So on top of the bronchitis, I have a sprained ankle now. Isn't life grand? It's like karma- the more I do to Lisa, the more I'm falling apart. She's like a little voodoo doll. :D
trudes193- EXACTLY like a little kid without candy. I based his little defense mechanisms off a little kid who doesn't get what they want, so they say mean things just to hurt the other person. Thanks for noticing! :)
Medisha- You caught me. :D Every chapter gets its name from a song title. Your review really made my day, too! Thanks for the kind words- they really helped me write like a madwoman to get the next chapter out for you.
son-of-puji- I love those stories, too. And as you can see in this chapter, they're about to get even more isolated. ;) You're right about Intermission. He does wear jeans in that movie...totally forgot about it.
Brunette_bulma- They're about to have a LOT more time together, don't worry. I LOVED Watching the Detectives- that scene where he plays softball while bawling like a baby makes me cry laughing every time I see it. Would have been a great movie if Lucy Liu's character didn't exist. She kind of ruined it. He doesn't wear jeans in it, though- he wears cords and cargo pants. I checked VERY carefully. :P
Thanks for the reviews, and on with the chapter! Fittingly, it's named after a song from the 28 Days Later soundtrack.
Chapter 8: Then There Were Two
"Well, it's definitely not a break. Mild sprain," Caleb told Lisa after he had unwrapped her wrist. "It should be fine in a week, week and a half, tops. I'll put the splint back on, though. It's not necessary, but it will be more comfortable." Lisa just nodded. She had hardly spoken since Jackson stormed out. Caleb was doing his best to be friendly, but she was having none of it. He looked too much like his twin, and, well, his twin was an asshole.
"You won't have to stay here much longer, you know," Caleb offered, taping up her wrist, "Your arm is healing nicely, and this isn't bad. It will probably take them a few more days to get everything set up, and then they will mail everything here." He smiled. "You're getting the VIP treatment. Jackson is having them set you up with a nice apartment in Manhattan-best place in America to hide. Apparently he's paying the rent until you can get a job. We are getting false references and everything." Lisa nodded. From what Jackson had said, he also lived in New York. She vaguely wondered if he lived in Manhattan, but it definitely wouldn't surprise her if he did. Way to get me out of your life, Jack.
"I guess you have been pretty miserable here, huh?" Caleb asked, finishing his ministrations. Lisa bit her lip. It wasn't like that.
"It's not your fault...you and Cheryl have been great," she said, forcing a smile to reassure him.
"Which means it's Jackson, right?" She nodded. "Well, I guess it's to be expected. It's not like you two were going to get on like the best of friends, and it looks like he can't stay away from you even for a few days." Caleb cleared his throat, looking a little embarrassed. Lisa's eyes narrowed. He knew something.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, watching him carefully. Caleb waved a hand dismissively.
"It's nothing. I guess he just wants to keep an eye on you." Somehow, Lisa could tell that he wasn't being completely honest, but she let it slide.
"Why is he like that?" she asked. Caleb's eyes widened and he exhaled sharply, bringing a hand to the back of his head.
"'Like that'?" he repeated. "'That' being...?" Lisa rolled her eyes.
"Why is honesty so important to him? Specifically my honesty? Why is he so...bipolar?" She could have elaborated, but she didn't think Caleb was interested in hearing every detail of their interactions, or if she even wanted to tell him. Caleb dropped into a chair close to hers.
"...well, he's been like that for a few years." He sighed. "Look, Leese, it's a long story and it's not really mine to tell." Lisa groaned and let her head drop back so she was staring at the ceiling.
"Why can't you just tell me? I feel like I'm going in blind. I feel like every conversation ends with me saying something wrong, and him just closing off. Maybe if I knew what was going on..." she trailed off, unsure of how to end that sentence.
Caleb chuckled. "It's only a few days. Or do you plan on sticking with him longer than that?" Lisa shook her head vigorously.
"No, you're right. I can stay away from him for a few days, and then it will be over." Lisa sighed. "But apparently he's not sure he wants it to be over." She said the last part to herself, but Caleb still seemed to have heard it, although it barely fazed him.
"So he told you?" Lisa rolled her head along the back of the chair to look at him.
"Yes. And maybe I don't care what he wants. What, am I supposed to just follow him around like some puppy dog just because he suddenly decided to care?" Caleb shook his head. "I refuse to be one of those Stockholm Syndrome girls."
"And that's your right," he replied. "But," he added, leaning forward in the chair, "by refusing at all costs to be a so-called 'Stockholm Syndrome girl', aren't you letting the situation control you just as much?" Lisa sat up, confused. "Let me put it another way. You think doing what Jackson wants means he has control over you, which makes sense. But if you do the exact opposite of what he wants, it appears to me that you're letting him control your actions just as much." Lisa dropped her head again, pondering what he had said. "Just search your feelings, and do what you really want to do. Damn the torpedoes."
