The Gambler (2 page)

"What are you doing little Jenna?"

She turned wide
, innocent, jet black eyes up to him, as her fingers played with the repp silk of his tie. Ah yes, it was the texture she found so fascinating he knew. Drawing her innocence closer into his chest, he squeezed her ever so softly, being careful not to spook her, though she seemed completely at ease.

Suddenly
, she took his face in her hands and with what he was sure she considered a stern voice commanded him to 'speak angel'.

He almost laughed at her pseudo stern face
, but not as yet knowing her psyche, he decided to forego the impulse for now.

"What would you like me to say little Jenna?"

"Song?" He wasn't sure if it was her nervousness that made her speak in short bursts to him, or if it was her usual way of speaking. Whatever, it didn't matter; whatever had been lacking in her care, he would see to it from now on.

"One minute little Jenna."

He pulled his phone from his pocket, better let gramps know there was going to be all out war, since there was no way he was giving her back. How could he? She was the fulfillment of a promise.

"Stefan Anthony, have you lost your mind? The girl is Alphonso Bonata's Goddaughter or some shit like that; that Italian prick is off his nut on a good day."

"I see you've already heard
, no use in me telling you what this means then."

"Son..."

"Not now gramps I've got company."

He hung up the phone on the long string of obscenities being heaped on his head
, and turned his attention to the innocent he held in his arms.

"Angel?"

"Yes little Jenna." Each time she called him that, something warm and sweet ran through him. It almost had him believing in things he'd stopped believing in a long time ago. Like goodness and light, and all the other bullshit he'd once held as truth. All the things he'd given up on that long ago day, when another innocent had been taken from him, ripped from the earth way too soon.

Could it really be
, that he'd suffered that loss, only to be rewarded now all these years later? But how could she have known? He'd always believed that his sister and those like her were somehow more special, more precious than the world knew. Where others saw them as less than, he held true that the opposite was truth. That they were the Creator's way of sneaking angels in among mere mortals, he just hadn't figured out why yet.

"Nice." She petted his tie, fascinated by the color and texture, so innocent, such pleasure in something so minor it made him want to weep.

The bruise on her face, where that animal had struck her, caused anger to rise up to choke him. He knew that if she was who he thought she was, that she would be attuned to his every mood, so he kept a tight rein on his emotions, even then she still looked at him quizzically.

"Angel?" He resolved himself to getting used to hearing that word
, at least a hundred times a day, because he understood that it was her way, it was the way the blessed ones interacted always.

"Yes little Jenna."

"Food?"

Fuck
, had that fucker starved her on top of everything else? He was really going to enjoy kicking the shit out of Petridis the first chance he got. Schooling his features so as not to show what his inner thoughts betrayed, he pressed the button to lower the glass between him and his men, riding upfront.

"Yes boss?"

"Find the nearest restaurant."

Garrett typed something in the GPS and came back with the name of a fast food chain. The sardonic look from Andros was all that was needed to have him looking again.

"Wait." Andros ordered the other man before he could continue his search.

"What do you want to eat little Jenna?" He made sure to keep eye contact with her as he spoke.

"Chocolate?" She had a mischievous grin on her face, so he knew that this was a trick she used often, probably on her mother.

"Nice try little Jenna." She laughed high and sweet and had him smiling with her. He looked up in time to catch the disbelieving look on Garrett's face before the other man hid it.

They found a nice Italian place opened late
, and went in.

"We need a table for f
our." Jameson told the maitre'd as they entered.

"Do you have chocolate?"

"Uh chocolate cake, yes sir." The middle aged man eyed Andros as though he was a wild animal out of his natural habitat. Huh, the look didn't faze the younger man, he was used to people cutting a wide swath around him. He guessed the thousand dollar suits couldn't hide the true nature of the beast.

"Not cake
, candy bars."

"Uh no sir." The man was hurrying to seat them at a table in the corner
, but Andros stopped at what he considered the best table in the place and sat his little Jenna, before taking his own seat, while his two guards followed suit.

The red-faced maitre'd
turned back to them and placed their menus in front of them.

"No sir, we don't carry chocolate here."

"Find some."

"Sir?"

Garrett stepped in before blood could be shed. He knew his boss was still pissed from the scene at the casino, he also knew it was going to be a while before the other man calmed down and who knows what it was going to take to bring that about, short of Alec Petridis's blood in his teeth.

  Everyone knew the story of Andros's love for his little sister. Rumor was
, the once easy going young heir had gone overnight from a peace loving sort, into a force to be reckoned with. The only one he was even remotely friendly with was his grandfather, who seemed to be the only one able to rein the young man in when he went into one of his moods.

If he didn't miss his guess
, this Jenna Petridis was like Andros's sister, and the other kids he was always spending so much time with down at the special home he'd had built for special needs kids. The place was built for kids whose families either couldn't, or didn't want to take responsibility for their care. Part of the facility was actually set up for parents and kids, who were down on their luck. The man was fanatical about that place and those kids.

  The
maître' d hurried away after whatever Garrett had whispered in his ear. Andros could care less, as long as somebody produced a chocolate bar in the next five minutes.

