Book Title
Author
Detour
Megan Mertz
Type
Genre
Word Count
Published?
Publisher
Fiction
Mystery
80,000 - 100,000
No
What's it all about?
Psych major Jennifer Sills, 20, can't wait to graduate and make a difference in people's lives. Fate gives her the chance of a lifetime with Connor Blackwood, 21, whom she meets when he appears out of the woods to help her change a flat tire. Handsome and guarded, Connor's knack for creating more questions than he answers about his life only piques her interest further. She wants to know all his secrets, especially after claims that his foster family is dangerous.
Inadvertently forming a friendship with Anneliese Welsh, sibling to one of their town's five missing children, Jennifer begins questioning Connor's true identity—along with who exactly he's been living with and what their agenda is. When strange things keep happening to Jennifer, she's eventually left wondering whether his family's involved. After all, it's someone wanting a secret kept under wraps, and Connor's life seems to be nothing but secrets. Maybe she's over-analyzing, or maybe his foster family isn't ready for any lifestyle changes...
Could they really be connected to her little town's decade-long missing persons case? And, if so, can she help Connor before his "family's" interference goes too far? One thing's for sure: lives are going to change.
Excerpt
Connor mirrored my smile. “Thank you for coming today, Jennifer, I really enjoyed it.”
“Pleasure is all mine. Oh, did everyone like their food from Brinkley’s Bar & Grill last night?” I asked.
I’ll be damned if it didn’t look like he was tensing up again. Hands slipped into his pockets. “Yes, everyone seemed to.”
“Happy to hear that. Well, I work tomorrow night if anyone wants more,” I said, insinuating another visit from him.
Catching my drift, he pulled me into his arms until our faces were inches apart. “I know one person who wants more,” he said, low and sexy. Before I could speak or faint, he planted a steamy kiss on my lips. When he pulled away, he caught my bottom lip between his and gently tugged. A quiet moan escaped my lips.
“I’ll try to stop by tomorrow,” he said, releasing me from his hold.
“That’d be great,” I said, breathless. Before turning to leave, he gave me another quick kiss good-bye.
Making the trek back to my car in a blissful daze, I was happy to see it undisturbed where I parked it. Crossing in front of the car to get in, a folded piece of paper caught my eye. Bewildered by who’d ticket me, I removed the paper from underneath the windshield wiper and hopped into my car. When sitting down, I caught sight of myself in the rearview mirror and smiled at the white flower still behind my ear. That happiness suddenly turned to panic and confusion, though, as I read the typed message.
Mind your own business, if you know what’s good for you.
Fight or flight kicking in, I immediately scanned the area around me only to find nothing out of the ordinary. No one was watching me that I could see. Who drove by and saw my car? Scarier yet, who knew this was my car? Now a little paranoid, I sped off without wasting any more time.
I came home to an empty house, which didn’t help ease my anxiety. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to divulge the incident to my parents, anyway, but just having the company would’ve helped. I tried to soothe myself by saying it was just a misunderstanding or someone playing a prank. It was just an isolated incident. It won’t happen again.