“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 leftbehind 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 outof 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.
Chapter 28
Tanner stared at his computer screen until his eyes blurred, but he wasn’t getting anywhere. He couldn’t stop glancing at the grandfather clock, counting the hours and minutes since he last saw his daughter and April. “I’ve got nothing. Please tell me one of you has come up with something.” He hated the angry tone in his voice, but he was desperate.
“We could just go in there and get April,” Blake said. “He might have custody of Violet, but-”
“No,” Tanner cut him off. “April would never leave Violet behind.”
“You’re assuming they haven’t already been separated,” Garrett said, looking up from his laptop. “I’ve been thinking about what you told us regarding those other two girls and April’s theory…” His voice faded just as all the guys glanced up to give him their full attention.