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Revised 29-10-06.

Chapter 4 Lisa and Dear Old Daddy

The phone call had killed their easy-going conversation. They didn't say another word for several minutes. Lisa barely listened to the regular welcome and safety messages from the stewardesses and the pilot, too caught up in thoughts of wanting to get off. The plane had begun moving, the engine sounds increased and Lisa rocked back and forth in her seat. Her heart was beating hard and her mouth had turned dry. Glancing out the window, she realised they hadn't even left the ground yet.

Accidents happen even on the runway…

Suddenly, with an extra rough bump, they were airborne. Lisa felt like she flew out of her chair and had to hold on to her seat not to do something stupid, like try to get off. It was the same EVERY time. A younger man's musings a couple of seat rows back on that they weren't gonna make it caught her ear and annoyed her enough to make her snap out of her own fear for a second.

"Are we there yet?" she asked thin air, her voice weaker than intended, looking for a little friendliness.

In vain.

Jackson smiled at her. Lisa didn't look at him so she didn't get to see that his eyes had lost their warmth, and that his look was one of a predator, calculating how to approach his prey.

-

-

Jackson regarded her. How was he going to pull this one off? He was a master of playing by ear. That's what had gotten him this far.

Lisa herself had provided him with the best approach. He leaned closer.

"So, ahm… was Henrietta your mom's mom or your dad's mom?"

He could tell that Lisa was obviously too caught up in her fear of flying to pay attention, and it took a moment too long before she looked at him.

"Eh… ahm… my mom's. My dad's - " The plane rocked viciously and Lisa's gaze flickered at the window, and he could see how her hands gripped the arm-rests with whitening knuckles. Jackson could barely hide a smile – her fright amused him. A few moments ago… before the phone call, he'd have felt for her, but now he'd entered his professional role and had distanced himself from her. He barely saw her as a human being any more.

Fortunately, Lisa didn't look at him as she continued. "My dad's died a long time ago."

"Are your folks still together?"

"Ehm…" She looked back at him like she had already forgotten they had been talking. "They divorced three years ago, married for thirty-two."

What a pity. He admired people who were able to live together at all. He knew he was more likely to die before the age of forty than get married.

"Oh, that's a shame." The plane rocked some more and he could see how she fought hard to keep herself together. Maybe she isn't such a wimp after all? He kept the conversation running; he knew exactly how to play this now.

"So your mom…?"

"Mom moved back to Texas and Dad stayed in Miami."

"I see. And does Dad still work?" He knew he didn't. As a matter of fact, he knew precisely what Dad was doing at this very moment - at this late hour.

And, sweet little Leese, I know exactly how you're gonna react when you know it too.

"Yeah… NO. He's recently retired. He's got a lot of time on his hands, so he makes a lot of phone calls."

"OK, so he's filling all his work time with – "

-

-

"Worry time."

Lisa looked up at him. He was so insightful. She hadn't thought of it that way before.

"Does he have reason to worry about you?" Jackson inquired softly.

She flinched slightly and looked sharply at him. It was almost like he knew… Impossible! It was just a polite question.

She shook it off and replied lightly. "Well, even if he does… I mean, he's just gotta get used to the fact that life changes – and sometimes things happen." The last words were said with an edge to her voice. Life changes…

Jackson nodded. "I know what you mean. Usually, when things are going perfectly, you're back on track, everything's going to plan, and then one day, outta nowhere -" He pinned her with his intense blue eyes; there was a glint in them which suggested that he found what he was saying funny, "- somebody forgets to bolt the engine to the wing…"

Lisa just looked at him. Just the right thing to say, Jackson. Add to my fear!

"Yeah," she managed weakly.

The pilot returned in the speakers with the good news that they were through the worst of the turbulence. Lisa relaxed visibly and fired off a smile at Jackson.

"Thanks for distracting me."

"Well, it's not really what I'm doing," he said, confidentially, smiling at her.

Lisa looked a little more sharply at him. "What ARE you doing?"

"Just keeping the focus on you and your father." His eyes never left hers.

She didn't get it. At all. "Why?"

He made a small gesture. "Part of my job."

Lisa narrowed her eyes and smiled, thinking she had it now. Of course. "Are you a shrink?"

He shook his head, still smiling. "No. Manager."

Lisa looked confused. "Better not say of a hotel."

"No."

"Cause that would've-"

"Given you cause to buy another self-help book."

Lisa felt a tug of insecurity. This was getting a bit weird. He couldn't know she had a whole library of them at home. She KNEW they hadn't talked about that.

"Hm." She turned silent, feeling a bit disturbed. "So, what do you do?"

"Government overthrows. Flashy high-profile assassinations. The usual." He said it casually, like he actually meant it and like it wasn't a big deal. If only the meaning of what he said hadn't been so ridiculous.

Ha-ha-ha. Very funny.

She played along and narrowed her eyes slightly, like she was in on the plot. "You're a spy. I should've known."

"No, I'm not a spy." He bit his lower lip, waiting for her to continue. Funny, he didn't entirely sound like he was playing the same game.

"A hit man?"

"I'm a lousy shot." He shook his head and smiled.

Thank God! Lisa giggled to herself.

"Right. You work for the CIA."

"Well, if I did, I couldn't say, could I?" He didn't let go of her eyes. "But – no."

"The Mafia?"

He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "The money's shit."

