The Gambler (10 page)

“Gramps there.” She pointed at the screen even as she looked at him with intent in her eyes. In that moment she didn’t look like his sweet Jenna, she looked like she’d fuck him up if he didn’t do as she said.

The fuck! He had that hoo doo feeling again as he looked down at the screen.

There was an actual building with an arrow pointing to it. What the fuck? Just as he suspected, these fucking gadgets will get your ass killed.

“Gramps is here Jenna?” She just nodded her head and started digging into the little purse he’d bought her the day before. He stared at her at a lost for words. “Jenna
, baby, you are freaking me the fu…um, shit. You’re amazing baby.” He kissed her lips hard and she giggled and went back to digging in her bag for her candy bar.

By now Garrett was staring back at the two of them dumbfounded. “It’s the place on Warren boys
, let’s go.” That had been their third choice. He had no idea how she knew what she’d just told him, and for all he knew she could be wrong. But if she wasn’t, he had a lot of thinking to do when they got through this mess.

He knew she was special the moment she’d called him by that name. ‘Angel’. Only one other person knew about that and she’d been gone for a very long time. Now he had a new fear. Whatever gift she had, people were willing to kill her to prevent it getting into anyone else’s hands but theirs. Either that, or she knew a whole lotta shit that could get people fucked. One way or another he was gonna have to get into her head.

“It would be faster if we fly, head to the airfield.” Shit, had she ever flown before? How the fuck was he gonna do this? If she wouldn’t get on the plane, there was no way he was leaving her in the care of anyone else. It would take them a good couple of hours driving to get to the place, and that would be cutting it too close. He figured he’d have to risk it.

Taking her hand in his he said a silent prayer that she wouldn’t freak out on him. She was back to playing her game one handed while eating her candy bar. She looked so innocent then, like the beautiful creature she is. He knew there was something else going on here, something that he did
n’t understand quite as yet. But his suspicions told him that she had been used. That just earned the fucks an extra bullet.

He kept his hand around her as they made their way to the hangar where he kept the Gulfstream. She hummed under her breath, as she tinkered with that toy of hers, and he kept taking glances at it to be sure that she was playing her game and not about to blindside him again. For now it looked like she had no more surprises up her sleeves. Just as they were hitting the tarmac his phone rang.

“Yeah Vito.”

“I’ve got her.” Fuck, he’d forgotten all about the mother.

“Put ‘er
on ice…uh Vito, I mean keep her somewhere quiet until I get back. Just stash her in one of the rooms with eyes and ears.”

“Sure thing boss. Can I gag her though? Because she hasn’t shut up once since I acquired her
, and my ears are starting to ring from this shit.” What the fuck? Now I gotta deal with his shit, like I don’t have enough on my plate?

“Fine Vito, but make sure the gag does not block off her air passage, I want her breathing when I get back. If you fuck this up you’ll never make it off the estate.”

“Okay, okay. One little mistake months ago and you never let me live it down.

“Vito.”

“Yes boss, sorry I’m on it.” He hung up the phone before the other man started giving him his version of the so-called mistake again. He’d heard it a million fucking times and always came to the same conclusion. Your gun might possibly go off once by mistake, if you’re a complete asshole without a working brain cell. But there’s no way you can shoot a motherfucker eight times by mistake.

Outside the car, they had to do the security check again. His guys had been circling and back tracking as they drove and keeping him posted by phone, so he knew there were no un-friendlies following them. “Garrett you called ahead?”

“Yeah boss
, I scheduled the flight; it was a bit last minute but they worked it out.”

“Good.” He took one of her hands and squeezed softly to get her attention. He was in no way willing to force her onto that plane if she didn’t want to.

He knew it was fucked, gramps had been there his whole life, after his sister he was his number one guy. But if he had to, he would let the guys go on without him, so he could stay and protect her. He’d made that decision in the last few minutes on the way here. It was a tough one, but he gladly accepted that there might be a lot of those in his future. Whatever it takes, as long as his little Jenna was happy, fuck everything else.

