Page 9 of Framed

I could read between the lines. Though I may not come from old money, I was aware of schools like these. It was where future politicians, celebrities, and heiresses went to escape the public eye.

I chewed on my bottom lip. “What if they try to come after me while I’m there?”

“I have another contact who goes to the school. They will be looking out for you while I’m getting everything sorted on my end. But the school is a fortress with airtight security. You’ll be safe there.”

”Will I know them?” I asked. I wasn’t sure if I trusted him enough to let him take charge of everything regarding my own protection. But I desperately wanted to believe him. To be able to finally lower my guard after all this time.

His brown eyes flashed with an emotion, but it was gone too quickly for me to be able to decipher it. “No, I don’t think so. But even if you did, I doubt you’d recognize who they’ve become in your absence. Things have changed since you left, Scarlett.”

The double meaning in his tone should’ve sent me running in the other direction. But this was too important of an opportunity to turn down because of a few ominous words.

Knowing my luck, I couldn’t hold out hope that an offer like this would ever pop up again if I declined.

All I had to do was agree and I could start fresh.

But… the small hope that blossomed in my chest turned to ashes in a fraction of a second.

“I can’t afford to go to college.” I was able to pay for the online classes I was taking now with the little money I had saved up over the years, but that was nowhere near enough to pay for a place to live and tuition. If this school had security of the caliber he described, I’m sure it had to cost a fortune.

A muscle in Briggs’ jaw twitched. “Consider it handled.”

“I can’t accept money from you.” I shook my head. “I don’t have the means to pay you back right now.”Or ever, I thought. Dad could, but I wasn’t sure if I could trust him. He was the one who paid for my lawyers. The ones that Briggs said I should ask him about.

“Your dad never told you about your trust?” Briggs seemed surprised.

“What?” I blinked at him.A trust?

He sighed. “Your dad has a lot of explaining to do. Your mother left a trust specifically for you to use to go to any college you wanted. She wanted to be sure that you had a future, in the case of her death. While you may not be able to go to the college she probably hoped for, there is more than enough put away for you to attend and live comfortably for a long time.”

My mom left me a trust? Dad had never mentioned that, but I guess I never asked. I always assumed he would be the one paying for college.

Briggs passed me a white envelope, plain and unobtrusive save for the small, cursive letterhead in the righthand corner.

“Harry and Associates,” I read. “Never heard of them.”

“You’re not supposed to. It’s a shell company.”

His, I figured. He clearly knew enough about my so-called enemies to act accordingly. “So no one can trace the account back to me.”

He seemed surprised and bemused by my answer. “You’re too much like her for your own good.”

His voice was filled with nostalgia and his eyes clouded as if he were miles away. I’d heard and seen the same exact thing on occasion from Dad whenever he talked about my mother.

“You knew my mom,” I guessed.

“I did.” He nodded, studying me with clearing eyes. “A lifetime ago.” He cleared his throat. “The account and routing numbers are on the summary sheet on the inside, along with a couple of hundred dollars to get you to the school. Don’t open it until you’re far away from here. Do not go into the bank. There is a debit card inside but do not use it for anything other than pulling money out. From here on out, only use cash.”

“How will I get there?” Maybe I could find a bus to take me most of the way.

“It’s better that everyone is kept in the dark about your location. At the risk of someone recognizing you before you get to the University, I don’t recommend taking public transportation.”

Well, there went that plan.

Then he added, “Hitchhiking would be your best bet.”

Hitchhiking?

“People in this area are out of touch. Many are conspiracy theorists who don’t trust ‘big government.’ Not many watch the news or have cable for that matter, so there’s only a slim chance you’d be recognized.”

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