Silence Reveals Hidden Answers’ by Michael Anderson novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Harvey Prescott.

66

355 vouchers

I haven’t slept more than three hours after staying up all night to make sure Jennifer was fine after seeing me… fine. Baxter stayed for reasons only known to him, but I kept my eyes open through the night. Took off her shoes, checked every half-hour to see if she’d wake up needing water or anything.

Every time she shifts, I’m alert. As long as she’s breathing, I’m good.

“Harvey. Get up.”

My father’s voice orders through the haze.

I open my eyes in my own bedroom. He’s at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed and face set into that expression he wears when something non-negotiable is about to happen.

“What is it?” My voice is rough.

“Get up. We’re going somewhere.”

“Where?”

“Stop asking questions and get up.” He checks his watch. It’s that ugly thing that costs more than most hiscars. “You have ten minutes to meet me outside. Take longer, and I’ll drown this whole bed in cold water.”

He leaves on that note. I grunt, pushing myself up. A glance at the clock confirms it: exactly three hours of sleep.

“Sorry, man.” David mutters from the door. “He just walked in and-”

I’m used to this. What’s three hours? I’m used to short snaps, doing military time taught me that, and running a casino perfected it. There’s always a problem, always a fire to put out. I do a quick refresh and leave the villa.

The afternoon is unnaturally cold as my dad’s valet opens the car. I sink into the cold leather and shut my eyes the moment I’m in. Roughly thirty minutes later, the car stops. The change in the engine’s hum wakes me. I open my eyes and look out the tinted window.

Shit

We’re idling outside the Don’s house in Italy. Of course Francis Prescott brought me here.

Did I forget to mention that my dad was the one who sent me to Italy to learn how to run a casino business. It was his idea of a postgraduate program: learn from the master so you can run my operation in New York. I’m not too in depth about his relationship with the Don but I guess business men all over the world know each other at some point

The valet opens my door and I come out

What could this be about?

12:40 Wed, Feb 4 M…

Chapter 31

66

55 vouchers

The fact that I put his boys in the hospital? Maybe. But I’m not someone who lives in fear of any authority. Power doesn’t scare me, titles don’t scare me, consequences don’t either. I’ve never been bothered by opinions or threats… that’s precisely why I live in the other wing of the family. A permanent disappointment.

Jennifer is the exception.

She’s the only opinion that makes my chest tighten. The only variable I don’t control. Since I’m honest…she’s the only thing I fear losing.

The Don’s men, all dressed in sharp black suits, lead us into the house. We’re shown where to sit and a staff pours two glasses of whiskey. I don’t touch mine.

I hear footsteps before I hear the voice.

Francis rises immediately.

That tells me everything.

The Don enters. He’s got white hair. White shirt. White moustache. Scars are etched deep into his face like history refused to let him forget. His eyes are too sharp for a man his age. Whatever he’s lost over the years,

fear isn’t one of them.

I stay seated while they exchange pleasantries and my dad shoots me a look that says “get up.”

I exhale and stand.

“Oh,” the Don says, studying me with interest. “He’s got that stubborn face.”

I slide my hands into my pockets with boredom.

“This is my son, Harvey.”

“Of course, I remember him. The young man my daughter fell in love with. Before that, you introduced him as the son you wanted trained for a casino business. I’d say a job well, considering how the Saints Club has become the biggest hit in Italy in such a short time.”

“What?” Dad turns sharply to me. “Saints club? You own a club in Italy?”

I lift a brow up. That’s my answer. It’s arrogant yes. He wanted me to learn how to operate a business. I learned it. Then I built my own.

The Don chuckles and takes his seat. We follow.

“I heard from the police what happened this morning, I came to apologize for what my boy did. A number of the young men he beat will be in wheelchairs. Casts for at least a year. Some…” Francis shakes his head. “Some lost their hands. I was shocked to hear my son was capable of something like that.”

So that’s what this really is. He brought me here to give an apology.

“Well, my boys did go looking for trouble. And to correct, they are not my boys, they are my eldest son’s boys.”

12:40 Wed, Feb 4 M..

Chapter 31

:

66

55 vouchers

My father goes stiff beside me. I don’t need to look up to know the son the Don is talking about is Reign Moretti. In Italy, they call him the Crown Prince of Shadows. The Don has three children, but they say Reign is the future but dipped in something darker. I heard the drama of his ruthless consolidations, public examples made in very private, very final ways.

I heard them, filed them away, didn’t care.

Now it makes perfect sense. Reign heard I was back on his turf. He sent his puppies to sniff me out, to take a little revenge for messing with his sister. We only met once. A handshake in a dim corridor with his eyes like two chips of obsidian. It was over in seconds, but some things you don’t forget.

The word is… his own father tries not to anger him. That’s how corrupt, how purely vicious he is. We’re talking bloodshed as policy. Guns as punctuation. I knew something was up when those idiots at the club came with machetes. Too bad for him he sent his weakest fighters first.

The Don watches me, expecting the name ‘Reign’ to make me scared. So he’s studying me now, not like a nuisance, but like a weapon he didn’t know was loaded and pointing right at him. He’s waiting for the fear.

He won’t find it.

I lean forward and rest my elbows on my knees.

“Is that supposed to scare me? Tell your son he should have come himself. It would have been more interesting than mopping the floor with his leftovers.”

“Harvey!? You went too far.” Dad seethes.

“No, I didn’t.” I mention. “I was protecting my girlfriend. And-” I almost say Baxter’s name too because he was there, but that’s secondary.

The Don’s brows lift slightly. “And?”

“I was protecting my girlfriend.” I repeat. There’s nothing else to explain.

“So that’s why my Jenna is upset.” the Don says as he connects the dots. Regardless, I’m not apologizing for not being with his daughter.

“Daddy.”

“Daddy.” The topic in the conversation we’re having suddenly shows up. The moment she sees me, her eyes glow as if she thinks I’m here to ask for her hand in marriage or something. She walks towards us with bright energy and gives her dad a kiss on the cheek.

“You must be Harvey’s dad. Nice to meet you, sir.” She waves and turns back to her father. “Dad, if you’re not talking to Harvey, can I steal him for a moment?”

I get up at this point cause now I hate it here. I just get up on my feet and walk off. I guess talking to Jenna is a better option than apologizing for beating up his men. I walk out and Jenna follows me as I head out of the room toward the side corridor, stopping near a glass wall that overlooks the garden.

“Sorry, the men in my family think I’m some kind of princess. Also, I kind of lied to my brother that you took

12:40 Wed, Feb 4 M

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify