Page 36 of Vendetta Vows

"I don't know," she stammers, but her eyes flick toward that door again.

"You're lying to me, Hannah." I step closer, towering over her. "I'll only ask this one more time: where is Aurora Castellanos?"

Hannah's fingers twist together. "She's probably in the bathroom. This was... traumatic for everyone."

The lie sits between us, pathetic and transparent. I feel my patience, already thin as cigarette paper, beginning to tear.

"Don't insult my intelligence." My voice drops lower, forcing her to lean in to hear me. "Aurora isn't in any bathroom. I need to speak with her, especially if she might've seen anything before Mikhail was shot."

"If you think she had anything to do with this, you're?—."

"I didn't say she did. But she was the last person to handle the prop gun." I lean in, dropping my voice so only she can hear me. "And she's the only one who might know something that the rest of you don't."

"Aurora wouldn't know anything," Hannah insists, her voice quivering slightly despite her attempt at confidence.

"You can't make that guarantee," I reply, my tone ice-cold. I'm in no mood for games. Not with Mikhail's body still lying under that sheet, not with my brother's death still a fresh wound. "What happened after Aurora handed the gun to the weapons master to check?"

Hannah shifts her weight, glancing over her shoulder toward that side door again.

"She went to do a once-over on Mikhail's costume," she finally admits. "Checking the fit, making sure the blood packets were in the right places. Standard stuff."

"So Aurora was standing next to Mikhail before the camera started rolling?" I press, my mind already mapping the scene.

Hannah nods reluctantly. "Yes."

"Show me."

She hesitates, but my expression leaves no room for argument. With a small sigh, she leads me across the set right next to where the bullet hole is.

"She was right here." Hannah points.

I step into the position and look back up to see that exact spot I'd already identified earlier.

The perfect sniper perch on the gentle slope beyond the set.

I turn back to Hannah. "It's possible Aurora saw something. So I will ask you again. Where is she?"

Hannah bites her lip, indecision playing across her features. For a moment, I think she might break.

"I understand your loyalty," I soften my tone slightly. "And under normal circumstances, I will even commend it. But this isn't a normal circumstance anymore. I have reasons to believe that Mikhail's death wasn't the result of a tragic accident on set. Which means if Aurora witnessed something—anything—then she's in danger."

Hannah hesitates, her fingers twitching as if she wants to reach for her phone. I can almost see the debate happening behind her eyes.

Just then, her phone chimes with a notification. Then another. And another.

I catch the flicker of panic in Hannah's eyes as her hand twitches to reach for the phone but stops.

"Aren't you going to look?" I ask, my voice deceptively casual.

"It's probably just spam texts."

"Bullshit." I step closer, looming over her. "Your friend was here when my nephew was killed. Now she's conveniently missing and your phone is blowing up? I told you to stop lying to me, Hannah."

Hannah's eyes dart toward the exit. "I'm not?—"

"Then show me the phone."

"No." Her voice firms up, finding its backbone.

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