real terror."
"Been said, too."
"You don't look all that scary to me."
"You've never seen me before my morning coffee."
"It's just that, you're kind of small. Almost delicate."
"Wait, was that supposed to be an insult or a come on?"
Jake snarled at him. Here he was, doing his damnedest to be intimidating and the only thing he was getting from Jackson was that smug shit eater's grin. "You wanna know what you can do with that smart mouth, pretty boy?"
"Okay, now I know you're hitting on me."
Lisa could have laughed had it not been for her current position in Jake's hands. Jake's face flushed and the tips of his ears turned bright red as he glared at Jackson.
Jackson quirked one eyebrow and winked at Lisa. Lisa wet her lips as best she could considering that her mouth had gone completely dry. She made eye contact with Jackson, giving him a helpless look just before she went totally slack in Jake's arms. Jake, who was unprepared for sudden deadweight, had two options. He could either let her go, or go down with her. He chose the former, letting Lisa slip through his hands to the floor. Jackson rushed forward until Lisa was at his feet; Jake shuffled backwards in a countermove, groping for his own gun. Jackson took a long legged step over Lisa, positioning himself protectively in front of her and giving her the chance to get to her feet. Once she was standing up, she remained behind him, one hand twisted into the fabric at the back of his jacket.
"How you doin', Leese?" Jackson asked.
"Oh, I'm great." She replied dryly.
"Outstanding." Jackson said as he sidestepped. Lisa moved in perfect synchronization as he knew she would and Jake countered his steps as he had known he would; almost as though the three of them were locked in a well choreographed dance. While keeping Jake occupied with their little Mexican standoff, he was also maneuvering Lisa closer to the door so she could run. Once he was confident that he had Jake trapped on the other side of the room, he instructed. "Lisa, get out of here."
"No, Miss Lisa, stay right where you are." Jake commanded.
Lisa would rather have listened to Jake at the moment, really. She was more apt to stay with Jackson than to run off on her own. But at the same time she knew that Jackson wouldn't be able to take care of business if he was worried about taking care of her. So, even though he couldn't feel it, she squeezed the material of his jacket between her fingers for reassurance, for herself not for him, and then lunged through the door. Once Lisa was outside, the smile broadened on Jackson's face.
Lisa hurled herself through the snow toward Jackson's car, grabbing the door handle and tugging. It didn't even budge. She tried two more times. Nothing. It was locked. Then, she spotted the keys dangling from the ignition and slapped her palm against the window, cursing under her breath. What the hell was she supposed to do now? She spun around with every intention of running off into the forest, but fell back against the car in mid-step.
"Hello, Angel." Daniel said, standing no more than three feet away.
POP!
Lisa and Daniel both turned their heads in the direction that the gunshot had come from. Lisa stopped breathing. Her stomach dropped out of her and her heart jumped up into her throat. She stared at the open door of the cabin, anticipation and adrenaline both rushing through her veins like a forest fire in a dry wind. The silhouette of a man appeared in the lit doorway and Lisa's throat completely constricted. The figure was far too bulky to be Jackson. It was Jake.
Daniel turned back to Lisa with a sickening smile twisted on the features that she had once thought to be so handsome. Now what? The question blazed through her turbulent thoughts. What was Daniel going to do with her? Would he try to convince her that it was all for the best? Would he drag her back to the hotel and try to explain why he had done what he had done? The leering smile on his face and morbid twinkle of delight in his eyes told her no. He was going to kill her. He was going to kill her and frame the whole thing on Jackson. Then, he would be the bereaved politician who had lost his beautiful young fiancée at the hands of a psycho killer and oh just think about all those sympathy votes.
A shudder ran through her that went all the way down to her bones; one that had nothing to do with the cold. Her attention once again drifted over Daniel's shoulder to where Jake still stood in the doorway. He took a step, stumbled, and then fell gracelessly into the snow. Lisa became physically aware of the moment that her lungs expanded; because it was the same moment that Jackson's smaller lanky form came barreling out of the cabin toward her and Daniel. She slid to the side out of the way, slamming her hip painfully into the side mirror, just as Jackson nailed Daniel in the back right between the shoulder blades and knocked him face first into the side of the car. Daniel bounced off the car and hit the ground. Jackson stepped up over him and aimed the barrel of the gun down at his head. Lisa looked away; unable to bring herself to watch Daniel's head explode.
