The car continued down the road for several more minutes until it came to a jerking stop. Lisa's knee connected sharply with the glove compartment and if she could see she'd have glared at Jackson.
It was like he read her thoughts as he pulled the blindfold away. She blinked several times, the light stinging her eyes. They were in the middle of nowhere, or so it seemed, parked in front of a tall, wooden building that looked like a house but with only one window. Jackson climbed out of the car and helped her out.
"Now, Lisa, I mean it this time," he said sternly. "No funny stuff, all right? There are a lot more people in there who'll be much more inclined to shoot you."
Lisa glanced nervously at him and nodded as he knocked on the door. A woman in a business suit answered it. She looked, waiting, at Jackson, until he said loudly, "Red apples taste better than green."
Lisa snorted back a laugh and raised an eyebrow at Jackson. He shrugged, embarrassed. "Code."
"Couldn't have come up with something more than...I don't know...second grade?" she chuckled. He glared at her, and she shut up.
They walked inside, into a large white room, where the only furniture was a large oak table in the center. Several men were crowded around it, and all of them looked up as Lisa and Jackson entered.
"Sorry to disturb the meeting, gentlemen," Jackson nodded politely. "I'm just passing through." He moved to enter a door in front of them. A large man rose and looked at Lisa. She cringed.
"Hostage?"
Jackson nodded. "Yeah."
The man roughly took Lisa's arm. "I'll take her up to 441, then."
Jackson pulled her back and Lisa fought the urge to shrink back against him. "First of all, Christopher wants to meet with her and second, Pete, I'm the only one who touches her." He looked coolly around the room. "That goes for all of you."
The man stepped forward angrily. "Listen, Jack-"
He backed off when he caught the icy blue gaze Jackson was radiating. Jackson pushed through the door and angrily led Lisa down a long, narrow hallway.
Lisa cautiously spoke as they approached a doorway. "Um...thanks...for...that."
Jackson laughed, a hint of irony in his voice. "Why would you care, anyway?"
"Better the enemy you know than the one you don't."
Jackson shrugged and knocked on the door. A second later there were footsteps and a man's booming voice from behind the door.
"Who is it?"
"Santa Clause," Jackson's jaw tensed in annoyance. "Who the fuck do you think it is?" Lisa would have pressed for further information, but by the color Jackson's face was turning she decided not to push it.
The door opened and they were greeted by an amused face. One could easily confuse the grin to be polite and welcoming, but Lisa knew better. She detected the slight glint of sadism that Jackson's smile held also.
"Come in."
The three retreated into the office and they stood awkwardly in the center of the room.
"Why, this must be Ms. Reisert. I've heard a lot about you," the man said mockingly. Lisa felt like hitting him with his desk chair. He held out a hand for her to shake. She didn't return the gesture.
"I'm sure not all that good," she replied quietly but coldly.
The man looked amused. "Surely not. After all, you nearly killed my son." Lisa jolted at the words. Son? So this was...Jackson's father? She looked at the copper nameplate for reassurance. Christopher Rippner. Yup. Definitely Daddy.
"Oh, I'm so glad I finally have a face to attach to the thought of the man who never should have procreated," Lisa snapped sarcastically.
Christopher and Jackson both looked shocked but as Lisa said it Christopher laughed. Jackson chuckled a bit also and this just made her temper rise higher.
"She doesn't exactly hold the most desirable feelings for me, as you can see," Jackson grinned.
"Not that she should," Christopher raised an eyebrow to add to his amused smirk. "Though I'm surprised. I'd think she'd be at least a little frightened."
Lisa snorted in disbelief. "Are you kidding? He doesn't scare me." Lisa felt that if this were a cartoon, her chest would be fit to explosion.
Christopher clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Well, that certainly is a first. I can see why he's so smitten with you?"
Lisa raised her eyes, annoyed, to meet Jackson's. "Smitten?"
"I'm not smitten, Dad," Jackson glared angrily at Christopher. "I just don't want to kill her."
