Lisa dressed herself in a black blouse and black skirt.The color seemed only appropriate for

arranging a meeting that would eventually end in death. She tied her hair into a ponytail and limped out of the bathroom. Sarah was awake and dressed, as was Jackson. Jackson rose from where he was sitting on his bed and began to speak.

"Leese, I'm so-"

"Sorry? Well guess what?" Lisa snapped. "I don't care."

"Can I at least talk to my dad today?" Sarah interjected bitterly. Jackson glanced at her.

"We'll see."

All three sullenly left the room and walked outside where Jackson hailed a cab.

"Sit up front," Lisa said in disgust to Jackson. "No one wants to sit next to you back here."

Jackson raised an eyebrow but obliged by Lisa's wishes.

They pulled up a moment later in front of a seemingly ordinary brick house. Jackson got out first and led the girls in. They walked into a kitchen area and sat around the table.

"Now here's the deal," Jackson began to explain. "In a moment my guys will get here. There's about eight in all and I'll be stationing them around and outside the house. I'll stay in here with you, Leese, since I know you so enjoy my company and also because I need to make sure you don't fuck this up. Keefe should be here in about ten minutes. Sarah, if you behave, I may let you go in for a few minutes."

"They're going to catch you if you stay in here, Jack," Lisa informed him bitterly.

Jackson shot her an icy grin. "Keefe is going to be the only one to see me and if he wants his children to live he won't say anything. Besides, I've told you, we're too powerful to be brought down."

Lisa scowled at him. "You are thoroughly amused by hearing your own voice, aren't you?"

Jackson laughed and radiated all things pompous.

As Jackson's thugs began to arrive, Lisa looked desperately around the room for a knife or some other weapon.

"Don't even bother," Jackson said, interrupting her thoughts. "This isn't an ordinary house. It's been specially designed by the organization for a meeting place. Nothing that you could possibly injure me with."

Ten minutes later, Mr. Keefe arrived, alone, as the ransom note had requested. He was nervously ushered into the kitchen and shoved into a chair. Lisa sat between him and Jackson, and Sarah had been taken into another room a few minutes before.

"Lisa?" Mr. Keefe asked incredulously as he fell into the chair."What are you doing here?"

"Charles, you aren't in a position to be asking questions," Jackson said sweetly, and took Lisa's hand tightly in his. "But just for the record, Lisa's here to negotiate, the middle man, or woman, rather." Then he looked angelically up at her. "Plus, she's so much fun to have around."

"Go to hell," Lisa snapped, trying to pull her hand away. He still held tightly to it.

"Just," Mr. Keefe began, almost tearfully."Tell m where Sarah is. What do I need to get her back?"

"Sarah's currently-um-busy, at the moment," Jackson sneered. Lisa glared at him.

"Jackson, if you let your mobsters fucking touch her I swear to God-" Lisa began. Jackson cut her off.

"You'll what? You're currently not in the position to harm me physically," Jackson said, cocky. "And its not possible to hurt me more emotionally."

Mr. Keefe shot a confused glance at Jackson, then Lisa.

"Shut up," Lisa threatened menacingly to Jackson through her teeth.

"Oh, right, Leese, why don't you tell your good friend Charlie what you told me last night?" Jackson smiled innocently at her. "I'm sure he'd love to hear."

"Shut up," Lisa said, beginning to feel the tears form.

"Lisa?" Mr. Keefe asked questioningly. Lisa looked at the floor.

"Lisa here is rather smitten with me, you see," Jackson explained. Lisa looked away. "What is that you said, exactly, Leese? You...love me, wasn't it?"

Lisa began to cry silently and angrily reached up to hit him with her free hand but he pinned it down.

"Is that true, Lisa?" Mr. Keefe asked angrily, quietly. "So you're affiliated with them?"

"No, no, no," Lisa cried.

"You have feelings for someone who's tried to murder you and my family?"

"You don't understand," Lisa begged.

"No, I think I do," Mr. Keefe said coolly. "Just tell me what I need to do to get my daughter back."

Now that he'd had his fun Jackson began to explain the terms. Mr. Keefe was confused at why he needed to decline but desperately agreed to do so in order to get Sarah back.

"Now, Charles, Sarah is going to stay with us until you make a public announcement of your decline," Jackson explained authoritively.

"I want to see her," Mr. Keefe begged. "Please."

Lisa wasn't even speaking anymore but she looked up, stonefaced at Jackson, as Mr. Keefe said this.

"It's the least you could do," she pointed out flatly. Jackson sighed.

"Fine," he said, turning to the man in the doorway. "Bring Sarah up."

As Sarah ran in and tightly embraced her father, Lisa turned to Jackson.

"How could you do that?" she asked angrily.

"Why, Lisa, I told you, I never lie," he said snidely.

"But why did you feel the need to tell him that?" she snapped.

"Because Lisa you haven't been listening to a thing I've said," he spat. "Not a fucking thing. I felt I need to do something to get it into your head that despite my feelings for you there's still a job to do. And since you obviously can't understand on the threatening of Tanya's life or physical harm I found this the only possible way."

Lisa glared at him. "I hate you."

"I love you too, Leese," he responded cheerfully.

Mr. Keefe finally left, begrudgingly agreeing to the terms. Jackson took Lisa's arm along with Sarah's.

"Back to the hotel, shall we?" he grinned at both of them. They both gave him a disgusted look as they got in the cab.

During the drive, Lisa didn't say a word. She was trying to devise an escape plot but so far none was coming. She knew she had to try. She couldn't let them get away with this. It would be hard, getting away on her limp ankle. But maybe Sarah could help.

The car finally pulled up in front of the hotel and Jackson graciously helped Lisa out. She glared at him as they walked inside.

They went up to their room and as soon as they were inside Jackson spoke.

"I need to attend to some business," he said, clearing his throat. "Of which I'm afraid I can't take you two along. So...I'm going to have to trust you and leave you here. However I'm locking the door and if you do by some miraculous endeavor manage to get out my guy will be parked outside the hotel waiting to make the call to outside Tanya's house. Got it?"

They didn't answer. Jackson strode over to Lisa and seized her chin. "Do we understand?" he repeated mockingly. "I can always tie your wrists together before I leave."

Lisa glared at him. "That won't be necessary."

"Good," he said simply, letting her go and leaving the room, locking the door behind him. Lisa waited a moment, then sighed and flopped down on the bed next to Sarah.

"What now?" Sarah sighed.

"I don't know," Lisa groaned. "I'm trying to figure a way to get us out of this but I'm at a loss."

"Me too," Sarah admitted.

"I obviously can't hurt him physically, not with the shape I'm in. And I don't want to risk hurting you," Lisa thought out loud. "I have to target emotions, something deeper...that is, if he has emotions."

"That certainly is debatable," Sarah giggled. Then her expression turned to one of horror. "Wait a sec...you don't mean...you know..."

"What?" Lisa asked, and then realized, shocked. "Oh God no! But wait..."

"What?" Sarah pressed. Lisa sat up excitedly.

"You were implying the idea of me...ehm...sleeping with him. Which I...could never do. Not now anyway. Things between us are over," Lisa explained. "But I've a better, less drastic idea."

And then she began to explain.