Chapter 6 #2
“Ned is going to kill me,” she said. “He was so angry. If Echo wasn’t there, I think I would be dead for sure.
” The fear in Violet’s voice broke April’s heart.
It infuriated her that a sweet little girl could be so afraid of the only man she’d ever known as her father.
Violet deserved a real dad in her life that would protect her from the monsters in the world, not challenge her to fight them herself.
“Ned wouldn’t dare hurt a hair on your head,” April said. “He loves you.” She struggled to say that last part, but Violet needed to hear it, even if April wasn’t sure of it herself. “And I love you, so much my sweet Violet. I would never let anything happen to you. Ever.”
“Even if I accidentally hurt someone?” Violet’s voice was still laced with all the fear a six-year-old could possibly hold inside her little body.
“Even if,” April assured her. “Don’t you know that the love between a niece and her aunt is forever and ever?”
“Like a mommy and a daughter?” Violet asked.
April smiled through her own tears. “Just like. And Violet, I hope you know that I love you just as much, if not more than if you were my own daughter. Always remember that.”
Violet nodded. “I don’t want bubbles today. I just want to go outside with you. Can we bring the soccer ball?”
“Sure, but you still need a bath. We’ll make it really quick. In and out.”
Violet sighed and nodded, wiping the tears from her cheeks using the back of her hand. “I hate these stupid exercises. I get so scared sometimes. What if I make a mistake, or someone gets hurt again, like today?”
April didn’t know what to say. How do you explain a person like Ned to a six-year-old who just wants to be loved?
“Was what happened today a mistake, Violet?” She asked.
Violet had already admitted to doing it on purpose, but April felt it was important that Violet recognize just how much power and control she had.
Because in the end, she really could hurt someone if she chose to.
Violet slowly shook her head. “No. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I hate them for being so mean.”
“They can’t see or hear you, Sweetie. You know that, right?”
Violet sniffled. “But Ned can, and he doesn’t care if I live or die, as long as I do the stupid exercises. He calls them games, but they’re not fun, and I hate his stupid rules.”
The despair in Violet’s tone was enough to break anyone’s heart, and April was coming to the end of her rope.
She needed to get her niece out of here before someone got badly injured or worse.
She couldn’t stop replaying Tanner’s words about that girl - Lana Murphy - in her mind.
She’d been stabbed multiple times just like those soldiers had been today.
Just like Violet would’ve been if she hadn’t been able to defend herself.
The sinking feeling in April’s gut went deeper as cold terror radiated throughout her chest. What if Ned or DynaTech had been behind Lana’s murder? What if Violet wasn’t the only kid they were putting through this kind of hell? What if there were others?
***
Tanner still didn’t have any more information on the Arlo J case than he did that first day.
The MC members hadn’t given him any real clues, and his second visit to the coffee shop had been a bust. The only thing the shy barista remembered about Arlo J’s order was that there were two people, and one of them had a hoodie on with the name of a bar on the back.
She didn’t even remember if the second person was a man or a woman.
Now, sitting at his desk, he stared at his phone, willing it to ping with an update from the lab.
Those results might be his only hope of finding Arlo J’s killer.
He tried immersing himself in paperwork to help pass the time, but his gaze kept going back to his phone.
It was a little past noon and his mind went to April.
They’d had a great run that morning. He shared some funny stories about growing up on the ranch, and learned that April’s mom was in an assisted living center in Phoenix that specialized in Alzheimer’s patients.
April had also let slip that she hadn’t met her older half-sister until she was in middle school and her half-sister was in high school.
He got the sense that April didn’t like talking about her past, especially when he tried to ask about her days as an elementary school teacher.
While she loved talking about her students, she often changed the subject whenever he broached the question of why she left a job she so obviously enjoyed.
It didn’t exactly worry him, but he wondered if she’d had a negative experience with another teacher and if that was still affecting her.
“Hey.”
Tanner looked up from his phone in time to see Blake plop down in the chair next to his desk. “Hey, yourself. How are you? How’s Skyla?”
Blake nodded, letting out a long breath. “Numb, I guess. I don’t know.” He shrugged. “We’re dealing. Anyway, that’s not why I stopped by. I wanted to see if you had any news on the Arlo J case.”
“Nothing yet. Sorry. I have some lab results I’m waiting on, but other than that, I’ve got nothing so far. Did you tell Skyla?”