Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Jackson Rippner and Lisa Reisert.

Feedback: Yes, please. It is highly appreciated.

Thank you so much my darling readers and reviewers. I feel like you think the rest room scene was smoothly incorporated, I surely hope so, it was important to me.

Star: LOL. Thanks a lot! I feel encouraged.

Atia of the Julii: Don't you think Wes should do that sequel? What if we all shout loud enough from all over the world at the same time?

BregoBeauty: Thanks love! You've been so encouraging all from start! I love you!

Emptyvoices: I know, I know… Except that if she had played pretend, my story would have had to take another route! I know - that can be in your story instead!

Finally, Lisa feels guilt and fights back.

Revised 01-01-07

-

Chapter 8 Flashy High-Profile Assassinations

On his way back to their seats, Jackson was embarrassed by the fact that he was still semi-aroused. He had never before let anyone involved in his job affect him the way he let Lisa.

He'd had a little encounter with that bitch of a stewardess after they'd left the restroom. 'This isn't a motel,' she'd said. Fuck you! He had given her one of his most disarming smiles and acted as if he'd just been making love. Making love? Why not simply call it fucking? But the fact remained; Lisa wasn't a woman he could think of that way… There was just something about her integrity, the mystery about her… the eagerness she awoke in him to reveal what lay underneath that façade.

They HAD kissed, though. It had been fantastic. He hadn't even seen it coming himself, it had just happened.

'18 F HAS…'

Hah!

He'd have to keep her on a short leash for the rest of the trip. He couldn't allow her to do anything like that again; she was a lot more inventive than he would have given her credit for. She isn't a hotel manager at her age for nothing!

As he sank down in the seat next to her, he tried to catch her eyes, but Lisa refused to look at him.

Well, fun's over, little one. Never, ever mix business with pleasure…

-

-

Jackson crowded her personal space again as he sat back down. Lisa's heart pounded hard in her chest. She had a plan, a weapon. It was a pen she'd found at a table she'd passed when Jackson was occupied by the flight attendant in the back. She didn't know how to proceed yet, just as long as he didn't discover it. She wasn't sure he would let her get away once more or if he would actually find a way to throw her off the plane if he found out.

"I need you to pull yourself together, Lisa." He glanced around the cabin and then back at her. "We seem to have attracted a little attention. Once they've made their rounds, we'll make the call." The flight attendant appeared by their seats and Jackson looked up at her.

"Trash?" Lisa stole a glance at him as he smiled and handed the stewardess their empty bottles. Her heart jumped at the friendly, cute look he displayed. How can he look so different when he turns off that friendliness? Is it just a mask, or does he have a part of that in him too?

Just then, he switched it off again. Stretching for the phone, he once more went all businesslike. Swiping the credit card and dialling the number, he handed her the phone and said in a soft, almost tender voice, "It's time."

Lisa's shoulders slumped as she stared at the phone as if it would bite her. With a heavy hand, she took it and listened for the dialling tone.

Jackson laid his hand over hers and flipped the phone to the other side of her head, so he could read the display. "Thank you!" he said cheerily.

Lisa went numb inside as Cynthia answered. There was no turning back now. She felt Jackson's blue eyes on her all the time as she explained to the confused young woman how and why she needed to switch the rooms, making up the lie as she went along. It went smoother than she would have imagined; she was a surprisingly good liar.

"-just tell them I authorised it…" Lisa finished, while her conscience crumbled and died inside of her.

Cynthia excused herself at the other end; she suddenly had a lot to do. The line went dead, and the phone slid out of Lisa's sweaty hand, landing in her lap.

It's done. I've killed him.

Her feeling of guilt was overwhelming and her heart pounded heavily in her chest. Why doesn't it just stop beating? A tear threatened to slip down her cheek. She was sure that if the threat had concerned only her own life, she'd have let them kill her, because the pain of knowing she was taking part in a murder just wasn't worth it.

They knew what they did when they went for dad instead…

Wonder if that was HIS idea?

-

-

Jackson swallowed hard. "Outstanding!"

He meant it. She had done an excellent job - at last - and now all they had to do was wait. The plane would soon be landing, he'd receive a message on the cell phone, and it would all be finished.

He exhaled in relief. "We're close."

And I'll never see Lisa again…

Hey, hey, hey! Snap out of it!

Lisa pulled the phone out again and handed it to him. "What?" he asked.