Daniel was up to his forearms in snow, but his hand managed to close around an old, very thin piece of firewood. With the first swing, he knocked the gun out of Jackson's hand. Jackson cried out and drew Lisa's gaze back just in time to witness the second blow take his legs out from under him. Jackson's back hit the car before he hit the ground, which stunned him long enough that Daniel started to make for the gun. Jackson snapped himself out of it and leapt onto Daniel's back. Daniel reached behind him and grabbed Jackson by the back of the hair and jerked him to the side. Jackson managed to catch hold of Daniel's neck though and two men ended up rolling through the snow, even further from the gun.
Lisa felt like she must have been just standing there staring at them fighting for forever before bringing herself back into reality and going for the gun. She dropped to her knees in the area that she had seen it land and began digging through the snow. But, her fingers had gone numb and stiff from the cold and were more or less useless as they fumbled over the frozen ground, rapidly losing what was left of their sense of touch. Yes! Her mind bellowed as her aching hand closed around the cold metal. But as soon as she touched it, she was knocked onto the flat of her back with a heavy weight on top of her. Jake.
Jackson had managed to maneuver his way on top of Daniel, straddling the man's waist with his legs while holding his head to the ground with one hand to his chin. His free hand went to his back and pulled out his ever trusty K-bar. However, Daniel caught his wrist before he managed to stab him, while with his other hand he was trying to pry Jackson's hand away from his face. It had basically become no more than a challenge of who could outdo the other with pure brute strength. Jackson risked a glance upward. Bad move. He spotted Lisa struggling against Jake and looked up again, this time with more attention.
"Lisa!" he called.
Daniel, of course, used the distraction to punch Jackson in the ribs. The blow knocked him enough off balance that Daniel was able to shove him off of himself, rolling onto the top position as he did so.
Lisa used both of her hands to push up on Jake's face and kicked her legs beneath him as he was trying to get a hold on her arms while using nothing more than the enormous weight of his body to keep her on the ground. Fighting against him felt familiar. Okay, he was a little heavier, but her mind floated back to when Jackson had had her pinned beneath the car in the garage. She stopped kicking her legs, took as deep a breath as she could with the great behemoth lying on top of her, and focused all of her strength into the punch that she delivered solidly into his jugular.
Jackson swung his knife hand up toward Daniel's throat, but Daniel caught his arm and, I kid you not, bit him on the wrist. Jackson howled and dropped the knife. That asshole had really just bitten him! But as one hand released the weapon, the other hand came up and cold cocked Daniel in the side of the head. Daniel fell off of Jackson, who sprang to his knees and then rose to his feet. Daniel also climbed to his feet. The two men circled each other like lions for a moment, both soaked through and freezing, and neither of them caring. Then, Daniel charged Jackson, catching him at the waist with his shoulder football style and they both somersaulted once again to the ground.
Jake stopped groping for Lisa's arms, bracing himself on the ground with one hand and clutching at his neck with the other. A strangled gurgling sound retched from his throat as Lisa wiggled out from underneath him. She dragged herself through the snow on all fours, once again searching for the gun that she had lost. She glanced over her shoulder at the same time her hand found the grip of the gun, just as Jake had begun scrambling toward her on his hands and knees. He raised himself to his knees and without thinking about exactly what it was that she was doing, Lisa pointed to gun at him and pulled the trigger three times.
The three loud gunshots drew the attention of both Jackson and Daniel, who looked over just in time to watch Jake touch a hand to the bullet holes in his chest before his body slumped lifelessly into the now crimson snow. Daniel was on top of Jackson, and Jackson took the moment to shove him away. But, neither man resumed fighting. They were both staring at Lisa, who appeared to be in shock.
