Inevitable Detour (Inevitability Book 1)(38)

“Yes,” Farren replies slowly. “But not today.”

“Oh.” I’m surprised by the change in plans. “I thought time was of the essence.”

Farren gives me a look like my comments are amusing. He smiles, and I feel like he’s opening up to me again. Guess he was just distracted.

“Time is of the essence,” he confirms. “And we’ll still be going to New Mexico…just not today.”

“Can I ask why?”

He pinches the bridge of his nose. “Rick has a team set up to rescue my sister, and—”

“Whoa, wait.” I put up my hand. This is why he seemed distracted. “You know where Haven is? She’s definitely in New Mexico?”

I’m filled with renewed hope, but I’m only cautiously optimistic. We may know Haven’s location, but she’s not been rescued yet. And the men who have her aren’t exactly nice.

“We have a potential location, yes,” Farren says. “But it’s nothing definite. I don’t want to be on the road, however, and not be able to reach Rick. So, for the next few days, we remain where we are.”

I can’t help it, I’m so excited that this whole Haven-in-danger ordeal may be coming to a close that I race over to Farren and throw my arms around him.

“This is so incredible,” I murmur into the crisp, starched cotton of his dress shirt. “I can’t wait to see her again.” Glancing up, I bite my lip and ask, “You don’t think she’ll be mad we, uh, sort of hooked up, do you?”

Farren smiles down at me, and, caressing my cheek, he says, “No, she won’t be mad. You know Haven’s not like that.”

“I know, but under the circumstances…”

“Hey.” He urges me to meet his gaze. “I think we may be getting way ahead of ourselves here. Let’s just see how the rescue attempt goes. If things go well, we’ll head down to a safe house that is west of Las Cruces. That’s in southern New Mexico. That particular safe house is where I’ve directed Rick to take Haven once he has her. It’s not a perfect location, but it will do for a while. Anyway, if things go as seamlessly as I’m hoping, you can go ahead and ask Haven yourself how she feels about us.”

A lump rises in my throat. I’ve not allowed myself to dwell on how much I’ve been missing my best friend, but I let go a little now. “I’ve missed her so much, Farren. I can’t wait to see her. But I’m kind of afraid to get too excited. Do you know what I mean?”

I look up at him, and he gives me a small smile. Then he closes his arms around me.

Holding me in his comforting embrace, he says, “I know exactly what you mean, Essa. I know the feeling all too well.”





With the burden of a missing Haven off both our minds, I get to know Farren in a different way. He becomes a man unburdened by underlying worry for his sister. He kept the level of his concern well hidden, but I’m certain the not knowing part was killing him. So the change is good for many reasons. I’m much more lighthearted as well. And, sure, we’re not out of the woods yet when it comes to Haven, but this is the best things have looked since the beginning. And it shows in my and Farren’s demeanors.

“You seem different,” I say to Farren as we stroll along the sidewalk one afternoon. We’re on our way to a cute old-time movie house about a quarter mile from our motel. The plan is to catch the matinee of a low-budget horror movie that’s playing.

“Different how?” he asks.

“You just seem”—I shrug—“I don’t know. Happy, I guess.”

He shoots me a sly smile. “Maybe it’s because I am happy, Essa.”

“Because Haven has been found and will be rescued any day now?”

“Yes, there’s that, of course. Among other things…”

We reach the movie house, so I’m not able to question him further. Though I think I know the answer anyway. At least I hope I do.

Inside the retro theater, Farren and I share a tub of buttery popcorn, drink jumbo pops, and laugh about how characters in scary movies always do the most stupid things.

“Why do they always go where nobody in their right mind would ever step foot?” I ask Farren, in a whisper, just as the movie begins.

The movie opened with a girl in her late teens creeping down a set of dank, dark basement steps.

“I hate basements,” I whisper, leaning into Farren’s solid shoulder. “You’d never catch me going down those stairs. That’s supposed to be a haunted house, right? Who in their right mind would go straight to the basement?”

“Essa, shh,” Farren admonishes. But he’s grinning as he drapes his arm around me.

I snuggle in close to him. He always smells so intoxicatingly good, and now is no exception. Soon, I’m able to relax a bit. Well, until some shadowy figure jumps out at the girl from under the basement steps. Then, I jump in my seat and scream, “See, I knew it!”

The girl is dragged off, and I grasp the soft cotton of the T-shirt Farren is wearing.

He laughs at me. “Essa, weren’t you saying when we first sat down that the special effects in these movies always suck?”

“Not in this movie,” I retort, clinging to Farren for dear life.

“Essa…” He kisses the top of my head. “…You are too damn cute.”