“I wouldn’t go that far,” JJ said, shifting to her other foot. “But I’m happy it turned out … I’m just glad you’re better.”
Ava knew she was dancing around the events, unsure how Ava might react to the fact Harrison was dead. Truth was, she was happy. She felt safer without him in this world, but she missed her mother dearly. Since she couldn’t think about one death without the other, Ava had convinced herself that Renee March had avenged her by killing Harrison before taking her own life. The ache in her chest still blossomed when she thought about it, but thinking of her mother as her savior in those last moments helped to ease it a little.
“I’m glad he won’t be able to do it again,” JJ added before looking at Trey. “Anyway, I—”
Before she could think about it, Ava reached out and touched JJ’s wrist. “What do you meanagain?”
JJ’s green eyes leveled on her face, and there was a hint of uncertainty in them. She glanced at Trey and then back.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Ava prompted when it was clear JJ was hedging.
JJ glanced at Trey again. Ava looked over in time to see him nod his chin curtly.
“Mind if I sit?” JJ prompted, urging Trey to move over on his side of the booth.
He scooted toward the wall as JJ took a seat, putting her directly across from Ava.
“You said again. He’s done it before?”
JJ clasped her hands together on top of the table. “When I was diggin’ into Harrison’s past, lookin’ for clues that might lead us to find you, I uncovered some … anomalies.”
Ava shook her head. “I don’t know what that means.”
“I pulled at strings to see what I could uncover, and I learned about another woman who’d disappeared. Technically, she’s still missing. Since it’s been over a decade, I honestly don’t think we’ll ever find her.”
Ava couldn’t hide her surprise. “Because she’s…?” She swallowed down the bile that rose in her throat. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
JJ nodded. “Yes. I believe Harrison killed her and hid the body. I’ve been searchin’ for months now, tryin’ to unearth even the tiniest trace, but the trail ends about the time Harrison moved to Texas.”
Ava stared at JJ as she processed this information. She had to appreciate how straightforward this woman was. Most people she encountered treated her like a child, dancing around the message instead of laying it out for her. It made her admire JJ a little.
“Who was she?”
“Her name’s Shayla Andrews. I came upon her when I was goin’ through Harrison’s education history. I was followin’ his actions on paper to see what he did after college. I located an application for a marriage license in Colorado. It was never filed, so they were never actually married. I was hopin’ that was because her parents wouldn’t grant permission. She was only sixteen, and he’d recently been arrested for inappropriate actions with a minor. I kinda thought it was a shotgun weddin’ thing—that one led to the other, and he was bein’ forced to marry her since she was underage, but I have no idea. I’m not sure if the two are even related, to be honest,” JJ clarified. “I just found it odd that I could never find her after that. It’s like she vanished in thin air.”
“When was this?”
“Harrison was twenty-two,” JJ answered. “At the time, he was still using his birth name. Franklin Harris.”
That would’ve been a decade ago, which meant—
“Wait, you said his birth name?” She shook her head and glanced at Trey. “I … I don’t understand.”
JJ continued. “Harrison Rivers was one of Franklin Harris’s aliases. Probably came up with it when he got his first fake ID. He’d used it a few times before he came to Texas, but it wasn’t until he got here that he legally changed his name. I’m not sure if he was runnin’ from something or if he just wanted to build on that persona so he could run for senate. His father and grandfather are career politicians.”
“His father’s still alive?”
JJ frowned. “Yes.” She glanced at Trey quickly, then back to Ava. “You didn’t know that?”
Ava shook her head. “He told me his parents were dead. Killed in a freak accident when he was little.” She glanced at Trey. “Did you know about this?”
“I knew of the alias.” His gaze shuttered. “And that he has a family.”
Ava let that sink in.
“But only because they issued a press release after his death.”
Press release? Why didn’t Ava know about this?
