Chapter Four

Lisa stood frozen at her counter for a moment, after watching him slink out of her front door. Then, unexpectedly, the tears came on. She realized that she was shaking; and she slid down to the floor with the knife still clutched in her hand.

She couldn't move or think clearly; except, that is, about Jackson.

She couldn't stop thinking about what Jackson had said. She knew it would be futile to call the police; Jackson would simply break out of prison blinded by fury and then would kill Michael just to get back at her. He was a walking, talking loaded gun. And worse still, Lisa couldn't understand why she let Jackson do anything to her...why he had any effect on her at all. Obviously, she couldn't fight back that well, being 8 months pregnant, but she could tell him no and mean it. Couldn't she?

All she could think about was Jackson's touch. It was almost warm and feeling, but she knew that it was her stupid romantic side trying to come out. Jackson Rippner was not in love with her. And she was not in love with him. She wanted him physically, but she couldn't take him mentally. And, after all, you can't base a relationship on physicality. It's unhealthy. Still, she couldn't stop the constant nagging thoughts her mind produced. How did Jackson feel? She wondered, was it the same for him as for her…was it obsession…possession…or did he love her? Lisa put her money on the first two. Perhaps this was his own sick form of revenge for what she did to him and for screwing up his assignment. Did he plan on taking the babies from her? I will never let him lay a hand on our children…MY children. He had started to seep into her thoughts. A knock on the door shook her from her ponderings.

"Lisa?" Michael's voice called. Lisa's body became rigid. Had he seen Jackson leaving her house? He appeared in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Lisa, um…are you ok?" Michael motioned to the steak knife still in her hand and the state of her skirt. Her cheeks were quite flustered as well. She smiled calmly and placed the knife back in its place.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was gonna make a salad…but I decided I'd rather go out to eat," she lied.

"Um, ok. Do you want some company?" he asked hopefully. Lisa thought about Jackson's words. He wouldn't kill him in a public place.

"Yeah, sure. How about the Olive Garden?"

"That sounds good to me. I'll drive of course." He had been driving her everywhere since the beginning of her third trimester. For one, she was too big to fit in the driver's seat and secondly, he worried about her operating a vehicle with all the stress she was enduring.

Michael Foster was the portrait of chivalry. He had been met Lisa about a month after the Red Eye flight. He moved in a few houses down from Joe, and had played golf with him a few times. He'd grown quickly on Mr. Reisert who had introduced Michael to his daughter. Michael was a stock broker for one of the biggest insurance companies in Miami. He'd tried to take Lisa out a few times, but it being right after the incident, she was in no state to trust another man. So, he'd settled for her friendship, which turned out to be very satisfying to him. And, when Lisa discovered her pregnancy, he'd only inquired once about the father; to which Lisa told him that it was a drunken one-night stand that she completely regretted. (It was half true, at least.) Michael had been by her side ever since. He helped her around the house, had dinner with her almost every night, and had become her chauffer. He often spent the night, sometimes in bed with Lisa. A few times, early on in the pregnancy, things between them had gotten somewhat physical; but Lisa felt strange about having sex knowing there she was carrying a child - and later children, inside of her, and always stopped the interaction early on. And, she was still a little shaken by contact of that nature; so most nights, it was just cuddling. Michael could respect her decisions, but he secretly hoped things would change after the children were born. Perhaps, if things kept going well between them, Lisa would agree to be his wife someday.

"Ready?" he asked, taking Lisa by the hand.

"Mmm hmm," she replied, smiling her sweet smile at him. He helped her into his Z-5 and they sped off for the restaurant.

Jackson had watched the happy couple pull out from Lisa's drive at 7:30pm.

He couldn't believe how quickly Lisa had defied him. This truly was record time on her part. He'd watched as Michael helped her into his car and driven away. He followed them, keeping a safe distance. Little did Lisa know, earlier when he had been touching her, he'd planted a bug on her shirt, knowing that she would most likely be seeing that idiot later in the day. He wanted to get an idea of just how serious this man's relationship was with the mother of his babies, or if she would mention him at all. He couldn't risk being found out; not with all that was at stake. Part of him had wanted to tell Lisa the other reason he'd shown up at her house, but he figured the sight of him was enough for one occasion. There would be time enough for that later; he just prayed that she didn't say or do anything stupid.

At the restaurant, he parked in the back corner, knowing that he wouldn't be seen though his tinted windows. Jackson leaned back in his seat with his note pad and listened half-heartedly as Lisa and Michael discussed the menu. The subject moved on to that of names, and that piqued his interest.

"I really like Jonathan Michel a lot. Or maybe Joshua Adam."

"You and your 'J' names. Ever thought about the name Ashton?" Jackson scoffed. His son would not have such a pansy name. This guy was a fucking tool.

"Nah. I had a girl friend named Ashton growing up. I just don't see it as a very strong name…sorry."

"Ouch. There's a blow to my masculinity," he sighed in mock sadness.

"If it's any consolation, Michel is the French form Michael. I do like that name a lot."

"Why thank you…"

Jackson could have sworn he heard a kiss. Not being able to see them wasbeginning to drive him crazy. He was going to KILL this guy if he didn't watch himself. Part of him wanted to storm in there and announce that Lisa was his, but he knew that this would only put a wrench in the ultimate plan, and couldn't afford to screw up. Once it was all over, he'd be free to do what he pleased with her and retire. Jackson knew that would be difficult because Lisa was a proud woman, and it would take a lot to get her to trust him. Not that he could blame her. He didn't know completely what he wanted from Lisa.

When he'd first started his assignment, Lisa was just another job to him. But with each passing week, he'd become more intrigued by her. She was so beautiful and yet had had no life to really speak of. Her social life had consisted of Cynthia and her father. He'd wondered what had turned her into "such a loner." When he'd found out that day on the plane, he'd truly wished that he hadn't asked; but, he took care of that man soon enough. They'll never find that good-for-nothing bastard, Jackson thought assuredly to himself. And, if this Michael didn't back off, they would need dental records to identify that boy. Jackson started reading his paper once more, again bored with their conversation which had switched to re-decorating; then decided to go back to Lisa's and wait for her...and maybe pick up a little present on the way.

AN: I'm doing these down here now, cause it looks better. Anyway, I'm actually still writing this story...but it's close to being finished, so I'm trying to pace myself with posting chapters so I don't get caught up to myself. Did that make any sense? I hope so. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for all the wonderful reviews! You all are so SWEET. I do write to make people happy after all.