Page 45 of Hard Rock Deceit

The twins laughed. Noah's lips twitched into a relieved smile. August reclined back, lookingpeaceful.

I stepped intotheroom.

"This wasn't thefirsttime."

My words echoed loudly in the hospital room. All eyes were on me. The others frowned, confused. The look on August's face was one oftrepidation.

He knew what I was goingtosay.

He didn't want me tosayit.

Too bad. After what I'd figured out, I couldn't keepquiet.

"How long has this been going on?" I kept my voice cool and calm, no hint of the primal scream waiting for its chance to beletout.

August didn't say athing.

Cameron eyed me. "What are you talkingabout?"

August kept his gaze steady, looking me straight in the eye, not avoiding our staring contest. I could see him thinking. I could see the lie about to make its way pasthislips.

"How long, August?" I repeated. "How long have you been takingdrugs?"

He cast his eyes down, breaking our stare. His shoulders slumped and tensed at the same time, bracinghimself.

"A year," he said quietly. "Maybemore."

Eerie silence filled the room. The kind of silence that preceded a thunderclap, hairs on the back of the neck standing up inanticipation.

Pandemonium broke loose. Every band member spoke at once, voices raised, incredulous and outraged byturns.

I hung back, watching thefallout.

The minute I'd seen August collapse, falling to the stage, hitting his head with a sickening crack, I'dknown.

His sore shoulder. Taking something from the roadies and telling me it was just aspirin. I chided myself for not seeing itbefore.

But how could I have ever guessed? August, a drug addict? The idea was laughable. He was so put together. Mature.Responsible.

He was AugustSummers.

He was the man I'd cometolo—

My heart squeezed in mychest.

— The man I'd come to careabout.

And he'd been lying to me the entire time. Lying to his closest friends. Lying toeveryone.

Ian turnedtome.

"How didyouknow?"

I wasn't unaware of the accusation inhistone.

"I've seen it before," I said. "Asking me for help with his pained shoulder. His glazed eyes. Distant. Unfocused. Just like they were on stage before he collapsed. I've seen his eyes like thatbefore."

Cameron snarledatme.