Chapter 27
April shivered from the cold air blowing into the small room she’d been locked in for what seemed like hours now.
Though it could’ve been days. She had no idea what time it was, or how long she’d been asleep.
She was lying on a bed with no blanket or sheet for cover, and a pillow harder than the bale of hay in Tanner’s family barn.
On the opposite wall was a small dresser with three drawers and a television mounted to the wall that she didn’t see a remote for.
She sat on the edge of the bed, rolling her shoulders and rubbing her temples. Her head hurt, but the pain seemed to be fading. She knew better than to yell out. No one would come even if they did hear her. Not until Ned was ready to talk to her.
After a while, she stood and paced the length of the room which wasn’t very big.
She hated not being with Violet. Not knowing where she was, or if Ned was hurting her, was worse than any torture he could devise.
Maybe Tanner had found her already. Maybe he was here, and the door would burst open at any moment.
But every minute that went by in horrid silence, April’s hope for a quick rescue dwindled.
Besides, Tanner had no legal ground without a court order. Even if he was Violet’s biological father, as of right this moment, Ned had every right to take Violet anywhere he wanted to.
April cringed at what Violet was probably going through. Those stupid games, as Ned called them, only hurt her. And then there was the bomb that Violet swore she overheard Ned and Echo talking about.
April lay back on the bed and closed her eyes, exhausted from stress and anticipation.
She imagined being back with Tanner. In his arms. In the barn.
The way he kissed her, touched her. Her body was reacting even now at the thought of how his mouth trailed down her neck and breasts.
She hated the way Ned’s goon had made them leave in the middle of the storm like that.
Would Tanner think she left him and took Violet with her?
No. He had to know she’d never do something like that.
She only hoped the goon had kept his word, and Tanner’s family hadn’t been harmed.
The door flew open and April bolted upright, her eyes wide, muscles tense.
“You’re awake,” Ned said, almost casually, as if he wasn’t keeping her in a locked room with no windows, no clock, and no way of seeing or connecting with the outside world.
He wore a dark suit, like every other time she’d seen him.
He had a menacing glare, held his mouth in a tight grimace, and there was only cold vile hatred in his eyes.
Nothing like the warmth and kindness she always saw in Tanner’s.
“I hope you like this room because you’re not going to be leaving it for a while.
” He smirked, like he was proud of himself for achieving some big accomplishment.
“Where’s Violet?” April demanded, standing to be closer to eye level with him.
“Right where I want her to be.” He brushed a finger along the edge of the dresser like he was checking it for dust, then shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “It’s you I don’t know what to do with. I mean there are so many possibilities.”
“Violet needs me,” April reminded him, already knowing anything she said would prove to be futile. Still, she couldn’t help adding, “You can’t hurt me.”
Ned lifted one hand and unceremoniously backhanded her across the face, sending April flying onto the bed, falling onto her side. “I can do whatever the hell I want with you, and no one can stop me.”
April glared at him, her cheek on fire. “You won’t get away with this. Violet might be your adopted daughter, but you can’t hold me here against my will. People will come looking for me.”
Ned smiled. “Oh, you mean that cop friend of yours. I’m shaking in my boots.
” A low chuckle escaped his throat and his expression turned even darker.
“I’d like to see him try to find you. And even if he does, all I have to do is threaten his daddy’s very lucrative ranch, and he’ll back off faster than you can say ‘sayonara.’” With that same smug look on his face, Ned turned to leave, but stopped short of opening the door.
“Get comfortable, April. Or don’t. I don’t care.
” And with those parting words, he let the door slam shut behind him, and April blew out a breath.
Her cheek still ached, but her worry for Violet was more pressing than the slight sting.
Without April there to protect her and try to reign him in, Ned really could do whatever he wanted with Violet, and she wouldn’t have anyone to take care of her.
April stood and stomped over to the door.
Just as she suspected, it was locked from the outside.
“Let me out of here you monster! Let me out!” She banged on the door until her hands and arms hurt.
Then she collapsed in a crying heap on the floor.
“Violet,” she called out with no hope of her niece hearing her.
What was Ned going to force her to do? Was he going to threaten April to get her to do it?
Every worst possible scenario flooded April’s mind until she grasped her head with both hands and screamed out in frustration.
It would be so easy to give up, and maybe if it was just about her, April wouldn’t care.
But she had to find a way out of this room for Violet.
She stood back up and looked around. Aside from the bed, a dresser, and a television mounted on the wall, there was a small bathroom with a toilet, a pedestal sink, and a small shower stall.
Nothing else. No windows. No other doors or closets.
