“But…Angel, he’s hurt.” She started to cry as she looked around and nothing looked familiar. The place was pretty enough, some type of garden with a riot of colors. But she was sure she’d never been there before.
“Your angel is fine, you protected him.” She looked back at the woman who was even prettier than the picture in her angel’s room.
“Where am I?” She felt different in this place. Her thoughts weren’t jumbled and she didn’t feel like she had to run to catch up to them. She could actually take her time and speak too.
That’s the reason she only spoke in short sentences, because her thoughts were sometimes racing ahead of her tongue, and she found it was easier to keep it short and sweet. But somehow in this magical place she felt calmer.
She followed the lady, who led her by the hand to a small stream at the edge of the garden, where there was a bench to sit. “You’re doing very well Jenna, I’m proud of you. But you’ve got to stop with the chocolate.” She smiled and squeezed her hand.
“What, but why? I like chocolate.”
“I know you do, but you’ve been conditioned to ask for it whenever you think you’ve done something good. Next time ask your angel to catch you a butterfly.” She had a winsome smile on her face as she gazed off.
“A butterfly?”
“Yes, he’ll understand.”
They sat in silence for a while, just taking in the calming ambience of their surroundings.
“Alice, how come I see you and nobody else can?”
“I don’t know sweetie that’s just the way these things happen I guess. Thanks for taking care of him for me, he’s…wounded, that’s the word.”
“Why, who hurt my angel?” Jenna was getting upset; she didn’t like the thought of anyone hurting her angel. It made her tummy hurt.
“No one hurt him exactly, it was…it was a long time ago. I was young and naïve. Stefano always looked out for me like a big brother should, but more.” She smiled that winsome smile again in fond memory.
“He was always there whenever I needed him, tried to shield me from the ugliness of the world. We shared a bond that nothing and no one could break. When I was sixteen, he had just started university. It was the first time we were apart. It was hard on both of us. There were these guys in the neighborhood; they’d never bothered me before, because everyone knew that Stefano would pound them into the ground if they even tried.”
“One day, it was the day Stefano was due back from school, I don’t know how they knew but they did. One of them came through the garden gate where I used to sit and look at the flowers and the birds and butterflies. No one had ever really harmed me before, I didn’t know the difference, didn’t understand the danger. So when he told me that my brother was waiting for me I believed him.
I followed him…anyway; the others were waiting for us in the woods not far from our home. I thought we were going to catch butterflies, that Stefano was going to catch me butterflies. These boys, they…hurt me. No Jenna don’t cry that was a long time ago. I’m better now, but Stefano, my brother.” She shook her head as she felt the remembered sadness.
“He found me after, after they were done with me. All I kept asking him was why? They’d hurt me something awful and something inside me broke I guess…and now I’m here.”
Jenna wiped the tears from her eyes, she didn’t know how or why in this place her understanding was different but it was. She didn’t understand, had no knowledge of that kind of ugliness, at least not in the world in her head, but she knew.
“What happened to those boys? The ones who hurt you.”
“He killed them, one by one, a year apart on the anniversary of my death. I need you to take care of him now. He’s not the same, he was once a fun, smiling, happy boy, now he’s angry and cold and lost, so lost is my brother. He’s calling for you now you’d better go back.”
“Why is she crying?” Andros almost throttled the doctor when he came back into the room to find a still sleeping Jenna, with tears running down her face. Climbing onto the bed, he lifted her shoulders so he could roll her into him. “She’s dreaming I think, I don’t think she’s in any pain.”
“You better hope she isn’t you fuck. Jenna, baby; wake up sweetheart.” He kept calling to her, kissing her cheek her forehead anywhere he could reach. Willing her to wake up and tell him what was wrong. The tears and sadness on her face were enough to break his heart. She twitched in her sleep and her eyes flew open. He almost jumped off the bed in surprise. Just then, for a split second, he could’ve sworn he was looking into his sister’s eyes.
“Let me get you some water baby.” He eased her out of his arms and went to pour the water.
“Angel?”
“Yes sweetheart.”
“Catch me a butterfly.” The cup flew out of his hand as he took a step back.
He walked calmly towards her, his eyes never leaving hers. Just what in the blue fuck was this shit? Had he finally lost it, had he cracked the fuck up? There was no other explanation. When he reached the bed, he knelt at its side, his hand going to her hair smoothing it down, more for the needed contact than anything else. “Jenna, baby, where did you hear that?” He kept his voice soft and even so as not to freak her out anymore than he probably did when he dropped the cup. But when her eyes strayed to the picture he kept on the dresser he almost lost his shit.
He was a man of action, a man of strategy and logistics. He didn’t believe in this hoo-hoo bullshit. But how the fuck could he explain what was happening right in front of his eyes? He’d always known the ones he called his treasures were endowed with a little extra something special, but this? The fact that she could hear things, could break into places and was good with numbers and computers was more readily acceptable. But whether he accepted it or not the shit was real.
