Prologue
‘Creak!’ Every muscle in Chloe’s body froze and her breathing became shallow. It wasn't until the child in her arms sighed that she continued her careful venture down the stairs. She readjusted her grip on her five year old son, asleep in her arms, so that she could free her hand to reach down and grab the suitcase hidden by the stairs. She double checked the tape on the door latch and held her breath as she slid the door closed behind her.
Freedom.
Holding Bryce close, Chloe began walking down the street, skirting the pools of light being cast by the street lamps and keeping her head low.
Three blocks away from her house, Chloe fished in her pocket for fifty cents as she stood in the phone booth. She gently rocked Bryce back and forth as she waited for the operator to pick up.
‘Hi, I need a cab to come to phone booth 0072 on Robbins Avenue....thank you.’
As she waited for the cab, Chloe kept glancing down the street looking for any signs of movement. It was 3:30 AM on a Thursday night, so no one else was out on the street.
Finally the cab arrived and Chloe slid into the back seat with Bryce, while the driver put her things in the trunk.
‘Where to, Miss?’
‘The train station please.’
Chloe sighed with relief as they pulled away from the curb and started driving.
‘Mommy?’ her son’s sleepy voice asked.
‘What is it love?’
‘Where are we going?’
‘Far away,” murmured Chloe, stroking her son’s dark, curly hair, ‘far away.’