And the only vents in the room were far too small to fit anything through besides her hand.
There really was no way out of this godforsaken place.
She collapsed onto the bed, hope quickly fading.
A knock on the door only frustrated her.
Of course, Ned would have someone checking up on her.
When the door opened before she’d said anything, she was prepared to give whoever was coming in a piece of her mind.
But then her eyes widened at the sight of Echo.
She couldn’t decipher his expression, but at least he wasn’t being smug like his boss.
“What the hell do you want?” She roared with newfound strength. “I hope you’re happy. Violet is all alone now with no one to take care of her. Isn’t that what you and Ned wanted all along?”
Echo just stood in the doorway for a long moment, as if taking in her words.
Behind him was a grey wall with no artwork or other identifying features.
This must be the new wing of DynaTech Corp.
She hadn’t been allowed inside it before, and had honestly not given it much thought.
“Boss wanted me to bring you something to eat. Any requests?” Echo asked, seemingly unbothered by her tantrum.
“So, now you’re a server?” April spat out.
“I’m just trying to make this easier on you,” Echo said.
“Easier? Easier would be if you took me to my niece. Easier would be if you helped us out of here. That would make things easier. But you bringing me a burger and some fries won’t make a shit of difference. Get out!”
Echo didn’t move.
“I said, get out!” April roared.
“You need to eat.”
“No,” April said defiantly. “I won’t eat until I see Violet. You can tell Ned I said that.” She lay back on the bed, her head on the pillow. If they weren’t going to give her an out, she was going to make her own.
“He won’t like that.” There was an indifference in Echo’s voice that seemed forced. As if seeing her like this was just as upsetting to him as it was to her. Good. Maybe if he felt bad enough, he’d actually do something about it.
“Yeah, well, newsflash, Echo. I hate him. So, guess how much I don’t care what he likes or doesn’t like?”
Echo looked up and a little to the left, just over the television on the wall. She followed his gaze and spotted what looked like a dent in the paint. It was small and black, but the more she focused on it, the more she noticed that it wasn’t just a dent, but an opening.
She swallowed, understanding there was a camera or microphone in the room. The place was bugged. “Get out,” she said, a little gentler this time. “Just leave me alone.”
Echo nodded. “I’ll get you that burger and fries. Is there anything else you need?”
“My niece, oh and my freedom. Because like I told Ned, he might have custody of Violet, but he doesn’t have custody of me.”
Echo nodded. “He has full control of everyone who works for him. Make no mistake about that. I’ll bring you some water with your meal.”
When he left, April stood and walked over to the wall with the television on it, examining the tiny opening.
She wondered what other gadgets were hidden in the walls of this room, but then shrugged it off, deciding she didn’t care.
Opening every drawer in the dresser, she found all her things that Caden had left behind in her apartment.
At least she had something to change into out of her damp clothes.
From the moment April had taken Violet, Ned had clearly planned on getting them back.
He must’ve gone through her place with a fine-tooth comb while they were with Tanner.
She didn’t really care about the place or the things in it.
Caden had brought all her necessities and anything April truly cared about to Tanner’s house that first day.
All her other treasures like photos of her mom, knick-knacks passed down from her grandparents, and a favorite reading chair that she’d bought with her first paycheck as a teacher, were all in a storage container back in California.
She’d meant to send for it after moving out here, but after seeing what kind of jerk Ned was, she’d decided it was safer to leave it there.
And she’d been right. She had no idea what Ned would’ve done with those things if he’d found them in her place.
At least this way he couldn’t use them against her or Violet.
A while later, Echo returned with her food and a bottle of water as promised. “It took me longer than I expected. I’m sorry if it’s cold.”
“How long does Ned plan to keep me here?” April asked, snatching the bag of food out of Echo’s hand.
He cocked his head as if the question confused him. “Forever, April. No one crosses him and gets away with it.”
April stood holding the bag, her hands starting to shake. She couldn’t have heard Echo right. “He can’t do that!”
Echo nodded. “I assure you, he can. Good night, April.” He left, and the pit in April’s stomach settled so deep she could feel it in her bones. She threw the bag of food across the room and watched it slam against the opposite wall and fall to the floor.
She only found a small amount of satisfaction in doing that, but at this point, every little bit counted.
She didn’t have an appetite anyway. At least not for anything other than getting out of here and taking her niece with her.
She wondered if Tanner had discovered them missing yet.
He must have because it had likely already been hours since they were taken.
If only she had a way of contacting him. That’s when she remembered the cell phone hidden in Violet’s room. Hope bloomed in her chest, even as she sat in a locked room that offered nothing but the sound of her own breathing for company.