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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

A s soon as Ford…no, Forbes ran past the alcove where Brooklynn had hidden, she’d returned to the entry foyer, where the women were still shopping for wigs, laughing like children as they tried them on and examined themselves in handheld mirrors.

When Brooklynn stepped in, the one who’d welcomed her earlier brightened. “You change your mind?”

“I think so.”

The selection was more suited to old ladies. Short hair, most curly, in all different colors. She found a silvery-gray one in a straight shoulder-length bob. “I’ll take it.”

“Don’t you want to try it on?”

She laughed. “It’s for my mother. She’ll love it. You don’t have any wig caps, do you?”

The woman did, and Brooklynn bought both, paying way more than she could afford to spend. But if it kept her alive, it’d be worth it.

She thanked the vendor, then turned for the door, where walkers and canes had been left. An idea solidified in her mind. She knew what she had to do.

After shoving the wig and cap into her backpack, she hurried to the double doors and looked for her Uber.

Wasn’t there.

The receptionist asked, “Did you call for a ride?”

“I did.”

“I’ll tell the guards.”

A minute later, a small SUV pulled around the circle drive. A woman stepped out. “Brooklynn Wright?”

“That’s me.”

She settled in the back, allowing herself to relax for the first time since her terrible discovery.

Hot tears pricked her eyes.

He’d lied to her. Ford…Forbes…had lied, over and over.

For all she knew, everything he’d told her had been a lie.

Why, though? Why not tell her the truth? She was the innocent one in all of this. She had done nothing to betray him. She hadn’t told anyone about the cave. She’d kept her whereabouts a secret.

Was that it? Did he not want her to leave because he didn’t trust her not to blab about him and the house? Or was it worse?

The smuggling operation. Was he in on it?

She couldn’t imagine, but an hour before, she wouldn’t have guessed what a skilled liar he was.

Ford Baker, historian and handyman, she'd come to know and trust.

She knew nothing about Forbes Ballentine except that she couldn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth.

She was a fool. A stupid, stupid fool.