for [lreisert]
It's been a long and trying recovery, but he's finally back in the game, so to speak. He has scars from his last little encounter with Lisa, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Or whatever tripe Dr. Phil would dish out in a situation like this
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"Yes, his recovery has gone rather well," the older woman replied on the other end of the line. "Are you sure you don't want me to put you through to his room? I can--"
"No, that won't be necessary," Lisa quickly interrupted and pressed the button to disconnect the call.
"Leese? What are you doing?" Joe Reisert's voice broke through behind her, taking his daughter completely by surprise. It had clearly shaken her enough so that Lisa couldn't come up with a more convincing excuse, so she settled for the truth.
"Nothing. I just... I wanted to see if he--" she paused when she saw the look of concern in his face, and resigned herself with a deep sigh.
"Just leave it be, Leese," he gently insisted. "You did nothing wrong. Besides, that scum will make it, don't you worry about that. He has to, long enough to find himself exactly where he belongs - behind bars."
But Lisa knew better. Somehow, some way, Jackson Rippner would find a way out of spending any time in jail, and in the end, that's exactly what happened. Fearing that he would retaliate against her by making good on any one of his threats, Lisa immediately had an alarm system installed at her residence, even though she knew it would do little to deter someone like him, if he really decided to come after her, but, for now, it was the only course of action available to her outside of being on constant alert, whenever she left the house.
When an invitation to attend a block party that the Kinsey's were throwing, came Lisa's way, she tried to politely decline, but Mrs. Kinsey would hear nothing of it, insisting that it would do the young woman good to get out and spend time with the other residents of the neighborhood. Lisa finally, but reluctantly agreed, though once she was there, she kept mostly to herself and just observed the other guests. However, there was one person that she failed to notice, right up until the moment he stood before her. She had been staring off towards the right corner of the Kinsey's yard, but the moment the sound of his voice reached her ears, her head slowly turned and a chill ran down her spine. It couldn't be him, Lisa told herself, it just couldn't, but then her green eyes met his icy blue gaze. Her breath was pulled from her and she nearly stumbled back, but caught herself just in time. "What are you doi---" she started to whisper in disbelief, but just then Mrs. Kinsey passed by, blissfully ignorant of the past shared between these two people and she smiled at them both, encouraging the interaction she believed had started just before she'd made her way over.
"I see you've met our newest addition to the neighborhood, Lisa. Isn't Jackson just the most charismatic man you've ever met?" The older woman was beaming, clearly taken in by him.
Lisa forced a smile, her gaze drifting from Jackson, to Mrs. Kinsey and then back again. "He's something all right," she quipped, though not wanting to risk the safety of any of her neighbors for the sake of whatever game Jackson was playing, she left it there and didn't inform the woman of just how dangerous this man was.
"I'll let you two continue to get acquainted," Mrs. Kinsey said, patting Lisa's arm before she moved on, and Lisa waited until the woman was quite a distance away, before she did indeed continue on with what she'd started before Mrs. Kinsey had come up to them, keeping her voice just above a whisper so that no one else would hear. "What are you doing? What is this?"
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Jackson sips at his cheap wine, eyes never moving away from Lisa. "I heard you checked in on me. That was real sweet of you, Lisa. As you can see I'm almost one hundred percent better, with a few minor changes." He rubs a thumb over the circular scar at the base of his throat. There are more scars, in his shoulder and side where he got shot, and on his thigh where he'd been stabbed. But what bothers him most of all is that it's much easier for him to get short of breath these days, and his voice gets hoarse so easily. By the end of the day it's all but a whisper.
He clears his throat and sips at his drink again. "They say it's lucky it was a good, clean entry or I might not have been able to speak again."
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But her words stopped short and her jaw tensed, as soon as he informed her that he knew she'd checked up on his progress during his stay in the hospital. "Who told you that?" she questioned uncomfortably, before looking to the scar left by the pen Lisa had jabbed into his throat, shortly before making her escape from the plane. "I had to, it was the only option available, at that point, to make sure that Keefe and his family, as well as my Father, remained safe." Her reasoning behind the action almost sounded like an apology, though Lisa would never admit it.
"I'm not going to see it coming, am I?" was asked, after a long pause, when she thought about what Jackson had said. His moving into the neighborhood was not by coincidence, that much she knew, so it had to be a stepping stone for revenge. If not that, then something much worse. "I ruined your plans, so now you and your 'higher-ups' are going to ruin my life."
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And then you checked up on me. Let me tell you, that caught me by surprise. So then I thought, maybe you do care. Maybe somewhere in there you actually feel bad about what you did to me."
Jackson scoffs a little at her question, "Don't be ridiculous. I'm in Miami for reasons that don't involve you -- or Keefe for that matter -- at all. But I thought while I was here, since you were nice enough to check in on me, I'd return the favour."
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"You were trying to kill me, Jackson, or did you forget that part? You came to my Father's house and you came after me, so what did you expect? And yes, I did feel bad about it afterwards, because..." Lisa closed her eyes. She had almost said too much. "Never mind." When the eyes opened again, she looked past Jackson's shoulder and across the yard. Why hadn't she grabbed one of those cups of wine for herself?
