Guilty As Charged
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Red Eye except three posters and two copies of the DVD!
Chapter Eight
Maryland – New Carrollton Metro Station
Cursing under her breath, Kyra fought with an automated Metro Card machine. The machine played innocent, accepting her cash, but not giving her the card she paid off.
She let out a vicious kick at the piece of electronic shit.
Her card came out with a whir.
"About time you worthless piece of—"
A hand covered her mouth, muffling her next string. Even a sailor would've turned bright red if they understand the profanities she spat against the hand. Some were in English, but a few other pieces belonged to foreign tongues, picked up from her father. Jackson's travels left him knowing curses in many languages aside from his native tongue.
Her elbow thrust backward into her attacker's gut, her foot stomping down hard on his shoe. She ripped his hand off her mouth, her right hand already in a fist aimed at his lowered head.
A hand intercepted the blow.
"Interesting technique, Miss Rippner. Much like your father's."
Kyra looked up in the face of the newcomer. And to her horror, she recognized it.
Miami – Lisa's Hospital Room – Three Days Earlier…
She rubbed her sore throat, her head still spinning from what the policemen told her about her husband. Never before had the police interfered with their business. No one bothered Jackson Rippner. Not about his past, not about any crimes he might have committed, and certainly not about how he treated his family. It was unheard of.
Jackson would never kill her. He'd sooner slit his own wrists or jump off a bridge.
Sure, Kyra was unpredictable. A loose cannon, much like her father, but still her daughter. Neither one of them could hurt her willingly. Kyra might hate and argue with her, but she'd never even raise a hand to Lisa because Jackson would strike back.
He may side with Jackie, but she knew that her husband would put her life first.
Still, it didn't shake the images from her mind. Did Kyra have the strength to pin her to a wall and choke the life out of her?
Yes, Kyra was cold-blooded. Yes, she could lie without blinking. And yes, she could shoot someone she loved.
Was her oldest daughter capable of strangling her?
With the right motivation? Possibly. Would Kyra try it when her beloved father was around? No way in hell.
Someone else was in our house… someone else…
Jackson didn't hurt her. He tried to protect her.
"Lisa! Goddamn it, Lisa!"
A vase shattered, fresh-cut flowers falling to the floor. The petals trampled, ruined, by the chaos in their room.
He moved toward her; a predator in motion. His blue eyes blazed, hair falling into his eyes, but not deterring him from his path. Nothing stopped him or upset him until the knife at her throat caught the light.
"Leese…"
Her captor forced her further into the light. "Hello, Rippner. I can't believe you've kept the Reisert girl this long. Last time I saw her, you walked out on her and your child. A lovely girl, isn't she? Your precious 'Jack'."
He lunged forward, only to have his arms seized. Jackson looked like a twig next to the hulking thugs restraining him.
"No, no, Rippner. Calm down a bit first. We have some business to discuss…"
Business that ended with her in a heap on the floor.
Lisa closed her eyes, willing the pain in her head to go away.
Miami – Miami-Dade PD – Jackson's cell
Twenty-some years ago, his boss, the man who orchestrated the Keefe hit, perished in an explosion. He rigged the bomb, using Lisa as bait. The bomb that took out the big-time Russian mobster also injured him and Lisa.
He pulled himself from the wreckage, bleeding and stunned. He sent her a card, knowing it was too dangerous to visit her in the hospital. The last time he set foot in a hospital, Jackson barely managed to thwart the man sent to kill him.
It was a long time before he saw her again. But she waited for him. She always did.
He invariable returned to her side, sometimes wounded, sometimes whole, and sometimes bearing the scars of his work. She would take care of him, pushing past the sarcasm he used to disguise his feelings, and healing him. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. Making him as close to human as he could be.
Neither of them could lead their life without the other. He tried to stay away from her, but she still drew him in. Each time he thought he escaped the disease that was Lisa, he went crawling back to her place and her bed.
She never left. He did.