Lisa giggled. This man made her feel so at ease sometimes. "Why can't he be more like you?" she asked.
Caleb chucked. "Because then he would be me, and not Jackson. Besides, if we were both me, we would have been dead long ago." When Lisa turned to look at him again, he nodded, but didn't elaborate.
"Have you ever killed anyone, Caleb?" Lisa asked, giving him a questioning look. He nodded, and his face look eerily like Jackson when he was masking emotions. Was that something the two of them had mastered, or was it something everyone in their line of work did?
"Many times. Not for a while, though." He motioned to her wrist. "I'm more interested in saving lives than taking them now." He shook his head. "Jackson doesn't understand. I think he thinks I abandoned him. This whole thing was the first time I had spoken to him in a few months." Lisa frowned.
"But he said Cheryl helped him get on the flight," she said. Caleb nodded.
"She did. She's the one who knew he was there and the reason we got to him in time." He ran a hand through his hair, "You know, sometimes I think that she is still involved with him." He laughed when Lisa raised an eyebrow. "No, not like that. This isn't a soap opera. I just mean if she's not as retired as she claims to be."
Lisa frowned. "Wouldn't Jackson tell you if she was?"
Caleb shook his head. "I don't know. He would probably think that I would try to make her stop or something." He grinned. "That woman is one hell of a shot. Almost as good as me."
Lisa couldn't help but laugh at his almost childlike boasting. "And Jackson is a horrible shot?" Caleb snorted.
"Horrible. I mean, he can hit a person at a fairly good range, but it takes him a few shots to kill them. Not a good trait for a hitman, wouldn't you agree?" Lisa nodded. Caleb leaned back in his chair. "No, he found his place as a manager. He doesn't have to do the final kill himself, but still gets his hands dirty." He took a sip of his coffee. "Want to hear something kind of wild?" When Lisa nodded again, he continued. "He was never supposed to do that job. With you, I mean. He fought for it."
Lisa did a double-take. "What are you talking about?" she demanded. "What does that mean?"
Caleb frowned, thinking. "He never really explained it. There was another manager that was involved with the plan from the start, and it was supposed to be his job. Jackson told me last week that he talked the director into letting him take it instead. He never said why, though." He paused, smiling a little. "Oh, here's a tip for dealing with Jackson: don't press him for information. If he wants to tell you, he'll tell you in his own time. If you want to press, expect to drag him kicking and screaming."
Lisa rolled her eyes. She had definitely noticed that little trait of his, and she found it incredibly annoying. Caleb sobered. "As for what taking the job means, though, it means that he wasn't on as good of terms with the Russians as the other guy, and he definintely stepped on some toes. It could mean trouble, but we haven't heard much about it yet."
As if on cue, Jackson stormed into the room, flinging the door open. The two occupants turned to face him. "Cheryl is downstairs in tornado mode. She needs you." He didn't look at Lisa at all, speaking straight to his brother. Caleb nodded and turned back to Lisa.
"Guess we have to cut this short. We'll talk more later." Without waiting for a response, he briskly headed out the door, Jackson at his heels. They were talking, but Lisa couldn't make it out. Curious as to exactly what 'tornado mode' meant, she followed the twins down the hallway and to the storm downstairs.
In the living room, Cheryl was on her computer, clicking furiously. Papers were strewn on the counter and on the floor. "We need to leave. Tonight!" she snapped at the three. The brothers approached her while Lisa hung back, confused. She sat on the steps, watching the scene in front of her.
"What?" Caleb asked, his tone completely serious.
"It's the Russians. They're here. That asshole Robert sold him-" she motioned to Jackson "-out and now they're on their way. We can't stay here. Jesus, Caleb-" more clicking on the keyboard "-we are not ready for this!"
Caleb walked behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. "What are you doing here?" he asked, motioning to the computer.
"What do you mean, Robert sold me out?" Jackson demanded, dropping his hands on the table and leaning toward Cheryl. "How?"
"I'm getting us tickets to Ft. Lauderdale," Cheryl replied to Caleb. "We have to hide for a while." She looked at Jackson. "He gave your name and our names to the Russians, who are pretty fucking pissed that the Keefe job went to shit. I have no idea how he got the information, but I guess they can't find you, so they're coming here. I just talked to Marie, and she told me everything." Back to Caleb. "I told my boss that there was a death in the family and that I'm going to be gone at least a week. You have a week left until you have to go back to work, so you should be fine." To Jackson: "We need to kill the son of a bitch, but we need to hide out until we can form a plan!"
