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CHAPTER ONE

VANESSA BEACON’S HANDS SHOOK as she stared down at the California driver’s license she’d had her gardener purchase for her severalwith the physical characteristics Hair: Bld; Eyes: Bl; HT: 5-06; WT: 120 The name, birth date and address, however, were not The naht Vanessa had chosen “Eht” she’d selected as a re She had to believe that wholeheartedly or she would never have the courage to take such a risk

The clock ticked loudly on the wall of her expansive chrome-and-marble kitchen It seemed even louder than Manuel’s new plas rooh her and Dominick’s suitcases, checked for his new birth certificate, her driver’s license and the two prepaid credit cards she’d purchased as additional identification, plus the teaching credential in her new name She also counted her cash and packed her otten so

God, she couldn’t ht depend on what she’d forgotten

Muht despite her racing heart, she once again sorted through the backpack she’d hidden in the attic for the past three weeks A small, handheld cooler contained three types of insulin—NPH, Regular and the fast-acting Hu Outside the cooler and loose in the backpack, she’d packed two hundred Ultra-Fine needles for Dolucose er pokers with plenty of test strips and two boxes of extra lancets There was also a biohazard sharps collector, which was so large and bulky she’d almost taken it out a number of times but didn’t in the end because she had to have somewhere safe to toss the needles She’d included KetoStrips to test for protein in Doon kit—in case he ever passed out, God forbid—and a tube of oral glucose gel for use in sbook to record his blood-sugar readings, and plenty of carbohydrates disguised as granola bars, trail ed chips for her son’sand mid-afternoon snacks She’d nearly required a small suitcase just to transport his diabetes supplies But every item was absolutely essential One missed insulin injection could quickly result in ketoacidosis, a life-threatening condition

I have everything There’s nothing to worry about… Vanessa closed the bag A glance at the clock made her feel weak in the knees It was after ten Juanita should’ve been here fifteen otten to her?

Vanessa cautioned herself against the paranoia that threatened Manuel alatched her closely, but she was sure he had no idea she was about to disappear She could trust the gardener Carlos had proved hiht for her Juanita would coh, too—if her loyalties hat Vanessa believed they were, and if she clearly understood what Vanessa wanted her to do Vanessa thought she did Manuel had insisted on hiring a nanny who could speak only Spanish, so his son would learn his native tongue, he said But there were plenty of bilingual nannies, especially in San Diego where they lived No, it wasn’t solely for Dominick that Manuel had selected Juanita Manuel liked the idea that Vanessa wouldn’t be able to coave him that much more power and control

Fortunately, it wasn’t quite that si the four years they’d been living together, she’d taught herself enough Spanish to speak and understand most of what she heard At first, she’d done it to help while away the empty hours of her day, since Manuel wouldn’t let her return to school or get a job Later, she’d wanted to understand the strange phone calls he received at night and to decipher what the Rodriguez fas they held in the conference room off Manuel’s home office

But she didn’t want to know about Manuel’s business dealings anymore Or his family’s His family was the main reason Manuel had never married her, even after she’d had Dominick His mother refused to accept her, ostensibly because of her nationality, but Vanessa kneent a little deeper than that Maht of another woman in her favorite son’s life Period It was a fact Vanessa had once lah about Manuel’s mother, his whole family, to be thankful for their rejection

Do room, his round face a picture of io and would’ve been starting kindergarten in a feeeks She hoped she’d be able to get theo to school this year “Mo-o to leave!” he said

Vanessa atte profusely and feeling as though she ht faint Juanita had to coht And if she didn’t appear soon, itHe’d take Dominick to Mexico and Vanessa would probably never see her son again Manuel had certainly threatened that often enough—whenever she tried to establish some independence He’d made his point when she’d tried to leave the first time Her father had passed away several years before she met Manuel, and her brother had been killed in aafter, but her one to theain

But she wouldn’t make the saed her back—then let her know, in no uncertain ter in the future

Don’t think of that Don’t remember…

“We’re waiting for Juanita,” she said, aching to pull her child into her arms She didn’t knohat she’d do if she could never hear Doain or tell her howwasn’t what he needed at the moment She didn’t want to communicate her anxiety to him any more than she already had

“You said she was coo,” he complained “Where is she?”

Vanessa had no idea Juanita had worked for them for nearly a year and was never late Where could she be today? Without her support—and the car—Vanessa and Doet away