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If that was true, Molly hadn’t tried to find me. If she even knew how. I pulled the last photo I had of Molly, taken a few years back, and set it on her desk. “That’s the most recent photo of her I have. She doesn’t look familiar to you?”
“No. The only girls who work for me now are the ones who want to. The rest have been freed, for lack of a better word. This woman was not among those women.”
“Shit.” Immediately, I believed her and that just made me sad and angry. I knew what Savannah been through at the hands of the Black Jacks, and the truth was, I admired her strength to bounce back and change her ways. But I really didn’t want to like this woman.
“So, she could be dead or in Mexico or Europe, anywhere really?”
Savannah nodded, now with even more sympathy in her eyes. “Yes. I can put a couple of men on her trail. I haven’t gone through all of Ronan’s things yet, but if I find anything related to your sister, I’ll let you know.”
“Oh. I would love your help, Savannah.” My words sarcastic. “But everyone around here is lying through their damn teeth. Are you going to lie to me too?”
“I have no reason to lie to you, Madison.” Savannah looked at her tablet, swiping and tapping away. “Okay, I’ve put two of my men on it. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”
If I delayed moving out of Ashby Manor, I could afford to hire a private investigator to search for Molly. Paying someone who answered directly to me seemed like the smartest course of action. But if this bitch wanted to help, who was I to say no?
“I would appreciate it.”
She nodded and stood when I did. “Just out of curiosity, what are people lying to you about?”
I thought about the conversation I’d overheard between Sadie and Thomas about Bonnie and Mueller’s murder. It wasn’t much, but she seemed to know more about the murders than the cops and the news anchors, but she hadn’t seen fit to share with everyone.
“What aren’t they lying about? I think Kat has been lying to me about my sister.”
“Why would she do that?”
I wasn’t a fool. I knew there was still some bad blood between the families, and even though I was questioning my own loyalty to the Ashby’s, I’d never sell them out.
I shrugged off Savannah’s question. “The same reasons people lie. To get what they want. I just need to find my sister, and Mueller, apparently, had all the details.”
A fact that still managed to turn my stomach when I thought about it, which I did. Constantly.
“I wish you luck, Madison. And let me offer you a piece of advice, accept it or don’t.”
When it was clear she had my attention, she spoke, slowly and deliberately. “No matter how good to you the Ashby’s have been, you’re not family. Don’t fool yourself into believe their kindness, their open arms, means you’re family. You’re like family, but that’s not the same thing.”
That had already become crystal clear to me, so I nodded. “Thanks, Savannah Rhymer.”
“It’s O’Connor now, or can’t you read?”
“The jury is still out on that one.”
The sound of her laughter followed me out of the office and into the elevator. Alone inside the metal box, I allowed myself a moment of weakness as I thought of what I had to do.
Find Molly on my own.
Chapter Six
Jameson
The first thing I did when I woke up was check my phone, hoping to see a missed call or a check-in text from Madison. She hadn’t responded to any of my attempts reach out to her over the weekend. Now, I was worried. I mean, what the fuck happened to Bonnie and Mueller? Why the hell were they even in the same hotel room together? Was Madison all right? This all had to be a big shock to her, even though she and Bonnie weren’t all that close.
Jameson: Where are you?
I sent one final text before stepping into my gray sweats for my pre-shift run. I knew time wouldn’t always allow me this luxury, so I wanted to take advantage of it as much as I could before the job got crazy. Most of my run was occupied with thoughts of Madison, but I couldn’t help but think of the double murder. I wondered why the FBI was already involved. Based on the available information, it seemed to be a local matter that should be handled by the Glitz PD. Something fucky was definitely going on, and as the low man on the totem pole, I was in no position to find out what or investigate it.
In time, I reminded myself.
After finishing my five miles, I made my way home and to the shower to get ready for my third week as a patrol officer trainee. The first two weeks had gone well, and I learned a lot from Jenkins, mostly that I wanted to be the kind of officer he was, the kind who gave a damn and tried to make people’s lives better, not worse.
