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“Turn around,” Violet demanded.
“I’m not going back.”
“There is no point in going forward.”
Diane scoffed, her voice echoing through the Hummer as silence came over them. Lando stopped eating and did the one thing she had wanted to from the start. She reached over, covering Violet’s tightened fist with her palm. She gave a squeeze, pulling Violet’s attention toward her. Lando had never had to play peacemaker before, but it seemed to be her role just then.
She raised an eyebrow at Violet. “We’re already most of the way there. Perhaps we can get some good photos that will sell and it will be worth it.”
“We don’t make money from photos,” Violet growled out.
“We make some, don’t we?”
Violet drew in a long, deep breath and let it out slowly, clearly trying to calm herself. Lando watched every twitch of her muscles and kept her hand firmly on Violet’s, not wanting to let go unless Violet told her she had to.
“We make money off them,” Diane added from the front.
Violet rolled her eyes, pushed back into the seat, and pouted. She was all-out pouting. Lando was shocked. Violet’s lip protruded, her gaze was downward, and her entire demeanor screamed that she was giving in. Even though Lando had pushed for it, it always surprised her when she saw Violet give in to Diane. This was not the woman she had come to know as Professor Myers. This was an entirely different person, someone who let Diane walk all over her, time and time again.
Violet said nothing as she remained defeated. Lando hated seeing her like this. She rubbed her thumb aimlessly on the side of Violet’s hand until Violet’s grip loosened. They drove in silence for another thirty minutes until Diane found the storm she swore was for them. Sure enough, nothing had changed.
Lando checked in on the computer, showing Violet every once in a while when nothing had changed that it was still far from being a super cell that would produce anything to cause damage. Diane finally made the call and turned the Hummer around to drive back toIndigo.
As they drove, Violet remained withdrawn. Lando had worked so hard to bring her out of her shell the past few days that anger worked in her chest at seeing Violet far off again. Why she kept letting Diane walk all over her was beyond Lando’s comprehension. She’d never taken Violet as someone who would roll over and just take it.
Sure they fought, nearly constantly, especially when there was no storm to chase, but this was more than that. Violet willingly let Diane do whatever she wanted, she willingly gave up control and leadership to someone who shouldn’t have it. Lando kept the food in her lap, not moving even though she wanted to eat it. She’d rather keep her hand locked on Violet’s, giving her what silent support she could.
CHAPTER15
Violet remainedquiet the entire drive back, taking comfort in Lando’s silent support and strength. Diane had never pulled anything like this before. Then again, Violet had always double-checked everything before they went out. She was the one with the degree, the one who knew what to look for. Diane wasn’t trained in that.
They picked around the kitchen for a late lunch, and then Violet was left on her own until dinner. A smaller storm cell picked up in their area, but after the morning they’d had, she wasn’t sure it was worthy of their time that she go out to it. Her world was spinning at an odd angle, and she wasn’t sure how to tilt it back onto the right axis.
She stared at the stairs where Diane had disappeared after they ate and finally stood up. Lando gave her a cautious glance, but Violet ignored it as she went. She needed to have it out with Diane. It was time to bare everything. At the top of the stairs, Violet ran through the hundred scenarios in her head about what she wanted to say, what she wanted to do to convince her to listen.
By the time she got to the door, she hadn’t settled on any of it. The cold handle under her fingertips was a stark reminder that going in unprepared would get her nowhere, but she was already in the middle. Without knocking, Violet stepped into Diane’s room and shut the door behind her. They were going to need privacy for this.
Diane shifted on the bed as she made eye contact, immediately going tense. Violet could have cursed because now they were both on edge. She walked into the room and sat on the edge of the mattress, hoping that would ease some of the unnecessary tension.
“What happened this morning?” Violet sounded almost resigned, but she wanted to give Diane a chance for explanation.
“What do you mean ‘what happened’?”
Violet cringed at her tone. So much for a calm conversation. “I should have double-checked the readings before we left, but we wasted a lot of time and resources this morning. I know they’re slim—”
“Therewasa storm.”
Violet gave Diane a soft look. “There wasn’t, and you know that as much as I do. But equally, why were you in our room without us?”
“I pay for it.” Diane’s gaze hardened. “It’s our room, and if I need access to the computer—”
“You have your own, Diane. That’s the point. Why were you in our room?”
“I told you I was trying to find you.”
“And when I wasn’t there, you stayed and went through our things?”
“I did not.” Diane sat up straight, her back ramrod and her eyes fiery. “I looked at the computer.”
