“All right,” Blake said, bumping fists with Garrett. “Now, we can really storm this place. Let’s go!”
Tanner smiled at his friends’ excitement. He was more than ready to get his daughter and April back. “Let’s do this.” He charged forward, his friends following close behind. They entered the building through the front double paned glass doors and were immediately stopped by armed security guards.
“Federal warrant,” Caden called out. “Step aside or get arrested for obstruction. Your choice.”
Two of the men chose wisely, while two of them decided to put up a fight. Garrett blocked a punch from one and knocked the punk on his ass without breaking a sweat. Blake took care of the second one, swinging him around as the idiot charged, then slammed him hard against the wall before cuffing him.
“Stay down,” Blake ordered, shoving the man to his knees. He looked over at the second cuffed man that Garrett brought over. “Both of you stay here.” Blake pulled out a second pair of handcuffs and cuffed both men to a bolted down hook in the floor. Tanner had no idea what it could be for, but at least these morons weren’t going anywhere.
“Let’s split up,” Tanner said. “I’m going to get my daughter. Caden, start at the top with me. Luke, Blake and Garrett, go to the basement and work your way up. I don’t really have a plan. Just open every door until you find April.” He was on the move before finishing his last word, his focus solely on getting to Violet. If they were being held separately, that would only make finding them harder, but he wasn’t leaving until they were both back in his arms, safe and sound.
When the elevator doors opened on the twenty fourth floor, the place looked more like a morgue than an office building with steel doors and white walls. They walked down severalunmarked hallways, opening doors to storage spaces, offices, conference rooms, and restrooms. When they came to the end of a wing, and what looked like the new part of the building, Tanner stopped for a second. “I haven’t seen any doors marked with the number 2401, or anything even remotely close to that. Do you think Violet could be in the newer wing?”
Caden shrugged. “Only one way to find out.” He went ahead of Tanner, weapon at the ready. They hadn’t encountered any more problems since the front door, but Tanner had a feeling things weren’t going to be this easy for much longer.
They proceeded down the hallway that had changed from older carpeting to pristine and shiny hardwood flooring. The walls were painted a muted gray color and there were hooks on the wall to hold artwork, but none had been hung yet. “This place is giving me the creeps.”
“Tell me about it,” Caden muttered.
They continued down the hallway. Caden opened doors on the left, while Tanner opened doors on the right. When they came to the end of the hall, Tanner turned the knob on the last door but it wouldn’t budge. “This one’s locked.” Without giving it a second thought, Tanner pulled out his baton and slammed it against the doorknob until it broke, unlocking the door.
He kicked it open and was surprised to find April sitting on a bed. Her eyes were puffy and red rimmed. Her shoes were kicked off, she’d changed her clothes, and there was food splattered on the wall, the remainder of its contents in a heap on the floor. A burger and fries from the looks of it.
“Tanner?” She asked, hesitantly. “Please tell me I’m not dreaming. You’re really here?”
Tanner holstered his weapon and met her halfway as she leaped off the bed and into his arms. She hugged him so tight around the neck, she was starting to cut off his breathing and circulation, but he didn’t say a word. He wrapped his armsaround her, savoring the feeling of having her pressed against him. Then he kissed her forehead before lowering his lips to briefly cover her mouth. They’d only been apart one night, and it had already felt way too long. “I'm here. I told you, April. You’re mine, and I always protect what’s mine.”
She stared at him for a long moment, her gaze soft and longing, until she blinked and it was like reality suddenly hit. “Do you know where Violet is? We have to find her. There’s no telling what Ned is making her do.”
“We’ll find her,” Tanner said, more determined than ever to get to his little girl. “She called me on a stolen phone, but the battery was dying. She said her room was on the twenty fourth floor, but so far, all we’ve found up here are empty rooms. We were about to turn back when we found you. The guys and I split up. We’re not leaving without her.”
“The door to her room is behind a sound proof, fake wall that you probably walked right by. But if she’s not there, Ned could’ve also taken her to the gym. She once told me that he likes to work her at night when there are less people around. And when I’m not there. Chances are she’s in one of those two places.”
“The gym?” Caden asked, looking around the room.
April gritted her teeth as she put her shoes on. “That’s where Ned makes her use her ability.” She started for the door but was immediately blocked by a large body standing in the doorway. “Echo.”There was no fear in her voice. Only determination and anger.
“I’m sorry, I can’t let you leave,” Echo said.
“Get out of the way. We have a federal warrant and you have no right to stop her,” Caden ordered. “Move or be arrested. Right now.”
Echo considered Caden’s words. “Ned took her to the gym a few minutes ago. Told me I wasn’t needed.”
They must’ve just missed them, Tanner thought, noticing the way April glared at Echo in horrified disbelief.
“So, you just left?” April asked. “Like you have no control over what happens to her? You of all people should know better. You’re Ned’s right-hand man. You could stop him. You could tell him to cut Violet a break. But instead, you just go along with whatever he says. I get why the others do what they do. They don’t know that they’re firing on and attacking a little girl. What’s your excuse?” April was seething, practically foaming at the mouth as she jabbed her index finger into his chest. “Get out of my way.”
He stepped aside and April stormed past him, with Tanner and Caden at her heels. “Don’t go far,” Tanner warned Echo. “As soon as we find Violet, everyone here will need to answer for the role they played in abusing and torturing a six-year-old.” He glared at Echo like he was the scum stuck to the bottom of his shoe. “Your days of hurting my daughter are over. And if you try to run, I’ll find you. Count on it.”
“Wait,” April circled back to Echo. “We need him to get into the gym. I don’t have clearance for that building.”
Tanner gestured to Echo. “Lead the way and don’t try anything.” Echo walked ahead of them, back down the new hallway that led into the old one. They rode the elevator down to the main floor, then took a sharp right out into the courtyard. “Hold it,” Tanner said. “Where are you taking us?”
“No, it’s okay,” April said. “Aside from the express elevator, this is the only way to get to the gym. Why didn’t we use the express elevator?” She asked Echo.
“Maintenance,” he answered, keeping his expression blank, his eyes forward, and his shoulders back. It was like he knew he had nothing to lose and wasn’t going to cower at the last minute. They walked out of the building and into the cool night air. Right away, Tanner felt like something was off. The little hairs on theback of his neck stood straight up, and the small sinking feeling in his gut screamed this was all wrong.
The courtyard was lit up, illuminating a large fountain to his right, and a few oversized cement planters with half dead palm trees lining the large open area. But it was the human shaped shadow in the far corner that drew Tanner’s attention. He pushed April behind him and drew his weapon, just as an armed guard stepped forward. Caden took a protective step in front of him and April, his weapon drawn and pointing at the target. “We have a federal warrant,” Caden said. “Drop your weapon before you make things more difficult for yourself.”