Damaged Amazon Read online

  Lawrence Schaeffer, Jr. noticed a figure walking toward him across the gym, shined Gucci shoes reflected in the polished wood floor. He dropped his pencil and watched the man approach, a man who looked as though he’d stepped out of a Jos. A. Bank commercial. “Andrew.”

  “Lawrence,” the man said, offering a hand in greeting as he reached the coach, who took his hand, eyeing him uncertainly. The walking Armani model looked around at the players. “What, these boys too good to run out on the field?”

  LJ glanced at his players. “Well, unless you want an entire team of lightning rods with the storm outside.” He gave him the best smile he could.

  Seeming to ignore his retort, Andrew said, “I dropped by to pick up Sylvia after theater practice, on my way home from work. Jill wanted me to let you know she received a call from Nora.”

  Heavy medium-brown eyebrows drew together. “Nora? I thought Nora wasn’t talking to her.”

  Andrew Lacey grinned, his dark good looks striking in his unwavering deep blue gaze. He looked more like John Stamos than the high-powered attorney he was. “When are they talking?”

  “True enough. So, what did she want?”

  “Well”—Andrew rocked on his heels for a moment as he tucked his hands into his pants pockets—“some sort of family matter, an emergency of sorts. Not exactly sure.”

  LJ reached up and rubbed the back of his neck before he readjusted his baseball cap, which bore the logo of the high school he coached and taught at. “Okay. Where? When?”

  “Tonight at Nora’s place, seven thirty.”

  LJ blew out a breath, thinking of what he was supposed to be doing that night at home. At last, he nodded. “All right. I’ll be there.”

  “Wonderful. I’ll let Jill know. See you there, Lawrence,” Andrew said as he headed out of the gym, walking right through the crowd of running football players, a few of the boys running into each other to avoid running into him.

  LJ watched him go then grabbed the whistle that hung down his chest. He brought it to his lips and blew, the shrill sound echoing in the cavernous expanse. “Hit the showers!”

  ****

  LJ pulled his black Dodge Ram extended cab into the driveway of the four-bedroom house he shared with his wife, Adrienne and their daughter, Kristie, who was a senior at Pueblo West High School, where he taught.

  Cutting the engine, LJ removed his baseball cap and ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up at strange angles. He glanced up at the house—the light was on in the master bedroom. He sighed, trying to will his hand to remove his keys from the ignition and get his other one to pull the handle to open the door. Neither happened.

  Distantly he noticed a pair of headlights wash across the back of his truck and into the cab before they were gone. A moment later, he jumped, startled at the tapping on his window. There, grinning at him, stood his seventeen-year-old daughter.

  He rolled his eyes and opened the door. She moved aside then returned to her place. “Hey, you.”

  “What up, Dad?”

  “Well, apparently you’re trying to give me a heart attack,” LJ responded.

  “Lord, you better not,” Kristie said dramatically. “Then I’ll be stuck with her.” She nodded toward the house.

  “Hey, be nice,” LJ said, as much “dad” in his voice as he could muster. He climbed out of his truck and slammed the door closed, exactly as Adrienne had asked him to do. How else was she to know he was home? That is, since he wasn’t allowed to park “that huge, hulking truck” in the garage next to her beloved BMW.

  He followed his only child inside, noting her baggy black cargo pants and fitted quarter-sleeve shirt with horizontal stripes. Her naturally medium-brown hair, now dyed black—which nearly got her crucified by her mother—was cut into a short, choppy style. Most of the time he wasn’t sure what to make of her style, but if it was up to him, he’d let her just be her. Kristie was in a constant battle with her mother, though.

  They entered the house, which was nicely appointed, but not too extravagant. Adrienne’s car was what they’d spent the most money on in the past five years of their twenty-year marriage. They’d met their senior year of high school and, after going off to college together and five years of dating, Adrienne had given him an ultimatum: either he propose, or she find someone else to put a ring on it. Feeling he’d never find anyone else, he’d dropped to one knee.