The scars, the wounds, the tears. None of it mattered. They were both damaged goods. They sought comfort from each other. Kindred souls.
Love and hate twisted together, tormenting them. It gave them a taste of something they could never have. A life together.
Against the odds, they did marry. Violence and passion ruled their tumultuous marriage.
And they had two beautiful girls. Kyra, his shadow, and Myra, a duplicate of her mother. He never bonded with Myra. He couldn't find the love in his heart for her.
Jackson never wanted children. The first time Lisa became pregnant, he'd shoved her down the stairs and left her without another word. Children were a liability. Loving Lisa took enough out of him. Having another person to protect and care for was asking too much.
His daughter, his dark-haired little Kyra, was five months old before he learned of her existence. She shared his name—both names.
Jacqueline Kyra Reisert Rippner. Jack for short. That's how Lisa introduced them.
When she woke in the middle of the night, Jackson was there for her. His tiny angel. A miracle that never should've been born.
Jack's birth changed everything. His job, his life, and his focus. He couldn't pop in and out of Lisa's life anymore. He needed to be there with his daughter. To protect her from the dark side of his heritage. If she were anything like him, Kyra would be a danger to anyone she met. Properly trained, she was a lethal weapon ready to explode.
He let Lisa and Kyra into his heart, but he never found the space for Myra. Perhaps it was because he never had to save her life.
Jackson sighed, resting against the cinderblock wall for support. His life was full of what-ifs and regrets. And now Lisa paid the price for his nature.
Once again, he'd put her in the hospital. He'd nearly killed her with his own hands. His Leese.
I deserve this. I just hope Jack's okay. Maybe Lisa was right…
No. Forcing Jack to confront her time with Ryder wasn't right. If Jack wanted to see a shrink, he'd help her find one. He wasn't about to force her to speak to a stranger when she wouldn't even speak to him.
Silence could protect Kyra right now. If he stayed in prison, maybe Lisa's calm nature would help Kyra. If he stayed put, Kyra stood a chance at a normal life.
He'd become too twisted to live. His darker nature took over and he didn't even remember hurting those he loved.
Maryland – Frederick
"Are you sure about this?"
"Of course, Kat. He's an old associate of your father's."
The redhead stared at her companion. "Then why isn't he handling this?"
"The Ewing case is taking up all his time. Besides, you could dust off your psychology degree," he suggested, his hazel eyes winking at her mischievously.
"And do what with it? Hit you?"
"No, consult on the Rippner case. You could psychoanalyze Jackson Rippner."
"Me?"
"C'mon, Katy, no one knows that you're Carter's daughter. You're Dr. Katherine Robertson, remember?"
"Dr. Robertson-Murphy, remember?"
Aidan Murphy took his wife's left hand. "How could I forget?" he murmured, kissing her wedding ring.
"Okay, okay! I'll go!"
He smirked. "Let's go then. It's a long trip to Miami."
"Miami?!"
Miami – Law Offices of Maura Brown
Myra Rippner walled into Maura's office slowly. "Miss Brown?"
Maura looked up from her desk, smiling at Jackson's youngest daughter. "It's good to see you, Myra. I heard you had something to show me?"
"It's about d—Jackson. What he's done to mum."
She clutched the small album to her chest.
"What has he done to Lisa?"
"He's abusing her. I have proof."
Author's Notes:
Here's another chapter! It's a bit disjointed with Jackson's section, but he's not really thinking straight. What actually happened in their room will be revealed soon, and Katherine will be the doctor examining Jackson and determining his mental state.
Plus, Jackson's bit was a recap of earlier stories. And Katherine and Aidan are two characters from my series of original thrillers. Kat's a psychologist who happens to have a knack for a gun and Aidan's a former con artist who doesn't remember a bit of his past.
Please read and review! Comments are appreciated!
Lisa reisert - Thank you for your review and I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!
ThatGirlfromtheWindycity – Thank you so much! Myra's role is going to expand throughout this story hopefully.