Justice For Juniper (Tatienne Richard) novel Chapter 43

Bring The Noise – Part I

In the club Suki picked out for them to attend, Juniper was stunned to find not only were the cover charges waived but Beni was bringing them through a VIP entrance.

“How?” she asked as they chased after an overly excited Suki.

He shrugged, “the guy who owns this place golfs with Phineas.”

“Phineas golfs?”

“We all do but Phineas is more in demand on the greens than we are. We go for fun. He goes to network. He’s closed multiple business deals in the clubhouse after trouncing someo. He’s a damn good golfer but he’s an even better businessman.

“You respect him a lot.”

“He’s my best friend, sunshine. When I was studying for the bar, he was the one who sat up with me all night calling out question after question after question. He didn’t let me rest. He kept saying, Beni, this certification won’t get itself. When I was fourteen, we were hiking a trail, and 1 fell and sprained my ankle. He’s the one who piggybacked me all the way back down the trail. When I was seventeen and my girlfriend dropped me two weeks before prom because the hockey captain asked her instead and she’d rather be a jock’s girlfriend than a nerd’s, Phineas was the one who held me when I cried and promised he’d find me someone better.”

“Did he?”

“He did. Lost my virginity on prom night to a very lovely girl I dated right through college.”

“What happened to her?”

“She had a job offer in Vancouver working for a law firm there. She took it. She met someone there and we broke it off amicably. She’s got three little ones now. They were in town about six months ago and we had dinner together.”

“You stayed friends?”

“Definitely. Why wouldn’t we? We were sad when it ended but we didn’t hate each other. It just didn’t work with the

We both got lonely and moved on.”

“You value your relationships, don’t you Beni?”

ance

“We met in kindergarten. We both were trying to sing louder than the other and I lost.”

“If the girl was the one banging on the wall though –”

“She gave him three weeks to get the woman to back off and he would excuse her behavior and act like Suki was the one with the problem. He didn’t tell the girl off for banging on the wall but laughed it off as a joke.”

“Oh.” Beni nodded appreciatively. “So, what you’re saying ne is if Suki goes quiet, it’s when we should all be worried.”

“It’s the calm before the storm. She hasn’t spoken a word to her father in eight years. Not a single word. She visits her mother. She has dinner there twice a month. She says nothing to the man. He will ask her questions, and she’ll pretend not to hear, It’s the most uncomfortable silence in the world when Suki is silent.” She shook her head, “Kyst used to complain she is too loud. Her noise is everything I need right now because it means everything is going to be okay. Quiet is like doomsday.”

They stepped into the open area and immediately her ears were assaulted by the eclectic mix from the DJ.

Beni shouted at her, “you wanted noise! Here’s the noise!”

Her eyes though were fixed across the crowded club towards two men casually leaning against the bar with drinks in hand and laughing loudly at something the bartender said. Their eyes swung to hers at the same moment and her heart fluttered excitedly. She watched them both openly ogle her in the dress she was wearing and watched them both stand up straight, exchange glances with one another nod and then head right for her.

Suki’s screech in her ear echoed her thoughts, “they look like they want to fuck you right out here in the open!”