Page 58 of Savage Obsession

Outside, Baz is taking his leave of our host, thanking him for all his assistance, while a weeping Lily hugs Henry.

“Are you sure he can come to join us? Do you promise? Why can’t he come with us now? They take dogs on planes.”

Cristina does her best to reassure her. “They do, but the paperwork is horrendous at such short notice. We’ll bring him, on our yacht. As soon as we can. In the meantime, he’ll be safe here.”

As long as he doesn’t molest the wildlife. I see no merit in mentioning that. Lily’s already distressed enough. My maternal urge to comfort kicks in.

“It will be all right, sweetheart.” I crouch to embrace her and the dog. “Henry likes it here. He’ll have a great time.”

“But he needs me,” she blubbers, seemingly forgetting she abandoned him herself just under a week ago. “He’ll be unhappy.”

I somehow doubt that, if Ethan Savage’s bacon sandwiches have anything to do with the matter. “Perhaps, at first, but he’ll soon cheer up, and Mrs Savage has said she’ll bring him to Tenerife. You’ll see him again before you know it.”

“But I?—”

“Your mother’s right.” Baz eyes my bag with a sardonic smile. “Henry stays here for now. You decided to join us, then?”

“Fuck you,” is my muttered response. I pass him to board the helicopter. “Lily, come on now. We have to go.”

For once in her life, she obeys me, though it’s a forlorn little figure who climbers up the steps to flop into the cabin beside me. “I like it here. I want to stay.”

I spy a sulk coming on, but I’m not minded to jolly her out of it as I normally would. Let Baz get to grips with parenthood for a change.

He joins us in the cabin and settles opposite with a false smile. “So, isn’t this exciting?”

Nice try.

Lily bursts into tears. “I want my dog,” she wails piteously.

Baz seems to expect me to sort it out, but my gaze remains steadfastly fixed on the outline of the Caraksay battlements as they drop away below.

Eventually, he gets the message and leans over to pat her knee. “Don’t worry, it won’t be for long.”

“How do you know? What if they don’t come?” She sniffles into the sleeve of her hoodie.

“Then we’ll make some other arrangement,” he promises, though without elaborating. “You’ll like Tenerife. The shops, the beaches. The sunshine…”

Lily brightens. “What sort of shops?”

“Everything. It’s a duty-free port.”

“What does that mean?”

“Cheap cameras, watches, tech. Do you need a new laptop?”

I stifle a groan. Of course she needs a new laptop. What kid doesn’t? So, this is going to be his approach, is it? Buy his way into her affections.

Baz continues to sing the praises of his adopted Canary Island home, and soon he has Lily salivating over a vision of sun-soaked affluence and freedom. I leave them to it.

We land in the heliport section of Glasgow airport and hop on one of the shuttle buses to convey us to the main terminal. There, Baz snags a luggage trolley and leads the way inside. A quick visit to the airline kiosk sees us supplied with tickets, but we still need to check in and get past security. My heart is pounding so hard I’m convinced the Border Force officer must be able to hear it. We file past the menacing security guards toting their guns.

No one questions us. We collect our boarding cards and the access key to the first-class lounge. Baz and Lily chat happily as we make our way up there.

We have a couple of hours to wait so we settle in to enjoy the complimentary coffee, refreshments, and reclining seats. I need it. I’m still shaking after the ordeal of getting past the border authorities and I know I’d make a dreadful fugitive. I don’t have the nerves for this sort of thing.

“Would you like a glass of wine?” Baz interrupts my fearful reverie. “You look like you could do with one.”

“What? Oh, no. I think you have to pay extra for alcohol…”

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