The Gambler(39)

     



 

"I love you baby." The words were said into her mouth as she clenched around him and he spilled inside her.





For the rest of that day, he didn't let her out of his sight. He kept  her close while the five of them tried to figure out what the fuck they  were going to do. They'd let the guys in on some of what was going on  but not all, they didn't need to know everything; because when this was  over, he was planning to put her criminal past behind them. He knew she  couldn't unlearn all that she knew, but hopefully he could steer her in a  different direction.

She was back to being his little Jenna again, tinkering with that toy of  hers, only now the shit made him nervous because he wasn't sure exactly  what it was she was doing on the thing. Though every time he'd sneak a  peak she'd be playing one of her games.

Gramps, for some fucked up reason found the whole thing hilarious and  Andros was two steps away from braining the old man if he didn't stop  his shit. He didn't find anything about this amusing, though the fear  had eased a little, they were nowhere near being in the clear. He didn't  think he'd breathe easy again until they were back home where he could  keep her safe.



As night approached and they still had no sure answers, he grew  restless; he knew it was going to be up to him, that he was the one who  would have to find a way into the palace, but so far they'd come up with  nothing. They had a quiet dinner prepared by the staff. Jenna didn't  seem worried and he put that down to her natural innocence. He wasn't  sure how her mind worked when it came to these things; she had so many  different angles, it was almost hard for him to keep up.

"Angel bath." She made that announcement as they left the table.

"Okay I'll run you a bath." He didn't question the fact that they'd  taken a shower not too long ago; maybe she just preferred baths. His  mind was so preoccupied that he just ran the bath and got her set up  before heading back downstairs with the guys.

"Okay no matter what, I have to find a way into this place, if I don't  do it, she's going to try and I can't have that. We have just a few  hours left to come up with a plan. Gramps you've been here before, do  you know anything about the place? Is there anyway to gain an audience  or some other bullshit?"

"Uh, ahem."

"What is it old man?" Gramps was looking rather suspicious all of a  sudden, and Andros knew that always spelt trouble for him. "What did you  do?"

"Nothing, but, there's a game there tonight."

"Game, what kind of game?"

"Well, while you were asleep I put out some feelers and found out that  there's some kind of high stakes game going on there tonight. Lotta the  big boys are gonna be there."

"How does this help me? I can't just walk in there can I? you usually  have to buy into those things." When the old man didn't answer but just  gave him a look, he still hadn't caught on. It was Garrett's ‘oh shit'  that did it.

"JENNA." HE took the stairs two at a time with his heart already at the  bottom of his feet. He heard water running in the tub and bent to hold  his knees in relief. He was breathing like a runaway train. Walking over  to the door he pushed it open and felt his blood run cold.

He searched the room but he knew she wasn't there. He turned off the  water before running back downstairs. "She's gone, let's go." He wasn't  sure what he should feel. Beyond the fear was anger, anger that she  would do this even after he'd told her not to. Anger that she was in  danger and there was nothing he could do about it. He wasn't prepared to  storm the fucking presidential palace of Cuba for fuck sake.





JENNA

The men scattered around the room were very appreciative of the  beautiful blonde as she made her way around the room. She was almost the  perfect woman; beautiful smile, amazing body, and she barely spoke. The  other women here would talk your ear off, but this one knew her place.

When the private doors leading down to the wine cellar were opened and  the nod was given, they knew it was time for the fun to begin. "Who do  you have there Pierre?" The man in charge posed the question in his  heavy accent, as the others wondered the same.         

     



 

The women didn't usually play, they were just here for window dressing,  but at one seat, it seemed the roles had been reversed. Though no one  would ever mistake Pierre Gaston for window dressing. The man was an  over enthusiastic blowhard with nose hair and a bulbous nose that took  up half his face.

His gout-ridden body left much to be desired as well, and everyone came  to the same conclusion; the young beauty had to be with the old fool for  his money, of which he had plenty. Pierre wasn't interested in what  they thought, he had a pretty good idea what was going through their  heads but the joke was on them.

This particular young beauty had skinned him out of millions a few  months ago. It wasn't the money that bothered him, he had more than  enough for one lifetime, but his pride had taken a licking and he needed  to get some of his own back. What better way, than to have some of the  world's foremost billionaires suffer the same fate?

When she'd contacted him with the idea he hadn't bat a lash, though the  location was a bit odd. He'd played here before, everyone knew the  dictator loved to gamble, and those in the know knew all about the  little secret games held in his dungeon. It had been no trouble at all  getting an invite and paying the entrance fee, and so here he was  getting some of his own back. Only tonight he wasn't planning on  playing.

"This gentlemen, is my protégé." They'd come up with that little story together to make it more acceptable to the others.





The smiling coquette was gone, and in her place was a very serious woman  who studied her hand like she meant business. The men didn't make a  fuss about playing with a woman, they'd done it before, but she didn't  look the type. The room started out with friendly ribaldry and good  joshing as the hands were dealt and the money pile grew. It didn't take  long for the atmosphere to change as they watched the very serious and  very quiet young woman win hand after hand.

"Pierre, what's going on here? where did you find her?" the old man just  smiled and shrugged his shoulders as the men tightened their belts and  got down to serious playing. They weren't about to let this newcomer  best them, and not a woman at that.

She let them win the next two hands, not giving away too much, just  enough to make these men less suspicious. She handily trounced them the  next two hands before she beckoned the older man down so she could  whisper one word in his ear. "Restroom."

No one thought anything of it when the request was made, least of all  the dictator who was getting hot under the collar at being bested at his  own table. He knew most of them let him win, he didn't care about that;  he only cared about winning, however that was achieved.

The kindly assistant showed her the way down the long hallway before  returning back to the room downstairs, after ascertaining that she knew  her way back. He hoped she'd take her time though; the way things were  going he was in for a long night. He's the one who was in charge of  setting up the games. His boss hadn't been too thrilled about this one  to begin with since he had a delegation of very important men arriving  soon, and the game had been set up last minute.

He'd had a time of it convincing the man that this would be a good way  to relax and unwind, while they waited to handle the other matter  concerning the man that was being held even now in another part of the  palace. When he'd been contacted and offered a cool half a million to  set up the game, he'd jumped at the chance. He had been in a bit of  trouble lately and the money would go a long way to easing his burden.





Chapter 31





She knew she didn't have a lot of time as she threw the dress and the  wig into her purse. She got hurriedly dressed in the skintight Kevlar  body suit before putting her hair up and shoving it under the cap which  she pulled down low over her eyes. Taking the pieces of the gun that  Andros had forgotten to take from her backpack, she put it together in  less time than it would've taken one of the army's elite.

Each move was precise and calculated. She listened carefully at the door  before easing it open and making her way as carefully as she could down  the winding hallway heading in the opposite direction from where she'd  come. With her keen senses on high alert, she made her way to the other  end of the palace where she had deduced that her father was being held  captive.         

     



 

It hadn't been easy since she'd never been there before, but after  studying the blue prints on file, she'd chosen this one by process of  elimination. There was no room for mistakes, she would only get one shot  at this, and though she'd practiced she knew that this was the real  deal and anything could go wrong.