Chapter Nine

Lisa looked at Michael in horror.

"I don't understand..." she said, trying to string her thoughts together, but finding it impossible. There was only one thought in her head: Michael is Bentley, Michael is Bentley, Michael is Bentley...

Michael smiled at her. "Of course you do, Leese," he said, giving her a smile that made her shudder. "Now, if you don't mind..."

He then turned his attention to Jackson. "I guess I was wrong," he said, preparing to pull the trigger. "You can say goodbye yourself-"

He didn't get to finish, because at that moment Lisa recovered from her shock and threw herself at him. Taken by surprise, Michael fell backward, dropping his gun.

"Jackson, run!" she yelled, but instead he grabbed the gun and aimed it at Michael.

"I've waited too long," he said, eyes crazed.

"Jack, no!" she yelled, horrified. There was a "thud," and Jackson fell to the ground. Behind him was a man, the butt of his gun raised. He had knocked Jackson out. He then took careful aim at Lisa.

"Get up," he said, and Lisa obeyed. Michael ran over to Jackson and picked up the gun, aiming it instead at Jackson. "I guess I should have been jealous," Michael said, breathing heavily. Lisa shook her head, trying to figure out the facts.

"Why, Michael?" she asked, her eyes filled with tears. "Why me? Why did you have to choose me?"

"Simple," he said, "of all the people Jackson wanted to kill, it was you, wasn't it? If I married you, you would lead him to me when the time came. Then, I could finish my job." He stared down with intense hatred at the unconscious Jackson. "I have to say, I didn't anticipate you falling for him."

Lisa's head jerked in his direction. "What the hell are you talking about?" she said. "I just needed him to find Mattie-"

"Oh, don't even try," Michael said, disgusted. "If that were the truth, why did you try and save him? You knew where Mattie was, right here in this building. You didn't need him anymore. Why else would you save him?"

Lisa's shook her head, mouth open uselessly. Then, without warning, she punched the man who was aiming the gun at her. He fell to the ground, dropping the gun. She tried desperately to reach it, but Michael kicked it away. Run like hell, run like hell, she told herself over and over. If she ran, Jackson would die. If she stayed, Jackson would die anyway. There was no other choice.

Lisa didn't hear the expected gunshot, but instead footsteps running behind her. She looked back. Michael was close on her heels. So Jackson may not die after all. She ran as fast as she could, but she could still hear Michael gaining on her. How could this be happening? She took a fast turn down another hall. This seemed to throw Michael off, because his footsteps stopped for a moment before resuming.

Just when she thought she was on her was to freedom, she hit a wall with a hard thud. Dead end! she thought, looking around. There was a door to her right. She took a deep breath, then entered.

She was in what appeared to be a ballroom. A smelly, messy ballroom. In the far corner there was a closet. She ran over and shut herself in.

It was a closet where the ceiling sloped, so she assumed she was in the top floor. She rummaged to the back of the closed and hid herself behind a box.

At that moment, the door burst open, and she could hear footsteps walking around the room. "Where are you?" she heard Michael's voice echo through the large room. "Where are you?" he yelled, making the room feel like it was shaking.

Lisa stayed silent, hoping he wouldn't notice the closet.

"I could kill them, you know," he said, his voice almost crazed. "Your daughter, your friend down there. Just come out here, and they live."

This was bad. His voice was getting closer to the closet. She could hear his footsteps echoing through the room.

"That's what's wrong with you, Leese," he said in a low voice, although he was so close that Lisa could easily hear him. "You don't care about anyone but yourself. You don't even care about your own daughter." His voice was so close that she could hear him breathing. "You're pathetic."

The closet door swung open. Lisa held her breath, praying that he wouldn't check behind the boxes. She could hear a grunt of frustration, then nothing. She waited a moment. Was he gone? She peeked behind the box. No one there. As quietly as she could, she began to tiptoe out of the closet. So sooner had she gotten three steps from the closet than she felt a gun barrel at her head.

"Nice try, Leese," he said, and fired.

But she wasn't dead. She had heard the gun fired, but for some reason, she wasn't dead. She knew that she should be dead. He had shot a bullet into her skull. Why wasn't she dead?

Then she felt the weight of the barrel leave her head. She looked around at Michael. He wasn't looking back at her, but down at his stomach in shock. She looked there, too. She could see blood pouring out of a gunshot wound. And finally, she understood. The gun hadn't been fired by Michael, but by someone else. Michael dropped the gun and fell backward.

There, standing right behind him, was Jackson. He looked at Lisa with a look that she had never seen before.

Happiness.

---

Lisa glanced around the room she had just entered. There, sitting on the bed, was Mattie.

"Mama?" she said, looking puzzled.

Lisa's eyes were filled with tears. "Hey, sweetie," she said, wiping her face.

"Where Daddy?" she asked.

Lisa paused. She looked back at Jackson, who gave her a look that said, tell her later.

Lisa sat down on the bed next to Mattie. "He's gone away for a while," she said, trying to hide the anger in her voice.

"Why?"

Lisa paused again. Then, sadly, "I don't know."

She lifted Mattie up into her arms and left the building, closely followed by Jackson. When Mattie caught sight of him, she asked, "Who that?"

Lisa stopped, then looked into her daughter's eyes. "He's a friend," she said, and smiled at Jackson, who nodded glumly back.

One more chappy to go! Looks like Lisa and Jacko have made up nicely, wouldn't you say? Anyway, expect JxL in the last chapter.