Permanent Sunset Read Online Free Page B

area of Villa Nirvana. Henry thought of it as “the Cave.” Below ground level, there was a huge storage room, a cavernous wine cellar, a roomy media and business center, and a commercial kitchen that served as a food prep area. Henry checked the storage room while Sean ducked into the wine cellar and kitchen.
    “Nothing,” Henry said.
    “A bottle of wine missing from the front rack, but no Elena.”
    They opened the door to the media room that had an enormous screen on one wall, which was now dimmed with the DVD menu to Breakfast at Tiffany’s displayed. The glow of the screen fell on Lisa, asleep on the first of a collection of black leather couches and lounge chairs, curled up under a colorful, West Indian–style throw.
    “One mystery solved,” Henry said, hitting a light switch as Sean moved toward her and gently shook her shoulder.
    “What? Oh my God, did I fall asleep? What time is it?” Lisa asked, springing to her feet as the throw fell to the floor, exposing her bare arms and fresh black-and-blue marks that Henry thought looked like thumbprints.
    “Are you okay?” Sean asked.
    “Of course,” Lisa said, pulling the throw around her like a shawl. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came down to watch a movie. I’d better get to the girls.”
    “They’re waiting in their room so you can take them to breakfast. Did you happen to see Elena on your nocturnal travels?” Henry asked.
    Lisa hesitated, looking from Henry to Sean.
    “I can’t find her, Lisa. I want to make it right,” Sean said.
    “She watched the movie with me for a while. We had a little girl talk, that’s all.”
    “What was she wearing?” Henry asked.
    “Her wedding gown. It’s gorgeous. Very fifties, tea length. I told her to be careful not to spill the red wine, so she opened a bottle of champagne from the wine cellar and gave me the bottle of red she’d been drinking. Bad idea, I guess, because I’d already had plenty of wine on top of a Xanax earlier, when there was all that shouting over the prenup. That’s probably why I slept until now. I’ve gotto get going. Gavin will kill me when he finds out,” Lisa said, moving toward the door.
    “Do you know when Elena left?” Henry asked.
    “Where did she say she was going?” Sean added.
    “I don’t know. I must have fallen asleep during the movie. We put Breakfast at Tiffany’s on after our little chat. I told her it was a good movie if she needed to cry. I’ve seen it a gazillion times. I’ve never thought of Elena as emotional, but I guess canceling a wedding would do that to anyone.”
    Henry knew they needed to continue the search for Elena, and he also had to let Sabrina know they had found Lisa safe. But he sensed Lisa might know more than she was saying, or was even aware she knew.
    “Did she actually say she was going to call it off?” Sean’s voice cracked.
    “Sean, I never thought I’d see you so crazy about a woman. I thought you’d never settle down. I’m sorry this has gotten so ugly for you. I told Elena she should just sign and have her beautiful wedding. I said after a few years and a couple of kids, she’d forget she even had a prenup. I know I have. Look, I’ve got to go. The girls are spending the day at the Westin with their grandmother after breakfast,” Lisa said, placing her hand on the door handle.
    “Wait, Lisa. What did she say to that?” Henry asked.
    Lisa looked at Sean and then back at Henry.
    “Go ahead, Lisa. Tell us. I brought this all on myself. You don’t have to spare me,” Sean said.
    “She said I didn’t understand. That you and she weren’t going to have any kids. And that she wasn’t signing any prenup.” Lisa left, careful not to look at Sean as she walked by him.
    Sean slumped into the nearest chair.
    “Look, we still have time to find her. When you tell her you don’t care about the prenup, everything will be fine. You’ll see,” Henry said, not sure if he believed what he was saying but knowing it was what Sean