Chapter Eleven

Lisa stared at Ben in shock.

"You…" she paused, not sure what to say. "That's impossible," she finished quietly, unable to say anything else.

Ben laughed bitterly. "I wish," he said, glaring at the floor. "But its not, and he's coming after both of us, no matter what we do."

Lisa snapped out of her stunned silence. "Why does he want you dead?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ben said, but he looked away, an immediate sign that he was lying. Lisa narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes, you do," she said.

Ben sighed. "Yes," he said, "I do." He stood up and leaned against the wall, looking troubled. Then he looked at Lisa, who still hadn't taken her eyes off of him. "Like I said, it's complicated. And long." He put his head back. "Very long."

"We have time," Lisa said fiercely.

As if on cue, there was a bang from the far side of the building. Lisa and Ben both jumped, alarmed.

"Dammit," Ben said, grabbing Lisa's hand. "We have to get out of here. He's found us."

Lisa was too stunned to answer. Ben pulled her out of a door in the corner. Lisa blinked at the sudden sunlight, but she didn't have time to get used to it. Ben was running too fast. Lisa heard footsteps behind them. They were being followed.

"Lisa, hurry!" Ben said, even though there was no need. He was pulling Lisa along at an alarming speed, but Lisa did her best to keep up. She couldn't let Jackson get her, no matter what happened.

They ran through a dark alley, but Lisa could still hear footsteps running after them. Ben pulled her into a secluded corner, and the footsteps ran past, not seeing Lisa or Ben. Both of them gave a sigh of relief.

"Brilliant," Ben said, breathing heavily. "Bloody…brilliant."

Lisa looked at him, her eyes traveling to his. How could she have missed it? Ben and Jackson were so unalike, but their eyes…it was so obvious. She needed to think. Slowly, she slid down the wall, her head spinning. She felt Ben sit next to her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Lisa," Ben said finally, "you have to promise me something."

"Yes?" Lisa said, her eyes closed with exhaustion.

Ben didn't speak for a moment. "Lisa, if Jackson finds us…" he allowed time for a heavy, labored breath, then continued. "If Jackson finds us, he's going to kill me." Lisa pulled away from him and looked at his face, the bright, charming features she had come to know when she had met him replaced with fear and uncertainty. Lisa felt tears begin to roll down her cheeks. "Whatever you do," Ben said softly, "Promise me you won't give in to him."

Lisa felt confused. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Ben sighed. "I made a mistake, one I can never forgive myself for. Jackson is manipulative. He won't kill you, only because he wants to make you suffer." He paused again, then continued. "He made me do something…something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. No matter what, you can't believe what he says." He put a hand on her cheek, gently rubbing away her tears. "I love you, Lisa," he said, his voice shaky. "Even if I die, you have to promise me. Please." Lisa leaned into him again.

"I promise," she said. They sat together, not saying word, for the entire night.

---

"This isn't working."

Jackson looked up at John Phillips, who was looking back at him impatiently.

"We'll find them, John," Jackson said. "They couldn't have gotten that far."

Phillips looked at Jackson with a bitterness that made Jackson shudder. "Have you even considered that you didn't check everywhere thoroughly? Maybe you should check again." Phillips opened the door and left the car, but turned around, glaring at Jackson. "I want the girl alive," he said threateningly. "I know you would much rather see her dead, but I need her." He smiled menacingly at Jackson, holding his gaze. "Do what you want with the other one." Then he walked off.

Jackson looked out the opposite window. Check again…just what he wanted to do. All he wanted was to see Lisa and Ben six feet under.

He smiled at the thought. Soon, the two people he hated would be dead. It would be worth everything he had been through to see it.

He started the car and drove down the road, looking for any sign of them.

---

"We have to go."

Lisa looked at Ben, wishing she could just stay, but knowing she couldn't. Groaning, she got up, leaning against the wall for support.

"How long have I been out?" Lisa asked.

"About three hours," Ben said. "It's eleven o'clock."

Lisa looked at him, smiling slightly. For some reason, she felt much better than she had earlier. He smiled back, though a bit forced.