Lisa could only watch this new development unfold in front of her. What did this mean for them? For her?
"Why are we going to Florida if that's where Robert is?" Caleb asked, at the same time that Jackson asked "How is Lisa going to fly?", referring to her lack of ID and the fact that she was a wanted fugitve.
"We'll be in striking distance of Robert, and Florida is the last place he would expect us to go. We're going to use our fakes in case, though." She looked at Jackson. "She's not coming, and neither are you. You're taking her to get her IDs." Jackson began to argue vehemently, but Cheryl continued. "You are in no condition to fight anyone, so don't even try. We'll take care of this."
"We can't fly," Caleb reminded her.
Cheryl groaned. "You don't have a fake. I forgot," she said bitterly, "Fine, I guess we're driving, too."
Jackson cut in. "Are you saying I should drive Lisa down to Oklahoma just so she can get some fucking identification?" he demanded. "Absolutely not. Why don't you two take her to-"
"Because you need to talk to Marie and finish the Keefe business!" Cheryl snapped. "She wants to see you, and you're going." Jackson's mouth opened to argue, but closed just as quickly and he threw his hands in the air.
"Fine. I'll take her."
"No, not fine!" Lisa interjected. She had had enough of being told where to go and what to do, with her life on the line the whole way. Plus, it was one thing to be stuck under the same roof as Jackson and his teeter-totter emotions, but the same car? For however long it would take to get to Oklahama? "I am not going anywhere with him. I'd rather just take my chances with the feds!" She stormed upstairs, leaving three stunned Rippners in her wake. She could faintly hear Caleb and one of the brothers arguing, but she didn't care. She burst into her room and started throwing her things in her bag, being careful not to take anything that was purchased for her. It wasn't long before she heard Jackson's voice.
"Don't be stupid, Leese," he said, his voice steady. "How long do you think you'll last on foot with just your miserable cash? $2000 and the government chasing you? You'll get killed." Lisa flung her bag onto her good shoulder and squared off against him.
"And I'm supposed to go with you?" she spat, "You're being hunted by assassins right now! Hardly a safe person to be with."
Jackson laughed harshly. "It's happened before."
Lisa shook her head. "No. I don't trust you." Jackson crossed the room in three steps and was upon her.
"If I wanted to kill you, I would have." Lisa moved around him.
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm not afraid of you. You're just one of the last people I want to be stuck with."
Lisa was almost to the door when Jackson spoke again. "What about your mother, Leese? Your family?"
She stopped cold and turned to face him. "What did you just say?" Jackson approached her again.
"Your mother? Your family? Did you really think Keefe's men were going to leave them alone? They are harassing them, trying to get them to break." His jaw clenched. "It's an extremely unpleasant experience. They told your mother that you killed your dad."
Her mom thought that she killed her dad, and now the government was doing God knows what to them? All the breath Lisa had escaped her body and she crumpled to the floor, crying. Jackson was down in front of her instantly, his hands on her shoulders. "That's what Cheryl meant about the Keefe business. We're going to finish it- we're going to get rid of Keefe."
"They'll just blame it on me! It won't end there!" Lisa choking out, her tears turning to sobs. Jackson put a hand on her chin and tilted her face to meet his.
"Look at me," he said, "We are going to end it. Why do you think it's been taking so long to get you back on your feet?" He scoffed. "IDs are easy to get, Leese. We have been trying to figure out a way to help you disappear, to make the government think that you are dead." Lisa stared at him. Her sobs had stopped, but tears still fell. "If you want to help your family, you have to trust me," he said softly, and Lisa felt like he was being completely honest with her for the first time since they had met. No hidden catch, no mind games, just truth. Seeing this new vulnerability, her anger melted, and she collapsed forward into his chest.
Jackson grimaced, and she couldn't tell if it was pain or because he was uncomfortable, but she didn't really care anymore. She just wanted to be held, if only for a moment. Jackson slowly closed his arms across her back, embracing her. "I'm going to fix this," he murmured, resting his chin on her head. When she was calm, he released her. She sat back on her heels, staring at the small wet spots she had left on his shirt.
"I need to get my things together," Jackson explained, rising to his feet. "I'll meet you in the living room, alright?" He quickly walked out of the room, leaving Lisa on the floor. She pulled herself to her feet and walked to the living room. Caleb sat by an open window, smoking a cigarette.
"These are bad for me," he said when she sat down next to him, "Trust me- I'm a doctor." Lisa smiled, wondering how many times he had used that little joke. "Jackson said that everything is sorted, yeah?" She nodded.
"My family is in danger," she said flatly. Caleb nodded.
