The Gambler(33)

"Anyway, by the time the doctors could tell us what was wrong with her … "

"There's not one fuck wrong with her."

She hid a smile by ducking her head. Well now, that's what she needed to  see, to be reassured that they'd made the right decision after all. She  cleared her throat and continued. "Sorry let me rephrase, by the time  they told us how to handle a child with her … " he sat forward in his  chair menacingly and she changed tact again.

"When we learned how to take care of her needs, she had already been  pretty much set in her routine. We were home schooling her by then. We  did try going the regular route, but with her not talking, there always  seemed to be an issue. So Paulie and I thought it best to keep her home.  She was your normal pre-teen I guess, except she liked to sit for hours  doing the same things over and over again."

"Then one day Paulie brought home a computer, some friend of his had  told him it was good for Jenna, that maybe she could use some of the  programs online. Within the first couple weeks she had mastered the darn  thing. She stayed on that thing forever, and since I'm not too swift on  them myself, I had no idea what she was doing."

"Paulie was the first to notice; apparently she was able to get in and  out of places that she wasn't supposed to. Hacking he called it. We  tried to get her to stop, but it was no going. Eventually we were able  to interest her in other things on it and the hacking thing came to a  halt, or at least we thought it had."

"At this time like I mentioned, Alec was pretty much left to himself,  not that we neglected him, but he kinda got lost in the shuffle. We gave  him everything he needed, but the truth is, Jenna got most of our time.  He was always messing with Bonata's boys, always wanted to be a part of  them. And no matter what I said I couldn't dissuade him."

"Then one day he went bragging to them about his little sister and the  computer, which was a shock to me, because he never mentioned her  outside the family. I'm not sure anymore how the topic even came up,  probably bragging rights or some such nonsense. But whatever set it off,  Bonata sent his men to the house not long after that for Jenna."         

     



 





"Imagine our surprise when this man, whom we'd heard so much about, and  knew very well to steer clear of was on our doorstep. Of course we  couldn't say no. There wasn't even a choice given. Anyway, we put on our  coats and got Jenna ready and off we went. He asked us all these  questions that we didn't have the answers to, and then they put her in  front of a computer. It was something to see. These grown men were in  awe of my girl. Anything they asked her to do, she did it, and in less  time than it takes to sneeze."

"Bonata said he wanted to hire her for his business, she could work from  home sometimes, but other times she'd have to come to him. I was still a  bit weary about the hacking thing, and knowing his reputation, I was  afraid that he would use her for these purposes, but he assured me that  he wouldn't. When I told him that it might be a problem getting her to  come to him, since she never really went anywhere without me or her dad,  he suggested that Alec could bring her."

"Now I know what you think of my boy, but I'll never believe that he knowingly led his sister into trouble."

"I think it might be best for all concerned if you don't mention your fuck of a son to me again. Carry on."

"Um, okay, so they started out going there for a few hours everyday. I  didn't see anything wrong, or any real changes in her behavior, and Alec  assured me that she was safe and that she loved what she was doing. In  my mind it was like she'd gone out and found a job. Then the days  started getting longer; sometimes she'd be gone ten, twelve hours. I  started to worry, and Paulie tried to figure out what was going on, but  you know, unless you ask her something directly, she sometimes have a  hard time explaining herself."

"Where did the gambling come in?"

"Oh that, that was an accident I think. Paulie was watching one of those  stupid marathon poker games on TV, Jenna was sitting there with her dad  just watching. I think he jokingly asked her if she liked it or  something, for me it's like watching paint dry.

But he was happy enough to have someone to watch with him. He got out  some cards and started teaching her the game. I can't remember how long  it took her, but wasn't long before Paulie was yelling for me to come  see this. I watched her for a good ten minutes, because I thought it was  a fluke you know. Then I joined in because Paulie's never been the best  at cards."

"Anyway, this went on for a while, she loved it. We'd play with her for  hours sometimes when she wasn't over at Bonata's place, trying to figure  out how she did it. In over a hundred games that first weekend, she  lost only one. Paulie found a card under the table later that he'd  dropped when he was shuffling. To this day I think that's the only  reason she lost that one."

"We stupidly told Alec about it, we were so proud of her; you gotta  understand, until all this, our girl just sat and watched TV or did  something quiet around the house. There was never any indication that  she was capable of anything more, or that her life would ever be  anything but those four walls. As a mother and father, it was very heart  warming for us. I know it pissed you off about the chocolate, but it's  the one thing she loves, that means something to her. I would've given  her truck loads of the stuff if I had to to make her happy."

He could understand that now, looking at it from that perspective,  though it still burned a hole in his gut. He didn't say anything either  way, as his mind sifted through all that she was saying. If she were to  be believed, he'd jumped to the wrong conclusion and that's something he  hated. The wrong people could die if that happened. Like he'd almost  taken her life when, according to her, all she'd been trying to do was  help her kid. She went about it in a fucked up way yes, but if what she  said is true, then she hadn't set out to exploit her own kid.

"I'm guessing Alec told Bonata about the gambling?"

"Yes he did; I was so angry at him back then. He would do anything to be  a part of them, of that world. Until then I think they barely paid him  any attention at all. But after the computer thing, he started acting  like a different person. Then suddenly he was Jenna's best buddy; I  should've known there was something fishy going on there. He never  really had much to do with her before this all started. Paulie and I let  him have his way in a lot of things, because we felt guilty. We'd given  Jenna our all, and poor Alec had been left out in the cold."         

     



 

"You shoulda poisoned the fuck at birth."

She looked at him askance; he really was a hard one; why her Jenna  thought he was an angel was left to be seen. All she'd seen so far was a  cold, unbending young man who didn't seem to have much use for people,  except maybe her Jenna. She picked up the story where she left off.





"When he started showing a real interest in his sister, we were so  pleased. We thought he'd started seeing her as more than the simpleton  he sometimes called her." Andros moved in his chair and she didn't need  to look at him to know that he was pissed off by her words. It was very  liberating to know that this man was the one looking after her girl. As  cold as he was, it was a comfort to her to know that she could finally  take a breath, after all these years of worrying. Jenna had been right  after all; he really was her angel.

"Okay, then what happened?"

"Well then, that's when the trips out of town started, and the being  gone for days. Suddenly Alec was flushed with cash. I guess he was using  her on his own at first, then to get what he wanted, he brought it to  Bonata's attention. We had no control over anything anymore, Paulie and  I. They just took over. Paulie tried to say something once or twice; she  was still his little girl after all. But Bonata said, or did something  to him to scare him, and we had no choice but to drop it. By then, mom  was making waves and no matter how we tried to deflect her she wouldn't  quit."

"Then Jenna started, I don't know what you'd call it, communicating  better. We still couldn't get anything out of her unless we asked her  the right questions, but she could tell us what she wanted. That's where  your name came up again after all those years. She'd mentioned you the  first time when she was about sixteen or seventeen, and other than the  cutout from the magazine that she had on her wall, we never heard a peep  out of her about it again."

"Things went on as usual, and we started to learn to live with it. I had  no idea that mom was doing anything, or that she'd found out so much,  but the Bonatas did. I don't know if Alec warned them or not, I guess  now we'll never know." Her voice trialed off as she felt a moment's  sorrow for the son she'd lost. She knew she was partly to blame for what  had become of him, that maybe if she'd given him more of her time …