The Darkness of Perfection

First published by The Writer’s Coffee Shop, 2011

Copyright © Michael Schneider, 2011

The right of Michael Schneider to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the
Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual people living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

The Writer’s Coffee Shop (Australia) PO Box 2013 Hornsby Westfield NSW 1635 (USA) PO Box 2116 Waxahachie TX 75168

Paperback ISBN-978-1-61213-024-8 E-book ISBN-978-1-61213-025-5

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the US Congress Library.

Cover

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by:

Konstantin

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Cover

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Jennifer

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www.thewriterscoffeeshop.com/mschneider

Michael, the mother of three girls, has been married to her high
school sweetheart for 28 years. A central Texas native, Michael lives
in a small town outside of Austin with her husband, teenage daughter
and two cats. She and her husband also have two grown daughters.

When she is not busy writing, or balancing the role of wife and
mother, Michael can usually be found quilting or gardening. She also
enjoys watching science fiction movies and visiting area antique stores
with her friends and family.

To my husband, Robbie and my beautiful daughters: Caitlin, Rachael, and Meagan and our Katie.

Thank you for talking me off the ledge when I was frustrated and ready to pull my hair out. I owe you all so much for putting up with me through this novel and for asking you to wait for my undivided attention. I love y’all!

To everyone who helped polish this novel: Lea, Andrea and Caryn. Thank you for putting up with me.

And last but not least, my undying gratitude to my friends; Jenny, Jo, Pat, Michelle and Erin. Thank you for taking time out of your life to help me with plot problems and cheering me on to the finish line.

The wiper blades swept across the windshield, clearing the glass momentarily before the steady rain immediately blocked my vision again. Forest lined either side of the lightly traveled highway, the only light coming from my headlights and those of the occasional passing car. The temperature had been dropping steadily as we drove farther away from Houston.

I looked again at the rearview mirror, checking for anyone suspicious following us, and glanced at the dashboard clock before focusing on the road again. We’d been traveling for sixteen hours with no sign of pursuit, stopping only for gas and food along the way.

The car I’d purchased wasn’t pretty, but it had none of the tracking devices I’d been hearing about and was nondescript. I just hoped the salesperson was too happy with the new BMW I left on his lot, and the additional cash that lined his pocket, to remember anything about the car if anyone came asking.

I’d more than likely brought trouble to his doorstep, and it made me feel a pang of guilt, but when it came to my daughter I would do anything and sacrifice anyone to save her. Besides, the guy was a rip-off artist who took advantage of my plight. The car I traded in was worth more than this one, and yet he still wanted cash to let me use his computer. I guess later, when we’re safe, I’ll think about whether that made me just as evil as the men I was running from, but I had to believe God would understand and forgive me. Just to be safe, I said a prayer that he wouldn’t be leaving behind a family that needed him.

They probably had other ways of tracking us, since they had a lot of money, but I’ve done everything in my power to hide us from them. What I knew about the outside world was probably outdated. I hadn’t been a part of that world since I was twelve years old. What knowledge I possessed came from blending into the woodwork and keeping my ears open. Men were arrogant and full of their own self-importance. No one paid attention to the mousy little wife who flitted around in the background pouring coffee and serving food.

We crossed the Oklahoma state line a couple of hours ago, and my stomach was in knots as I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress. I had no idea Texas was so big, since I’d never been out of the Houston area. It took most of the day just to get out of Texas, yet hardly a blink to cross Oklahoma into Colorado.

That’s when I realized my mistake; we were supposed to be headed to Springfield, Missouri not Springfield, Colorado. I didn’t even know there was more than one Springfield. I had heard talk about Springfield, Missouri and knew it should be a big enough city for us to disappear in. I didn’t know anything about this place and could only hope having the same name meant it was just as big.

After so many hours on the road, I started to feel the first stirring of hope that we might actually have gotten away, but I’d probably never stop looking over my shoulder. Men like Richard Harrison had a long memory. In his eyes, what I had done was considered stealing, and in doing so, I had signed my death warrant. If he caught me, he’d kill me without even thinking about it.

But how can it be stealing if she came from my body? I stroked the soft head of my daughter sleeping in the seat beside me. As traumatic as this last year had been, she didn’t fully understand what was in store for her. I wanted to keep it that way. No man, woman, or child should ever experience the nightmare I lived. I would die a thousand deaths before I let that monster have my child again.

I’d always thought my husband loved our daughter. He treated her like a princess, his greatest treasure. He brought her little souvenirs from his many business trips, and even watched cartoons with her when time allowed. He always made sure she wore the finest clothes and he never raised a hand to her. It was a foolish dream I’d held onto since the day the midwife placed her in my arms that somehow my daughter would have a better life than I’d had. Wasn’t that every mother’s dream?

I hadn’t seen the plans he’d had for her all along. She was his greatest treasure and one he’d planned to exploit. She was a beautiful baby from the moment she was born, with blue-green eyes and a full head of soft brown hair with blonde tips. David named her Jayden. I’d thought it was a sign that he loved me because her eyes would probably turn the same shade of green as mine, but I learned afterward that it was his boss that decided her name. And her fate.

My husband, David Rogers, and his boss, Richard Harrison, grew up together, learning and growing in the underworld in which they lived. Richard went from a devious bully into a heartless man, filled with pure evil; a vicious viper who would strike without warning. He exuded power with his tall physique and carried it well on his broad shoulders. His cool exterior masked a quick temper and an even quicker hand in judgment and vengeance. With the charisma to charm even the staunchest of men, he was destined to run his family’s underworld empire. Of course, if you couldn’t be bribed or coerced, then you were simply eliminated.