Innocent People's Lives
Chapter Thirteen
Ten Years Ago
His chest fucking hurt. That fucking bitch had shot him.
She had no idea what she was doing. Not the slightest clue. Stupid, fucking bitch.
He lay there on the floor struggling to breathe while his blood pumped out and stained the wood floor. He hoped that the stain never came out. And that each time she stepped inside her father's house, she would see the dark blood and remember him.
She had destroyed all of his plans. If he died today, Charles Keefe would get away with his crimes. No one else would stop him. Not in enough time. He would continue to act unchecked, destroying more and more lives. All because of a stupid girl he had the misfortune of feeling sorry for. He let his feelings affect his judgment and now he was paying with his life.
She did this to him. Lisa Reisert did this to him. Stupid, stupid girl.
He already knew Keefe wanted her dead. He wanted her gone even before the plan went into motion. He was supposed to rig her car and tamper with the brake lines, so that one day, the hero of the Lux Atlantic would die in a tragic accident. A forgotten footnote.
Not if he died on the floor.
The sirens in his head grew louder as he closed his eyes, fury rising.
She didn't know what to expect when she arrived at the hotel. Quite frankly, she fully expected to be fired on the spot for the role she played. The attempt on Keefe's life was an act of terrorism. Homeland Security surely wouldn't take kindly to her nearly getting their boss killed.
Instead of reprimands, she was praised and viewed as a hero. She fought a terrorist and won. She foiled his plans. It almost didn't matter that Jackson Rippner vanished.
It never crossed her mind that perhaps that had been the plan all along.
He coded on the operating table. But he was too valuable of an agent to just let him die. They brought him back again. They plugged the holes in his chest. Fixed his throat, even though it would take months of therapy for him to talk normally again.
Some days, he wished he had died. On others, he wanted revenge. He wanted Lisa Reisert to suffer like he had. And on still other days, he couldn't wait to take down Charles Keefe.
After the flight, the man was a goddamn hero. His approval rating went through the roof. The people believed he was doing good work, or else, why would terrorists both to kill him? The man had practically bought himself a presidential run.
Jackson could wait. He could be patient. One day, he'd nail the son of a bitch.
And one day, he'd jump out and yell 'Boo!' at Lisa Reisert. One day.
Until then, he would struggle to heal.
Present Day - Washington, D.C.
They drove through most of the night, occasionally stopping for a quick nap at a rest stop after the incident with the burner phone. Lisa didn't bother to speak to him. He didn't mind the silence. He was sick of fighting with her.
Once they reached the outskirts of the city and changed cars, they stopped at her townhouse first. Jackson knew it would be bugged and likely under surveillance. But he liked to live dangerously, so he figured, why the hell not?
Plus she needed a sense of normal. Seeing her home would help with that. It also might help drive home how much danger they were really in.
He pulled up in an unmarked slot and started the timer on his watch. "Five minutes, Leese. Get your shit and get out. People will be looking for you."
"There's no reason—"
"Five minutes."
She slammed the door and headed up the concrete stairs to the front door. He'd been here many times before and sat in the parking lot, just watching the house. She didn't even need to be home. Being near her and her home was comforting to him. Soothing. A routine. A habit he never quite managed to kick.
He watched her wrangle the spare key from a flower pot—amateur move—and unlock the door. He stayed just a step or two behind as she reached for the alarm system. It was oddly silent.
Lisa frowned. "I know I set that."
"I told you we're not alone." He reached around his back and pulled out his gun. With a flick, the safety was off and he was ready to fire.
She moved behind him, not even arguing with him for once. He was grateful for the lack of protest. It made it easier for him to concentrate. He shifted his focus, listening for any sound out of the ordinary. Any noise that didn't belong to them.
And he was rewarded almost immediately with a loud creak. Someone was above them. Someone else was in the townhouse.
"Stay behind me," he said quietly, heading for the stairs.
He went up slowly, watching for movement and listening for more noise. It didn't take long to hear another creak – this time a door – to his right. Spare bedroom, if he remembered correctly.
Jackson made a halt motion for her and continued on. He hoped there was only one person, but with his luck, there would be two or three men. Just to make things difficult.
He turned and used his foot to nudge the door open. It creaked on its hinges as it opened inward, exposing a man. The other guy started to turn, startled, but he was already in motion with his arm around the stranger's throat, choking him out. He wasn't sure who the man was working for, otherwise he would've shot him. But he also didn't want to tip off any buddies he might have inside.
A moment or two of struggling, and he dropped like a rock. Jackson kicked the man's gun away from his hand and returned to the hallway.
Lisa was no longer standing where he'd left her. That damn woman was going to be the death of him.
There was a sound. A scuffle. Lisa.
He kicked open the door to her bedroom to see her sink her teeth into a man's hand.
This time, he didn't hesitate. He shot first, clipping the stranger in the shoulder. He loosened his grip on her, allowing Lisa to jerk to the side. Jackson shot again, this time in the heart. The man dropped like a stone.
"Jack…"
"I told you to stay put!"
"I thought it was safe!"
"For future reference, when I tell you to stay put, you'd damn well better stay fucking put!"
"How was I supposed to know there were two?"
"You… goddamnit, you're a pain in the ass."
"And you're not?!"
He scowled at her. "You could've died just now!"
"But I didn't!"
"Only because I saved you!"
"You…" He clenched his left hand, his gun still in his right hand. "You infuriate me. Do you know that? Do you know how much you get under my skin? How you piss me off? It's like you don't even need to try. It just… happens."
"And you don't? You think you're such a know-it-all but you're a cynic. You refuse to believe in people. You push everyone away. What do you think will happen if someone gets close? Do you think the world will end if you let someone see the real you? If you finally let someone in?"
"Your five minutes are up. We need to leave."
"Why are you changing the subject again?"
"Because right now isn't the time. Right now we need to be gone before they send reinforcements."
She got up slowly, her face sprinkled with the dead man's blood. "I'm tired of this. I want to stop running, Jack."
"That's why we're here. This is the beginning of the end."
"Is it really? I need to call Mark."
"Not from here. There's not enough time. Go pack a bag. Now, Lisa," he snapped, almost shoving her toward her closet. "And wipe your face."
She shot him a disgusted look. He tried not to care, but it stung more than it should. Lisa was a means to end. He only had to keep her alive long enough to nail Keefe. After that, she would no longer be his problem. She could hate him all she wanted. He just needed her to make it through the next few days.
Then he could finally leave Jackson Rippner behind in the past where he and Lisa Reisert belonged.
Author's Notes:
It was time to get back in Jackson's head for a bit. I purposefully have been staying out of it for much of the story to keep the CIA plotline underwraps. Plus it gave us a chance to see him in action and his thought process. We do see more of his POV again in future chapters. Next chapter is a big turning point for both the story and their relationship!
The infamous chapter fourteen is ready to roll, but I'm trying to get a few chapters ahead still before I post it. I'm thinking in total the story will be around 20 chapters. It's all downhill fast from here, dear readers!