Chapter Seven

(NOTE: The next chapter is alternating between Lisa and Jackson's points of view. A lot. Just so you don't get confused...)

What the hell just happened?

That was all Jackson could think about as he sped the car after the van that had just taken Lisa. He had seen the man sneak up behind Lisa, but hadn't seen his face, because he was wearing a mask. His voice had definitely been distorted. But then Lisa had hit him and run for it, and Jackson couldn't see anything. Next thing he saw, the man was dragging Lisa down the alley and put her into the van nearby. She hadn't been moving, so Jackson assumed that she had been unconscious.

The man hadn't seen him, which was a good thing, but he had definitely noticed him following the van. It explained why the van was taking so many twists and turns. After a while, the van started on a normal course. So they thought they had lost him. Not a chance in the world. Jackson stayed a fair distance away from the van. He couldn't risk them seeing him again. The van made a left when he was about twelve feet away. He was about to make the same turn when he saw that they had pulled into a driveway.

Reluctantly, Jackson parked the car across the street. He would have to watch from a distance for now.

Lisa woke with an awful taste in her mouth. Groaning, she tried to push herself up, only to find that her hands were tied. She looked around her. She was in what appeared to be a hostel, judging by the number of beds in the room. There were about seven or eight, all unoccupied. Except for the one she was in. Hers was right next to the door.

She looked around, trying to find something useful. She looked above her. Her purse was hanging from a hook. She unsuccessfully tried to sit up and get it, but for some reason, her legs wouldn't work. It was as if they were paralyzed. Lisa slumped against the bedpost, frustrated.

Suddenly she heard angry voices and people walking down the hall. She strained to hear.

"...was stupid and unnecessary. You could have waited until you were sure no one was around."

"Don't sweat it. I lost the guy about halfway here."

"Don't ever take that risk again. It would have completely ruined everything..."

The voices faded as the people walked farther away from the door. Lisa felt like banging her head against something. What had they been talking about? Whoever had taken her was planning something. But what? What was the significance of taking her as well?

The voices were coming back, but this time they stopped right in front of the door.

"...completely irresponsible. He's waiting right across the street! 'You lost him' my ass."

"I'm sorry, Bentley, but I was positive we shook him off near 5th."

"Well, obviously you weren't sure, because he's out there right now! How could you do this?"

"We had no way of knowing that the girl had someone helping her out-"

"Of course we didn't! She was supposed to take him out for us! Instead she's assigned his help, and he managed to follow us!"

So Jackson had followed her. For someone so arrogant, he was proving himself to be quite reliable.

"How can we be sure it's him? I mean, the guy's completely selfish. It could just be a friend of hers, or something."

"I highly doubt that. Send someone out there to get him. We should..."

At this, the men started walking away. This was bad. Lisa couldn't help Jackson now. It was up to him to save his life.

---

Jackson watched for some activity in the house. It was a pretty big house, but that's where it ended in positive points. The house itself was an awful brownish color, and the yard was ridiculously unkept.

Jackson shook himself back into the real world. That wasn't what this was about. He had to somehow get inside, get Lisa, get her family, and get Bentley without being seen. It was nearly impossible. But only nearly, he told himself. There has to be a way...

He watched as two men circled the house. If he got out of the car now, he would probably get caught. If not, he would have to deal with the repercussions of waiting.

Something wasn't right. The two men were headed for his car. What was going on? Had they figured out that he was helping Lisa? This was bad, this was bad...

The two men reached the car. One held a gun to Jackson's head.

"I'm afraid you'll have to come with us," the man said, smiling menacingly.

---

Lisa stared at the wall, becoming extremely irritated. What were they planning to do with her? And why? Angrily she kicked the bedpost.

Wait...she thought, confused. She kicked it again. My legs are working again! she thought, excited. She got up on her knees and reached for her purse. The handle was still out of reach, but she grabbed the bottom of the purse and pulled. With a snap, the handle of the purse broke, and Lisa fell down on the bed.

Excitedly, she opened the bag and looked at the contents. They had taken the gun and the cell phone, go figure. She rummaged through as best as she could with her hands tied. She looked for anything remotely useful. Finally, she came upon some keys. Finally, something useful, she thought. She put the key between her legs, then put the rope to it and began sawing. After about five minutes, she hand almost completely gotten through the rope. Come on, just a little more, she thought, frustrated, finally, she got through the last strand of rope. Yes! she thought. She rubbed her wrists in pain. The ropes had been tight, and it took a while to get used to having them free.

Lisa tried to stand, but fell. Her legs were still too weak from whatever they had given her. Angrily, she got on her hands and knees and started crawling towards the door. She tried to open the door, but it was locked. Always have to have a backup plan, don't ya? she thought angrily. She then crawled over to the window across the room. It too was locked. They had obviously figured that she might get away. Frustrated, she went back over to the bed that she had been put on. She looked through her purse again. Something useful, please, let there be something useful. There was nothing. All she could do was sit and wait.

---

"And why would I do that?" Jackson said, smirking slightly.

"Because, I'm the one with the gun," the man said, looking impatient. "Now, get out of the car."

Jackson shook his head. "You know, I don't really feel like it," he said, reclining in his seat. "It's been a long drive. I don't really feel like moving."

The man looked at first angry, then smiled. "Well, I know you're not afraid of me," he said, "but I know you're afraid for your little friend in there." He pulled out a radio. "Now, you can get out of the car, or I can tell my boss to blow her head of right now."

Jackson paused for a moment. "What friend?" he said slowly, trying to sound confused.

"The one you traveled over fifty blocks to find, you dumbass," the man said angrily.

Jackson tried to look thoughtful. "I just got back here from New York. I was on my way home, and I got lost. I pulled over here to spend the night." He looked at them, trying to look angry. "I don't have a friend, or, at least, I wasn't trying to find one."

But the man didn't lower the gun. "Nice try, Rippner," he said. "Now, if you please, get out of the car. Bentley will be interested in seeing you again."

Shit, shit, shit, Jackson thought. Knowing that he had no other choice, he climbed out of the car. The man with the gun, assuming victory, put the gun on his belt, grabbed Jackson by the arm, and steered him forward. As fast as he could, Jackson used his free arm to grab the man's gun and point it at his head.

"I really don't want to go, actually," Jackson said, smiling menacingly. The man fumbled with the radio, and Jackson pushed the gun harder into the man's head. "I don't think so," he said. He grabbed the radio, threw it to the ground, and smashed it. As soon as he was distracted, the second man threw himself at him. Taken by surprise, Jackson shot the man, and he fell to the ground, dead. The other man tackled him and tried to take the gun from him, but Jackson shot him in the arm. He was about to finish him off when he felt the barrel of a gun at his head.

"That's enough, Jackson," the gun holder said, a tone of amusement in his voice.

Jackson recognized the voice immediately. "Bentley," he said, stunned.

"I suggest we get inside," Bentley said, and with that steered Jackson into the building.

Well, that was a bid of a long chapter. Next chapter will be...eventful, to say the least. This is all I'll say: prepare for a J.J. Abrams-like cliffhanger. I'll update soon.