  Father and daughter went in opposite directions as Kristie headed to her bedroom in the basement and LJ climbed the stairs to his own bedroom on the second floor.

  “I don’t know, Karen,” Adrienne said into her cell phone, walking by in her silk slip as LJ reached the bedroom doorway. “I still think we have a huge problem with Jorge for Tuesday’s school board meeting.” She walked over to her walk-in closet. LJ’s was on the opposite side of the room.

  Heading to the bed, he sat down, exhausted after a long day. He removed his baseball cap and set it on the comforter next to him. His attention was caught when his wife let out a bark of laughter.

  “Oh! Right?” she grabbed her discarded blazer and tossed it into the bin for dry cleaning. “Can you seriously imagine that old bastard actually signing off on a new textbook committee next year?” She glanced over at LJ, hard brown eyes on his baseball cap.

  Mapping the direction of her glare, LJ let out an irritated sigh and grabbed his hat, holding it in his lap. After all, it might get sweat on the expensive comforter. Tired of waiting for her to get off the phone, he pushed up from the bed and walked over to his own much smaller closet and tugged open the door. His hamper sat right inside the door, so he tugged his T-shirt off over his head and tossed it haphazardly inside.

  Shirtless, LJ walked toward the master bath for a quick shower only to be stopped by his wife’s sharp words.

  “No, Larry. I need a soak.”

  He turned to her still standing at her closet, the phone held to her neck. “And I need a quick shower. It’ll take me like two minutes.”

  “Larry,” she said with a heavy sigh. “I’ve had a long day dealing with teachers, school board members, and budget issues. I don’t want an audience. Okay?”

  Hands on hips, LJ turned away, irritation making his jaw muscles pulse.

  “Larry, you get to play all day—”

  “Fine!” he exclaimed, hands up in supplication. He didn’t even look at her as he stormed back to his closet and grabbed a pair of jeans and fresh T-shirt and underclothes then headed out of the room.

  After a quick shower in the guest bath downstairs, LJ dressed and smoothed his hair back with a comb before exiting. He found Kristie sitting at the kitchen island, phone in hand and chomping on chewing gum.

  “Mom texted,” she said absently, scrolling through her text messages.

  Standing at the Sub-Zero fridge to grab a cold bottle of water, LJ glanced back over his shoulder at his daughter. “What?”

  “Yup,” the teen affirmed. She glanced up at him over her phone. “Said you need to get the pork chops started. She’s tired and not cooking tonight.”

  “When does she?” he muttered, running a hand through damp hair. He turned to her. “Tell her…” He shook his head, slapping his palm on the granite countertop as he made his way around it. “Never mind.”

  Heading upstairs, he was ready to tell Adrienne what he had to do. He entered the bedroom and heard drips of water as Adrienne moved around in her bubble bath. As he stepped into the large master bath, he glanced down at his wife who lay with her head resting against the raised back, eyes closed.

  Leaning back against the wall, he crossed his arms over his chest and adjusted his stance a few times, trying to pump himself up for added confidence.

  “What, Larry?” Adrienne murmured, eyes still closed. “I told you I don’t want an audience.”

  “Kristie got your message,” he began, voice weaker than he’d like. He cleared his throat. “Andrew came in tonight.”

  “What does that have to do with dinner?” she asked, op
ening her eyes to glance at him.

  “I have to head out to Nora’s place.”

  “What? Jill said Nora was blowing off the entire family.”

  “Who knows.” LJ moved over to sit on a small stool where Adrienne put her folded towel, ready for when she exited the tub. He placed the fluffy softness on his lap. “But, I guess something has happened. We’re all supposed to meet at Nora’s.”

  “And, what about dinner?”

  He hung his head for a moment, managing to keep his ire in check. “I can grab something on the way home.”

  “Do you know how hungry we’ll be, Larry?” she said, partially rising out of the suds, exposing the tops of her breasts.

