Page 1 of Sanctuary at MacLeod's Cove
Prologue
London, England
‘Liam,’ Jen breathed against her son’s warm cheek.
His eyes fluttered open. Jen hated to shatter the peace she saw in those eyes, still full of dreams and sleepy contentment. But she had no choice. They had to leave now, while Alistair slept under the influence of the sleeping tablets.
‘It’s time to go.’
A look of panic filled his eyes, and he drew in a sharp breath. She shook her head and laid her finger against his lips.
‘Hush.’ One sound from Liam now and it would all be over. ‘It’s only me, darling.’ She brushed her lips against his cheek and kept her face there, willing him to inhale her scent, to know her, to stop himself from calling out before he gave them away.
She waited a moment and then drew back, searching his eyes, trying to convey a calm she didn’t feel. ‘It’s OK. Remember what we talked about?’ she whispered, pushing a thick curl of hair off his face so he could see her properly. ‘We’re going on an adventure.’
His brow furrowed into the frown which rarely left his face anymore. He blinked and sat up.
‘But it’s dark, Mummy,’ he said, echoing her whisper.
Despite the months of planning, doubt crept in. Was she doing the right thing by uprooting Liam from everything and everyone he knew? She swallowed hard. She knew the answer. She’d spent too long clinging to hope. She had to act — for both their sakes — now.
‘That’s why it’s an adventure.’ And that’s why, she didn’t add, they were going. There was no way she could leave during the day. If Alistair wasn’t watching, his hidden cameras certainly were. ‘Just pop your coat and hat on over your PJs and we’ll be on our way.’
The silence of the night was broken only by the ticking clock in the hall, as Liam slipped his feet into the boots she held open for him. She was waiting for his next question. It came a little later than she’d expected.
‘Is Daddy coming?’
‘No, sweetheart. It’s only going to be you and me going on this journey — only us! And it’s a secret from him,’ she added in her lightest voice. She needed to keep calm, so that Liam would be calm. ‘We’re going to trick him, so we must be quiet, otherwise he’ll find out and the trick won’t work.’ She buttoned up his coat and pulled on his hat, crouched down and looked him directly in the eyes. ‘You OK with that?’
He nodded, but the frown remained. ‘Will Daddy be angry?’
‘No.’
Sometimes, lying was the only option. She’d found that out the hard way.
His face relaxed, and she smiled encouragingly.
‘Let’s go then.’ She stood up, grabbed his bag and slid it onto his back. She slung her own bag over her shoulder and took his hand.
Stepping carefully, she led them down the hall to the rear of the house, avoiding the creaking floorboards.
She’d already unbolted the French doors, so when she twisted the brass latch, they stepped out onto the terrace without making a sound. The night also seemed to hold its breath as they walked over the grass to the rear fence. No security lights burst into life — she’d made sure of that.
Behind the shed, she lifted the overgrown creepers and pulled out the fence posts she’d loosened one by one over the past few months. After a quick look around, they entered their next-door neighbour’s garden. Her neighbour, Barbara, was the only person with whom she’d shared her plans. She’d also switched off her security lights, so they could slip unnoticed under the summer canopy of leaves, hidden by the high hedges between the two properties.
It was easier than she imagined skirting Barbara’s garden and unbolting the garden gate, which she’d made sure was well-oiled. They emerged onto the side street and went straight to the rental car Jen had parked there.
Liam didn’t say a word. Somehow he seemed to understand the importance of what was happening, and he followed her every urging until he was securely strapped into the back seat, and she drove the electric car silently away.
She didn’t look back. She had no reason to. Her only way was forward, away from the man who had controlled every aspect of her and Liam’s life. There could be no going back.
Chapter One
MacLeod’s Cove, New Zealand
The car rolled to a stop in front of the colonial villa, its white clapboard exterior ghostly in the moonlight. For the first time in thirty-odd hours of travelling, silence descended. Jen could hardly believe she was home after so many years, after everything that had happened.
‘Well, here we are, sis,’ Lucy said, flicking on the handbrake. She followed Jen’s gaze up to the house in which they’d been born and raised. It appeared both familiar and strange at the same time.
