Chapter Seven

Jackson looked at the Belvedere from a distance, his interest sparked. There was something about Ben and Lisa that confused him. He would have thought that Lisa would never fall for a guy. Not after what had happened to her, and especially not after being raped. But she was able to laugh and have a great time with Ben, of all people.

If she knew what he really was…

Jackson shook the thought out of his head. He couldn't think about that right now. His task was to observe the situation. That was what he was best at, anyway. He had done it for long enough when he had been watching Lisa for the first time. The only way he screwed up was when he actually got to talking with her. Jackson shuddered. As much as he wanted revenge, he had no interest in crossing paths with Lisa Reisert again. He rubbed his hand over his neck nervously.

He sat forward in the car and continued to watch. Anger coursed through him whenever they laughed. He wanted Lisa to be anything but happy. And Ben…well, he had special plans for him.

Both of them would regret ever being in Jackson Rippner's life.

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Lisa laughed as she and Ben walked to her door. "That was the best night I've had in forever!" she exclaimed, giggling.

"Well," Ben said, grinning, "I'm always happy to take you again sometime."

Lisa smiled up at him. "I would like that," she said. She looked at him for a minute, then reached up and kissed him. After a while, they broke apart. Ben looked at her with a mixture of shock and happiness.

"Well…" Ben said, looking sheepish, "I'd be happy to do that again sometime, too."

Lisa laughed. "Good night," she said, then walked in and closed the door. She leaned against it, smiling dumbly. That was wonderful, she thought giddily. She had never felt like this about someone before. After one date, no less. Did this happen to normal people? She didn't really care. She threw her keys on the table, then fell on her bed, almost instantly falling asleep.

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Ben climbed into his car, feeling like he could get in a car crash and not really care. He had gone out on a date with Lisa Reisert, the most amazing girl he had ever met. He stared at the entrance to the hotel, feeling crushed. There was so much he wished he could tell her. So much that he knew he couldn't. If only she could know…

He suddenly felt uneasy. Looking out the opposite window, he saw a silver car parked on the curb. Ben looked closer. Empty. He laughed at himself. You're so paranoid, Ben, he thought to himself.

Suddenly he felt a cold gun barrel at his head.

"Hello, Ben," a strangely familiar voice said.

Ben narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?" he asked angrily.

"Only to let you know I'm watching you," the man said cruelly. "You won't be safe anywhere you go. Neither will your little girlfriend in there." Ben felt terror gripped him. He meant Lisa. "If you want her to live, you'll do exactly as I say. Got it?"

Ben couldn't do this. But it was Lisa. She had to be safe.

"What do you want?" Ben asked for a while.

"You know what I want," the man said, and the weight of the gun left Ben's head. He heard the door open and close, but he was too shocked to even turn around to see who it was. When he did, he saw the car across the street was gone. Ben leaned against his seat, breathing hard. My past is catching up with me, he thought with horror, just like he said it would…

Ben felt deprived of hope. Could he ever live a normal life? Or would he keep running from the truth, running from what he did? He started the car, wishing he had a different life. Except one thing would be the same.

Lisa.

Thinking about her raised Ben's spirits temporarily, but they were dampened when he remembered the man's warning. If you want her to live…he couldn't bear having Lisa's life in danger.

Feeling more depressed than he ever had, he drove off, wishing harder than ever for his past to disappear.

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Okay, so it looks like Ben's not the smiley guy he was in the first few chapters. Was the man with the gun Jackson? Well, I'm not telling you that. Have Jackson and Ben encountered each other in the past? Well, I'm not telling you that, either. But Ben isn't a bad guy. I'll probably update tomorrow, but I can't update all next week because I'm on vacation. Bye!