Jackson screwed the silencer onto his weapon as he glanced out the window, ever vigilant of any approaching strangers that might see his vehicle despite the fact he carefully obscured his car several blocks away from the Reisert home in a nearby adjacent park.

His gun which was not his first choice of a precision weapon to use in the confrontation between him and his former employers was probably his best choice after having created a sufficient distraction in order to retrieve Lisa from the house and make a hasty exit. Saving her family would be considered a secondary effort if his associates hadn't immediately terminated them on site.

Once more, I underestimate someone. This has just become a truly fucked up situation.

Retrieving his bag from the trunk of the car, he made his way stealthily towards the house clutching the knife sheathed at his side, wary of even the slightest indicator of a possible onslaught as he surveyed the neighborhood looking for the optimal vantage point to gain entry into the residence.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lisa's world slowly came into focus as she opened her eyes to a series of blurred images that seemed to spiral around her, forcing her to once again shut her eyelids to keep from vomiting as nausea settled into her stomach. She gagged momentarily, trying to swallow the bile which burned a passage from her throat as her head pounded in agony.

What happened? Where…? She attempted to take a deep breath to clear the severity of the headache that pulsated throughout her entire body only to find a wad of cloth shoved into her mouth held into place by a strip of cotton that was tied securely around her head. She tried to move her hands to rip out the makeshift gag only to find them bound together behind her back by layer after layer duct tape which cut into her wrists as she struggled against the unyielding restraints.

Her legs bound equally in the same manner, she blinked her eyes rapidly slowly bringing them back into focus to see that she had been left on the cold, tile floor of her mother's master bathroom located just upstairs. The door directly in front of her was closed but despite the fact that there was no mechanism to lock her inside, she had been rendered helpless nevertheless.

She jerked backwards as the door suddenly opened to reveal her original assailant who had tricked Jackson into the prior arranged meeting. He sauntered inside standing over her with a look of apparent triumph on his face. "Well, I see sleeping beauty has finally risen to join us." He said with an expression of pure amusement on his face.

Reaching down, he seized her arm pulling her upwards and over his shoulder once more as she groaned in pain. "Aw, poor thing." He said mockingly. "Don't you want to join the party Lisa? Perhaps you want some alone time with me first." He suggested luridly as he carried her to the queen sized bed and dropping her on the mattress. She shook her head wildly in refusal as he quickly untied the gag from her mouth. She spit out the cloth, glaring at her captor resentfully.

"I'd rather die first." She muttered at him loathingly, her mouth went dry from his sordid proposal.

Mark smiled at her darkly. "Oh, you'll die. It's only a matter of when. For me, I prefer to kill you during." Winking at her as a look of horror crossed her face, he said, "See you later, sweetheart. Keep the bed warm for me."

He left her alone to wait his return in a state of absolute despair as she struggled frantically against the tape around her wrists. Blood was already seeping from where the bandages had cut into her skin but she could barely feel the pain since her own adrenaline had blocked the sensation of agony from her mind.

Rolling around on the feather mattress in order to undue her bindings, the house was suddenly rocked by the sound of intense explosion. Lisa cried out in pain as she fell to the carpet from the bed having no means to soften her fall as pieces of plaster rained down on top of her.

Voices sounded from the outside hallway, some sounding frantic while she distinctly heard screams of agony from those possibly injured in the aftermath of the explosion.

A shadow filled the doorway as a burly stranger entered with a cell phone in his hand as he glanced at Lisa with a gesture of indifference. "Yes, the subject is still here. Rippner is not in sight. Should I kill her now?"

She gasped as he nodded into the phone. "Right. We'll deal with her family after." He turned as he looked at Lisa and removed his gun with the silencer already attached.

"Time to say goodnight." He told her as he aimed the gun directly at her head.

"Look, you got me. Leave my parents out of this." She protested as he clicked off the safety.

"Sorry, those weren't my orders. You left us with a whole shit load to clean up. With you and Rippner dead, I need to remove all potential witnesses."

God help me. She prayed silently as his finger wrapped around the trigger. Closing her eyes, she distantly heard the sound of the gun being fired.

Forgive me for the shortened chapter but I rather liked ending it on a cliffhanger here. I should have the next chapter out shortly. Probably by tomorrow. Anyway, thanks to Royalty09 for her advice and support. Also to reviewers, hang in there. I'm hoping the ending will surprise you.