Christopher regarded his son carefully. "But for you, Jack, that is the very essence of smitten, is it not?" Lisa noticed Jackson's fists clenching and unclenching.
Suddenly a device on Christopher's desk beeped. He pressed a button and spoke into it.
"Yeah. Yeah. Bring 'em up."
Then he turned to Lisa. "Now, Ms. Reisert, let's get down to business, shall we?"
"Sooner the better."
"You're going to go upstairs and make the call," Christopher said officially. "Sometime tomorrow Keefe will be dead."
Lisa gulped subconsciously as an image of Keefe's corpse flew into her head. "And if I don't?"
"I think you already know the answer to that one, Leese," Jackson replied quietly.
Lisa sighed. "What after that?"
"I don't think you want to know." Christopher's answer shocked Lisa tremendously and she hopped back a bit in surprise.
"Actually I think I do," she replied.
Christopher said nothing, just slid a finger across his throat to mimic a knife blade. Lisa's stomach dropped and she flew at Jackson, pounding him with her fists, desperate to hurt him in any way possible.
"You liar! You said I wasn't going to die!" she screamed. Jackson made a weak effort to push her off as two men entered the room. One of them pulled Lisa off and began dragging her upstairs. Lisa's tears couldn't be restrained any longer as she was forcefully shoved into a room on the second floor.
Meanwhile, back in the office...
"Christopher! You asshole! How can you do this?" Jackson yelled, his face turning an angry red.
"What do you care if she dies, Jack?" Christopher responded coolly, unfazed by the furiously writhing Jackson.
"I...care about her!" Jackson cringed. "I don't want her to die."
"Once again, Jackie, you've let your emotions get the better of you," Christopher scoffed.
Jackson ignored him. "I'm not letting you. You'll have to get through me first."
Christopher tsked. "My how...chivalrious. It disgusts me. And getting through you won't be a problem."
Jackson grew numb. "What? I'm your son, you bastard."
"Despite the genetic bond, Jack, I feel no attachment to you whatsoever. You're just another employee."
Jackson knew he shouldn't let himself feel so hurt and surprised. It was the most notorious killer in the Western Hemisphere, after all.
"How do you live with yourself?" Jackson shook his head. "How do you live with yourself after doing this?"
"Again, my boy, they're just emotions," Christopher sneered. "Mere feelings set aside for those too weak to fight them. Now although I'd love to chat more I have business to attend to. Jeremy, bring him upstairs."
The thug nodded and dragged Jackson upstairs. Jackson knew it would be futile to fight him but cursed profoundly as the man tossed him in the same room as Lisa.
She was sitting in the corner, her head apathetically pressed against the wall. Her back was to the door, and Jackson walked over, touching her shoulder. She flinched and moved away.
"Lisa, I swear, I had no idea-"
"Sure, Jack, whatever," Lisa said flatly. "Whatever happened to your honesty is the policy bit?"
"I'm not lying."
Something in his words made Lisa look up into his eyes.
"Really?"
Jackson nodded and sat down on the floor next to her.
"So what's going on, then?" Lisa pressed.
"Trust me, if I knew the whole deal, I'd tell you," Jackson sighed. "But the basic gist is that they're going to kill us. Both of us."
Lisa began shaking and Jackson reassuringly put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Leese, I'll do what I can."
"I know, I know...God!" Lisa shook her head. "I thought you were heartless but your dad...I mean, you're his son! How can he do that?"
Jackson sighed again. "Apparently he has no emotions or special treatment for family. IN this case its al about money. The accomplice, in this case, you, has to be eliminated, and since I'm kind of standing in the way I get that nasty little privilege as well."
"Aren't you lucky."
Jackson stood up. "Well, we can't just sit here. We need to do something." Lisa looked up at him and for a moment saw a slightly angelic glow. She leaped up.
"Yeah!" Then she deflated a bit. "Um...what do you suggest?"