Page 19 of Riding My Dragons

“Okay, here it is,” said Byron.“Some of Cade’s family’s clients and business contacts like to do a bit of gambling.So the Taisce’s, you see, one little side business they have is that they’re bookies.They take bets on every kind of sporting event…”

With a realization, Jenna whipped her head around from him to me.A little sheepishly, I made a crooked grin, nodded, held up one hand, and waggled my fingers at her, silently saying, Yes, including my wrestling matches and races.Jenna made a sickly sort of face that made me feel bad along with her.We promised her we were nice guys, and we were, but still, illicit gambling was obviously not her kind of world.

Byron continued, “The income that they get from the bookie operation, and setting up and running games for certain clients where they keep all the proceeds off the books–that’s something that the Taisce’s don’t like people to know about.”

“Not to mention what they must do to collect from losing bettors,” Jenna guessed, looking even sicker.“They send guys around to get money out of people, don’t they?What do they do when a loser can’t pay up?”She closed her eyes, then hid them in one hand.“Does Cade do that?Do they send him around to shake down losing bettors?Please tell me he doesn’t do that.”

“I swear,” Byron said, raising a hand, “they’ve only had Cade help them set up and run some things off the books.He’s never told us anything about being sent out to…,” he chose his next word carefully, “persuade people to pay up.And I can’t believe he did something like that.Cade isn’t some brute.He just works in the family business, that’s all.Even if they did send him out to collect, I can’t see Cade using physical intimidationon anyone, especially if they’re human.Our friend is a decent guy, Jenna.He is.”

Touching her reassuringly on one arm, I agreed.“He is.”

Jenna kept that one hand over her eyes.She crossed her arms over her bosom and kept her legs together, which was not really the way we preferred to see her, but we could tell she was really uncomfortable with all this.If we didn’t do something about this now, the whole rest of the night could just fly away from us.

“Secret gambling where they take money and don’t report it for taxes,” she said, taking it all in.“Betting and bookies.That’s what Cade’s family does.And he works for them.”

I could tell the evening really was getting away from us, and we had to do something to salvage it.“That’s really all it is,” I said, rubbing her shoulder, trying to be reassuring.“Cade isn’t a thug or anything like that.He doesn’t hurt people; I know he doesn’t.He just helps out his family with a side to their business that they keep hushed up.Jenna, we wouldn’t be friends with a thug or a lowlife.It’s just that Cade sometimes has to do something that’s a little bit over the line.You’ve been with Cade tonight.He’s a good guy, right?Does he seem like a crook or a thug?”

She rolled her eyes up a bit, considering the question.“He’s nice, like you guys are nice.I know I can trust you two, but…”

“And you can trust him too,” Byron insisted.“Really.”

Settling back on the pillow a bit, but still with her arms folded and her legs clenched, Jenna said, “I’ve gone into this whole thing so fast because of the way you guys are.I couldn’t resist you.But I see now, there are so many things that we don’t know about each other; things maybe I should have tried to find out first.”

“Well, I’d say we’ve been getting really well acquainted,” said Byron, checking me for confirmation of the fact, and I nodded positively at him.“But you’re right, you didn’t come into this knowing everything about us–not that there’s anything to worry about from us–and we don’t know everything about you, either.”

“Like things about your own family,” I reminded her, “that you didn’t seem to want to go into.”

She took that hand from her eyes and twirled a lock of her hair around her finger.“Oh,” she said, her voice lowered.“My family.”

“Like your interest in science,” Byron said.“How did you come by that?Is that from them?”

Looking right ahead and not at either one of us, Jenna said, “From my father and my Uncle Neal.They’re both physicists and engineers.”

“Right.And you grew up in Wyvern Village,” I recalled.“And your uncle travels, so you don’t see him a lot.And your dad…you never said where he was.”

Jenna kept an arm around her bosom, but relaxed her legs a little, keeping them closed.She kept twirling her hair with her finger.She was definitely troubled, and I was afraid we’d come into another bad subject to talk about.

“What’s wrong?Is there something about your father?” I asked.“Is your dad gone, is that it?Did he die?”

She shook her head and shrugged and seemed a little haunted.She answered, “I don’t actually know.Daddy’s gone, yes, but I don’t know if he died or not.It’s been almost a year since my grandmother, and I last heard from him.She’s still taking care of the house.But I came here hoping I could somehow find him.”

”Because he was last seen at the University?”

”He and Uncle Neal were here before Daddy disappeared,” she said.“He didn’t leave any word about where he was going, or why.So, Uncle Neal and I have been trying to find him.”

Byron and I traded a grave look, hearing this.One thing was sure, we were definitely finding out a lot about each other, and what we now heard from Jenna was just as worrisome as what Jenna learned from us.

”So, he didn’t even contact your grandmother back in Wyvern Village?” Byron asked.“He didn’t even get any word to her?”

Now Jenna hid her face in her hand again, and her voice cracked as if she’d start to cry.Please don’t let her cry, I thought.If there’s anything I can’t bear, it’s a crying woman.

That was when she blurted out, “Oh, my grandmother isn’t in Wyvern Village!I just made that up!”

This was totally confusing.Byron and I were speechless, watching Jenna suddenly launch herself up and out of bed and go for her clothes, which she’d put on a loveseat.

“Jenna, wait!” I called, as she grabbed her top and quickly put it back on.She was holding back tears, which was just like claws raking my heart and, I knew, Byron’s as well.We both got up out of bed, not bothering to put anything on, and I went to her and took her gently by her arms.“Jenna, what do you mean?Why would you make up a story about your grandmother being in Wyvern Village?What’s really going on?”

Bare-legged and shaking, Jenna sank onto the loveseat and wouldn’t look at us.In a hushed tone, she replied, “Because you wouldn’t believe me if I told you where she really is.And where I’m really from.”

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