“Better,” April said. “Come on, I think we’re going to meet more of Tanner’s friends. Would you like that?”
Violet grew quiet and pensive, then looked up at April. “Are they going to shoot at me like Ned’s friends?”
April let out a breath and hugged her niece tight. “No, Sweetie. No one is ever going to shoot at you again. Not if I can help it.”
“Hey,” Tanner said, getting Violet’s attention. “If anyone even tries to shoot at you, they’ll have to answer to me and my friends. And we might be really nice to you and April, but we’re very mean to the bad guys who try to hurt our friends. Do you understand?”
“Can I be your friend?” Violet asked.
“You already are,” Tanner said, giving her back a soft pat. “And you always will be. No matter what. Got it?”
Violet nodded, then looked to April for approval. “I think it’s going to be okay, Violet. Now, come on, I bet there’s going to be ice cream where we’re going.” April nudged her forward, but Violet stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder up at April.
“Really?” Violet asked, already forgetting about the seriousness of being shot at. It always amazed April how fast she bounced back. Still, April worried what kind of long-term effects this physical and psychological trauma was going to have on her when she was older.
“Count on it,” Caden said, pulling out his phone and sending off a text message. A few seconds later, his phone beeped and he looked up with a grin. “Do you like chocolate chip?”
“Yes!” Violet squealed with joy. She was now practically dragging April to the door. “Come on, Aunt April, let’s go.”
April smiled her thanks to Caden, and took one last glance at Tanner before following Caden out of the interrogation room. They took the back exit out to avoid being seen by Ned and his crew. April kept a close eye on Violet making sure her leg wasn’t bothering her, but she seemed to be doing just fine.
Once they were outside the building, Caden picked Violet up, and April hurried to keep up with him until they reached his black SUV. He put Violet in the back and helped April in after her. “I don’t have a booster seat for her so just buckle her in as best you can,” he said.
“I don’t think Ned had a booster for her either.”
“How did he travel with her?” Caden asked, once he was sitting behind the wheel.
“He didn’t as far as I know. She lived at DynaTech Corp headquarters and wasn’t allowed to leave. She hasn’t seen the outside of those steel and cement walls since before she was three. Until today.”
Caden put on his sunglasses, turned the key in the ignition, threw the vehicle into gear and drove out of the parking lot. “She’ll never see the inside of them again.” His jawline was tight and his hands gripped the steering wheel hard enough to make his dark knuckles turn nearly white.
April understood his anger better than anyone. She went home every night for the last three years feeling it, drowning in it, not knowing what to do about it. If Violet hadn’t spoken up today, they would probably still be there, stuck in the hellish world that Ned trapped them in.
Violet fell asleep leaning on April’s shoulder as they drove, and April silently stared out the window. She wanted to believe Caden that Violet would never have to see Ned or DynaTech Corp again, but things in her life had never really worked out before. She had no reason to believe they would now.
It wasn’t long before April recognized the road they were on. “Garrett’s house?” She asked Caden quietly, careful not to wake Violet.
“It’s out of the way, and there’s no record of him being on the case. You two will be safe there for now.”
Safe. The word echoed in April’s mind like a boomerang, hitting every corner and bouncing off, like it just couldn’t stick. The truth was that April hadn’t felt safe since the day Casey died. She’d stupidly turned to drugs, which had almost cost an innocent first grader his life. Sure, it was just months after her sister’s death, but that was no excuse. April knew she had nobusiness being behind the wheel with how she was feeling that day. It didn’t matter that she’d been sober for almost a week, or that the drugs were in a locked drawer back at her apartment. When she hit the gas instead of the break, and hit that little boy, April knew her life as she knew it was over.
If Ned hadn’t stepped in with all his lawyers, and thrown a lot of money at everyone involved, she’d probably still be in jail. Instead, he made her an offer she couldn’t refuse, doing a job that she loved and hated in equal measure. But none of that mattered now. Due to the NDA she’d signed, if Ned Dynam ever got his hands on her, he’d likely throw her right back into the jail cell he bailed her out of, and pay everyone off to make sure she never got out again.
“We’re here.” Caden’s voice and the sound of the tires on the gravel driveway pulled April from her thoughts. She was tempted to just carry Violet inside since she was still sound asleep, but as soon as April went to open her door, Violet sat straight up, wide awake, as if she was expecting to be dodging bullets all over again.
“Easy, Sweetie,” April said. “We’re here.”
“Can I stay in the car? It’s nice here.”
Caden chuckled from the front seat. “Thanks Violet, I appreciate the compliment, but I actually would love for you to meet my friends. I promise, they’re very nice, and they’re going to love you.”
“And there’s ice cream waiting for you inside,” April reminded her. That got Violet moving, and April helped her down out of the SUV until her feet touched the ground. The place looked the same as it did before, but somehow being able to share it with Violet made it feel bigger and more beautiful.
“Wow,” Violet said in appreciation. “Your friends live here?” She let go of April’s hand and glanced around the large front yard.
“One of them does,” Caden chuckled, checking his phone. “Garrett’s inside and he said the door is open. We can just go right in.”
“Aunt April, do you have a house like this, too?” Violet asked.
