Chapter 2
The plane was ridiculously large. There were hundreds of seats, amongst bars, diners, and even a couple poker tables. After boarding and finding her seat, which was a comfortably padded window seat at the back of the plane, Jaclyn looked around and watched some of the other passengers. There were two teenagers sitting on the opposite side of the passenger's cabin, and countless middle-aged men in suits fussing over laptops and briefcases. An old lady sat in front of her, vivaciously reading a John Grisham novel that Jackie had read a long time ago.
Jackie turned off her cell phone and caught her reflection in the window. Jackie wasn't vain to any degree, but if she was it would be with reason. She was an undeniably beautiful brunette, with striking apple green eyes and a pleasant face. Her body was perfect, with long, slender legs, a flat tummy and curves in all the right places. Her lips were full, her complexion unblemished. She didn't dwell over her appearance; in fact, she glossed over it more often than not. Jaclyn Beckett turned heads.
The weather was calm, with light rain, but it still made Jackie nervous. This flight was bound to be interesting, if nothing else. She slipped off her shoes, adjusted her dress shirt, which was red with black stripes vertically, and tried to relax.
Just then a voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Hi again." Jackson Rippner was back, smiling at her from the aisle.
"Oh, hello!" Jackie returned the smile, mildly surprised. "What are you up to?"
"Oh not much… just finding my seat. Which by the way, is the one right beside yours."
"Really? Oh wow. Okay then, make yourself comfortable." She urged, gesturing to the seat beside her.
Jackson put his luggage on the plane's cargo compartment and sat next to her. People began filling the plane to capacity, and Jackson and Jaclyn started to talk.
"So… Got any hobbies?" he asked casually.
"I don't really have much time for hobbies in my job. I like to play pool and I'm a reasonably good Texas Hold 'Em player." She answered.
"Really?" Jackson asked, surprised.
"Does that surprise you?"
"Well, I never imagined you would be a bar girl."
"Oh I'm not." Jackie laughed. "I hardly ever get to do those things. They're mostly just pastimes between jobs."
"Are you an only child?"
"Yeah."
"How are the parents?"
"They died when I was a kid."
"I'm sorry."
"It was a long time ago."
"Car accident?"
"No, two different incidents. My dad was shot taking out the trash and my mom drowned in a lake."
"That's terrible."
"It's okay. I hardly ever feel sad about it anymore. Anyway, enough about me. How do you spend your time?"
"Well I enjoy poker as well, but my work, like yours, takes up a lot of my time. I do have some obscure talents though. I can guess people's alcohol preferences pretty well." Jackson smiled charmingly.
"Oh really?" she asked, laughing.
"Yep."
"Try me."
He studied her for a moment and then said slowly, "Casual yet sophisticated. Tequila."
"Wow. Nice job."
"With lime?"
She grinned and said, "Very impressive."
"Thank you."
"What do you do?"
He hesitated for a moment and then said smoothly, "Manager."
"Of what? Wait, no, let me guess."
He laughed and said "I would be very impressed if you guessed my occupation."
"Erm, manager of a hotel?"
"No."
"Manager of a restaurant?"
"Nope."
"Manager of McDonalds?"
He laughed.
"You got me." She gave up.
"It's a very complex company. We do government overthrows, media-frenzied high-profile hits, you know."
She laughed. "Oh yeah, just the usual, right?"
"Right."
"Don't worry I get it."
He titled his head towards her and said lowly, "I've never lied to you, Jay."
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have been cleared for takeoff. Please enjoy your flight and remain seated until the captain turns off the 'fasten seatbelt' sign." A female flight attendant announced over the P.A. system.
In no time at all, the plane had weathered most of the bad turbulence and smoothed out in the air and the flight had begun.
"You don't look like an assassin." Jackie said to Jackson.
He laughed. "I'm a middleman, Jay. I deal with clients that need things from people. Like you."
"Sorry?"
"I have a client right that is all about you."
"Uh huh. And why would a client be interested in me?"
"You're filthy rich."
She glared at him for a moment and then said, "You're crazy." She turned to look out the window and get away from his gaze.
"I'm not, I swear."
She turned back to face him. "I'm not rich."
"You're name says different. And your shoes."
"My shoes?"
"Vintage black pumps, I'm guessing they're your favorite pair of comfy dress shoes. Must've cost you a pretty penny. Also, the name Beckett is widely recognized in the U.S. for being very rich. You're the daughter of the now-deceased Kayla and Jeremy Beckett, whose estate was estimated to be in the tens of billions of dollars. You are the owner of that estate and by extension, of that money. My client simply wants you to share the wealth."
"What the hell would I do that for?" she glared at him.
"Because if you decide you don't want to, Sam and Dean Winchester get shot up in their motel room tonight."
Jackie's insides felt as if they'd frozen up.
"What have you done to them?" she demanded to know.
"Nothing at all, except put a guy outside the motel they're staying in tonight, the Purple Lily in California. Last update I received said that the older one went to bed early while the young one stayed up and started to search some Satanic shit about some witch or something."
Jackie gulped. "What does you're … client… need this money for?"
"That is none of your business."
"Tell me." Jackie demanded.
Jackson sighed and said, "Fine. If it will speed up this conversation I'll tell you. My client wants to send a message to the president about his ideas of the government preparing for terrorist attacks. He's going to show them just how unstable the system is."
"You're going to bomb a building?"
"What my client does is none of my business."
Jackie gulped and looked straight at Jackson.
"I am not funding a terrorist attack." She said, thinking as hard as her brain could manage in such a stressful situation.
Jackson grinned and whispered, "Shht." A flight attendant was making her rounds slowly in their direction.
Jackie sighed. This flight could be interesting even if the weather was pristine.
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