April nodded. “That she is. I’m just so worried about - after what Caden said - if Ned gets her back, I don’t know how she’ll handle losing all this.”
“He’s not getting her back, April. Over my dead body is Ned Dynam ever laying a hand on my daughter again. I don’t care what Caden, or anyone else says. Violet is never leaving this home against her will.Herhome, April. And yours.” He was coming on strong, not pulling any punches, but April didn’t mind. She liked knowing where she stood with this man.
He pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his. He tasted of the sweet barbecue wings they’d had for dinner and a musky mint flavor that was pure Tanner. She let out a little moan as he made love to her mouth with his tongue, backing her against the kitchen island.They’d been careful not to kiss or make out in front of Violet, but tonight, they had the house all to themselves. She melted into Tanner like she always did, and gave a little frustrated sigh when he pulled back. “I could do this all night, but I remember promising you a ride on Zeus as soon as Violet spent the night at my parents’ house. What do you say? Feeling up to it?”
April laughed. “As long as Zeus is nowhere near as big as the horse you had Violet on this morning.”
Tanner smiled, his eyes shimmering with mischief.
“No way. Tanner, was that him?”
Tanner nodded, full out laughing now. “He’s a big boy, but he’s super gentle. I’d never put Violet in danger, or you, forthat matter. Come on. There's a full moon out tonight, and it’s clear skies as far as the eye can see. We might even see some constellations if we’re lucky.”
“Okay,” April hedged, not sure about getting on that beast of a horse, “but first, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?” There was no mistaking the concern in Tanner’s voice. “What’s wrong?”
April internally shook off the shudder that nearly wracked her body at the thought of what she was about to say. She’d only done a cursory internet search of the two missing dead girls Tanner had mentioned, but she was sure about one thing, and it wasn’t good. She went over to her laptop and opened it, turning it around so Tanner could see the screen.
“Doing some late-night reading,” he smiled, then saw the old news story about the first girl’s body being found and his smile instantly faded. “April, this isn’t something you need to worry about.”
“I think I know who’s responsible for their deaths.”
“How can you - You think Ned had something to do with it?”
April drew in a shaky breath. “You said Lana was found with multiple stab wounds… A few days before we left, Ned had soldiers throwing knives at Violet. She defended herself but…” April hated even thinking about that day, let alone relaying the details of it. The last thing she wanted was for Tanner to think Violet was dangerous. But he had seen her levitate a man ten feet in the air, so there was that. “…she was tired and threw a tantrum.”
“What happened?” Tanner asked in a low voice.
“Instead of deflecting the knives like she was supposed to, she sent them back.”
“Back?” There was a hint of unease in his voice, but his expression hadn’t changed.
“At the men,” April managed to say. “They were wearing protective gear so the wounds were all fairly superficial, but…”
“Fuck, what did that monster put my daughter through!” Tanner fisted his hands at his sides before loosening his fingers.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about Lana since you told me about her,” April admitted. “And then you mentioned Officer Sinclair’s sister that day at the soup kitchen. You said her body showed signs of abuse, and a bullet to the heart. That doesn’t sound like Ned, but… he does have soldiers shoot at Violet all the time. If his sister missed or was a fraction of a second too late… There’s a chance…” April was having trouble saying it out loud. Those poor girls had suffered so much, and unlike Violet, they probably didn’t have someone like her in their corner. All they knew was violence and pain and fear.
Tanner swayed on his feet, catching himself against the edge of the counter. “No one said anything about them having abilities. They were both reported missing by their families, their parents - they never said anything, so it’s possible that -”
“Of course, their parents wouldn’t have said anything,” April said. “They probably didn’t think it had anything to do with it. Or maybe they didn’t even know, depending on what the ability was. Violet’s is very obvious, but what if theirs was mind reading or something less physical. The girls could’ve hidden it from their families, their friends. From my experience as a teacher and Violet’s nanny, I’ve learned that most kids have one thing in common, Tanner. They just want to fit in. They want to be normal. And they will go to great lengths to hide anything they think might make them stand out.”
“But if no one else knew,” Tanner said, his voice low and almost lethal. “How did Ned find out?”
April gave a half shrug. “I don’t know. But Ned is a very resourceful man. He could get his hands on anything. Onanyone. I’ve never said this out loud, but I think he knew aboutViolet before he met Casey. I think it was why he went out of his way to meet my sister.”
“But he married her,” Tanner said.
April nodded. “Casey was a protective mama bear with Violet. And Ned was smart. He knew the only way he’d ever get to Violet was to convince Casey that he loved her. Loved them both.”
“But why?” Tanner asked. “What is the purpose behind all this? I mean the man is a billionaire. He has every resource at his disposal. Why does he need to exploit children with special abilities? And why marry Casey? Why not just kidnap Violet like you’re thinking he did with the other two kids?”
April shuddered again, not able to hold it in this time. “That’s what I can’t figure out. I’ve been looking deeper into DynaTech, but everything I’ve found is public knowledge. They’re a huge private military defense contractor that trains soldiers in specialized, state of the art, new military weapons and technology.”
“So where do the kids figure into all that? And how many have there been?”
“I don’t know. I honestly didn’t even think there were any others until you mentioned those two girls. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about them since. Tanner, what if Violet wasn’t the only one? What if there arestillothers?” There, she’d said it.