She looked pleadingly at him. "You know what," she almost whispered. "My dad. Make the call. Your part of the deal."

He took the phone and put it back in the holder, shaking his head as he did. "I still need you."

"You promised," she begged with tears in her eyes.

Awww… A part of him felt guilt for causing her this pain, and the feeling was so unexpected and unwanted that he immediately had to cover it with sarcasm. "And I'll keep that promise. As soon as we're on the ground, I'll get confirmation that Keefe has been handled…"

"While you wait for confirmation – what if your guy decides to kill my dad because YOU didn't make the call?!" she whispered fiercely. What a temper, Leese! Again, that edge she had thrilled him and made him want to know more.

"He doesn't make a move unless I say so. He's a good dog. He responds only to his master's voice." Jackson smiled at her as he spoke. He felt a lot more relaxed now; from here on it would be a walk in the park. He could even afford to be a little kinder with her; she was obviously in agony over what she'd done.

That's understandable. Shows you're human, Leese.

"It'll all be over soon," he continued reassuringly. "The Keefes will be history, your dad will be safe and we can all go back – "

"What did you say?" Lisa interrupted him.

Jackson looked surprised at her. "What?"

"His family's with him? You're gonna kill his family too?" The look in her eyes was so intense that he was taken aback by it. He didn't like the accusation in them at all. He had avoided all thoughts of the two kids who were going to die; the eight year old boy and the thirteen year old girl. It had to be this way, but he wasn't that much of a hardened assassin that it didn't feel like shit… killing the children…

And now Lisa rubbed it in his face.

Jackson swallowed hard, fighting back any emotion that threatened to slip. "Somebody wants to send a big BRASH message – that's their business. I do my part - move on."

Leese, fuck! Let it go!

-

-

Lisa's head spun and she felt sick all over again. This was far, far worse than she had thought. She'd never have made the call if she'd known. They would have had to kill both her and her father.

The WHOLE family! "Oh my God!" she moaned.

Jackson flinched next to her, leaning close, he whispered, "Lisa, shhhh."

She held her hands over her mouth, muffling the scream that wanted to escape. As the crew began preparing the plane for landing, Lisa bent over in both real and faked pain, moaning. I gotta do this now.

An irritated Jackson glanced at her. "What's wrong now?"

"You hit me on the head and slammed me against the wall, remember?" That was true, but not even close to the reason for why she bent over. She started fiddling with the waist of her skirt, trying to retrieve the little object she had put there earlier, without him noticing. Her weapon – the pen.

Jackson sneered at her, "Well, suck it up. We've come too far. Don't blow it now."

Oh, I'm gonna blow it all that I can, Jackson! And I don't CARE what you do to me, but I won't let you hurt those kids if I can prevent it!

Finally, she got hold of the pen.

"Come on, sit up. Sit up, Leese," he ordered. "We're almost there…"

Lisa sat back up and glanced at him. No, he hadn't noticed. Good!

'He only listens to his master's voice…' Lisa recalled Jackson's own words from before. His VOICE…

What needed to be done sickened her, but it would be a lot worse not to try.

As the final messages before landing were heard in the speakers, Lisa looked out at the early morning sun over Miami. She was home. A look of determination crossed her face.

She jerked as Jackson suddenly spoke.

"Once we're at the gate, I'll follow you into the terminal. We'll hit Starbucks, grab a couple of lattes, kill ten, fifteen minutes till I get the call that Keefe's been taken out. And then – I walk out of your life. Aww…" He sounded like he expected her to regret losing him. Are you out of you mind, Jackson?! He continued. "Once I'm outta your line of sight, I'll call off Mr Killer from outside Dad's and then you're free. Free to yell – and scream. Call your dad; tell him to run to the neighbour's. Sound good?" Jackson seemed so disgustingly satisfied with himself. Lisa looked at him without saying a word. He raised his eyebrows.

"Whatever you say," she finally answered, indifferent, and looked out the window again.

"What? No questions?"

Lisa gave him a very tired glance. "What good have they done me so far?"

He looked surprised and then he smirked. "Best question you've asked all night."

Whatever, JACK!

As they took ground with a series of bumps, Lisa realised she was cured from her fear of flying. There were far more serious things to fear in life. Whatever happens, happens. The only things you need to worry about are the things you can do, or not. And the most evil of all is what humans do to each other.

