Page 46 of The Gambler
“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.