Author's note: This is going to be a bit shorter than usual, sorry. Next chapter will be coming up soon to make up for that fact, I promise!

Chapter 13

The door was locked.

Once she had stopped shaking, Lisa had gone down into the basement and taken all the photos from the hidden closet. She had curled up on her bed caressing the pictures as if they could bring her closer to the people she missed so much. The road trip. At a bar with Cynthia and Jay. Dinner at her dad's. Her mom in that beautiful wedding gown, arm around her smiling daughter. The first alternate birthday celebration.

At some point her body had finally demanded the rest she hadn't gotten in the last two days and she had fallen asleep, hugging the pictures close to her.

But now they were gone, the door was locked and Lisa in a panic.

"Open the door, Jackson! Open the damn door!" She pounded her fists against it.

"I'm here, Leese."

When she tried to storm out of the room, he blocked her and Lisa staggered backwards from the impact. Jackson went after her and steadied her with one hand on her back. With the other, he lifted her chin. "You're hysterical. Calm down." His voice was matter-of-factly.

"Where are my pictures?" Lisa twisted her head away from his fingers and brought her hands up against him. Jackson let her go, but watched her closely.

"I put them back into the closet and locked the door. You never know. I have word, it's on." He beamed a satisfied smile. "That was fairly fast. Obviously, there's still a market for me."

"Congratulations." Lisa sat down on the chair. "They are gonna do the kidnap?"

"Yes." Jackson checked his watch. "Tomorrow at 3 a.m., to be exact. Which gives us about two days from now before the real game starts." He turned away. "Enough time for Whitley to screw us over."

"Give it a rest, Jackson." Lisa was still trembling from the shock and it didn't help her mood. "Whatever you think of him, Whitley's a professional and I'll stick with him."

Jackson looked at her with a frown and his voice was impatient when he said, "I fully intend to be alive at the end of this. Whitley's an obstacle, not help, Leese. You better stick with me."

"I didn't know I would have to decide." Lisa tried to step around him, but he held her back by her arm.

"When the time comes, you better be ready to do just that."

None too gently, Jackson took her hand and led her upstairs towards the front window. "Careful, but look out and tell me what you see."

Cautiously, Lisa peered through the blinds. The outside seemed to be alive with activity – a man was mowing the lawn next to theirs, another man across the street was washing his car together with a friend. Somebody walked a small dog and a homeless guy leaned against some garbage cans. A jogger passed the house.

Maybe Jackson had finally managed to infect her with his paranoia, but Lisa found it all a bit weird. She couldn't really pinpoint why, but for starters, it was only men, no women anywhere, and they all seemed a little too aware of their surroundings. Too many glances in the direction of the house and up and down the road. And had she just seen a flash of movement in the empty car across the street?

"Now - what do you see?" Jackson was standing right behind her, chest touching her back, his head almost resting on her shoulder.

She told him.

"Do they look like regular people doing the things they do?" By the way his breath brushed her cheek, Lisa could tell Jackson was looking at her.

"I don't know, Jackson. Maybe, but …"

"Go with your instincts, Leese, they're good." A smirk in his voice before it went back to neutral. "Don't you find it odd that they don't acknowledge each other at all? No friendly hello to the neighbor, no you're-not-welcome-here-buddy-stare at the bum, no talking between friends who wash a car together? Why is the jogger running up and down this street and not doing his rounds in the lovely park behind our house? And don't get me started on that 'empty' car, those guys should be fired on the spot."

Jackson turned her towards him. "If you notice, my associates certainly will. You see people behaving like that and you run, Leese."

When she refused to meet his gaze, he shook her lightly until she did. "No. You run, you hear me?"

"Jackson, my instincts are telling me to run right now. Doesn't change a thing, though." Lisa walked away from him and sat down on the couch.

Jackson followed her. "And your instincts are telling you to stick with Whitley?"

"What do you think? Of course! I could never trust you, Jackson, too much history."

"Fair enough." He shrugged and got up. With his back to her he gave a startling imitation of her voice. "Doesn't change a thing, though."