Series: Webs We Weave Series by Krista Ritchie
Total pages in book: 167
Estimated words: 162520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 813(@200wpm)___ 650(@250wpm)___ 542(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162520 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 813(@200wpm)___ 650(@250wpm)___ 542(@300wpm)
I tear through them.
“Rocky?!” Nova yells when I don’t answer.
“I can’t find her.” I hear the deep, coarse grit in my voice. My flexed muscles are fiery, taut bands of rage and fear. I don’t relax. I can’t relax.
“My sister got roofied. And you don’t know where she is.” His fury is palpable, but it’s nothing compared to what’s brewing inside me. “You better fucking find her, Rocky. I swear to fucking God—”
“Who do you think I am?” I sneer back. “Get here.”
“I’m speeding.” I hear the rev of the engine.
Good. We hang up, and I call Oliver, who’s already at this party and going to split apart from Collin Falcone to search for the girls. I call Trevor, who’s been at the public beach all night looking for sea glass. He wanted to make Sidney a necklace for her birthday.
I don’t have time to ask if he’s still there. I just tell him, “Hailey needs you. I need you here.”
I hear a car rumble to life. Then I try to call Phoebe again. No answer. I hear Jake in my head, urging me to go find Trent instead of her.
I think I have a good idea where he might be.
It feels like I’m being torn in half. Split in two. But I change course for the Konings’ pool.
TWENTY-SIX
Phoebe
Nothing about tonight feels good.
I’m not even five percent as superstitious as Rocky is, but if a crow or a raven or any creepy avian creature flew at me right now, I’d rethink my beliefs.
I didn’t expect for Sidney Burke to call Hailey and beg her to come to Trent’s party.
I didn’t expect her to also say, “You can bring Phoebe, too. I just need help. Please.”
There’s no way in hell Hailey and I were going to ignore the desperate plea of another girl, even if that girl likes me about as much as an ingrown toenail.
The electronic rave music and thumping bass split my head. I drown it out with a big gulp of whiskey soda from my red Solo cup. The liquor burns the back of my throat, but I’m looking forward to the buzz.
I can’t remember the last time I had a sip of alcohol. My days of covering for Hailey are officially over. I’m trying this thing where I don’t take the fall for my friend anymore. Though…it’s hard. But the upside is that Jake and Oliver know she’s pregnant. Soon she’ll tell her brothers and Nova.
My heel gets stuck in the soft grass of the lawn. “Shit. Hails…” I call out.
She turns around and doubles back to me. I use her shoulder for support and unearth my heel. These strappy white stilettos were unwise, even if they are so very cute. I unbuckle them and let them dangle from my finger.
Hailey’s gaze pins toward the north side of the estate. “We should hurry. We don’t know what kind of trouble Sidney is in.”
Sidney wouldn’t give details over the phone, but she sounded distraught. Panicked. Enough that we hightailed it over here and broke our promise to stay away from this party.
“What if she’s pranking us?” I ask as we head toward the Konings’ private beach, the meetup spot. My ears ring as we distance ourselves from the DJ who’s going too hard on the reverb.
Hailey slips me a look. “You don’t think we’d be able to tell?”
“True.” I take another swig of whiskey, practically guzzling the mixed drink, and I can’t avoid Hailey’s beaming smile.
“You’re happy I’m about to get wasted?”
“I’m happy that you’ve finally started enjoying yourself again,” Hailey says, balancing with her arms outstretched, a red Solo cup filled with water in one hand, as we maneuver these slippery stones among the dune grass.
We choose to go off the beaten path since a horde of college students smoke blunts on the stairs to the beach.
She catches my hand as we both wobble. I’m still barefoot, and I try not to spill my drink.
“Just can’t believe I’m enjoying myself at Trent’s party. Gross.” I crinkle my nose. The alcohol settles sourly in my stomach when I spot the petite blonde on the small empty beach. Sidney paces back and forth, and her white eyelet dress billows in the warm breeze.
As soon as we join her on the sand, she races to us with bloodshot eyes and tear-streaked cheeks. “You both came?” Her eyes round in shock, mostly directed at me. But it’s hard not to notice her shoulders sagging in slight relief.
“We did consider this might be a prank,” I admit. “Are your friends about to jump out and throw pig’s blood on us?”
She sniffs. “Uh, no. I’m not vile, Phoebe. My friends don’t even know I’m here. I just didn’t know where else to go that he wouldn’t find me.”
He.
Hailey and I share a deeply concerned look. Trevor? I never even considered he might have something to do with this. I can’t wrap my head around it though. Trevor is a lot of things—psychopath, murderer—but I would have bet all I have that he’d never hurt Sidney.