She was totally absorbed in what she was doing. He’d long since given up in trying to figure out how her mind worked. On the screen all he saw was gibberish and dashes and symbols. She read it the way he’d read a book, totally fucking insane. He wondered what their kids would be like? Will they have their mother’s genius? He’d have his fucking hands full if that was the case; but he couldn’t wait.
Thinking of getting her with child, his child only sent his mind and body down a whole other path. It might be hours before she was done here, but he couldn’t wait to get her upstairs behind closed doors, so he could reacquaint himself with her amazing body.
He felt a rush of gratitude in that moment, that she was his, that everything that she was, belonged to him, only him. In her way of always knowing, somehow she knew his mood had shifted, because she looked back at him over her shoulder and smiled. Then she puckered up for a kiss. He tried to make it short and sweet because of their audience, but his Jenna only knew one way to kiss.
He held her little face in his hands to soften the kiss before it got out of hand. Whispering gently in her ear, he promised to give her all the kisses and loving she needed once they were alone. He hoped that would suffice her somehow, but she came back for more. It was the throat clearing from her nana that finally broke the spell and she lifted her mouth from his with another one of her smiles that went right to his gut.
He didn’t have to look to know that the two fucks in the corner were smirking or some shit. She turned back to what she was doing, leaving him hard as fuck and wishing he could send everyone the fuck home and be alone with her. He pretty much had the gist of what was going on and hoped that was all there was to it. The senator was giving Jameson the names of those who’d been under the rocks she’d turned over in her digging expedition. Some he already knew from Bonata’s files, some were new.
It was going to take a lot of work to round up all these people; some of them lived internationally. “Why didn’t you get the law involved when you found out about all this? Why was it allowed to carry on for over a year almost?”
“Because the wheels of justice turns slowly young man, especially when you’re dealing with such highly renowned and established men. Don’t think I didn’t try going through the proper channels. But at every turn I ran into a brick wall. I was very naïve when I first started this. All the places I turned to for help were of no use. Every time I thought I’d made leeway, something would come up to block me.
That’s when Hal said they were stonewalling me. I didn’t see the pattern you see; I wasn’t expecting adversity on this. For heaven’s sake these are our children. I thought for sure everyone would be on board; they’d get out their pitchforks and march in the streets.
Quite the opposite, my peers mostly seemed to want to hide it up. Told me to move on; I was never so mad in my life. I admit, had it not been for Jenna I probably wouldn’t have paid as much attention to it as I did, but because she was involved, I had to do it. After I found that I was getting no help from certain quarters, that’s when I decided to do the expose`. I’d use my own resources and skirt around anyone who thought to stand in my way. By then I knew who was onboard and who wasn’t…”
“Yes, and they knew what you were up to and one of them put a hit on your ass. Any ideas who that might be?” She shook her head as she retook her seat. “It could be any number of people, I spoke to hundreds, and I’m sure they spoke to others. I thought you said this Bonata person was the one…”
“Bonata might’ve got the job, but there was someone else footing the bill. I can’t see why he would go all out like this for something like this. It doesn’t add up. Yes he stood to lose a lot if you exposed him and got Jenna away from them, but something feels off. Did you ever find out who he was dealing with out of the names you have?”
“I don’t think we ever pinpointed any one person now that you mention it. It always seemed like a network, a very well connected one at that. Everyone had their place, their part to play; from the low level clerk to the man at the top.” She shrugged her shoulders and laid her head back. He had no doubt she was tired he was getting tired himself.
Willie came in to see if they needed refreshments, and Andros asked him to set up a room for the senator and her husband. “Put them in the east wing.” That was far enough away from he and Jenna, and unless they went roaming through his place, far away from their soon to be dead daughter. Neither of them had asked about her whereabouts in all this time, he wasn’t sure if that was an oversight or what, but no one knew she was here except his men; so when the bitch came up missing he’d be in the clear.
When it looked like she was drooping in his lap he put a halt to everything. They knew who the killer was and he’d already made moves to take him out, granted his men found the fuck. He didn’t know how Jenna had known that he was the one, but he figured she’d heard things that she wasn’t supposed to. He was pretty sure that the assholes, while using her brain, didn’t think she was smart enough to understand the shit they were planning. He’d seen it often enough, the underestimation of ones they thought were less than.
“Baby, you’re gonna have to finish this later, you’re dead on your feet.” And having her sitting on his lap wasn’t the same as it was before he’d tasted her. Even then it had been a trial, but now it was about to become embarrassing. The senator wasn’t looking too swift on her feet either so he decided it would be best if everyone got some rest and came at it again in a few hours.
“Jenna almost…done.” She was still typing away and muttering to herself. At the risk of setting off one of her fits he decided to put his foot down. She’d wanted him to save her grandmother and he had, now he wasn’t about to let her make herself sick by becoming over tired. She’d been shot just a couple days before, and had been going for damn near twenty-four hours already, enough is enough.