"Where are we going?" Lisa said, rubbing her hands together.

Ben looked down at his feet. "I have no idea," he admitted sheepishly. "My best bet would be to get out of the country, period."

Lisa stared at him. "Where would we go?" she asked.

"Scotland, back to America, if necessary," he winked at her knowingly. "Anywhere. Anywhere you want. Just to disappear."

Something about what he said seemed so familiar to Lisa. Suddenly, a memory of the talk she had with Charles Rutherford, the man from the CIA, he had said the exact same thing. Why did that bother her?

Suddenly, the pieces pulled themselves together. Lisa groaned, her head starting to spin.

"Lisa?" Ben looked at her, concerned. "Lisa, what's wrong?"

"Uh…" how could she explain it to him? She hardly understood it. "I think it was Jackson that brought me here."

"What?"

"Well," Lisa said, realizing she hadn't said that right, "not really brought me here. But he's the reason I'm here."

Ben's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked evenly.

"This man came to my house the day that Jackson escaped from the hospital," she said shakily. "He claimed to be CIA. He suggested I came here, so that it would be harder for him to find me." She shook her head in disbelief. The call she had gotten a few days ago had been from Charles Rutherford. He had been blackmailed into convincing Lisa to come to London. Everything was falling into place, Charles's insistence that she leave that day, Jackson finding her so soon, everything.

Ben had figured it out too. "This was planned," he said, his face filling with fear. "The package was a pawn to get us to meet. Everything that happened between us was an act." He put his head in his hands, frustrated. "You shouldn't have come here."

"And yet, she did. Pity how things don't work out the way they were meant to, isn't it?"

Ben and Lisa spun around. Jackson was standing in front of them, three or four men standing behind him, all armed.

"You really are predictable," he said, shaking his head sadly. "I could have found you blindfolded."

Ben put a protective arm around Lisa, eyes narrowed.

"It's been a long time," he said hatefully.

"Actually," Jackson said, "it hasn't been that long at all. Remember that little conversation in the car?"

Lisa looked up at Ben. "What's he talking about?" she asked, puzzled.

"It's complicated," Ben said, not taking his eyes off Jackson.

Jackson shook his head, smiling. "I'm going to enjoy killing you," he said, and took the gun from one of the men. He pointed it squarely at Ben's chest.

"Been good knowing you," he said, and pulled the trigger.

Lisa screamed as the bullet lodged itself in Ben's chest. He stumbled backward, hitting the wall. Jackson turned to her, smiling darkly.

"As for you…" someone came up behind her, grabbing her arms and holding her tight. Lisa screamed, struggling against whoever was holding her.

"You could make this easy, you know," he said mockingly. "There's no way to get out of this one." He pulled a needle out of his jacket. Lisa struggled even harder, but Jackson just laughed.

"I'm not going to kill you," he said. "I still need you."

He walked over to her. Despite her exhaustion, Lisa kept on fighting until Jackson was directly in front of her. He grabbed her by the chin, staring at her silently.

"Don't be afraid, Leese," he said, and stuck the needle in her arm. Lisa felt dizziness sweep over her.

"Sweet dreams," was the last thing Lisa heard him say before slipping into unconsciousness.

---

Ben watched Jackson go, taking Lisa with him. Dammit, he thought silently. Jackson had Lisa, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He looked down at where Jackson had shot him. He clearly had been aiming for his heart, but he had missed. By a lot. Lucky, lucky, Ben thought over and over. The wound was nowhere near fatal. It was best if Jackson thought it was. He waited until Jackson was out of sight until he stood up, grunting in pain. The injury wasn't fatal, but it was painful.

He walked down the alley, leaning against the wall. Once or twice he stopped, groaning in pain. Finally, he stopped. He was losing too much blood.

I can't do this, he thought, slipping to the ground.

Forgive me, Lisa, he thought, his head spinning as his vision faded into nothing.

---

End of THAT chapter. That was the best I could do, I'm sorry to say. I'm not really happy with it, but maybe that's just the critical author's eye. Anyway, I'm working on the next chapter, so I will update soon! Ta ta for now!