Collateral Damage (From the Damage) by Jasmine Denton

Author:Jasmine Denton [Denton, Jasmine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sun&Moon Ink
Published: 2013-09-28T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 8

Kay

Driving Kay’s Jeep, Alex pulled up outside of a large, two-story house. A chain-link fence ran all the way around it, and, in the corner of the yard, a Golden retriever slept lazily under the morning sun.

Kay looked down at the copy of the deed with her mother’s alias on it, double checking the address. “This is the place,” she said, looking nervously over at Alex. Then she looked back toward the driveway. “I don’t see her car, though.”

“Maybe she’s not here,” he offered.

“I just thought of something,” Kay said, feeling silly for not thinking of it before. “What if she just rents this place out?”

They burst into a fit of laughter.

“Then,” Alex said, trying to suppress a laugh, “We just drove a long way for nothing.”

Kay chuckled as she pulled down the visor mirror, checking her reflection. Stalling.

As if sensing this, Alex reached over and squeezed her knee. “You can take your time. We can go back to the hotel room and go over the game plan one more time.”

But she shook her head again. “I think we’ve practiced it enough,” she said. “I just want to get this over with.”

He gave her an encouraging smile. “Good luck.”

She pushed open the car door and climbed out, stepping out onto the sidewalk. Dread and anticipation filling her with every step, she walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell.

To her surprise, a little boy answered. Looking to be around five years old, he had blond hair, blue eyes and pudgy cheeks, and gave her a goofy grin. “Are you one of those mermans?”

Kay just stared in response, as a sickening thought occurred to her.

An older man, again with blond hair and a light smile, walked up behind the boy, laughing. “I think he means Mormons.”

Again, she could only stare at them. Was this man the same one she’d heard over the phone? Who was the boy? Forcing a light laugh, she tried to seem normal and not eaten up with confusion. “No,” she said to him. “I’m just looking for someone.” She turned her attention to the man. “Does… does Melanie live here?”

“She does,” the man said. “But she just headed down to the shop. Are you looking for one of her pieces?”

She shook her head. “No…” Looking down toward the little boy, she added, “Maybe we should talk in private.”

The man narrowed his eyes at her, concerned, then he said to the boy, “Josh, how about you set up that Go Fish game? I’ll be right in.”

The boy scampered off, and the man stepped out, leaving the door open behind him. From the porch, she could see a clean and tidy living room, with a lot of framed pictures.

“Are…are you her boyfriend?”

He chuckled. “No. I’m her husband.”

Kay staggered back a step, a tightening feeling in her chest. How could that be possible? Her parents were married. Sure, they lived apart and were barely on speaking terms, but their marriage license was still intact. “I’m sorry…you’re…married to her?”

“Yes,” he answered.

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