Lisa sat there, wide eyed, mouth agape, and entire body trembling. Her hand still aiming the gun at the space that Jake had occupied a mere moment ago. She had just killed a man. Intentionally. She had never counted the man outside of her father's house, because she had managed to convince herself that she hadn't really meant to kill him, therefore it wasn't murder. But, now she had actually just shot and killed another human being. She wanted to cry, but a voice inside of her head told her that she was not quite done fighting just yet. Fight or flight instincts kicked back in and Lisa had always been a fighter. She pushed herself to her feet, pulled herself together, and turned. She pointed the gun at Daniel, who, with a grunt of effort, pushed himself to his feet. Jackson followed suit, standing up while struggling to return his erratic breathing to a normal pace.
Daniel stood doubled over, bracing his hands on his knees and panting heavily like a dog. He let out a little humorless chuckle and then he spoke. "You know, to tell you the truth, Rippner, I'm a little disappointed." He said, "Everyone said that you were the man to call; the best. They told me that you were expensive, but worth every penny. Always finishes the job. Well, except for that once. But, I understand. I mean, when you come across a perfect little strawberry like Lisa, hell, you have to jump at that chance. Any man would."
Strawberry? Lisa thought, Peaches? Cupcake? What exactly was it with men and calling women food? Do they really think that we like it when they do that? Do they think that we find it cute? We don't!
"But, Lisa, honey, I'm going to be honest with you, now." Daniel went on, "At first, yes, this was all about damage control. But, then, it turned into concern for your safety and well being. I saw what he did to that girl that he was working with and I don't want that to happen to you."
"What?" Jackson exclaimed.
Lisa's mouth all of the sudden went even drier than it had already been and her knees felt like they were going to fail her. Somehow, all at one time, the world had dropped completely out from under her feet. The horrific image of Neela's barely recognizable body blared in front of her eyes and she tried desperately to blink it away again. Her eyes; cold and lifeless, her once pretty face forever frozen in a look that only comes from severe fear and torment. So much blood. She had thought that she had it figured out; thought that she had known.
"Lisa…" Jackson started, taking a step toward her.
She jerked the gun in his direction. "Stop!" she commanded.
Jackson obeyed, his hands spread out wide to his sides in surrender. She stood there, melted snow dripping from her hair and face, large drops rolling off of her quivering chin. Her eyes flittering back and forth between the two men as her mind tried to choose between them. Eventually, she found herself gazing into space, looking at neither of them, but she still had the gun fixed so that it could swing in either direction in less than a second.
"Lisa, look at me." Jackson said, his voice gentle yet firm. It was an order, not a question.
No, no, no, Lisa thought. This was not happening. This could not be happening.
"He's been planning this all along, honey." Daniel said.
"Lisa, you know that's not true." Jackson said, maintaining the soft, melodic tone of voice. Calm. Commanding. In control.
"He wants revenge, angel!" Daniel countered. His voice was more urgent than Jackson's; more anxious. "He's been after you for the past two years!"
"Please, look at me, Leese." It wasn't a command anymore. It was more like he was pleading with her. Slowly, Lisa raised her gaze to meet his. "You know I didn't do it, Leese."
"What in the hell would make her think that?" Daniel cried, drawing Lisa's eyes back to himself, "Lisa, you've seen how ruthless he is! How brutal!"
It was true. She had witnesses first hand how Jackson could kill without even the slightest bit of emotion; not even a tinge of remorse. Hell, once upon a time, she had even been on the receiving end of that wrath. Her mind brought up flashes of that day, unbidden to her memory. The ease with which he had wielded that knife; the mayhem she had seen rampant in his face. She had no doubt of what would have happened to her had he gotten his hands on her back then. She and poor Neela would have had a lot more in common. Slowly, she returned her eyes once more to Jackson. She had seen those eyes, which were at the moment looking at her with a silent beseeching, go from dancing with amusement to fiery hatred to cold and dead and merciless. He was a chameleon who could manipulate you into believing whatever it was that he wanted you to believe. He would say or do whatever it took to get the outcome that he wanted.
Lisa looked at Jackson now over the barrel of the gun, made a decision, took a breath, and squeezed the trigger.
Author's Note: Hey, kids! Well, as all the crazies out there say, the end is near! So, don't forget to let me know what you think!