"We didn't want to tell you until there was something we could do about it," he said, "Jackson's man on the inside says that they're going to be at your dad's funeral. It's in four days. It might be our window, but we haven't figured out a plan yet." Lisa just nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"This is so...How...I didn't even stop to think about the rest of my family," she admitted, staring out the window. "They must be in so much pain."
"You have to put it out of your mind again," Caleb told her. "Until we have a plan, you can't help it. If you hadn't left, you'd be dead. Would that fix things?"
"I suppose not," Lisa replied, "So...what happens now?"
"You should be at the ranch the day after tomorrow," Caleb replied. "Go fast, but be careful. Jackson is still on some pretty heavy painkillers, so he shouldn't drive for long periods of time. It will be at least two more weeks before he's healed, and we just don't have that much time. You be careful when you drive. You don't have a license, you know." Lisa nodded. Caleb nudged a duffel bag by his feet. "I packed pills, bandages, tape, and other...supplies. There are two guns and extra ammo in there, too. You might need them. Wish someone could have taught you to shoot, though."
"My dad did," Lisa said sadly. The time they spent at the range together was just one more thing that she was going to miss. She had mixed feelings about what Caleb had told her. Did 'window of opportunity' mean that they were going to crash her dad's funeral? She had caused him a final two weeks of hell, and didn't want to even think about disrespecting the day he was laid to rest. She knew not to question Caleb, though. She knew him well enough to know that if there were any other option, he would take it.
At least, she liked to think he would. Lisa stared into his eyes, which were focused outside again. She didn't see a cold-hearted man like she had seen in Jackson. Their eyes were technically identical, but to her, they were two very different colors. Caleb's eyes were the color of a beautiful spring sky, and Jackson's were like an icy pool that sometimes actually made her feel physically colder when he looked at her. She found it intriguing that they shared identical feature, but she saw entirely different men.
Jackson walked over to the two of them, setting down a bag of his own. "Not cool, Caleb," he remarked, referring to the cigarette in his brother's hand. Caleb grinned and looked at Lisa.
"He can't smoke while he's recovering," he informed her and looked back at Jackson, "I didn't shoot you...blame her." He grinned at the unamused look on Jackson's face. "Cheryl's packing. Her head is ready to spin off, so I just let her do her thing." He stubbed the cigarette out in an ashtray. "You know her...can't waste time with emotions when there is a perfectly good murder to plan."
Both brothers smiled sadly, staring at each other. Lisa couldn't help but feel pity for them. From what Caleb had said, they didn't have much of a relationship anymore. It seemed that now that they were building something, they had to part again. They had to know there was a chance that this was it...or maybe they always knew that. She wondered what it would be like to say goodbye to someone you cared about knowing full well that you might never see them again. People like them must do it all the time.
She looked on sadly as Caleb got to his feet and Jackson pulled him into a tight hug. "Everything is going to work," Jackson assured him, "I just wish..."
"I know," Caleb interrupted, "it's okay. We'll get this sorted." He pulled away and fished a pair of keys out of his pocket. "You'll be taking Cheryl's car. It's less conspicuous than mine." Jackson nodded, taking the keys.
"I'll call you," he said, grabbing the bag that Caleb had left and walking out the front door after giving Lisa a pointed look. Lisa looked at Caleb, a little dejected. She had only been there for a few days, and now they were parting before she really got the chance to know him.
"Thank you...for everything," she got out.
Caleb smiled and pulled her into a hug, carefully avoiding her arm. "He'll take care of you, and you make sure to take care of him," he whispered, kissing Lisa on the cheek before releasing her. He grinned. "Now get going." Lisa pulled on the boots, coat, and gloves that had been designated for her and walked out the door quickly. She slowly walked to the car and climbed in, tossing her bag in the backseat. Neither said anything as they pulled down the driveway and down the street.
Lisa turned to look at the house getting smaller and smaller. "They can't go back there, can they?" she asked meekly.
"Not for a while at least," came the reply. Lisa nodded, watching the house disappear as they turned the corner. Another backdrop of her life gone. It was kind of funny, in a way. She had been so miserable much of the time she had spent in that house, and now that she was leaving, she found that she would miss it, as well as Caleb and Cheryl.
But loss was becoming a second language. She turned around and stared straight ahead as Jackson pulled onto the freeway. She couldn't help but wonder what- or who- she would lose next.
Lisa's questions have been building and building, and now she has a nice road trip with nothing to do but crack Jackson's shell! I think it's about time we got to know the man behind those eyes.
Also, I like to imagine Cheryl's "tornado mode" is something like Rocco's in The Boondock Saints: www. youtube watch?v=774JiSMWdQQ (just the first 30 seconds or so) For anyone who hasn't seen that movie, I highly recommend it- definitely one of my favorites!