Wrong Way Home - Taken (Criminal Delights 1)

He couldn’t bear to disappoint them, no matter how much he resented the drill they had put him through since he was a little kid.

How pathetic was that?

The narrator went on, his voice a bit too shrill to be pleasant, but at this point, his words were the only break from the reality of the same trees and the same hills in the background. Colin drove down this road twice every week, and while he was glad to know where he was headed, the long drive provided no challenge whatsoever. He was bored.

The audiobook made him feel as if there was someone else in the car, entertaining him with the kind of one-sided conversation that didn’t require his active participation.

“So try to look into your mind, or your heart if that’s what you prefer, and change things up a bit. It doesn’t have to be anything earth-shattering when you’re only starting out. Meditate, eat a different kind of breakfast, wear a bright color, take a different way home.”

And just as the voice in the speakers said that, the headlights of Colin’s car revealed a fork in the road ahead, and Colin’s heart beat that bit faster. He always chose the most efficient route, going right toward the highway that would take him straight home. The traffic sign suggested the other would take him to a small town that he’d never been to, but which also had a connection to the highway. If he chose to go the roundabout way, he’d lose what? Thirty minutes?

“Change things up a bit,” repeated the narrator, and Colin made a rapid turn, changing direction to follow the advice. Because why the hell not? Nobody would know about this silliness anyway. Still, his heart beat as fast as if he were about to suck his first cock.

No big deal. No big deal at all.

And yet somehow it felt as if the door to the world behind him closed, and if he peeked into the rear view mirror, he would have encountered nothingness. So he didn’t look back, for fear he’d still change his mind, and drove on toward the town ahead. A small detour was all this was.

His guts twisted with worry, as if this tiny change was about to start an avalanche, and he tried to calm down, because this was not a reasonable reaction. This was only a detour. He would be back on the highway soon enough, but the fact that straying off the usual route caused such anxiety was proof that he should have done it a long time ago. He wasn’t scared of the dark, of the emptiness around him, or some imaginary axe murderer. His subconscious was throwing mundane fears at him of losing the connection on his phone and ending up lost because of it.

And if he did get lost, would that be so bad? He’d spend the night in the car and find his way home tomorrow. Nothing all that terrifying, since April was quite warm this year.

His phone came alive—first with vibrations, then with the aria Colin used for his mom’s calls. He swallowed the dryness in his throat, briefly considering not picking up for once, but those thoughts only lasted for two seconds before he grabbed the cell and put it against his ear.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hi, Colin. Are you going to make it tonight? Dad’s been asking, and he’s got a late night shift at the hospital, so I just wanted to make sure you’re already on your way?”

A car emerged from behind the trees ahead, the bright glow of its headlights stabbing Colin’s eyes, but he kept on course, trying to follow the shadows on the right side of the road as a guideline. Seconds later, the other car disappeared from sight, once again leaving Colin alone on the country road, passing trees that stretched their tangled arms above the asphalt.

He swallowed, and the sense of adventure that had tickled his mind just seconds ago was bleeding out of him fast. This had been a mistake. He could swear the grooves in the tree bark formed faces, and each and every one of those had a mocking expression.

“Oh, when is he leaving?”

“In two hours, give or take. He insists that you eat dinner with us before he goes.”

Shit. Shit. Fucking shit.

“Uh-huh, I should make it,” Colin said, squinting at a shadow on the side of the road. He did not have the spare time to take the long way, nor would he be on time if he made a U-turn at this point. His only chance was to take a shortcut to his usual route, and the narrow road leading into the woods might just be it.

He didn’t remember how this place looked on the map, but the distance between the two semi-parallel roads couldn’t be that great. If he could traverse the woodland, he should be back on the right path in no time.