  “Well, then why don’t you guys come with me? Or better yet, Kristie can handle it. Why don’t you come with me?” he said, growing excited by his idea. “We can deal with whatever at Nora’s place then go to dinner, just us. It’s been forever since—”

  Adrienne waved him off. “Forget it. You crawl off to do your sister’s bidding and Kristie and I will figure it out.” She met his gaze with a pointed one of her own. “Maybe we’ll go out and grab a nice dinner.”

  He looked away, stung.

  She sank back into the bath. “You might as well ask Nora if you can crash in her guest bedroom while you’re at it. She seems to be the family you give two shits about tonight, anyway.”

  Without a word, for fear of what he’d say, he tossed her towel back onto the stool and stormed out of the bathroom.

  Chapter Four

  Nora glanced around the lower level of her home, knowing it would be looked over with a fine-tooth comb. She stood in the middle of the living room, hands on hips. Her cheeks blew out for a moment like a squirrel gathering nuts before she let out the nervous breath she was holding.

  She could smell the coffee brewing in the kitchen and the remnants of the blueberry muffins she’d baked earlier. Tucking her hair behind an ear, she headed into the kitchen when she heard tires crunching on the gravel of her driveway.

  Running her hands down over her red fitted tee, she headed to the kitchen door as she heard footfalls and voices coming closer. Not wanting to seem too anxious to answer the door or like she’d actually been waiting, she ducked into the bathroom for a moment. She closed her eyes and grounded herself, taking several deep breaths. Not surprised to hear a firm knock at the screen door, she waited a second before stepping over to it with a broad smile.

  “Sorry,” she said, pushing open the door to allow Andrew and Jill inside. “Wasn’t sure I heard you guys knock.”

  Jill gave her a weak smile before passing in front of her followed by her husband. Both were dressed casually, yet they still managed to look like they’d stepped out of a magazine. Though not the biggest fan, Nora was glad to see Andrew with her older sister—the oldest of the Schaeffer siblings. He’d acted as a buffer more than once.

  “Uh,” she said, feeling unsure in her own home, which pissed her off to no end, “would you guys like some coffee? Muffins?”

  “Coffee would be great, Nora,” Andrew said with a charming smile.

  “Sure. How do you like it?” she asked, ignoring her sister’s glare at her husband.

  “Black is fine.”

  Nora was preparing his coffee when she heard more tires crunching. The window above the kitchen sink showed her father’s gunmetal gray Escalade pull in behind Andrew’s Mercedes. She had to smirk—her country driveway had been turned into an insecure man’s parking lot. She turned away from the window, steeling herself from the vacuum that was her father’s presence.

  “Here ya go, Andy,” she said softly, setting the steaming mug down in front of her brother-in-law where he and Jill sat at the kitchen table. She mentally counted down to seven before the kitchen door burst open and her father appeared.

  “What the hell is all this nonsense about?” he roared, dressed in the tracksuit that Nora had known him to wear since she was eleven. Before that, it was pads and cleats, Denver Broncos blue and orange. “Why the hell are we out here in the damn boonies, squished into a goddamn shoebox instead of at Jill’s place or mine?” He walked over to where his eldest daughter was seated, cupping the side of her head as he pressed it to his side. Leaning down, he left a kiss on her crown. “Hello, sweetie,” he said. He looked to Nora with questions in his small hazel eyes.

  “I need you to keep your voice down,” she said evenly, despite bubbling with irritation inside. When she heard a knock, she glanced at the kitchen door and waved LJ inside.

  “Hey, sis.” He walked over to stand near her. “Hey, all. So, what’s going on? Why are we all here?”

  “Because I didn’t want to wake Bella,” Nora responded, eyeing each of them.

  “Bella?” Andrew said, hands on his hips. “Is Shannon here?”

  Nora shook her head, meeting his gaze. “No. That’s why I called you guys here.”

  Lawrence, Sr. took a step forward, his stance wide. “Where the hell is she?” he boomed. He gave Nora a contrite look when she glared at him.

  “She’s missing.” The silence that followed would have been amusing in the typically loud, boisterous family if the situation weren’t so serious. She looked at each of them, her gaze going back to Jill as she pulled her cell phone out of her purse.