Clearing her throat and directing her attention back to him, Lisa acted as if she hadn't said those last few words at all, her emerald gaze narrowing as she countered his last statement with, "Moving in is not the same thing as checking up on me, or returning the favor, as you put it, so don't give me that. I'm not so gullible anymore, Jack." She stepped to one side and walked past him to get a drink she felt was desperately needed right now, tired of catering to a game she firmly believed he was playing and hoping that he wouldn't follow her over there.
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Jackson finishes off his wine and asks for a cup of water, his throat feeling dry and sore after all this talking. He sips slowly, keeping an eye on Lisa, watching her out of the corner of his eye.
Maybe he'll wait. Maybe he'll see if she comes back over to him, because this conversation doesn't feel finished. She's got more to say, and Jackson's more than willing to hear it. No, best not to push her just yet.
He'll wait.
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She took one sip of the wine and then another, trying to calm her nerves, and by the time Lisa finally turned around again, half the cup was empty. It was tempting to down the rest of the liquid and ask for a refill, but she knew how that would look to the other guests and she needed to stay at least somewhat alert. Now would be a good time to make her exit, she thought, feeling that Jackson wouldn't be foolish enough to draw attention to himself by trying to force her to stay, but before Lisa could make it out of the yard, Mrs. Kinsey called her by name and walked over.
"You and Jackson, you two would make a lovely couple, you know," the older woman innocently told her, "You're beautiful and he's so handsome," but this caused Lisa to falter. The cup fell from her hand and the panicked expression did not go unnoticed by the other woman. "What's wrong, dear?" Mrs. Kinsey asked, clearly concerned, but Lisa immediately apologized and reached down to pick up the fallen cup. Seeing that some of the wine had gotten on Lisa's top, Mrs. Kinsey went to get the young woman some club soda and a wash cloth. As soon as she stepped away, Lisa's head immediately turned towards Jackson. She wasn't going to return to him and yet her steps carried her there. "I suppose you're satisfied with yourself, knowing that you have me walking on eggshells."
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"I just wanted to get your attention, that's all."
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"I was just telling Lisa that I think you two would make a lovely couple, wasn't I, dear?" Lisa's eyes briefly closed and her face tensed, but she had forced a smile by the time Mrs. Kinsey looked to her. "Mm," was all the young woman could reply with, her gaze shifting over to Jackson. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to sink below the surface of the ground. When she finally found her voice again, Lisa immediately offered, "Jackson's a busy guy. He's very focused on his work, so I don't think he really has all that much free time. Right, Jackson?" Mrs. Kinsey's smile melted into a frown as she looked to Jackson, waiting to see if he would confirm what Lisa had just said.
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But she is right, work keeps me busy most of the time. Still, I do hope to find the time to get to know my new neighbours a little better. Maybe throw a little backyard party of my own one weekend."
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Lisa's grip tightened around the cup she held. It had become more of a security blanket now, and as she went to take a drink of what was left of the wine, she was disappointed to find that very little remained.
"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Mrs. Kinsey excitedly exclaimed, clapping her hands together, which made Lisa, who was already on edge, jump, but the older woman didn't notice. "I think that's just a perfect idea, Jackson. We love parties around here. I'm sure Lisa would attend, as well." Lisa opened her mouth to protest, but their host saw that her cup needed re-filling, and she abruptly cut her off before Lisa could get a single word out. "Heavens, dear, let me go get you some more wine."
"No, I--" Lisa started, but Mrs. Kinsey was already walking away. With a deep sigh, Lisa took a few moments to compose herself, before turning towards Jackson. Her voice sounded calm, but the rigid stance betrayed what was going on inside. "You said that you being in Miami has nothing to do with me or with Keefe. If that's true, then why did you move into this neighborhood, Jackson? There are plenty of properties in Miami, many that aren't anywhere near where I live, so why here? Tell me that. And for what reason... which... reasons... did you come to Miami to begin with? If you can tell me that, maybe then I'll believe you."
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"I'm in Miami for a job, that's the truth. I'm in your neighbourhood because it's a good cover. And maybe to keep an eye on my favourite flying buddy. Is that so awful?"
It is, and he knows it is. He should stay as far away from Lisa as possible. But he can't help but being intrigued by her. He likes her spirit, or whatever they say in trashy airport bookstore romance novels.
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"So, like I said before, I'm not going to see it coming, am I? There is no other reason why you would choose to move that close to me, even if you are in Miami for some other job, so this has to be about you getting your revenge... right?"
The young woman briefly glanced in the direction of Mrs. Kinsey, who had been on her way back to them with some more wine for Lisa, when she was stopped by another guest. Lisa had to get out of there, and not just here. She had to move and soon. It was bad enough that Jackson had stalked her for two months without her realizing it, but after everything was over, she had found a way to convince herself to stay in her home. She couldn't do that anymore.
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