Not Tonight
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye or Daybreak!
Chapter One
Damn, what the hell happened to me?
Jackson Rippner let out a muffled groan, his voice stifled by the neck wound he had received at the hands of Lisa Reisert. As the pain settled in, he began to vaguely recall the young woman sending him to hell and back again.
"Oh good, you're awake," came an unfamiliar voice.
His weary blue eyes flicked towards the person speaking and the first thing he noticed was the gun at his head. He moaned—the only way he could speak—and reached for a knife that was no longer strapped to his hip. He swallowed and reached towards the hole in his throat, pressing on the wound to croak a few words.
"What…you…want?"
"Excellent question, Mr. Rippner," sneered the suit, reclining in a chair, the gun still aimed at his head. He doubted that this man was stupid enough to shoot him in the hospital, but he knew that men like him were good at making people disappear and causing it to look like an accident. "Would you like the answer?"
Jackson shot him a glare. The man laughed.
"Obviously I have the advantage, having a voice, don't I? What a shame, I was really looking forward to hearing some of the infamous Rippner back-talk."
He slowly raised his hand away from his neck and lifted his middle finger up, a smirk upon his face showing his pleasure.
"Cocky, Rippner, very cocky. I didn't expect anything less from you."
"You…want?" he croaked once more, agitated at having to talk with his damaged windpipe.
"Ah, yes. Always business—that's what I really liked about you. So young; yet so serious about your job. That's why I hired you, but you still failed."
Jackson's hand curled into a fist.
"No worries, I've corrected your little mistake. Miss Reisert won't be screwed up anyone's plans anymore."
A stack of photos were dumped into Jackson's lap. He eyed them curiously and focused on the stranger once more.
I don't like being led around—will you get to the point already?
"Go ahead and look at them." It came out as an order, not a suggestion.
Jackson tried to sigh, but it came out distorted and burned his throat. He picked up the photographs and stared at the time stamp. The orange-red print flashed that day's date—August 19th—and various times ranging from 11am to 2pm. The final shot at 2pm was of a bloody, barely-recognizable body. Only two people in the world would be able to identify the remains of the woman—one was her over-protective father and the other was him.
The photos relayed the abduction and torture of Lisa Reisert which ended in her death. She had been brutally murdered because of his failure.
It wasn't supposed to end this way…
"What a shame that she had to die, isn't it? Such a pretty young thing. Don't worry—my men had some fun with her before she died." A cruel smile crossed his employer's face.
I'm so sorry, Lisa. It wasn't supposed to end this way.
"Remember Rippner, every decision has a consequence."
Leese, please forgive me…
A sharp jab in his neck ended his thoughts and Jackson began to drift off to sleep once more.
When he woke, he was drenched in sweat and in a motel room in Texas, waiting for the ringing of an alarm.
Author's Notes:
Was that a quick enough update? Enjoy and thanks for reading/reviewing!