The Gambler(32)

He had no control over the roar that was ripped from him as he spilled  inside her, her sweet spasms sending him over the edge time and again as  she followed him into bliss. "I love you so fucking much little one."





Chapter 27





The next morning, before the sun rose, he snuck out of bed. She was dead  asleep after a night, or early morning, of hot loving. He was amazed at  her capacity for love, not to mention how well she'd taken to the joys  of sex. She pretty much outshone every experience he'd ever had. But he  didn't like thinking about his past exploits in the same thoughts as his  little flower. It seemed to cheapen it somehow. He sufficed himself  with the knowledge that the girl of his heart; was perfect.

He slipped down the stairs to the door that was locked from the outside.  He'd sent the man he'd had there to a different post. It wasn't that he  didn't trust his men, but there were some things better not shared. He  was always thinking long term, he didn't want anything coming back to  bite him in the ass later.

She was asleep, as was to be expected. There were candy wrappers and  other discarded snack bags all over the side table, as well as the  bureau. It was as if she thought she was on holiday or some shit, the  way she'd taken over the room and made herself at home.

He stood over her for the longest while just studying her. What he came  here to do was not an easy thing. He knew that some way, somehow, what  he was about to do, would affect his Jenna and that was the last thing  he wanted to do. He'd thought he had it figured out when he left his  bed. But now, standing over her with murder on his mind, he held himself  back.

Could he hear her call for this woman in her sweet voice, knowing what  he'd done? He couldn't imagine denying her anything. The fact that he  held Sonia Petridis accountable for a lot of what had happened wasn't  what was most important here. She was still important to Jenna.

"You've come to kill me haven't you?" her voice coming out of the dark startled him.

"How did you know I was here?"

"You don't tangle with the Bonata family without learning how to be on your guard at all times."

"Why would you need to be? I thought you were all such great friends?"

"Hah." She laughed long and hard, and he was almost tempted to say fuck  it and just choke the bitch to death, but then she spoke.

"I despise that man. But you see, you'll never believe me now, because  we've got ourselves so entangled that it would be hard to unravel. I've  been living this lie for so long that … "

"Don't fuck with me lady. What is it that you're trying to say?"

"I can't … can't tell you. But I will say thanks for taking care of my  girl. Make sure that she's happy. If you betray her may you rot in  hell."

What the fuck? Where was the callous woman who'd sold out her own  daughter? What game was she playing now? She was just trying to save her  ass; that had to be it. She knew he was here to end her, so she was  changing her tune.

"You don't believe me do you? Just as well, it's all over now anyway?"         

     



 

"What's all over?" She rolled over away from him and he stood there for  the longest while before turning and walking out the door.





Why the fuck was it that he always ended up with more questions than  answers when dealing with these people? If she was trying to convince  him that everything he'd come to believe up until now was a lie she  wasn't doing a very good job. And what was that crack about hating  Bonata? He couldn't ask his Jenna, because he was pretty sure she  wouldn't understand what he was getting at. Even with everything that  he'd learned about her capabilities, he still knew and understood, that  unless he asked her leading questions, he won't get the answers.



He made his way back up the stairs, suddenly more tired than he'd ever  been. As soon as he reached the door he knew. His heart fell and the  bottom fell out, as he pushed the door open, to an empty bed. He  searched the bathroom and the closet calling for her, but there was no  answer. "JENNA." He went running through the house. He searched the wing  where he'd put her grandparents but even then he knew.



He called his men in from outside. No one had seen her. He lost his shit  in that moment. Isn't that what he was paying them for? Willie pulled  him off of the guy he was presently pummeling to dust. "Sir, get ahold  of yourself, this is not helping." He pulled away from the other man and  tried to think calmly. He couldn't, his heart hurt in a way it hadn't  in a long fucking time.



Where could she be? He knew no one had come into his home and taken her;  that meant she'd left on her own; but to go where? What danger was she  in now as he was left here with no answers and no idea where to look?

"Find her, if there's a hair missing on her head I will end every last motherfucking one of you."





He headed back to the room he'd left not too long ago. He needed answers  and he was through playing games. No more fucking riddles. He slammed  the door open in his fury, causing her to sit up in her bed with fright.

"Okay lady, you're going to tell me what the fuck is going on and you're  gonna tell me now. If I don't like what the fuck you got to say, or I  think you're lying, I'll blow your fucking head off without a second  thought."

She eyed the gun in his hand as she straightened herself up on the side  of the bed. "What happened?" He wasn't going to tell her shit, but then  he thought, what could it hurt.

"Jenna's gone, she snuck out of my bed while I was down here with you.  Now I know there must be a reason for this and one that has nothing to  do with your mother." Her eyes widened at that.

"Oh yes, I know the senator is your mother. I also know about the shit  that you've allowed Jenna to become involved in … " She flew off the bed  and grabbed his shirt. "You've got to find her, if Bonata … "

"Bonata's dead."

"What?" She stumbled backwards and fell against the bed.

"Yeah, he's gone and so is your son. I didn't do that one but not for lack of trying. Now tell me what the fuck I need to know."

"It's a long sordid mess … "

"Talk fast because I don't have all day. I need some insight so I will  know where to start looking for her." His blood was up, and he was  barely hanging on by a thread. His sanity was being taxed to the fucking  limit. Every minute she was gone was a minute in hell for him. He  wouldn't do this again, he wouldn't survive it he knew, if something  were to happen to her. Life couldn't be that fucking cruel could it? To  give him such beauty to hold, only to destroy it, not once, but twice?

"They took her father. That's the short version."

"Come again."

"When mom found out and started making waves, I tried to put her off. We  thought she had given up on it, but somehow word leaked that she was  still digging; only now she was being a little more inconspicuous. You  see; Jenna had been feeding mom information, only she didn't know it was  from Jenna, because we had to do it on the sly. If Alphonso ever found  out, who knows what he would've done.         

     



 

After they found out about the expose` they were scrambling around to  head her off. I guess a lot of influential people were involved and if  their names got out it could destroy people's careers and such. It's  been almost a year since she started, and we think they planted someone  with her to keep track of what she was doing." That would be the  assistant. He really didn't have time to muddle through all this shit  right now. He just wanted to find her and bring her home safe. It seemed  like everywhere he turned, there was something darker and deeper,  hidden beneath the surface.

"I'm going to ask you one question and I'll know if you're lying so do not fuck with me. What part did you play in all this?"

"To understand that, I'd have to go back to the very beginning."

He drew up a chair from the little sitting room, clasped his hands between his knees and glared at her. "I'm all ears.





She composed herself and gazed off into thin air for a minute, as if  gathering her thoughts. It wasn't easy to speak of these things, and  especially not to someone she was sure hated her. She looked at the man  who held so much of what was important in her life, in his hands. His  face was set in stone, his posture unbending. She made a silent plea for  strength, and then she began.

"When Jenna was born, we didn't know what to make of her. Back then they  didn't have all the diagnosis and different names for things like they  do today. We just knew she was different; for one thing, she didn't  speak until she was three years old. Not that she couldn't talk mind  you, we'd heard her say a few words here and there, but she just didn't  seem to like talking. She was more of an observer, she was always  watching.

Paulie and I didn't care, we loved our girl she was the apple of her  daddy's eye. She had her own routine, which never really varied from day  to day, except for a few very rare occasions. We spent so much time  with her, Alec sorta got shoved to the backburner, not that it was her  fault or that we resented her for it." She rushed to add that little bit  on when he shifted in his chair.