Instead of arguing with her, he just stood with her in his arms. She clasped his face between her hands and tried glaring him into having her way, but it wasn’t working. “Senator, Mr. Winthrop, we’ll see you two later. Willie will take you up to your rooms; feel free to call down for anything you’d like. Willie will show you how the in-house phone works. I’d do it myself but your granddaughter’s been going for hours and she needs her rest.” He didn’t wait around for their answers, but headed out the door and up the stairs. He guessed his baby was really tired because she did no more than lay her head on his shoulder and sigh.
He kissed her at the bottom of the stairs before making his way up with his precious cargo.
He helped her get undressed since she decided to play lazy. She was barely out of the jeans and t-shirt before he was on her. “I missed you baby.” She smiled up at him and he felt that shit in his dick. She really and truly was the most gorgeous creature he’d ever seen. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him down to her mouth.
He told himself to go slow, enjoy. That was before her tongue came out to play and she grabbed his ass. She as innately sensual, something else she did very well. They rolled around the bed until she got what she wanted. His dick. She studied it like a newfound pet. Then she licked his cockhead and he almost came. She looked into his eyes as she pleasured him with her mouth; he caressed her cheek before pulling her off and over him.
“Hold onto the bed baby.” He had her sit on his face, her hands clutching the headboard as he tongued her. She moved against his tongue instinctively, her moans sweet music to his ears. He had a death grip on her ass as he moved her over his mouth trying to get as much of her sweet essence as he could.
When she’d cum with a mini yell, her lowered her until she was sitting on his cock. Pulling her down, he took it slow as he eased his whole length inside her. When she went wild and started riding him hard, he reared up and took her nipple into his mouth. Biting down gently at first until she pulled his head closer in silent demand.
He held her as he would the most precious gift, which she was, as he bent his knees behind her. She w
as essentially sitting in his lap, his ten inches buried to the hilt inside her. “I’m going to give you a baby sweet Jenna.” Her eyes flew open wide and he thought she was about to freak the fuck out. But instead his sweet girl caught his lips in a tumultuous kiss as her hips moved even faster.
He had no control over the roar that was ripped from him as he spilled inside her, her sweet spasms sending him over the edge time and again as she followed him into bliss. “I love you so fucking much little one.”
Chapter 27
The next morning, before the sun rose, he snuck out of bed. She was dead asleep after a night, or early morning, of hot loving. He was amazed at her capacity for love, not to mention how well she’d taken to the joys of sex. She pretty much outshone every experience he’d ever had. But he didn’t like thinking about his past exploits in the same thoughts as his little flower. It seemed to cheapen it somehow. He sufficed himself with the knowledge that the girl of his heart; was perfect.
He slipped down the stairs to the door that was locked from the outside. He’d sent the man he’d had there to a different post. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his men, but there were some things better not shared. He was always thinking long term, he didn’t want anything coming back to bite him in the ass later.
She was asleep, as was to be expected. There were candy wrappers and other discarded snack bags all over the side table, as well as the bureau. It was as if she thought she was on holiday or some shit, the way she’d taken over the room and made herself at home.
He stood over her for the longest while just studying her. What he came here to do was not an easy thing. He knew that some way, somehow, what he was about to do, would affect his Jenna and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He’d thought he had it figured out when he left his bed. But now, standing over her with murder on his mind, he held himself back.
Could he hear her call for this woman in her sweet voice, knowing what he’d done? He couldn’t imagine denying her anything. The fact that he held Sonia Petridis accountable for a lot of what had happened wasn’t what was most important here. She was still important to Jenna.
“You’ve come to kill me haven’t you?” her voice coming out of the dark startled him.
“How did you know I was here?”
“You don’t tangle with the Bonata family without learning how to be on your guard at all times.”
“Why would you need to be? I thought you were all such great friends?”
“Hah.” She laughed long and hard, and he was almost tempted to say fuck it and just choke the bitch to death, but then she spoke.
“I despise that man. But you see, you’ll never believe me now, because we’ve got ourselves so entangled that it would be hard to unravel. I’ve been living this lie for so long that…”
“Don’t fuck with me lady. What is it that you’re trying to say?”
“I can’t…can’t tell you. But I will say thanks for taking care of my girl. Make sure that she’s happy. If you betray her may you rot in hell.”
What the fuck? Where was the callous woman who’d sold out her own daughter? What game was she playing now? She was just trying to save her ass; that had to be it. She knew he was here to end her, so she was changing her tune.
“You don’t believe me do you? Just as well, it’s all over now anyway?”
“What’s all over?” She rolled over away from him and he stood there for the longest while before turning and walking out the door.
Why the fuck was it that he always ended up with more questions than answers when dealing with these people? If she was trying to convince him that everything he’d come to believe up until now was a lie she wasn’t doing a very good job. And what was that crack about hating Bonata? He couldn’t ask his Jenna, because he was pretty sure she wouldn’t understand what he was getting at. Even with everything that he’d learned about her capabilities, he still knew and understood, that unless he asked her leading questions, he won’t get the answers.