He wanted to ask her so many questions; there was so much he was dying to know. His sister. Damn, just the thought of her made his heart ache still. It had been so long ago, and yet it seems like yesterday. The old anger was still there, it would never go away.
That one event had changed the course of his whole life. Until that day, he’d thought he would follow in his late father’s footsteps and become a doctor of science. He’d looked forward to it his whole childhood. He knew exactly what he wanted to do then too. He was going to spend his life seeking to understand people like his sister. He’d never accepted the norm; that there was something wrong, he believed it was quite the opposite; still did.
But that day everything had changed for him. The light had gone out of his world and darkness set in. He’d approached gramps about letting him into his business, he’d always known what the old man was up to; he’d heard the whispers. Gramps had fought him all the way. He was his late son’s heir; neither of them had wanted this for him. But Andros had been adamant, either the old man let him in or he’d go out on his own.
In the end they’d made a deal; he would finish school and then they would revisit the issue. If he still felt the same then, so be it. He’d pushed himself to finish ahead of time, shutting himself off from the rest of the world had made that easy. Each year, he’d hunted down the ones responsible and taken them out systematically. He had blood on his hands; no way he could ever be a doctor now in good faith. The oath says ‘First harm none’; he intended to harm plenty.
Now here he was all these years later, and he was finally crawling out from under the cloud of darkness, under which he’d been living for so long. She’d come into his life and changed everything. He wouldn’t say he was back to who he once was, but he didn’t feel that stone cold hate as deeply.
“Baby, did you see the girl in that picture today?” He was still speaking to her like they were having a normal conversation and not discussing her conversation with his dead sister.
“Alice.” Her soft voice sliced through his gut, this was real, this was happening.
“How did she…” He couldn’t go on, it was too much for now. Later he’ll take it out and thin
k about it, for now she needed her rest and he needed to get shit done.
“Where’s her medicine doc?”
“It’s right here.”
“Give it to her and then you can sit downstairs with gramps in case she needs you when she wakes up.
“I have to…I’ll be downstairs with your grandfather.” What the fuck was it with people today? That’s the second time he had to glare the doc into submission.
He poured her another glass of water and gave her the pill the other man had given him. She took her medicine before curling herself around him and holding on tight. He held her close to his heart and whispered softly to her, until she drifted off again. “Sweet dreams my flower, I love you.” Shit, he hadn’t said that to anyone in a million years. It felt good, felt…clean.
He had a lot of shit to do before the day was done. He had no doubt that Bonata knew about the hit and rescue by now and he wasn’t about to wait for them to come after him again, he was taking the fight to them. Now he had to deal with the fact that his woman is talking to, and seeing his dead sister. And he still didn’t know what she was trying to tell him about the senator.
His boys were waiting for their orders when he made it back downstairs, and to fill him in on what they’d found. While he’d been busy looking after her and dealing with her fuckwit mother, they’d been trying to find Petridis’ hideout and where the Bonatas were at this moment.
A hit like this had to be carried out simultaneously; he wasn’t planning to just end the head of the family. His aim was to wipe out every member, from capo to the fucking pizza delivery boy. Anyone who had any part of fucking with his baby was living on borrowed time.
“Okay, please tell me you found that fuck.”
“Uh you’re not gonna like it boss.”
“What, he skipped?” Lily livered fuck, even if he went to hell he’d go find his ass.
“Nah, it’s worst, somebody got to him first. We think Bonata finished him. Word is it was because of your…Jenna.”
“How’d they do ‘im?”
Garrett made the sign of a shot to the head.
“Fucking slackers, he got off too easy.” He personally would’ve cut his throat and pulled his fucking tongue out of his neck the fuck.
“What about the others, where they at?”
“Senior is holed up at his place in The City, Junior’s at the beach with his wife, and the others are pretty much bunkered down planning their next move.”
“Why the fuck would he have all his goons on one job?”
“Uh boss, I think they think you’re nuts.”
“Your point?” Garrett hid a grin as his boss moved on.
“We leave the best here with Jenna and gramps…”
“I’m coming with you boy.”
“No I need you here.”
“Stef…”
“She’s here, you’re here. I would leave Garrett and Jameson here but I know you’ll never agree, you hired them to do a job, trust them to do it.” He knew the old man would have a hard time with this, letting him go into battle alone. His fear has always been outliving his son and his grandson.
Andros walked over to the old man and clasped him behind the neck so he could whisper in his ear. “I trust no one else with her, I need to do this, please stay here. I’ll be safe, I won’t take any chances.” Five minutes it took the old man to nod; stubborn fuck.
“Okay boys, who we got on the middlemen and the son?”
They rattled off the crews that had been dispersed; everyone pretty much knew that Bonata senior was his. He’d missed out on Petridis but he wasn’t gonna miss this one. He still had no idea where her father was. Hopefully he’d be with her godfather and he could kill two birds with one stone. Literally.
He went to the kitchen next, to order Sue back upstairs to sit with her after he left. Next he told Vito to make sure the mother didn’t leave the room where he’d had her sequestered. Gramps was in charge while he was gone, so he had no worries that his orders would be carried out. He made sure Sue took a shit load of chocolate upstairs with her before he left.
