Free Ctrl Z by Danika Stone Page A

Jude said, stepping in front
of the pages and waiting until his roommate caught his eye. “Could I catch a
ride downtown with you?”
    “For what?” Elliot glared at the drive in Jude’s hand. In
seconds, Jude knew he’d be making the connection he shouldn’t be making.
He dropped it into his pocket, forcing an easy grin.
    “Like I was saying, Marq and I have a business meeting
today, so can I catch a ride?”
    Elliot gave a wan smile.
    “Yeah, sure thing.”
    : : :
: : : : : : :
    Indigo was still in bed when she heard Shireese talking to
someone in the living room. She frowned, glancing at the clock on the bedside
table – 8:11 a.m. – and closed her eyes again. The voices in the foyer
began to rise: one was Shireese, the other a man. The conversation was muffled,
but bits and pieces of it began to appear.
    “… she’s asleep!”
    “… leave her my number.”
    “… oh, I’ll tell her you came by!”
    The words grew in intensity, the voices digging into
Indigo’s awareness.
    “If you could just check on her…”
    “…not a chance in hell!”
    “Just give me a second, Shireese…”
    “You just go and keep on going!”
    Indigo jerked awake, awareness dropping into place like a
puzzle piece. Cal was here in the apartment! His voice and the memories of last
night were abruptly real. Indigo clambered out of bed, grabbing jeans off the
floor and sliding them on top of the panties she’d worn to bed. She threw her
tank top into the laundry pile, fishing until she found an almost-clean bra.
    “I just need a minute to explain.”
    “I don’t know, and don’t care what you need!”
    The voices were a low rumble, like thunder, the pretence of
whispers slipping. Indigo struggled into a t-shirt, dread rising. Socks and a
sweater were next; she pulled them on with shaking hands.
    “… and don’t you think you did enough last time!”
    “Look, Shireese, I’m not sure this is your call to make,
Indigo’s an adult…”
    Alarm sharpening her senses, Indigo grabbed the brush from her
dresser, dragging it through tangled hair. She added a layer of lip gloss,
hastily powdering her nose, hoping against hope that she didn’t look as
exhausted as she felt. She popped a piece of gum into her mouth in lieu of
brushing.
    “You have a lot of nerve showing up here again!”
    “Just let me talk to Indigo. If she says I have to go, then
I’ll go!”
    “Oh, you think that’s your call now?” Shireese sneered.
“After all the SHIT you pulled!”
    Indigo toed on her cowboy boots, shrugging on her wool coat.
She put a hand on the door handle then closed her eyes, breathing slowly. In
the hallway, the voices were shouts of anger. Her face was a serene mask as she
pulled the door open and stepped out. She had her shoulders back, her hips
swinging as she came down the hallway.
    Both voices disappeared at the click of her heels.
    “Morning, Shireese,” she said as she reached the front door.
She turned, as if only just noticing that her ex was standing there at all.
“Cal,” she breathed, raising her brows. “What are you doing here?”
    He smiled, positioning himself between Shireese and Indigo.
He had, she saw, a bouquet of red roses in hand, but her attention was fixed on
his face. His brown eyes looked tired in the morning light, his face worn in a
way she hadn’t noticed last night in the dark. More like her Cal, not a
younger version of the man she’d loved.
    “Sweetheart,” he said. “Shireese and I were just talking
about you.”
    “Ah,” Indigo said, grabbing her purse from where it sat next
to the door, and pulling it over her shoulder. “I thought I heard voices.”
    She slowly lifted her gaze. Cal’s face was hungry, hands
tight at his side.
    “Indigo, don’t,” Shireese warned.
    “I thought you might want to grab breakfast with me,” he
said, lifting the flowers up before him like an offering. Shireese made a
choking sound. “I thought we could go someplace quiet and talk about