He made his way back up the stairs, suddenly more tired than he’d ever been. As soon as he reached the door he knew. His heart fell and the bottom fell out, as he pushed the door open, to an empty bed. He searched the bathroom and the closet calling for her, but there was no answer. “JENNA.” He went running through the house. He searched the wing where he’d put her grandparents but even then he knew.
He called his men in from outside. No one had seen her. He lost his shit in that moment. Isn’t that what he was paying them for? Willie pulled him off of the guy he was presently pummeling to dust. “Sir, get ahold of yourself, this is not helping.” He pulled away from the other man and tried to think calmly. He couldn’t, his heart hurt in a way it hadn’t in a long fucking time.
Where could she be? He knew no one had come into his home and taken her; that meant she’d left on her own; but to go where? What danger was she in now as he was left here with no answers and no idea where to look?
“Find her, if there’s a hair missing on her head I will end every last motherfucking one of you.”
He headed back to the room he’d left not too long ago. He needed answers and he was through playing games. No more fucking riddles. He slammed the door open in his fury, causing her to sit up in her bed with fright.
“Okay lady, you’re going to tell me what the fuck is going on and you’re gonna tell me now. If I don’t like what the fuck you got to say, or I think you’re lying, I’ll blow your fucking head off without a second thought.”
She eyed the gun in his hand as she straightened herself up on the side of the bed. “What happened?” He wasn’t going to tell her shit, but then he thought, what could it hurt.
“Jenna’s gone, she snuck out of my bed while I was down here with you. Now I know there must be a reason for this and one that has nothing to do with your mother.” Her eyes widened at that.
“Oh yes, I know the senator is your mother. I also know about the shit that you’ve allowed Jenna to become involved in…” She flew off the bed and grabbed his shirt. “You’ve got to find her, if Bonata…”
“Bonata’s dead.”
“What?” She stumbled backwards and fell against the bed.
“Yeah, he’s gone and so is your son. I didn’t do that one but not for lack of trying. Now tell me what the fuck I need to know.”
“It’s a long sordid mess…”
“Talk fast because I don’t have all day. I need some insight so I will know where to start looking for her.” His blood was up, and he was barely hanging on by a thread. His sanity was being taxed to the fucking limit. Every minute she was gone was a minute in hell for him. He wouldn’t do this again, he wouldn’t survive it he knew, if something were to happen to her. Life couldn’t be that fucking cruel could it? To give him such beauty to hold, only to destroy it, not once, but twice?
“They took her father. That’s the short version.”
“Come again.”
“When mom found out and started making waves, I tried to put her off. We thought she had given up on it, but somehow word leaked that she was still digging; only now she was being a little more inconspicuous. You see; Jenna had been feeding mom information, only she didn’t know it was from Jenna, because we had to do it on the sly. If Alphonso ever found out, who knows what he would’ve done.
After they found out about the expose` they were scrambling around to head her off. I guess a lot of influential people were involved and if their names got out it could destroy people’s careers and such. It’s been almost a year since she started, and we think they planted someone with her to keep track of what she was doing.” That would be the assistant. He really didn’t have time to muddle through all this shit right now. He just wanted to find her and bring her home safe. It seemed like everywhere he turned, there was something darker and deeper, hidden beneath the surface.
“I’m going to ask you one question and I’ll know if you’re lying so do not fuck with me. What part did you play in all this?”
�
�To understand that, I’d have to go back to the very beginning.”
He drew up a chair from the little sitting room, clasped his hands between his knees and glared at her. “I’m all ears.
She composed herself and gazed off into thin air for a minute, as if gathering her thoughts. It wasn’t easy to speak of these things, and especially not to someone she was sure hated her. She looked at the man who held so much of what was important in her life, in his hands. His face was set in stone, his posture unbending. She made a silent plea for strength, and then she began.
“When Jenna was born, we didn’t know what to make of her. Back then they didn’t have all the diagnosis and different names for things like they do today. We just knew she was different; for one thing, she didn’t speak until she was three years old. Not that she couldn’t talk mind you, we’d heard her say a few words here and there, but she just didn’t seem to like talking. She was more of an observer, she was always watching.
Paulie and I didn’t care, we loved our girl she was the apple of her daddy’s eye. She had her own routine, which never really varied from day to day, except for a few very rare occasions. We spent so much time with her, Alec sorta got shoved to the backburner, not that it was her fault or that we resented her for it.” She rushed to add that little bit on when he shifted in his chair.
“Anyway, by the time the doctors could tell us what was wrong with her…”
“There’s not one fuck wrong with her.”
She hid a smile by ducking her head. Well now, that’s what she needed to see, to be reassured that they’d made the right decision after all. She cleared her throat and continued. “Sorry let me rephrase, by the time they told us how to handle a child with her…” he sat forward in his chair menacingly and she changed tact again.
The Gambler Page 16