“Angel ears?”

“Ears, what’s wrong with your ears baby?”

She flapped her arms and made the sound of a plane taking off. At least he thinks that’s what that was. He guessed that answered that question.

“Damn baby, thanks.” He kissed her forehead and helped her up the stairs to the plane. The twelve-seater was just big enough to hold their detail. He found her the special headphones and put them on her head as she looked around with excitement. She practically bounced in her seat and clapped her hands as they cruised down the tarmac.

Her eyes were peeled out the window and he left her side and went the short distance to where his men were seated. It was time to plan what the fuck they were gonna do once they got to this place. It was broad daylight and the stash house wasn’t exactly isolated. There will be people coming and going from the local businesses in the area. Not exactly ideal for a rescue mission that might end in a shootout. Maybe that’s what the enemy was banking on.

It didn’t matter though, because if gramps really was there as he suspected he was, he wasn’t leaving without him. The locals will just have to deal with a little bloodshed.

It took them half an hour to reach. Now he had another problem, what the fuck was he gonna do with her while he was in there? His head had been turned around way too much today, for some fucked up reason he wasn’t thinking straight.

He couldn’t take her in there. What the fuck had been thinking. All the way there in the waiting car he pondered the question over and over. This vehicle, though equipped, was nowhere near as safe as the tank. Granted no one knew they were coming, but the thought of leaving her alone this close to their enemies didn’t sit too well. Fuck Andros you fuck, what the hell were you thinking?

“We’ll be there in five boss.”

Jenna had her eyes peeled out the window, watching the scenery go by. The GPS on the car where they’d plugged in the address was now saying ‘you’ve arrived at your destination’. The place looked like a warehouse that had seen better days.

They made a wide circuit around the block to get the lay of the land. In back was another leg of the Hudson, this one dirtier than others. It looked like the area had once been an industrial park of some type that had since gone under. Most of the buildings were abandoned and they looked it. There looked to be a brand new speeding vessel of some sort tied up in the back of their destination though.

Jenna hopped out of the car before he could stop her and he almost had a fucking heart attack. He couldn’t yell and bring attention to them, so he got out as well
, before security was in place.

She walked with a purpose
, right up to the backdoor, and he thought his heart was gonna give the fuck out; until she stopped short and did some kind of duck and dive. He held Garrett and the others back as they made to follow her. That was because she’d turned back to him and placed a finger over her lips. What in the fuck was this?

She was playing with that toy again, only this time her fingers were moving faster than he’d ever seen them. When she was finished doing whatever it was she was doing, he heard a soft whirring sound and realized there were cameras on the sides of the building that had stopped in mid swing.

She started digging in the grass and he’s thinking ‘not now baby’. Her moods changed so rapidly from one moment to the next, he wasn’t sure what to expect. She turned to him with the sexiest fucking grin and beckoned him over.

She’d uncovered a trap door that led down into th
e basement of the place. “Gramps here.” He couldn’t resist kissing her, even as the others filed past them and started down the steps. Who the fuck was this girl really? And how had his sister known?

How could she have known all those years ago
, that this one woman would exist, and that she would be his? And why had fate chosen now to bring her to him? He had a million questions that needed answers and he intended to find out each and every one of them in the not too distant future.

He followed the men down the steps
, intending to stash her somewhere down there out of harm’s way, until the shit was over. They could hear footsteps overhead and men talking and laughing. She held up her fingers to her mouth again, as the others came down the stairs behind them.

Then she closed her eyes and seemed to be in deep concentration. He got that spooked feeling again and his gut churned. What the fuck was it gonna be this time? He was proud as fuck of her and what she could do, but everything so far pointed to her being trained as some sort of criminal.

That he could not accept. To take advantage of her innocent gifts in such a way! He had no doubt that the gifts were hers naturally
, whatever they were. But he knew that they had been used for something other than they were intended.

No one moved as she did her thing. Even his men were coming to understand that there was something more than met the eye with her. She popped her eyes open and held up her fingers. “Five?” she nodded in answer to his question.

Then she started pointing out locations, which he guessed represented where each man was stationed. Then she held her hand up again. “Two.”

She nodded and mimed walking and someone tied to a chair. Get the fuck out. She was the fucking bionic woman what the fuck?

“Angel chocolate.” Un-fucking-believable…

He didn’t need to tell the men where to go, from the information she gave them they pretty much knew what needed to be done. First order of business was to neutralize the two on gramps
, because chances are they’d been told to eliminate if there was a rescue attempt.

He sent the men on ahead so he could talk to her before following them up. “Jenna I need you to stay down here baby okay.” He led her to a spot hidden behind an old furnace and hoped like fuck that she understood what he was saying. He heard gunfire erupt just as his foot hit the first step to go up
, and started running.

Gramps! There was chaos when he made it to the top. Two of the men were already dead on the floor and Jameson was untying the old man. He heard running feet and aimed his gun in the direction they were coming from. He wasn’t really interested in eliminating these fucks right now, not with Jenna and gramps on the scene, his first priority was getting them the fuck out. He’d have to deal with the fucks later, but it seemed like they were gonna force his hand.

“Angel.” He heard her scream two seconds before she flew at him and his heart fell to his fucking knees. What the fuck? He heard the recoil and felt her weight hit him, a second before he raised his arm and shot the guy who’d been about to shoot him.

“Jenna, baby?” He felt the warmth of her blood on his hand and her eyes glazed over before she passed out. Snatching her up he headed back for the stairs calling gramps to follow him, leaving the others to finish it. He never stopped moving until he reached the boat docked at the back of the property. Gramps was two steps behind him and it wasn’t long before the others came through the door.

“Torch it.” One of the guys went back, and using a cloth soaked in gas from the car, lit the place on fire. If anyone were left alive in there, they would be trapped, since the front was boarded up and there was only one way in or out. “You guys head back to the plane, I’m taking the boat with gramps and Jenna.” It was a straight shot on the water to his place; besides, he couldn’t risk getting on a plane with her in this condition, too many eyes too many questions.

Jameson and Garrett got on the boat with them of course, but it was gramps he entrusted her to. “Keep pressure on her shoulder gramps
, I think it was a through and through.” Turning to the throttle, he sped across the water with his heart in his throat. She could’ve died. Why the fuck did she do it? He knew the answer to that of course, she was trying to save him and probably had.

He couldn’t think about the fact that she was back there bleeding and unconscious
, as he sped towards home. His only focus was on what he had to do once they got there. Thank fuck there wasn’t too much traffic on the water or he would’ve probably crashed at the rate he was going.

He pulled up to his dock and waited for Garrett to hop out and tie them off, before taking her from the old man. “Call Dr. Pruitt, tell him to get here yesterday.” He was moving as he threw the order over his shoulder to the old man. Inside he yelled for his housekeeper even as Willy came rushing to the door. “Sue I need you upstairs.”

“What happened to her?” She came rushing over to his side as he made his way up the stairs.

“She’s been shot.”

“Oh the poor little thing.”

He placed her on their bed and hovered as the woman started tending to her. Now that the danger had passed and he’d got her home safely, he felt the full effects of what had happened, what could’ve happened. His knees started to shake when he saw all the blood that had soaked through the top of her dress. Shit, he hadn’t even shaken like that the one time he’d been shot.

She was bleeding like stink and he started to worry that maybe it was worst than he’d thought. “How bad?” He looked over Sue’s shoulder
, as she eased the dress away from the wound. There was a deep gash where the bullet had sliced through her skin.

He saw red in that instant and wished he’d done more than shoot the fucker that had done that to her. Now for the rest of their lives he’d always be reminded that she’d taken a bullet for him, had risked her own life
, which was worth so much more than his, to spare him a bullet to the heart.