"Well," Robert took a second to inhale the smoke from his cigar. "I have a little problem. One that I wouldn't have if it wasn't for you." The smirk on his face didn't budge. Of course, I knew what he was talking about immediately but chose to remain nonchalant. He stared expectantly but I just shrugged my shoulders.
"Oh come on Lisa, don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about now." He shook his head and pouted. His teasing manner made my stomach turn.
"Charles Keefe!" I flinched at the intensity of his tone. He grabbed a remote control from his desk and quickly pressed one of the buttons, aiming at the screen placed on the wall. The picture appeared and it showed Charles Keefe making a speech about something or another. I didn't want to look or listen. I'd saved that guy's life but I didn't particularly care for him. Robert rose from his seat and walked to the screen. His face was inches from it when he said, "That's my problem, Lisa." I hated the way he said my name. It reminded me of Jackson on the flight, the way he pronounced every letter. But Jackson said it differently, like it had significance, importance. Robert, however, said it like I was simply a glitch in his plans. Which was true, I guess. Now, my patience wasn't exactly at an all time high when I walked in that room but I was getting sick of his dramatics.
"Look, I get it. Will you just get to the point? I really don't have time for this." I placed a hand on my hip and again felt Jackson's eyes on me. I turned to look at him and was surprised to find he wasn't glaring. He had an odd look in his eyes… something like admiration? I mentally scolded myself. He tried to kill you, idiot. Turning my attention back to Robert, I found him standing in front of me.
"Because of you I have an unhappy client on my hands, not to mention the money I lost. I don't like losing money, Lisa. Now, I need you and Jackson to go back and get the job done, before my reputation is tarnished. Okay?" That sickly smile was back on his face.
"Are you joking? I didn't save that him and his family for nothing you know. Besides, how many men do you have working for you? I'm sure someone else could do it." This was ridiculous. I looked to Jackson for support but I just got a blank stare. When I turned back to Robert, he was already settled back in his chair, cigar hanging from his mouth. He looked up absentmindedly before gesturing to Jackson. At this, Jackson grabbed my upper arm and pulled me towards the door. Despite my struggling, I knew from experience that Jackson was much stronger than me. We were out the door in a couple of seconds and my protests amounted to nothing, of course.
"Jackson!" We were already storming through door after door of the ridiculous maze we were in. "Jackson, I don't understand. We're not seriously going to kill Keefe? I thought…"
"Lisa, just wait until we're in the car please. This place is crawling with his men." What difference did that make? Finally we made it outside and Jackson released me, but not before giving me a warning glance. I shrugged my shoulders, showing him that I wasn't going to run. Clearly content with my gesture, he clicked open the car and climbed in the driver's side. I rolled my eyes, still such a gentlemen.
As if reading my mind, Jackson spoke up, "Don't be a drama queen; you can open a damn door by yourself."
"Whatever." Only about an hour ago, Jackson had promised that he would walk out of my life after this. So why wasn't he more shocked by what Robert said? Or had he known and lied to me? I turned in my seat to face him as he started up the engine. "So?"
His beautiful eyes settled on me. What? He had beautiful eyes. "So what?" I scoffed.
"What's going on?" He closed his eyes for a second before pulling out of the parking space and heading towards the gate. He took a deep breath, obviously thinking over what he was going to tell me.
"I don't know, Leese. I thought he would just warn you or something. Like tell you to get out of the country, okay? I also thought the job had been passed onto someone else." He pressed his fingers to his temple and rubbed. I kind of felt bad for minute, he seemed under a lot of stress and having me probably wasn't helping.
Jackson's POV
My brain was spinning. Even though I hadn't shown it in front of Lisa, I was just as confused as her. Why had I been assigned the job again? My boss had made it clear I was a liability. As well as confusion, I couldn't help feeling immense guilt. I didn't want Lisa involved in this anymore. The longer we spent together, the more I realised how much I'd missed her since the last time I saw her. It sounds insane, considering the terms we parted on but she was still the same brilliant, strong Lisa. The one who got away. I liked to keep an eye on her while we drove. She'd always be doing something; gazing at the clouds, humming to the radio or fiddling with her hair. She seemed to have relaxed in my company, which was unusual. I had taken her hostage after all. I noticed she'd twisted in her seat to face me again.
"Where's Keefe now? Do you know?" I shook my head.
"That's why we're heading to my apartment so I can find out." I watched her closely for her reaction but other than a quick flash of surprise, she seemed unfazed. The thought of having Lisa in my 'home' was strange but exciting. I quickly shook it out of my head though as those thoughts tended to turn into thoughts of having Lisa in my bed.
