Inevitable Detour (6 page)

Farren smiles like he’s up for this game. He’s fully aware I was checking him out two minutes ago. And he surely knows how incredibly handsome he is. He’s blessed, and he knows it. He probably thinks he’ll win this battle, and he may. He’ll most likely trounce my anger with his powers of seduction.

But I raise my chin defiantly.
Let the games begin
, my expression dares.

Smoothly, he counters, “Technically, I did not break in.” Holding up a key, he adds, all smugly, “Haven sent me a key to this apartment the day you two moved in.”

“Oh.”

I’m fumbling already. Farren knows he has me.

With a smile surely designed to melt panties, he says silkily, “If you had been home, Essalin, I certainly would have knocked first.”

My panties
do
just about melt, damn him. To save face, I snap, “Quit calling me Essalin. Everyone just calls me Essa.”

Farren replies. “Well, I’m not everyone, now am I,
Essalin
.”

You sure as hell aren’t
, I think. But I don’t dare let him know how much he’s gotten to me. The man is far too cocky already.

Still, I like him. He has a fresh and fun air about him. I have to admit I’m enjoying the banter we’re engaging in. It’s an escape from everything that has happened this weekend.

But reality crashes down on me when Farren says softly, “What happened to my sister, Essalin?”

“You know she’s missing?” I whisper.

“Yes, I know.”

“Who told you?”

He scrubs a hand down his face. “It doesn’t matter how I found out. What matters is that I need to find her. And find her quickly.”

I can’t really argue with that logic. Plus, I’m smart enough to recognize that Farren is my only ally. He believes Haven is missing, just like I do. And, really, that is all that matters. I feel confident this clearly alpha-male man will stop at nothing to find his sister. He has the resources—money, special-ops background. Not to mention, skills obtained in whatever shady business he’s been involved in lately. Yeah, Farren Shaw is my best bet for finding Haven.

Taking a deep breath, I dispense with any further smart-ass behavior. Instead, I share with him the details of my last night with Haven. I tell Farren how after finals had ended we went out on the town to celebrate. I explain that we got really drunk and met two men who weren’t from around here. Farren raises his hand when I rush through that last part.

“Whoa, wait,” he says. “Back up a little. Give me a description of the man who was with my sister. Leave out nothing. No detail is insignificant, Essalin.”

I blow out a breath. “Okay…”

I proceed to tell Farren everything. I even share with him how we thought businessman Eric looked like
True Blood
Eric. That particular detail doesn’t seem to amuse Farren in any way, shape, or form.

“Guess you had to be there,” I mumble.

“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; fuck 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.

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

Farren’s words from before I left him in Haven’s room so he could continue to search for clues resonate in my head. I’m in my own room now, tossing an assortment of summer clothes into an open suitcase I dragged from my closet to the bedroom floor.

I work fast, especially when I hear Farren leaving the apartment. Minutes later, I am making my way down the inside stairs that lead to the front door on the first floor. Farren turns from his position at the base of the stairs. His hand remains on the doorknob, but he watches me amusedly while I bounce my heavy, overloaded suitcase down each individual step.

With a suppressed grin, he eventually lets go of the doorknob and steps onto the lowest step. “Here, let me help you with that,” he says, reaching out.

His stretch is long, reaching me easily even though I’m a few steps away. I gladly relinquish the heavy bag and follow Farren down to the door.

But when I linger, Farren asks, “What’s wrong? Did you forget something?” He hoists up the suitcase and sarcastically adds, “Seems unlikely, considering the weight of this thing.”

“Very funny,” I retort. “And, no, I didn’t forget anything. It’s just that I was thinking about things I should do before we leave town. I don’t have much money on me, but I do have a small savings at the bank—”

Farren clears his throat, interrupting me. Softly, he says, “You don’t need to take money out of the bank. I’ll cover all our expenses.”

I start to protest, but he shushes me. “Don’t argue with me, Essalin. Just because you’re going to be safer on the road with me than if you stayed here alone doesn’t mean the trip is without risk. This isn’t some vacation. We could run into trouble. Real trouble…” He trails off, giving me no more.

I arch an eyebrow, hoping to prompt him to continue, but all I get in return is stony silence. Just like I suspected when we were upstairs in the apartment, I sense Farren knows more about what’s really going on with this situation involving Haven than he’s saying. But since I can’t make him talk, I sigh and agree to let him pay for everything.

“But, if expenses get out of hand, I’m paying you back,” I state resolutely.

“Whatever, Essalin,” Farren replies, chuckling. “I think I can handle it.”

True, Farren is loaded, but I refuse to take advantage.

With a trip to the bank deemed unnecessary, I start to walk past him. But then his hand touches my arm lightly, sending a delicious rush of warmth through me. I falter and stop. He removes his hand, much to my chagrin, and steps back.

Though it was only the lightest of touches, I liked Farren’s hand on me. Just like when he covered my mouth in Haven’s bedroom, after he grabbed my hand and I dropped the pepper spray, his touch was gentle, yet firm. It held promise, promise of how I’ve always dreamed of being touched. Touched by a man, not a boy.

“There is one more thing I should mention,” Farren says.

I cross my arms to appear nonchalant. No need for him to notice he’s affecting me again without even trying. “What’s that?” I casually inquire.

“If there’s anyone you’d like to talk to before we leave, you should call them now.”

“Why?”

“I can’t allow you to take your cell phone on the road, so there will be no calls from here on out. In fact, you need to give your cell to me before we leave.”

“W…what?” I sputter. “Why?”

Farren drags a hand through his neatly trimmed dark hair. Though it’s short, the strands appear silky and soft, making me wonder what it would be like to run my fingers through the raven locks.

“Your phone can be tracked, Essalin,” Farren says as explanation to my question.

And suddenly I can’t take it anymore.

“I told you to call me Essa,” I snap. The stress is wearing on me, clearly. I miss my friend, and I want answers. Not to mention I’m afraid of this unknown journey I’m about to embark on. Damn. But what has me so edgy and lashing out is that I’m far too attracted to this man I’m supposed to be partnering with,
professionally
partnering with.

I start to apologize, but before I can, Farren bites out, “Okay,
Essa
.”

Guess he’s not immune to the stress of the situation, either.

“I’ll give up my phone,” I concede, my voice apologetic. “But can I ask you something?”

Farren remains silent, but he’s not saying no, so I forge on. “What aren’t you telling me? Do you know Eric and Vincent? I just don’t get why they would they do something so…so…sinister.” My eyes implore his beautiful greens. “You know something, don’t you? Personally, I think this whole thing has something to do with you.” He raises a brow, and I add, “I’m telling you, Farren, I thought about it all weekend, and I can’t come up with one single reason why my best friend would be abducted.”

Coolly holding my stare, he asks in a low voice, “And how, Essa, would her abduction be tied to me?”

“I don’t know,” I admit.

And then he touches me again, differently than before. His fingers graze my jaw and linger on my cheek. Holy hell, this is seduction. His hand on my arm was nothing, just a prelude. I close my eyes and allow myself to enjoy how a man who obviously knows how to touch a woman can make me feel. I don’t care if Farren is just doing this to placate me.

His seduction works—soft touches, softer words. When he whispers, “Just let it go, Essalin,” I nod into his hand.