He headed back upstairs where she was still asleep. Standing over her he smoothed her hair away from her beautiful face. His heart felt lighter now, not as constricted as before. He accepted the love that he felt for what it was. Fate, destiny, redemption! Bending low, he kissed her lips softly, before kissing her forehead. With one last look of longing, he turned and left the room.
Chapter 15
“The plane ready?”
“Yeah, the boys got back a little while ago.”
“Who we got on the ground?”
“Sal and Lou got the place covered in case there’s any movement.”
He gave himself a minute to think about the girl he’d left in his bed, as he sat back in the car. A girl he’d only met a few short days ago, but who’d been a part of his life for much longer; if only as a specter. Her mother’s words played over in his head.
She’d known him from a picture, but how? Alice? Whatever, however, she was his; he got a strong sense of peace with the realization. A peace he’d never felt before, along with a certain joy that he suddenly had something to look forward to. Could it possibly be that life had finally decided to cut him some fucking slack after dicking with him for so long?
His heart ached at what she might’ve faced before he found her. How often had they used his little flower? And what the fuck else did they make her do? To take such advantage of an innocent such as she was the lowest thing he could think of. It took a black-hearted asshole to do a thing like that. That’s why he was going to cut the heart out of the fuck that’d been responsible, right after he dispatched him to hell.
He had the mother in his house and he still wasn’t sure what he was going to do with her. He knew he wasn’t of a mind to let her anywhere near her daughter ever again, but would that be best for Jenna? Maybe he’d let them spend some time together, under his careful watch of course; and see how they interacted with each other. Any sign that she was anything but fucking motherly and he’d send the bitch to meet her bastard of a son.
“We’re here boss.” He looked out at the tarmac where the plane sat waiting. Hopefully this shit would be over by the end of the night. He wanted it out of the way so he could concentrate on just her. He had so much to learn about her; what she liked besides chocolate. He started to smile at her obsession and then he remembered her mother telling him how they’d paid her with chocolate. Maybe he should just gut the bitch and be done with it after all.
He put home and hearth out of his head as he took his seat on the plane. Everything about him changed in that instant. His two shadows saw the change and said nothing, just a shared look passed between them. They knew what that look meant, this shit was gonna be up-close and personal.
Which meant they had to be on their toes, because when Andros got like this, there wasn’t a leash strong enough to hold him. This was the kind of job that made sure they earned their pay. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, it was a fucking nightmare on their end. Hopefully the fact that he had the girl back home waiting for him would calm him down a bit, but there was no guarantee of that.
Andros meanwhile, was organizing his play in his head. As soon as he hit the ground he had to move fast. He didn’t want word getting out that he was in The City. He didn’t want his enemy getting even a whiff of his presence until he was standing over the fuck. Shit, he couldn’t remember if he had a change of clothes on the plane. He couldn’t go back to Jenna with blood all over his shit. And he had no doubt it was gonna get bloody. He intended it to.
No one spoke as the jet touched down on the helipad atop the hotel casino. Their target was in the penthouse suite. The Intel said he had four inside with him. They were using some kind of thermal gadget to find where each body was located inside the room.
Another one of gramps’ deals that he’d somehow hoodwinked from his buddy in the pentagon. If the government ever knew just how much of their high t
ech shit fell into the old man’s hands, it would turn into a national security event. Whatever!
“Call the others, let them know we’re in place. Radios off.” He wanted the father and son to meet in hell at the same hour. They made their way down the stairs that led from the roof. He wasn’t going in blind, but there was no telling what these fucks were prepared for.
He couldn’t very well shoot down the door; the other patrons might get antsy and fuck up shit. Instead he was going to release something under the door into the room, and hope it worked in time for them to make entry, before the security cameras picked them up loitering outside in the hallway.
He had a very narrow window of time in which to get in and out, someone had been paid off to tamper with the cameras for that short space of time. Still, he didn’t want to risk anyone catching a glimpse of him there. He wanted to be able to live out his golden years with his flower, not rotting in the cell of some stinking hellhole on account of this piece a shit.
He stopped Garrett with a hand on the shoulder. “Only enough to daze him I want him awake and aware when I do him.” The other man nodded once before opening the door and walking through. The hallway was empty at this time of night. Most people were downstairs at the tables. Too bad the noise from downstairs didn’t carry all the way up here, but there was a good chance the place was sound proof anyway.
He watched as Garrett walked past the door looking casually around, around the corner and then back again. He took what looked like a rolled up note from his pocket and slipped it under the door before walking back to where the others were waiting. Andros checked his watch. He’d been told it would take less than two minutes to do what he wanted. It was a long fucking two minutes standing there, twiddling his thumbs.
It was an easy thing to pick the lock and slip into the room. He had the lower half of his face covered, as did his men. There was no smoke or anything unnatural looking in the room, yet the five occupants seemed disoriented, good, the shit had worked.
The Gambler Page 9