Page 33 of Addicted

Where was Indie? What was Stone doing to her? Was she okay? Was she even alive?

The thought made my stomach turn.

I knew Stone was a killer. I’d heard the stories. Everybody in the streets knew who he was and what he was capable of, and I’d put my sister right in his path. All because I wanted to be a man. Wanted to take care of myself. Wanted to stop relying on Indie to carry the weight.

But now she was gone, and I was stuck here, lying to everyone who asked about her, pretending likeeverything was fine.

It wasn’t fine. Nothing was fine.

The bus pulled up and I got on, sliding into a seat near the back.

I stared out the window as we pulled away from the school, watching the Escalade follow at a distance. They were always there. A constant reminder of what I’d done.

When I got home, the condo was quiet. Too quiet.

I dropped my backpack by the door and walked into the kitchen, opening the fridge to grab something to drink.

Indie used to always have the fridge stocked. She’d cook dinner most nights, even when she was tired as hell from working at the club. Now it was just me, eating cereal and takeout, trying to keep it together.

I grabbed a Gatorade and closed the fridge, leaning against the counter as I took a sip.

I thought about calling Aurora.

She’d been blowing up my phone for the past week, asking where Indie was. I’d been ignoring her calls, but I knew she wasn’t gonna let it go. Aurora was Indie’s best friend. They’d been tight since high school. If anyone was gonna see through my bullshit, it was her.

I was about to head to my room when I heard a loud knock on the door.

I froze.

For a second, I thought it might be Stone’s men again, coming to check on me or deliver some new threat. But then I heard a voice.

“Ish! Open the door!”

Aurora.

Fuck.

I set the Gatorade down on the counter and walked to the door, my heart pounding.

I looked through the peephole and saw her standing there, arms crossed, looking pissed as hell. She knocked again, harder this time.

“I know you in there, Ish! Open the damn door!”

I blew out a breath and unlocked the door, pulling it open.

Aurora stood there in a crop top and jeans, her dark skin glowing in the afternoon light. She was slim thick with an innocent face that didn’t match her wild-ass personality.

Right now, though, she didn’t look wild. She looked worried.

And angry.

“Where the hell is Indie?” she demanded, pushing past me into the condo.

I closed the door and turned to face her with my hands shoved into my pockets.

“She ain’t here,” I said.

“No shit,” Aurora snapped, spinning around to glare at me. “I been calling her for two weeks and she ain’t answering. I been by here three times and nobody’s home. What the fuck is going on, Ish?”