Silence Reveals Hidden Answers’ by Michael Anderson novel Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Jennifer Marie.

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“Tell me everything! Do not skip a single thing, Jennifer!” Tinka squeals, still squeezing me after our hug at the front door. It’s been an hour since I got back from the hospital, and I just flop face-first onto the couch cushion, totally spent.

“I’m not joking, Jennifer, get off your butt!”

I do get up, but only to turn and face her with a deep, slow smile that makes her eyes go wide. She jumps up and starts squealing, bouncing up and down in the middle of my apartment.

“You’re… you’re… you’re…!”

“I am dating Harvey.” I say, the words still feel fizzy in my mouth. “As of now.”

“AHHHH!!!” She jumps the whole length of the couch, literally flipping over the back of it before landing next to me, breathless.

“How… how… HOW!? The last you told me was… I don’t even remember, but how did it get to this point?”

“Honestly? A lot happened.” I clear my throat, looking into her wide blue eyes that are practically twitching for details. But how do I jump into the part where I explored him and lost my virginity? I swear it will never be normal to say, so I just rip the band-aid off.

“I made… Harvey…”

“Yes…?” she leans in.

“I lost my virginity to him.”

Tinka’s face goes completely still for a second. Then she blinks.

“YOU.” she points a finger at my chest.

I nod, nervous. “Yes. Me.”

“Ohmygod. Ohmygod, OHMYGOD.”

“Tinka, what’s wrong with your face?” I ask as her hands start shaking like she can’t contain the energy.

“You lost your V-card to your best friend?”

“That’s what I just said-”

“Holy banana monkey jumps!” Tinka slaps a hand over her mouth. “You… with your knowledge of nothing… got handled by Harvey?”

“He…” I push my hair out of my face, feeling my cheeks burn. “Taught me.”

12:42 Wed, Feb 4 …

Chapter 45

“HMPH!” She gasps again, dramatic as ever. “How many times?”

“More than once.” I whisper it into my shoulder. “In Italy. And in here, the day we got back.”

“You little slut-”

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I cover my face with my hands as it heats up completely. If Jeremy hadn’t barged in that day, I don’t know if it would have happened again. When I finally peek through my fingers, she’s still looking at me with that stunned expression, so I swat her arm.

“Don’t look at me like that! Plus, I don’t even feel good right now…’

“Oh, shit. Your dad.” Her smile fades only a quarter. “I heard from Jeremy today. He was asking if you’d arrived home so he could take you. Wait… Wait… did Jeremy end up coming here? Did he see?”

“Yeah,” I sigh, pulling my knees to my chest. “He met Harvey.”

Tinka’s mouth just drops open, like my life is some crazy soap opera with too many plot twists.

“Why would someone do that to my father?” I ask and pull her from that episode. It’s all I’ve been thinking about since I got home. They burned his shop down and questioned him. He didn’t say what they questioned him for. I don’t know if it’s because he doesn’t remember, or…

I didn’t want to ask him too many questions, just seeing all those wires and tubes snaking around him. Whoever did this knew it was him they were attacking. It wasn’t some random little plot. It was planned. And the gang is powerful enough that the cops won’t even take the case… what sort of nonsense is that?

“He didn’t owe them money?” Tinka asks softly.

“He said he didn’t.” I chew on my thumbnail.

Then I think about how Jeremy said he was gonna help Dad build the store back. And where the hell would he get the money to do that in the first place? He said it so easily. And in my heart, I’m thinking… since when did Jeremy have stacks of cash for stuff like that? It’s all getting to my head. That’s why I’m a bit sad.

“Tell Harvey,” Tinka says suddenly, getting up and putting her hands on her hips.

“What?”

“He’s got a casino. I’m sure he knows about the dangerous people all over Manhattan. He can help you find information. And since he’s a Prescott… I mean, he’s got the connections.”

Now that Tink says it, I bite my lip. It does make sense. The Prescott name has to have connections, especially after how lavish the wedding was and how everyone is still talking about it on the media. Francis Prescott avoided a big controversy… right now, everyone is talking about how beautiful the wedding was, but no one on the outside knows about what really happened.

“Okay, I’ll tell him.” I relent.

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