A young blonde girl came towards their table, and approached Jenna with something in her hand; Andros snatched her hand roughly away, causing her to cry out in fear.

"Sir, they said you wanted chocolate." He eased up his hold as she opened her hand to show him the candy bar there.

"Angel play nice?"

He turned to his little Jenna
, as he released the young woman's hand.

"Sorry little Jenna."

He took the candy and laid it on the table in front of her.

"Name?" He turned to the girl who was hovering, her eyes on Jenna as if trying to figure out just what was wrong with the beautiful young girl, because it was obvious that something wasn't quite right.

"Oh sorry, Tori sir."

"Where'd you get the chocolate Tori?"

"Oh Carl said you wanted some and I always carry some in my bag."

She was a little wary of the extremely handsome
, but very scary man. When he reached into his pocket she almost made a run for it, but he just unfolded a couple hundred-dollar bills and passed them to her.

"Oh no sir, I couldn't
, that's way too much and besides, I wasn't expecting to get paid."

"Kindness has no price, take it and tell whoever's in charge that this table is yours."

He dismissed her with a look and turned his attention back to his little Jenna, who seemed preoccupied with the candy wrapper.

"Angel help." She held it up to him and he couldn't resist kissing her fingers as he took it from her hands and unwrapped it for her.

Though the three men weren't hungry, they sat patiently, while Jenna played with her spaghetti Bolognese. Andros had known when he ordered it, that she might spend as much time playing with the strings of pasta on her fork, as she did actually eating it; but for him, it was all about her joy.

He didn't know anything about her existence up until tonight, how she'd lived. She'd obviously had care
, because he didn't see any of the signs of overt abuse. But for him, as long as there was one element of danger, it negated everything else. There was no doubt in his mind that he will one day seek retribution. The little skirmish back at the casino had barely wet his appetite for vengeance, and that was before he'd known who she was, she was not to be touched...ever.

He also knew that there was going to be trouble. His first thought was to stash her away somewhere, but then he convinced himself
, that the safest place for her, is with him. He wasn't afraid of what the men who were going to come after him would do; he never feared such things. His only concern now was for her and what she needed.

"Here little Jenna."

He took his fork from his untouched plate of pasta and used it to fork some of her noodles.

"Open."

She obediently opened her mouth no wider than a baby bird's and he eased the fork past her lips. She chewed and nodded and tried to smile at him all at the same time.

"Good?"

He was pleasantly surprised when she gave him the thumbs up sign.

They spent a good hour and a half at the table, before it was time to go. She latched onto his arm as if she'd been doing it forever when he helped her up from her seat. The more at ease she was with him, the more convinced he became, that she really was the one. It would take more time for him to work it through in his head, to put it all together, but he was starting to believe.

Garrett and Jameson both had grown use to their boss's quirkiness. They had learned patience in the years they'd been with him
, and so it was nothing for them to sit and wait. What was new though, was the way he seemed so at ease, it was a bit puzzling to say the least; who knew Andros had the relax gene?

It was another few-
hours drive to the estate in the Hudson Valley. He'd wanted this place for a lot of reasons, one in particular. But in the end he’d settled on it because it was backed by water, and the only entrance was down a long drive, flanked by high stonewalls.

It had once belonged to some oil baron back in the eighteen hundreds
, and was part of the historical society of America or some such shit. They'd tried to give him a hard time in procuring it, but he'd simply told the people in charge what he was willing to pay, which was a lot; when he was going to be there with the money, and when they needed to get the hell out of his place.

He had n
o doubt that gramps had probably stepped in behind the scenes, because the old coot could never keep his nose out of his grandson's affairs; but he didn't care, as long as he got what he wanted in the end, which he did. In fact, they'd been the ones to speed things up; who knows what the old reprobate had told them to light the fire under them? He was fond of regaling unsuspecting people with tales of his grandson's temper. It always seemed to help them see the error of their ways.

    Jenna was asleep curled in his lap, his arms wrapped protectively around her, when they arrived. He climbed out of the car and stopped short. What the hell was he supposed to do with her? If she woke alone in a strange place, she might have a bad reaction, and though he knew there was no way to shield her from all life's thorns, he was damn sure going to shield her from as many of them as possible.

Her entered the marble floored foyer where his man Stuart was still up and waiting. No matter how often he told the older man not to wait up for him
, it went in one ear and out the other. He'd shown the man a kindness years ago, and had found himself with a butler for his troubles. A butler in this day and age, at least gramps got a kick out of it.

"And what have you got there sir?"

"She's mine, I'll see to her." He held her closer to his chest and out of the other man’s reach.

"As you wish." He still followed after his employee nonetheless
, in case his services were needed.

"Willy
, find your bed and stop hovering like an old woman."

"If you're sure."

"I'm sure, how was Simon tonight?"

"Very fine sir, he ate his dinner without redecorating the kitchen walls, that's a step in the right direction."

"We take the little blessings as they come Willy, never forget."

"As you say sir."

"Okay, now that you've sir-red me to death, go get some rest."

The older man shuffled off in the direction of his rooms on the other side of the house
, while Andros took his precious cargo down the hallway, in the direction of his rooms. He could put her in one of the guest rooms he supposed, but he wasn't sure about that.