Page 21 of The Gambler

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 didn’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 ‘eron 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.

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