Page 81 of A Game of Love and Betrayal

The air crackled, and the scent of ozone surrounded them.

Isolde turned to Brynleigh, her eyes darting frantically between the staircase and the storm outside. “Where’s your sister?”

Brynleigh frowned, and her stomach twisted. “I thought she was upstairs.”

Sarai should have come down with all the yelling, though. She was nothing if not attentive.

“Get her,” Isolde commanded.

“Of course.” Brynleigh took the stairs two at a time. She shoved open her little sister’s door, not bothering to knock. “Sarai, what’s going on? There’s a random storm?—”

The room was empty. Where was she? A quick search of the closet and upstairs bathroom revealed Sarai wasn’t there.

Thunder boomed, and Brynleigh hurried back into her sister’s room. A calendar hung above Sarai’s desk.

Today’s date was circled, and scrawled underneath was “Fairgrounds.”

“Fuck.” Brynleigh whipped out her phone and speed-dialed her sister as she ran downstairs.

There was no answer.

Brynleigh pulled on her raincoat, tucked the necklace her parents had given her for her eighteenth birthday beneath her collar, and shot her sister a series of texts.

She stared at the screen, waiting for the telltale checkmarks to show them as read. The notifications never came.

Of all the days for Sarai to be unreachable, why did she pick today?

Rain pelted the windows, each drop sounding like a gunshot. The wind wailed like a screaming woman. Thunder roared its fury through the heavens.

Brynleigh had never seen a storm of this magnitude in her twenty-three years.

She shoved her feet in indigo rain boots.

“Where are you going?” Isolde ran up behind Brynleigh and grabbed her arm.

“To get Sarai.” Brynleigh pulled her hood over her hair. “Stay inside. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Wide, horror-filled eyes met hers. “You’re going out in this? You can’t! It’s dangerous.”

“I’ll be fine, Mama,” Brynleigh said placatingly. It was a rainstorm. What was the worst thing that could happen? “Someone needs to get Sarai. She’s not answering her phone, and I want to ensure she gets home safely.”

It was Brynleigh’s job as the older sister to look after Sarai. She’d always felt that way, even when Sarai was a baby. This was no different. Besides, the fairgrounds weren’t far from their house. The massive clearing was a frequent gathering spot for young adults. Brynleigh had spent many a late night there in the past.

Gavin thrust an umbrella at his eldest daughter. “Be safe. This storm came out of nowhere. Get your sister and come home as quickly as you can. I’ll check on Mrs. Cooper. She must be scared.”

As if emphasizing his point, the power flickered and went out. Darkness surrounded them. A faint scream came from next door. Mrs. Cooper was an elderly widow, almost ninety years old, and as long as Brynleigh could remember, she’d lived alone.

“Good idea, Gavin,” Isolde said. “I’ll stay here in case Sarai comes back.”

“Call me if she does.” Brynleigh kissed Isolde on the cheek before hugging her father. She tucked her phone into her pocket and opened the door. “I love you both,” she said over her shoulder. “Be back soon.”

Streams of water fell from the heavens.

Brynleigh pressed the button on the side of the umbrella, and the waterproof fabric fanned out over her head. It did little to stop the deluge of water pouring over her. The storm was escalating. Where had it come from? She could ponder the origins of the storm after she found Sarai.

Brynleigh ran down the street, her feet pounding against the cement. She moved swiftly, barely seeing the other people running in the opposite direction. Everyone was soaked and confused, staring skyward as water pelted them from above.

She turned towards the fairground.

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