Bride of the Sea (The Prophecy of Sisters #2) - Hayley Faiman
Prologue
LIV
Drusilla’s name flashes on my phone. Frowning, I look at the man sitting across from me. He has his brow arched in a silent dare for me to answer the dancing device. He’s handsome, but my sister is more important than his tender feelings.
“If you’ll excuse me, it’s my sister. It’s not like her to call, something could be wrong,” I say.
It’s the truth, completely and totally. Dru hardly calls me, she’s closer to Sybilla. They’re about the same age. I’m the oldest of three sisters, the mother-type figure. It’s not something that I had to be, we have a wonderful mother and father, but when you’re the oldest that’s just what you become—the nurturer.
“Dru, what’s wrong?” I ask as I slip out onto the balcony of the restaurant.
My eyes look over the bright city lights and I wonder when the scene stopped making me part my lips in awe. It just looks like the city now, no longer is it spectacular and amazing.
“I can’t get ahold of Sybilla. Something is wrong,” she breathes.
Frowning, I look down at the street, the noise from the cars passing by reaching my ears. It all sounds so much louder than it did yesterday. Something is off. Maybe it’s me? Maybe I’m just becoming even more jaded as each day passes in this big concrete jungle?
“What do you want me to do? I live closer to you than I do her,” I murmur.
“I don’t know,” she says with a sniffle.
I pause for a moment, staring out, but seeing nothing as I think about Sybilla being gone, somewhere. Immediately, I think about that last boyfriend of hers, if he’s done something to her? She lives on her own, in the city, any number of things could happen or she simply just could be holed up and avoiding phone calls.
“Have you called the police department to do a welfare check?” There is a moment of silence, she starts to talk, but I don’t hear her right away. “Wait, what?” I ask.
Dru lets out a grunt. “Liv, I was saying that I did. They told me everything looked fine, that she probably just went away for a few days. But Sybilla doesn’t go away, she doesn’t go anywhere,” she snaps.
“What about Mom and Dad?” I ask.
There’s a moment of silence and she sighs. “They would worry. You know how they are.”
Rolling my lips together, I lift my shaky hand and grab ahold of the banister, afraid that my knees are going to give out and I’ll be sprawled on my ass in my dress with my panties flashing the entire restaurant.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I breathe.
“Call me, please. I’m really worried.”
“I know you are,” I say sharply. Closing my eyes, I inhale a breath before I release it with a sigh. “I’m going to find out what I can. Maybe I can call a private detective or something. Just, don’t freak out, not yet.”
Ending the call with my sister, I let out a grunt before turning back around to head inside and rejoin my blind date. My friend Trinity set me up with this hedge fund douche and honestly, I just want to go home, drink a bottle of wine and take a bath.
Making my way toward my table, my feet falter. The table is empty, my date is gone. Glancing around the room, I bite my bottom lip as I sit down in my chair. A few moments later, the waiter appears with the check.
“The gentleman said he needed to leave,” he whispers as he sets the bill down in front of me.
Thanking him, I open the bill and realize that the jackass didn’t even pay. “What a dick,” I mutter to myself as I take my credit card out.
Thankfully, I can pay for the overpriced meals, but only barely. Once the bill is settled and I’ve given the waiter a decent, but not crazy good, tip I call for an Uber and decide to focus all of my attention on my sister.
Sybilla is gone, she didn’t tell anyone where she went and that is just not like her. The four of us stay in regular contact, she would have at least sent a group text if she was going to be traveling anywhere.
My belly clenches and I feel sick inside. Something could be really wrong with her. Seattle is a big city, just like New York, she could be kidnapped and nobody would even realize it. My heart starts to race as I look