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He nodded, still stunned, but his eyes were filled with worry and sadness. “Wow. I’m sorry, Madison.”
I held up a hand. “I know you’re grieving. That’s why I’ll give you this one for free.” I flashed a smile I didn’t feel, handed off Ava Rose and left before he got it in his head to try and change my mind.
I’d seen it happen in the trailer park a hundred times. Men treated women like parts in a factory. One was as good as the next. One wife or girlfriend would leave, and days later another would be in her place. Mom had done the same thing, never letting her bed go empty for more than a night or two.
It was disgusting how codependent people could be, and I vowed I’d never become like that. And Calvin’s behavior was a good reminder that I needed to maintain my life outside the Ashby family.
I picked up my phone off the dresser in the blue room that had been my home for the past year and finally got around to texting Jameson.
Madison: Sorry I haven’t answered. Things here are a real shit show. How are you?
Jameson was my only true friend in the world right now. He didn’t want or need anything from me. He called just to make sure I was all right, and that made his friendship more valuable than any other at the moment.
My phone chimed with a response.
Jameson: I’m good now that I know you’re not dead on the side of the road. Dinner tonight?
I rolled my eyes at his tendency for drama.
Madison: Sure.
Jameson: Pick you up? Parking might suck.
Madison: Nope. I’ll Uber. Where am I going?
Jameson: Stubborn.
He’d replied immediately, and it made me laugh. We were back.
Madison: Independent.
He responded with an eyeroll emoji.
Jameson: Siren Casino Steakhouse. Eight. See you then.
I sent him a thumbs-up and locked my door so I could take a quick shower. I needed a break from the sadness and anger and secrecy that filled this mansion for the past week.
Most days, Calvin was inconsolable, leaving me to look after the baby until the sun went down. Then I took to the phones full-time as a booker for the Ashby’s different escort services. The rest of the family spent most of their time whispering in corners, sending one another conspiratorial looks and, likely, plotting.
It was too much stress, especially since this wasn’t my family, and I was no closer to finding Molly than I was when I arrived in Glitz over a year ago.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Jameson
My ego might have got a huge boost when Madison strolled into the steakhouse in fitted jeans, high-heeled boots, and a soft sweater that drew the appreciative gaze of several men sitting at the bar.
Yeah, she’s with me, losers, I wanted to gloat, but instead, I grinned at her and said, “Hey, stranger. I thought you might stand me up,” when the server led her to our booth.
She rolled her eyes. “Not my fault you chose the hottest casino in town. The driver had to wait in a line that backed up into traffic.”
Then she took a seat with a heavy sigh and sat back before flashing a smile at me. “Hey, Jamie. How are you?”
“Good. You?” I thought she looked a little nervous and sketchy, but I waited for her answer before venturing my opinion.
She shrugged. “Been better, I guess. Got a job and a steady paycheck, so I can’t complain, but I will because I don’t have the only thing I came here for. My sister.”
“No luck yet?” She was determined as hell to find her sister and even though she refused my help, I was desperate to find a way to track down Molly. Or her body.
“Nope,” she said, that one word telling the story of her anger and frustration that I’d read as soon as she walked into the restaurant.
“Now with the Bonnie-Mueller thing going on, no one gives a fuck about my sister. No one but me.” She shook her head and asked for a shot and a beer when the waitress stopped at our table. “I went to see her, you know. Savannah change-my-name-so-people-will-forget-the-fucked-up-shit-I’ve-done O’Connor.”
I did my best to hide the shock and fear I felt for her, but her laugh told me I did a shit job. Then I blurted out, “You did what?”
“I paid her a visit at her shiny new office building. I need answers and going straight to the source will give me the best chance of getting them.” She shrugged it off, like it was no big deal.
“Don’t let what happened to her fool you into thinking she’s harmless, Maddie. She doesn’t abuse women, but that doesn’t make her a good person.”
Maddie’s eyes rolled skyward. “I know that, Jamie. And no offense, but your guys aren’t the good guys either, or they would’ve helped me find her when I asked.”