Lisa felt more and more awkward. He seemed so different, and she wasn't sure she liked this game anymore.

"OK, well, that's kinda weird. Why don't you just tell me what you do?"

"I already did," he answered, dead serious.

Lisa felt a lump build in her throat. Whatever connection they'd had earlier, something had obviously destroyed it. He was acting really strangely, and had clearly decided to clam up on her.

"OK," she nodded understandingly. "OK, I'm sorry. I… It's… Whatever you do, that's your own business." She felt something akin to sorrow; this was perhaps not going to be such a pleasant flight after all.

She gave their former camaraderie one last chance, trying to joke. "Just as long as you're not – "

Jackson flinched, the smile had vanished. "What?" he asked sharply.

"Hijacking the plane," she whispered.

He burst out in a broad smile. "OH. No, no, I'm not suicidal."

"That's good," she whispered, smiled wistfully at him and looked down at her hands. The conversation was most likely over. The fascinating, cute stranger had turned out to be just strange.

Turned out he wasn't letting go just yet.

"And you're right. You know, most days it IS my own business. But right now, as fate would have it, my business is all about you." He stroked his lower lip with his thumb as he regarded her. Lisa felt a flicker of a new kind of uneasiness. Her heart began to pound as she looked sharply at him. What do you mean?

Trying to keep a façade of coolness, she asked, "I'm sorry. About me?"

"That's right," he answered, his icy blue eyes never leaving hers. His face didn't look all that friendly anymore. In fact it looked frightening. His gaze bore into her, leaving her feeling naked.

Her voice shook. "OK… I'm not sure where you're going with this…"

"Charles Keefe, one of your regular VIPs. Ring a bell?"

Lisa froze and felt like her heart had stopped instantaneously. What did he know about her relations with Charles Keefe – the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security? Professional as it may be, she had built a very good relationship with this politician who had a habit of never trusting any one. Her head swam as she was trying to grasp the situation.

"No, should it?" she asked lightly, while her heart was pounding so hard it must've been audible even to Jackson.

"Yes, it should," he answered sharply, without raising his voice, but with all the earlier friendliness gone. "'Cause right now, he's on his way to your hotel, and that's why you need to keep listening."

No, no, no. This is just too much bullshit!

"NO! I don't think that… I don't have to do that!" She'd have to go sit somewhere else. There must be another seat. A stewardess's seat or whatever. She could explain the situation, they would understand.

What happened? What happened to the nice man I just spoke to?

"Yes, you do. If you want your dad to live." His glacial eyes hypnotized her with their coldness, and his frighteningly calm face was a perfect mirror of the threat. Lisa's heart sped up and her limbs went lax with the sudden outburst of fear.

What?!

She glanced over her shoulder at the people in the seat behind them. Did someone else hear this, or was she hallucinating?

"What did you say?" she whispered.

He didn't move a muscle. "You heard me," he answered coldly.

I'm outta here!

"Yeah." She pressed the call button on her armrest and started to get up.

Then everything crashed down on her. Jackson stretched over her, brushing his arm against her knee, pulled down the small table and slammed a little black object down in front of her. "Suit yourself. But you might wanna take a look at this first."

Lisa couldn't breathe. Jackson was way too close, the table trapped her efficiently and in front of her lay her dad's wallet.

Without a doubt.

"JR. Joe Reisert. Your father? Yes?"

She gasped in terror. "Where did you get that?"

"OH," he mocked. "I didn't get it. My associate grabbed it off your dad's desk. Apparently next to your… graduation picture." He frowned as if trying to get the details right and then smirked at her.

"JR. Definitely Dad's wallet. His initials."

Lisa had had it. Choking from tears that threatened to start falling any second, she jumped up out of her seat but was interrupted by his calm, smooth voice as he continued. "But, gee, mine too. Jack Rippner. Credit card. License." She looked down at him in shock, seeing him in a blur through her tear-filled eyes. He had it all worked out. Trying desperately to get the stewardess's attention, her eyes darted back to his cold ones as he quoted what he planned to say if she caused a scene. "'For some reason, stewardess, this emotionally unstable, rather inebriated girl whom I've never met before tonight, suddenly went crazy when I took it out of my pocket.'"

Lisa stared at him with huge, scared eyes. In the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the stewardess, but was only greeted with a gesture that she should sit down. The 'fasten seat-belt' sign was still on. She stared at Rippner as he went on, his eyes never leaving hers, the mere coldness in them a threat in itself.

"You tell the flight attendant and your dad dies."

Lisa couldn't breathe, grasping for straws, she looked at the stewardess who only made another, rather irritated gesture for her to sit down.

Jackson continued in a soothing voice that didn't match his vicious eyes, "Sit down." He gripped her wrist with a strong, warm hand, not pulling her, not holding very tight, but obviously not letting her leave either. The smoothness of his fingers contrasted to the grip in itself that added to the claustrophobic feeling.

Lisa jerked and looked down at him. Her lower lip trembled as she tried to prevent herself from crying. She was caught. He had her, and she knew it. Sliding down into her seat, she tried to sit as far away from him as possible as he let go of her wrist.

He leaned into her slightly, stretching his arm past her legs, collecting the seat belt that hung there, handed it to her and added in an intimate voice that sounded almost caring, "You might wanna buckle up."

Lisa trembled even more as he touched her again.

I don't think I wanna do that.