  “I don’t know what you’re in such a fuss about, Nora,” she said, perusing something on the large screen. “She’s probably off with one of her boyfriends or something.”

  “Leaving her five-year-old daughter alone? For two days?” Nora challenged, her anger building. She felt LJ’s hand on her shoulder. She didn’t look at him, but it did calm her.

  “This is ridiculous,” Jill said, running her finger over the screen of her phone before pressing the device against her ear. Everyone watched her as a moment later she pulled it away. “Straight to voicemail.”

  “You don’t say,” Nora drawled.

  “How did you end up with Bella?” Andrew asked, reaching for his cup of coffee.

  “A woman named Penny Garcia. She’s one of Shannon’s neighbors. Apparently she gave Mrs. Garcia my number in case…Well, I guess just in case.”

  “In case of what?” Lawrence, Sr. barked. “She ain’t gone at night. She’s working for that car dealer or whatever. Daytime stuff. Jill here helped her get that job.”

  “My contractor, Daddy,” Jill interjected.

  “Contractor,” the patriarch corrected. “Answering phones and stuff.”

  “Guys, I know exactly what you do right now,” Nora said, folding her arms across her chest. “I don’t know. I thought she was doing okay, too.”

  “She’s upstairs now?” LJ asked softly, pointing to the ceiling. At Nora’s nod, he pardoned himself and headed up the narrow, steep staircase to the second floor.

  “Jill, call your contractor friend and see if she’s been to work. Dad, if you can, head up to Colorado Springs and see if you can check out her apartment.”

  “Yes, I can see if Robert is available to chat.” She eyed Nora. “And, what exactly are you going to be doing?” Jill asked, arching a brow.

  “Raising her kid.”

  ****

  “Those were some seriously good muffins, sis,” LJ said, loading the last of the coffee cups and saucer plates into the dishwasher.

  Nora smiled. “Thanks. Figured if I could plug some pieholes, might make tonight easier.”

  LJ chuckled, closing the dishwasher after he added a soap pod and pushing the button to start the load.

  “So, how’s Kristie?” Nora asked, glancing over her shoulder as she wiped down the table.

  LJ shrugged as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the counter. Finished with her task, Nora stood and studied him, watching his face. She knew he and Adrienne had struggled to understand their daughter—Adrienne far more than her brother.

  “She’s her own person, I guess,” he said. “Not sure what else to say.”

  “Is that a bad thing, LJ?” She rinsed out
her dishrag before slapping it on the rim of the farmhouse sink to dry.

  He let out a heavy sigh as he stared down at his tennis shoes for a minute. “I don’t know. I honestly don’t know anymore, Nor.”

  Nora studied him for a long moment. “I’ve missed you, Larry,” she said softly. When he met her gaze, she gave him her usual smile. “Have you eaten? Well,” she said with a flamboyant wave, “other than my amazing muffins, that is.”

  “Nah, I was going to grab something on the way home.” He looked away.

  She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head. “Adrienne again, huh? What, did she send you out into the woods on your own, pissed that you weren’t there to wait on her?”

  He glared at her, fire in his eyes. “You don’t understand, Nora.”

  “What’s not to understand? When are you going to stand up to her? When are you going to allow you and your daughter a peaceful life without the authoritarian making every move for you?” Nora regretted her words as soon as they were out of her mouth. She quietly cursed herself when her big brother stormed out of the house. She knew she had to follow. “LJ—”

  “What the hell do you know about dealing with it, Nora?” he said, halfway to his truck, standing little more than twenty feet from her. “What the hell do you know about having to come home and there’s someone else there that you have no choice but to answer to? Think about? Who has to rely on you, huh?”

  She hurried over to him, her face inches from his. “Our little sister’s five-year-old daughter!” she hissed. She pointed to the second story of her house. “That little girl up there has no idea what happened to her mother, Lawrence. And guess what? Neither do I! She’s missing!” Nora felt the tears sting behind her eyes. She looked away, bringing up a hand to swipe at her emotion. “She’s vanished and I don’t know what to do about it.”