Inevitable Detour (Inevitability Book 1)(14)

“What about the man you brought home?” Farren wants to know. He crosses his arms across his chest, making his arms look huge. “What did he look like?”

I blush, not only because Farren looks hot as hell with his biceps bunched up and bulging, but also due to how very much I don’t want to tell him why I was attracted to Vincent.

But when he prompts, “Essalin,” I know I have no choice but to answer his question.

In a voice a hair above a whisper, and with eyes downcast, I say, “Um, he looked a little bit like you.”

I’m rewarded with a knowing smirk when I glance back up at him. “And you slept with this man who looked like me?” he says.

Cocky, smug, arrogant man. There are so many words at my lips, but I stick with one. “No.”

Farren shoots me a look of disbelief, and I snap, “It’s really none of your business what went down.”

“Nothing is insignificant,” he reminds me, one brow raised.

I lower my gaze and murmur, “Okay, okay. Truthfully, I probably would have slept with him. But I didn’t, because I, uh, passed out.”

I expect a smart retort, but when I glance up, instead of laughing or smirking, Farren is eyeing me concernedly. “What do you mean you passed out?”

I tell him about the “aspirin” Vincent gave to me and how there were still four in the bottle when I checked the next day. “Do you think I was drugged?” I ask.

Farren replies somberly, “Most likely.”

I swallow hard. “Who are these people, Farren? Do you have any idea? I mean, why would they abduct Haven?”

I sense Farren knows more than he’s letting on, especially when his response to my questioning is a one-shoulder shrug.

When my story is complete, Farren turns away. He stands at Haven’s dresser for several minutes and then resumes searching through the drawers like I’m not even there.

I step back to the doorway and lean on the frame. “So, what happens next?” I inquire.

Farren glances over his shoulder, but then continues searching as he says, “I’m going on the road as soon as I’m done here. Whoever took my sister, they’ve been using her credit card, making it look like she’s stopping for gas, staying at motels. Whoever has her is heading west.”

I know Farren pays Haven’s bills, so it’s no surprise he has this info.

“Where was the card last used?” I ask.

“Indiana,” he replies, “near Indianapolis.”

“That’s a few hundred miles away,” I remark. “We should probably get started soon.”

Farren turns slowly, until he’s fully facing me. He raises an eyebrow. “We, Essalin?”

“That’s right,” I state. “I want to go with you.”

Said out loud, I realize my statement is true. In fact, I not only want to go with Farren, I have to go. To hell with my parents’ wishes; f*ck summer school. I’ll deal with the fallout later. In the meantime, I have enough money in the bank to pay my own way. It’s not a lot, but it’s enough to pitch in for gas, eat on the road, and rent my own hotel room when we stop. In my heart, I know this is what I’m meant to do. Finding my best friend is my destiny. Fate has set me on this path. An inevitable detour led me here, to this turning point, and this is the juncture where I choose how to respond.

With newfound conviction, I say, “I want to help, Farren. I can’t just sit around here and do nothing. I love Haven, too. She’s not just my roommate; she’s my best friend.”

Hearing my voice crack, Farren’s expression softens. His lips press together, forming a grim line, and I’m led to believe he’s actually considering it.

Helpfully, I offer, “I’ll be safer with you than if I stay here. What if Eric and Vincent return? They might, you know. After all, I have seen their faces.”

I’m just trying to get Farren to agree to let me accompany him. But the serious look he shoots my way tells me that all I’ve said is a distinct possibility. “Shit,” I mutter.

“You can come with me under a few conditions,” he says at last.

“Okay, I’ll agree to anything.”

That remark causes him to raise an eyebrow, but he refrains from any smartass retorts. He just lays down the parameters. “First, we’ll be taking my car. Your car stays here.”

I nod, agreeing. “That’s fine.”

He continues. “Second, we do this my way. There are things only I know”—aha, Farren does know more than he’s saying—“and if I tell you to do something or not do something, believe me, it will be for a damn good reason.”

With a raised eyebrow of my own, I ask, “Is that all?”

“For now,” he responds.

“I can live by those rules,” I declare. And then I add, “What should I do now?”

Farren smiles a smile that, unbeknownst to him, melts not just my panties, but me into a thousand pieces.

“Pack some things,” he says. “We need to leave as soon as possible.”

Nodding, I conclude that despite the dire circumstances, I am in for one hell of a wild ride with Mr. Farren Shaw.





“Time is of the essence, Essalin. The abductors have more than a two-day lead on us.”