Chapter 12
When April arrived at DynaTech the following Thursday morning, she was surprised to find the classroom area, where Violet usually waited for her, was empty.
April went looking for her niece in her living quarters, but she wasn’t there either.
Trying not to panic, April pulled out her phone and using the DynaTech internal messaging application, sent a group message to Ned and Echo.
April: Where is Violet?
While waiting for a reply, April busied herself with picking up the toys strewn about the room and collecting the dirty clothes Violet had left on her pink recliner, tossing them into the mesh hamper.
Violet’s container of friendship bracelets that she’d made was tipped over and April spotted a pink one that hadn’t been there before.
Violet must’ve made it over the weekend.
Not wanting to forget to mention to Violet how pretty it was, April put it in her pocket and continued cleaning.
Just that morning during their run, Tanner had told her about how his niece, Sienna, had thrown a temper tantrum last night because she didn’t want to help clean up her room when her mother had asked her to.
April tried not to nag Violet too much about things like that.
Her sweet niece had enough to worry about.
Like getting through whatever exercise or game Ned thought up next for her to do.
April sighed. She’d tried telling Tanner about Violet every day that week, but somehow, it was never the right time.
On Monday, Tanner had surprised her by taking her out to breakfast. On Tuesday, he pulled her into the backseat of his truck and they ended up making out like teenagers.
On Wednesday, he seemed distant, like the big case he was working on wasn’t going well.
She’d decided today would be the day, but then he started telling her about Sienna, and talking about his family, and before they knew it, they were both going to be late for work.
April knew she had to stop making excuses and just tell the man he had a daughter. But that was easier said than done. She also had to find a way to tell Violet about her real dad. And she had no idea who she should tell first.
As she was putting away some of the books on Violet’s shelf, one book fell, knocking another one down behind the shelf.
“Shoot,” April muttered to herself and got down on her hands and knees to reach the one that had fallen behind.
Her fingers closed around something small and hard, but it wasn’t a book.
She pulled it out and her eyes went wide.
It was one of those old flip style cell phones.
She’d almost forgotten about that late night phone call Violet had made to her on the night she met Tanner.
April stared at it for a long moment. The right thing to do would be to put it in the lost and found.
That way it wouldn’t be traced back to Violet.
But then what if something happened and Violet needed to get a hold of her and couldn’t?
April flipped it open, but it was either dead or turned off.
Deciding not to check just in case it could be traced, April slipped it back behind the bookshelf.
It wasn’t the best hiding place, but it was as good as any in this room, since Violet didn’t have access to loose floorboards, vents, or tiny spaces no one would think to look.
April just hoped no one else found it.
Half an hour later, she still hadn’t heard back from Ned or Echo. Surely, they hadn’t taken Violet to the gym already, and definitely not without her. Not that it was explicitly stated that they couldn’t or wouldn’t.
In fact, Ned could basically do whatever he wanted with her precious six-year-old niece, but he’d agreed to only make Violet do those things when April could be there so she could take care of her afterwards.
They wouldn’t change that now, would they?
April would’ve already gone down to the gym and checked for herself, but she didn’t have security clearance for that building and couldn’t get in without an escort.
She went back to the classroom, only to find it empty still.
With her stomach threatening to revolt now from worry, she rushed to the elevator, took it down to the main floor, and practically ran out of the main building and across the courtyard to the Integrative Training building that housed the gym, among other rooms and offices that April didn’t have access to.
She came to the door, but when she tried to open it, the damn thing was locked as she’d expected.
She banged on it relentlessly, not caring if the glass inserts shattered or cut her.
Everything in her gut screamed that Violet was being forced to use her ability without her presence.
Not that April could do anything to help Violet, or stop Ned from doing whatever he wanted, but being there for her niece meant everything to April, and she knew Violet drew comfort in knowing she was there.
It seemed like hours, but was likely just minutes later, when Echo finally appeared at the far end of the hallway.
He walked casually toward the door as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
When he opened the door, April glared at him.
It was taking everything in her not to physically push him aside, but she had a feeling such actions would be frowned upon by Ned.
“Where is she?” April demanded.
“Almost done. Ned wanted to work with her earlier today. I’ll call you when she’s ready for you.”
Echo was about to shut the door in her face, but she blocked him from shutting it with her outstretched arms. “Wait. I’ve always been inside with her. She must be terrified knowing I’m not there. Let me see her. Let me tell her that I’m here.”
Echo shook his head. “Not today. I’ll call you.
” He forcibly closed the door, letting it lock, then turned and walked back down the hall, leaving April standing nearly in tears, in fear for her niece’s safety.
How many times had she threatened Ned when she’d felt he was pushing Violet too hard?
How often had she pleaded with that monster to back off, to give Violet a break before starting a new exercise?
With April not in the room, Ned could do whatever he wanted with no one there to keep him in check. To hold him accountable.
A low, distraught laughter escaped her lips as she sank to the ground and brought her knees up to her chest. Who was April kidding?
She could no more keep Ned in check, or hold him accountable, than his minion soldiers who hung on his every word.
Whether April was inside or sitting on the cold, hard ground out here, Violet was all alone in that gym at the mercy of a man who had no mercy.
Desperation crawling through her veins, April reached into her bag, ready to call the police. She was willing to do anything, sacrifice everything, to get her niece out of there, when a text message from Zara lit up her screen.
Zara: How’s Violet? Did you tell Tanner yet?
April swallowed, pushing back the flood of tears welling up in her eyes.
The truth was, she was terrified of telling Tanner.
He seemed like a great guy, and she’d really liked his friends.
But it wasn’t like she could just come out and tell him that Violet was paranormally gifted.
That her six-year-old niece could throw things and people across a room with the blink of an eye.
Oh, and by the way, she was his daughter, to boot.
April had never told a soul about Violet, except for Zara, whom she trusted with her own life.
But Tanner…was different. As much as she wanted to trust him, and kept telling herself that she did, she couldn’t help admitting that there was still a small part of her that was hesitant to fully open up to him.
April was about to type a reply, hoping Zara would give her some much-needed clarity about how to go about doing what April knew had to be done, when she heard loud footsteps behind her.
April stood and came face to face with Echo.
Something was wrong. The man, who was unflappable, looked worried.
“What’s wrong?” She demanded, loud enough to be heard through the glass.
Echo opened the door and gestured for her to follow him.
Without saying a word, he walked ahead of her, his strides long and fast enough that she had to nearly jog to keep up with him.
He led her back across the courtyard, up the elevator, and into Violet’s bathroom where he usually brought her niece after one of her exercise sessions.
As soon as April stepped inside, she saw what Echo had been so freaked out about.
Violet was lying on the chaise lounge, her eyes closed and her nose bleeding.
“What did you do?” April screamed, rushing to the girl’s side.
“Violet, Sweetie, can you hear me? It’s Aunt April.
Open your eyes, Honey. It’s all over. Look at me.
” April felt her forehead with the back of her hand.
No fever, even though her cheeks were flushed.
She reached for a tissue and wiped the blood from under her nose. But Violet still didn’t move.
April turned back to demand answers from Echo, but he was gone, and the door was closed. Not bothering to fight back the silent tears that rolled down her cheeks, April soaked a washcloth in cold water and gently applied it to Violet’s forehead and neck.
The next several minutes were the longest of April’s life.
Even as Violet’s chest continued to rise and fall with her breaths, seeing her niece lying so still after a session with Ned, scared April unlike anything else.
Violet wasn’t just sleeping, she was unconscious, and the man who was supposed to love her and protect her was the cause of all of this.