One More

Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye!

Chapter Five: Death

Everything was the same as it had been three years ago when he murdered Jane Hart on her husband's orders. Night had fallen again; it was well over twenty-four hours after Lisa had been kidnapped. Jackson was trying to remain calm and cool, but his well-trained mask of a face was slipping. He was not used to dealing with emotions.

He was going against everything that he had been trained to do. He was falling into the role of protector, but the part of him—the deadly part—was emerging. The killer inside him longed to return. Part of him would secretly enjoy watching Lisa's life flow from her body upon a river of blood. Yet, he knew that he would only be dooming himself to misery if he allowed her to die.

The car came to a halt in front of the darkened warehouse. It was the same place that he had been patiently pacing the interior of three years prior, while waiting for the call. Jackson was praying that David was following the Hart job as closely as he imagined.

He pried the outer door open and cautiously entered the darkened building. His right hand rested around the handle of a sharpened knife. It was the same knife that had taken Jane's life three years ago.

Swiftly, Jackson traveled through the shadows, his blue eyes adjusting to the dark as his ears listened for the slightest sound. He waited for anything that might betray Lisa's location as he headed deeper into the deserted warehouse.

Please let Lisa still be alive…

"Any time now," David's voice floated to him and he caught the crack of light escaping from under a closed door. "He'll be here soon."

Sniffles followed his words. Leese…

Jackson turned the doorknob and entered. They were waiting for him. There was no sense in hiding from them.

"Jackson! Jackson!" Lisa cried joyfully, dashing across the room to him. Her hands were bound behind her back and dirt, blood, and tears streaked her pale face.

He gathered her into his arms and pulled her tight against his body. He bent his head down to her face. Her green eyes sparkled as his full lips pressed against hers and a hungry kiss consumed them both.

"Leese, I've missed you."

"Me too. Oh, Jackson."

He could sense the waterfall lurking behind her eyes. "I'm here now. No one will hurt you ever again," he promised, forgetting what had brought them both here.

"On the contrary," David said, stepping towards them. "You will."

"No. I won't," Jackson swore again, gritting his teeth. He placed himself in front of Lisa as a shield.

"You will order her death. Everything must go according to plan. Just say the word and she's gone. You don't belong in her world, Rippner. You were one of the best managers ever. Why throw it all away over her? Why settle for a life with just one woman?"

"Jackson, don't," Lisa pleaded, leaning her head against his back. Wet pin-pricks of tears seeped through and shocked his skin.

He spun around and took her face in his hands. He plastered a nasty look upon his face—a disgusted image. "Sorry sweetheart, but I can't change my stripes on command. You know that."

"No!" An anguished cry fell from her lips as she believed the false betrayal.

"Kill her," Jackson said bitterly before shoving her down to the rough and uneven floor. He could only hope that she would realize that he would never turn on her like that.

"Jackson! I loved you!"

"That's too damn bad."

Lisa grabbed him by the leg as he moved to walk away; the concrete having slit her flimsy bonds. He scowled down at her and aimed a kick at her stomach. She curled up in pain; gasping at the shock of his kick. He bent down and yanked her up by her knotty hair.

"Good-bye," Jackson said coldly, all earlier emotion gone. He then tossed her back down to the ground.

As his footsteps retreated, David closed in with a gleeful smile upon his face.

Trust me, Lisa. Please, trust me once more.

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No! How could you do this to me?

Lisa helplessly watched him step on the pieces of her shattered heart. The sudden violence had confirmed what her heart had feared—Jackson no longer cared for her; loved her. She was nothing to him.

The creep who had kidnapped her, David, was closing in. He was the predator and she was his prey.

"We're gonna have some fun, aren't we, Miss Reisert?"

Lisa waited for him. Once he bent down to whisper in her ear, she attacked, slamming her head upwards. She heard his nose break on impact. He sneezed and sprayed her with wet blood. She wiped her eyes clear on reflex and struck once more.

Lisa stuck out her leg as he stumbled backwards to stop the bleeding. He tripped and fell down. His head collided with the unforgiving floor, dazing him. She hurried to rip the gun from his holster and aimed at his head. She was not afraid to shoot him.

"Don't move or I swear I'll pull the trigger," Lisa threatened.

Blood was rapidly pooling around him and his eyes showed no sign of ever opening again. Still, she was tense and worried.

"Relax, Leese," Jackson's smooth voice drifted to her ears from behind her back.

"You!" she hissed, swinging the gun around to aim at the dark-haired ex-manager.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promise," he said, raising his arms in mock surrender.

"Why? Why?"

"He wanted to redo the Hart job. One of my jobs. A husband wanted his wife dead and it was designed to look like a kidnapping gone wrong. I left a print and he had to cover for me. He became obsessed with taking me down because I made a mistake in his eyes. Plus, my continued success irked him to no end," Jackson calmly explained.

"He was going to kill me! You left me to die!"

"I'm sorry, Leese. I was never going to leave you. I had to trick him into thinking everything was going according to plan."

"So the plan was to hurt me? You hurt me, Jackson! You betrayed me! It's too late for apologies!" she spat.

"Then what do you propose we do, Lisa? I'm not going to let you go."

"What?"

Jackson closed the gap between them and pulled the gun from her grip. "I don't want to lose you, Lisa. Do you know how much easier it would have been for me to call him and order your death? Instead, I came back for you. I care about you, Leese."

"I—" Lisa's speech was cut off as his lips attacked hers. He pulled her in closer and she did not protest. She returned the passion and deepened the kiss.

When they broke apart, she smirked at him, instead of him smirking at her.

"Okay, you get a second chance." Try as she might, she could not find enough hate in her being to end their relationship.

Jackson smiled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Let's get out of here."

"Agreed."

Together, they stepped over the dead body of David Greer, whose neck had broken on the concrete, even though Lisa had only though he was dazed in the confusion. There was nothing standing between them any more.

They had passed the test of trust with flying colors. Their sordid past made them press for a brighter future.

Jackson would always be a killer and they both knew it. People would be after him, but he would keep her safe. He was a protector—even if his methods were slightly unorthadox at times—and far better than any ordinary watch dog. His guard had been down, but now, no one would ever hurt her again.

They would be safe to have a life together. They would face challenges along their chosen path, but trust would hold them together and help them along.

The future was looking up.

Author's Notes:

Strange ending, but I was trying to keep to the truth of their characters. They are stronger together than apart, and even though it doesn't show it, they do trust each other, otherwise Lisa would have shot him on sight. She trusted him enough to hear him out. This story is finished though! Thanks for reading/reviewing!