Chapter 18 #2
“You thought…” He couldn’t even finish the sentence. “April, I would never -”
“I know that now,” she said, retreating back to the guest room.
Tanner followed her, needing to hear the whole story.
“When I first met Ned, he saved me, Tanner. He helped me in a way that no one else could or would. I trusted him. Then I saw what he was doing with Violet, and everything changed.” She let out a long sigh.
“I couldn’t just walk up to you and tell you about her.
I had to make sure you were really and truly a good guy. ”
“So, our bumping into each other at Madigan’s was a set up?” He hated that everything they’d shared was just her doing reconnaissance.
“No. I had no idea you were going to be there. I was shocked when I saw it was you.”
Tanner rubbed the side of his neck. “I gave you my business card that night. You didn’t call or text me for days.”
“I know,” she dropped her gaze as if trying to hide from him.
“I knew Ned had a lot of the local law enforcement in his pocket. I wanted to get Violet out of there, but first, I had to make sure you weren’t - Ned keeps a lot of the cops in this town on his payroll.
They turn a blind eye to a lot of his shit.
Do a lot of his dirty work. I had to make sure you weren’t one of them. ”
“Like Ethan.” Tanner forced the words out in a barely audible whisper.
He understood. Of course, he did. But that didn’t make him any less angry.
And it didn’t help that he was beyond exhausted.
But he’d meant what he said. The last thing he wanted to do was make April feel bad for protecting her niece.
He would’ve done the same thing if he’d been in her shoes.
He just wanted answers. Needed them in order to make sense of everything.
“You know what, we’re both tired. Let’s get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow. ”
April nodded, and he retreated to his room, shutting the door. Then he opened it, leaving it ajar so he could hear if Violet or her aunt needed him for anything.
Sifting through all his emotions was becoming nearly impossible, and the last thing Tanner wanted to do was say something to April that he’d later regret.
His friends’ women had kept many secrets to protect themselves, and he had no doubt April had her reasons.
He wouldn’t admonish her for that. April had made a lot of sacrifices for Violet, and Tanner would never forget that, and always take it into consideration when judging her decisions.
Though he already had a small voice in the back of his mind telling him that he had no right.
He hadn’t been there. He didn’t even know about his own daughter until less than an hour ago.
He’d deal with all that in time, but right now, he had to focus on what needed to be done.
His daughter wasn’t a normal little girl.
She was special. Gifted beyond all measure.
He’d seen her stop a bullet and float a grown man ten feet in the air with nothing but her mind.
He had to protect her. He couldn’t let Ned or anyone else take advantage of her ever again.
He also had to tell his family. He smiled, just thinking about how overjoyed his parents would be at the idea of having another granddaughter. Sienna had a cousin.
He picked up his cell phone and dialed the one man he knew could help him. Or at least he hoped so.
“A bit late for a social call,” Caden answered on the second ring. “This better be important.” Tanner didn’t even know how to start. When he didn’t say anything, Caden spoke again. “Don’t tell me you just butt dialed me. I was kind of in the middle of something.”
Tanner cleared his throat. “No. Not a butt dial. Just trying to wrap my head around it all.”
“What’s going on? Do I need to come over?”
The concern in Caden’s voice was not unexpected, but he wasn’t calling his friend due to a security issue. “We’re fine,” Tanner assured him. “That’s not why I’m calling.”
“Then like I said, this better be important.”
“I need you to set up a DNA test for me,” Tanner said.
Caden was quiet for a moment. “Who or what are we comparing it to?”
“Violet.”
There was a long pause on the other end of the line as Tanner sat back in the armchair next to his bed. He couldn’t even believe what he was saying, but he knew in his heart it was true.
“You’re going to have to explain that, because I don’t think Ned is going to agree to having her go through any kind of testing.
In fact, I was going to come by tomorrow to bring April’s things and warn you that you probably have until Monday at the latest before she needs to be returned into his care.
You got lucky this week because tomorrow is a holiday, and most of the judges that would be in his pocket are away on a retreat where there’s no cell service.
And before you ask, I only have this intel because some of the guys from the bureau are doing security for them. ”
“Violet is mine, Caden. I had a one-night stand with her mom seven years ago in Vegas while I was there for a friend’s bachelor party.
April showed me a picture of her sister.
” Tanner rubbed a hand down his face, trying to keep his emotions in check.
“Violet’s mine, and I’ll kill anyone who tries to take her away from me, especially to return her to that monster. ”
There was a long pause. “Fuck,” Caden breathed. “This is going to be messy.”
“I don’t care. She’s my daughter, Caden. I'm not letting her out of my sight again. And definitely not into the hands of an evil stepfather who’s done nothing but terrify and torture her for the last three years. What would you do if she was your little girl?”
“I’d fight like hell and take no prisoners,” Caden said without hesitation. “Alright, I’ll be over there first thing in the morning. We’ll figure this out. But first, I have to ask, are you sure you want to go there? Because if we go down this road and she’s not -”
“She’s my daughter, Caden. She’s my blood, and she’s been in this city, suffering, because I had no idea she existed.
I can’t let her go back to that.” Tanner could barely get the words out without choking on them through all the emotion threatening to overwhelm him.
But he knew them to be true. Violet was his daughter.
Caden let out a ragged breath. “If she’s really yours, then she’s ours, too.”
Hearing Caden say that made something settle in Tanner. For the first time since finding out he had a daughter, Tanner didn’t feel as alone. Having his friends at his back, at Violet’s side, meant everything to him. “Thanks. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Does Violet know?” Caden asked.
“I don’t think so. April just got done telling me, and earlier tonight, when Violet saw her room, she said she wished I was her daddy.”
“Damn,” Caden breathed.
“I have a daughter, Caden.” Tanner still couldn’t believe it, even as he said the words.
Caden chuckled. “Congratulations. Make sure you keep a shotgun around because she’s going to be breaking hearts in no time.”
“Oh, fuck me.” Tanner said. “I am so not looking forward to that. Shit, that’s going to be something.”
“Yeah,” Caden said with a chuckle under his breath. “Anyway, go enjoy your first night as a dad. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Night.” Tanner ended the call. He wanted to run out of his room and go check on Violet again - just to make sure she was safe and sleeping soundly.
But he shook his head at the ridiculous thought.
His house was locked up tight and the security team his dad had called in were already patrolling the property. Violet and her aunt were fine.
Then he heard footsteps in the hallway and without giving it another thought, he bolted from his seat.