The Gambler(28)

"Jenna … " He started to snap at her but checked himself in time, she  didn't understand the danger and there was no time to explain. He almost  told the pilot to turn around, but what the fuck was the point? What  would she do next, go by herself? He was still trying to figure out how  to let her know he was pissed the fuck off without hurting her too much  when she started texting. He pulled his phone from his pocket none too  gently and read. ‘I had to Angel don't be mad.' Huh, how'd she know he  was pissed? He hadn't changed his facial expression and he hadn't said a  word since he couldn't think of anything to say.

"I am mad Jenna, very. I told you to stay put, you deliberately  disobeyed me and put yourself in danger. You were just shot remember?"  She just gave him the doe eyes and put her arm through his with her head  on his shoulder. "Jenna go Angel." He's such an ass he found himself  kissing her hair before he could stop himself.         

     



 

How the hell was he supposed to teach her to listen if she just  blatantly did what the fuck she wanted anyway? And what the fuck kinda  guards did he have that she got here before them and they didn't know  she left the house? Somebody was gonna get their ass handed to them when  they got back. Now he had to figure out what to do with her once they  landed, and chances are there wasn't much open to him, short of drugging  her or tying her little ass to the seat.





She had him in a tight fucking spot. There was nothing to be done about  it now; there was no use in leaving her behind on the plane as he was  sure she would find her way off of it. He could leave someone behind to  watch over her, but he didn't trust anyone, not when they were this  close to danger.

So in the end he had to take her along. "Baby, listen to me." He waited  until she picked her head up off his shoulder. "I need you to stay close  to me okay and do whatever I say. Can you do that?" She smiled and  nodded, then put her head back down again. He had no idea if she  understood what he was saying, if she even had any concept of the danger  they might be walking into.

No one said anything as they headed off the plane. The clearing where  they had landed was at the bottom of a hill, with a steep incline. There  was nothing but trees and grass around, the sound of night owls and who  knows what else ringing through the air.

He pulled her in close under his arm as his men surrounded them and  headed in single file formation up the hillside. The maps they'd studied  before leaving showed the mansion at the very top. In front of the  place there was a regular road that actually led to a gated community  of, which the home was part of. But this particular dwelling was  slightly separated from the rest, and at the end of the line backing the  forestry.

It was the perfect place for a hit, but he was sure the senator hadn't  given much thought to that when she bought it three years earlier. Jenna  pulled away long enough to do that shit with her hair again, only this  time she pulled a skull cap from her jeans and pulled it down over her  head. He had the sneaky suspicion, that maybe he should be checking her  for weapons or some shit. She took his hand this time and concentrated  on her footing.

It took less than ten minutes to reach the back of the place, which was  all open space. No place to hide if someone was in the tree line waiting  to cap your ass. The place was in darkness, but the little heat-seeking  gadget showed warm bodies inside. They were both horizontal, indicating  the senator and her husband were asleep. The plan was to rush the place  and try to dismantle the security system that he was sure was in place.  But once again his flower had other ideas.

With her fingers to her lips she called for silence and he reached out  to stop her as she shifted away again. She ignored him of course, as she  made her way to the door. He couldn't see what she was doing in the  dark, but he was pretty sure she was jimmying the damn lock. The door  opened with barely a sound and she stepped in cautiously before turning  and inputting numbers in the little pad next to the door. Looks like she  knew the code.

He didn't let her go any farther, but followed behind and held her back  as he sent his men after the woman and man asleep upstairs. The sound of  muffled voices reached him and he braced himself for whatever the hell  was coming next. This woman could either be very grateful to them for  coming to her rescue, or she could make a stink; either way when he left  here tonight, he meant to have this shit behind him.

The elderly couple entered the room first, followed by Garrett and  Jameson. He had men surrounding the exits just in case, with another in  the trees with a scope. It was coming down to zero hour and he still  hadn't been able to determine what time the hit was supposed to be  carried out. Senator Winthrop was a medium build woman with a full head  of salt and pepper hair. She looked more like someone's grandmother, in  her chenille robe, than a member of the senate.

She came into the room a bit scared, which was to be expected, followed  by a short balding man, who was struggling to put on his glasses. The  only real light came from a window, and since he'd kept himself and  Jenna in the shadows, it was hard for the couple to make them out. "Who  are you people, what's this about?" Before he could say anything Jenna  moved out from behind him and approached. He had no worries that they  would harm her, not with his gun at the ready. Still he wasn't about to  let her get between him and danger.         

     



 

"Nana."

"Jenna?"

"What the fuck?"





Chapter 26





He moved in closer to her as the other woman approached. "No lights." He  sent out that warning as the man made as if to hit the switch. "What's  going on, Jenna how did you get here child?" The two women embraced  under Andros' watchful eye. He had no idea what was going on, and was  even more confused now than before. Hadn't the mother claimed ignorance  about this woman? So why was Jenna calling her nana?

"Somebody wanna tell me what's going on here? How do you know Jenna?" He  pulled her back to his side, his body still in a protective stance.

"She's my granddaughter of course and who are you? Are you one of those  ruffians?" He was pretty sure of whom she spoke, but he wasn't giving  anything away. Not yet.

"I'll ask the questions lady. Now, you say you're her grandmother, how  come I never heard about you?" That was a stupid fuck question, he'd  never heard about Jenna either, until a few short days ago; but nothing  here was adding up, and he was fast running out of patience. He hated  being in the dark about shit; that was the quickest way to get fucked.

"Because we'd been separated for a while when she was younger, but we've  found each other again. Haven't we Jenna?" She reached her hand out and  touched the young girl's cheek. It was dark in the room, and he  couldn't see the expressions on their faces very well, but there was no  tension in his flower's body, so he guessed she wasn't feeling  threatened. Now all he had to do was get to the bottom of what was going  on and he could get her out of there as quickly as possible. He wasn't  sure how he felt about this turn of events, but time will tell. A  fucking senator in the family, gramps will be pleased. The old fuck  would have one more politician to hoodwink into doing his shit.





"Why was there a hit put out on you?" No sense in beating around the bush, time was a wasting and he wanted to be the fuck gone.

"What? I don't understand young man. Are you saying someone hired  someone to kill me?" She clutched at the front of her robe and looked  around as if expecting the culprit to appear right then and there.

"Yes."

"Look I can't do this in the dark, couldn't we turn on the lights so I  can see to whom I'm speaking?" Did she think he was there for fucking  milk and cookies?

"Look lady, this isn't a social call. I'm here to either save your ass or put a bullet in you … "

"Angel nice." She caressed his face and he took her hand in his. He  wasn't being anything until he found out this woman's story. As far as  he could tell, all the members of his Jenna's family had been fucked in  the head one way or the other. There wasn't one mention in all the shit  he'd found, that linked her to the Petridis family; so how could she be  Jenna's grandmother? To top it off, she was a politician and he had an  ingrained distrust of them from the gate. He took Jenna back to the  other side, out of the scope of the man he had outside, who he'd told to  keep a bead on the senator until he knew what the fuck was up.

"Why do you think someone is trying to kill me?" She pulled out a chair  at the table and sat, reaching out her hand for her husband who walked  over and stood next to her.

"Your … Jenna told me."

"I told you this might happen Cathy, I warned you how unscrupulous these people are."