Some passengers applauded as the plane had landed and Jackson cheerfully joined in. Lisa was too preoccupied with her plan to think of what went on around her.

Silently, she unbuckled her seat belt long before it was allowed.

-

-

Jackson jolted in his seat as Lisa suddenly spoke. "It happened in a parking lot," she said with a small, trembling voice. "The scar."

He tried to catch her eyes, but she refused to look at him, obviously too affected by what she was about to tell.

"Two years ago." She paused briefly. "In the middle of the day." Emphasizing 'day' it seemed like she thought it was worse, that it had happened during daytime. His heart skipped a beat and time stood still; he knew what was to come. He had figured it out a while ago; that it had to be an assault of some kind. Possibly a rape. That would explain a lot of things in her behaviour – both during his surveillance and during their brief flirtation at the airport.

"He held a knife to my throat – the whole time…" Jackson frowned and actually felt her pain. Someone had scarred this beautiful, strong woman, broken her spirit – or at least tried.

He didn't consider for one moment that perhaps he was guilty of the same.

"Ever since I've been trying to convince myself of one thing, over and over."

Jackson got it. Of course! "That it was beyond your control."

To his surprise, Lisa slowly shook her head. "No." Then she looked at him for the first time since she began telling the story, the intensity in her eyes almost made him lose his breath for a moment. "That it would never happen again!"

Jackson was amazed. He had been underestimating her – again.

-

-

The fasten seat belt-sign finally went off, and as he was distracted by it, Lisa struck. Forcefully stabbing the pen into Jackson's throat, she finally got her window of opportunity. Gasping, Jackson stared wide-eyed at her as she jumped over him, grabbing his phone from his belt as she went. She fell flat as his hand snuck out and gripped her ankle. Lisa yanked her leg loose, got up and ran through the corridors of the plane, jumping over bags, and squeezing herself between people as it got more and more crowded.

She came to a sudden stop at the front and jumped with fearful impatience as she final preparations were made before the door could be opened. Her heart seemed to beat its way out of her chest from the adrenaline high. Suddenly she heard a woman yelling in a thick Texas accent, "Hey! Stop that woman, she stabbed the guy!" Glancing quickly towards the voice, she noticed it was the same blonde who had taken a liking in Jackson. Of course YOU'D be on his side!

At that moment the door opened and Lisa bolted.

She heard more screaming behind her and something about a call for airport security. Running through the terminal, she heard more calls for guards to the M 2-gate. They're out for ME! Willing her feet to walk instead of run, she strolled as a couple of guards rushed by, then she ran again. Suddenly there were guards everywhere, and Lisa stopped at a news stand, hiding her face and pretending to read a magazine.

As she'd rushed from the plane, she had tried to call the hotel from Jackson's cell phone, but it hadn't connected. Now she just had to wait, with her heart pounding, for the guards to pass. She felt terrible for hurting Jackson, possibly killing him. She had no idea what kind of damage she'd done, but it could be severe. There was no reason for her to have any second thoughts about having injured him, but still the feeling was there, lurking under the surface.

The coast became clear, and Lisa peeked around the corner to look for more guards. To her utter shock and despair, she saw Jackson instead – Oh NO! - and he spotted her at the exact same time. Dropping the magazine, she fled.

He should be dead! Or at least incapacitated!

Completely forgetting that she a moment ago had felt bad about having hurt him, Lisa ran for her life through the long corridors. Whenever she looked he was still at her tail, running furiously to get to her, his arms and legs pumping effectively – and he was closing in fast.

She knew he'd show her no mercy this time.

Yeah, it was possible that he'd intended to let her go once he'd received the phone call, and he had been almost friendly and quite relaxed at the end of the flight… but now there would be repercussions. Lisa had no doubt in mind that she was at the top of Jackson's list of people to kill - painfully. Just a quick glance backwards every once in a while heightened that suspicion. He was following her relentlessly.

Panting heavily with fear and exhaustion, she reached the airport shuttle and dove inside, hiding behind a pillar.

PleaseGodshutthedoors!

"Come on, come ON. Close, CLOSE," she whispered, unaware of the other passengers' eyes on her.

Lisa jerked and threw herself back as Jackson came into sight just as the door began sliding shut. He bolted but didn't make it, hitting the closed doors with the palms of his hands he stared at her furiously. Then he had to jump back as the outer doors began closing as well.

For a moment they stared at each other - both with wide open eyes, filled with disbelief - and then the train pulled away.