Page 34 of Addicted

I shrugged, trying to keep my face neutral.

“She went out of town,” I said.

Aurora’s eyes narrowed.

“Out of town?” she repeated, her voice dripping with disbelief. “Indie ain’t tell me she was going nowhere. And she damn sure wouldn’t just leave without saying nothing.”

“Well, she did,” I said, my voice flat.

Aurora stepped closer, her arms still crossed.

“Bullshit,” she said. “Indie wouldn’t do that. Not to me. Not to you. So where the fuck is she really?”

I felt my jaw tighten.

“I told you,” I said. “She went out of town.”

Aurora stared at me for a long moment, her eyes searching my face. I could tell she didn’t believe me. But I couldn’t tell her the truth.

If I did, Stone would kill me. And probably her too.

“When’s she coming back?” Aurora asked, her voice softer now.

I hesitated. “A week or two,” I said.

Aurora’s expression didn’t change.

“A week or two,” she repeated slowly.

“Yeah.”

She stared at me for another long moment, then shook her head.

“You’re lying,” she said.

“I’m not—”

“Yes, you are,” she cut me off. “I can see it all over your face, Ish. Something’s wrong. Something happened to Indie, and you know what it is.”

I clenched my fists in my pockets, my nails digging into my palms.

“She’s fine,” I said. “She just needed to get away for a minute.”

Aurora’s eyes filled with frustration.

“Get away from what?” she demanded. “Indie don’t run from nothing. She’s the strongest person I know. So if she’s gone, it’s because something bad happened. And you need to tell me what it is.”

I looked away, unable to meet her eyes.

“I can’t,” I said quietly.

Aurora let out a sharp breath and ran a hand through her hair. “This is some bullshit,” she muttered. “If something happened to her—”

“She’s fine,” I said again, my voice firmer this time. “She’ll be back soon.”

Aurora stared at me for a long moment, then finally shook her head.

“You better hope so,” she said. “Because if something happened to Indie and you ain’t tell me, I’m coming for your ass.”