The Gambler(36)

She tried arguing with him at first, until he told her that he'd put her  little ass on the plane and take her home. She gave him a look and  folded her arms, fuming. Who the fuck is this girl? She seemed to have a  million different personas, she was the innocent, the lover that  outshone all others, the computer wiz, the gambler and apparently a  pilot, a fighter and who the fuck knew what else.

‘I know what I'm doing.' He read the latest words on his phone.

‘I don't care, you're not going off anywhere by yourself, now tell me  what I want to know, or I'll hogtie you and take you back to the States.  If you want to save your dad you'll start talking. NOW.'

She decided to go with the silent, mouth zipped and arms folded  approach. "Take us back to the airfield." She actually reached for the  door handle when he gave that order. He grabbed her around the middle  and dragged her into his lap to keep her in the car. They were on their  way to a villa that grandpa supposedly owned, while he'd been upstairs  reacquainting himself with his little dynamo. He didn't know where the  fuck he was, and had no interest in trying to hunt her down again.         

     



 

He had to keep a hold of her all the way there, as she struggled and  kicked up a fuss. He guessed he was finally getting a taste of what life  with her was going to be like. He was wondering how long this side of  her would manifest itself. Too bad for her, he was an expert at dealing  with the temper tantrums of the truly gifted. Though hers seemed to be  the mother of all tantrums.

She was so cute, not a word was said, she just stiffened up her body and  used her strength to hold him off. It was almost like watching an  action movie with the sound on mute. She made not a sound as she pulled  his arms from around her each time he replaced them, or when she tried  to stomp a hole in his foot.

Not even when she reached up and around his neck, and tried to put him  out with her finger over his pulse, did she utter a word. It was hot as  fuck in Havana and their little struggle was making him even hotter.  Gramps the ass was watching and laughing, that's why he couldn't calm  her ass down in the way he would've preferred. Instead he bit into her  neck gently, which got her attention.

"Angel loves his Jenna." The words seemed to deflate her and knock the  fight out of her. She switched off like he'd turned a key or something  in her back, like a wind up toy. He kept his arms around her, as she sat  mutely on his lap. She hadn't said a word about why she was here, and  he was waiting until they were alone and behind closed doors to broach  the subject.





Chapter 29





The place looked like a throwback to an earlier time, something you'd  see in an old black and white Hollywood flick with Bogart or Grant.  There were palm trees lining the driveway to the two story wooden  structure, with its peeling white paint and pale pink shutters. "She use  to be a grand old lady back in the day."

That was Gramps' first words as they left the car. There were men and  women in uniform, who came out to meet them, and who seemed a little  confused by the fact that no one had any luggage. In fact Jenna was the  only one with a satchel, which he was dying to get his hands on.

He had to figure out a way to get the information out of her, and then  convince her to stay behind while he went after her dad. Her mother had  explained why she thought Jenna wouldn't get him involved, but she had  to know that now that he was here, there was no way he was going to let  her take such risks.

As soon as the door closed behind them in the room they'd been shown to,  he backed her up against the wall, crowding her. She gave him one of  her disarming smiles, the little sneak. "Oh no you don't little flower;  what's in the bag?" He took it off her shoulder even as she tried to  hold onto it. "Jenna, you're not going anywhere, try to get that through  your head. I will go after your dad and bring him back. Now tell me who  has him and what it is they want from you?"

She shook her head in the negative and folded her lips. How could she be  so innocent one minute and so … whatever the fuck she is, the next. Not  more than an hour ago she'd been a wanton beneath him, now she was an  innocent, who thought that by folding her lips she could keep him at  bay.

"Fine then, if you won't tell me, then we're going home, but you're not  putting yourself in any more danger." He didn't look at her when she  stomped her foot, or when she tried turning his chin so that he had to  look at her. "No Jenna, and you're in enough trouble as it is so I'd  quit while I was ahead if I were you." He finally got the bag open and  was amazed at what he found.

It was a kill kit. There was a broken down weapon with a silencer, rope,  something that looked like a grenade and clothes that looked familiar.  He wondered where she'd got the specialized Kevlar suit from, but now  wasn't the time to ask. He shook his head as he looked at her.  Everything he'd thought they were going to be had changed. How the fuck  was he going to deprogram her ass?

Here he was looking forward to a life of peace and quiet, and his wife  to be was damn near a lethal weapon. "Come here." He pulled her down  next to him on the bed and looked into her eyes so she could gauge the  seriousness of what he was about to say.

"Baby, I know you're trying to protect me, but you've got it wrong, I'm  supposed to protect you. I can't let you go after these people whoever  they are. If you just tell me who and where, I'll take care of it for  you. If you insist on being stubborn, I will knock your ass out and take  you home; then your dad will probably die. I know you don't want that,  so please just tell me what I need to know.         

     



 

She studied him for the longest time before she got out her phone to do  her bionic typing shit. He was patient and let her get the words out,  before reading what she'd sent him. Her words shook him to the core.  ‘Alice said Jenna take care of Angel. Angel seen too much death, and  sorrow, no more; Jenna brave girl.'

He felt the words in his heart. His two favorite people were trying to  protect him; the fact that one of them was no longer here was neither  here nor there. Somehow, when Jenna was around, he felt his sister  wasn't too far behind. Maybe now was as good a time as any to find out  just how that relationship had come about. She had to be no more than a  child when Alice died and he would've known of her if they'd met in  life. He knew everyone his sister had known.

"Jenna I know you said that you speak to Alice in your head, but where  did you meet her?" He held his breath as he waited for her answer. Maybe  her explanation would be something simple, like maybe one day they met  in the doctor's office or something stupid like that.





She was typing for a long time, and he could see that she was  concentrating really hard, trying to take her time to explain, by the  furrow of her brow. When she was finished and he was finally able to  read what she'd sent him, her explanation blew him away. As far as he  could tell, she had met Alice for the first time, the day she died.  Jenna didn't know this, but from the scene she described, he knew that  that's what it was.

Alice had shown her a glimpse of him while he'd held her in is arms that  day. She didn't know how they'd been able to connect, because she'd  never been able to do it with anyone else before or since. She was ten  years old when it happened. After that, she'd seen her a handful of  times but then the visits had stopped until the other day.

Alice sometimes told her things throughout the years, but she hadn't  appeared to her again since her childhood. It was more of the hocus  pocus shit that he couldn't wrap his mind around, but she was living  proof, so he had no choice but to accept.

He took a moment to digest what she'd shared with him, maybe later he'd  take it out and look at it again and see if he could make sense of the  whole thing; but he wasn't holding out much hope for that. Instead of  answering his questions it just left him with more, one of them being,  why his sister had never tried to connect with him. Okay Andros you ass,  you can't be jealous of a ghost.

"Thanks for telling me sweetheart, I'm glad I know. Now tell me why  you're here." She didn't seem to want to tell him at first, so he waited  her out. She was stubborn as fuck, that's for sure, and he had to keep  reminding himself that he'd only known her for a few short days and  maybe some day, he'd figure this shit out.

He was having a hard time keeping up though, as he sat there with her on  his lap, trying to piece together everything he'd learned thus far.  Since she wasn't talking, and he was beginning to realize that he  probably wouldn't get shit out of her, he tried a different tack.





"Your mother said that you set up our meeting that night, why?"

She was back to her phone again. ‘It was time.'

"Time for what?"