Stuck in you novel Chapter 27

'You piece of shit!' Eric cursed himself in his heart and trod slowly, hoping to disappear completely behind Rachel.

Jack was greeted by a queer countenance on Eric's face as he drifted past Rachel. Ignoring the strange expression, he pointed towards his watch and asked Rachel, "Rachel, do you wish to go back?"

Rachel took a deep breath, and then she blurted, "Well, yes. And, thank you."

Jack frowned slightly and said, "You don't have to thank me, ever. And by the way, Hiram didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Lea's ears perked up as she heard Jack's words. "What happened?" she inquired. She wore a perplexed expression on her face as she threw a cautious look towards Jack and Rachel simultaneously.

Michael, who was standing right behind Jack, was amazed by Lea's delicate features. He waggishly started whistling.

Lea was bewildered by his actions. As soon as Michael felt her burning eyes on him, he started whistling even louder. 'Just wow! I wonder how a girl like Rachel friends with such an alluring person,' Michael thought and chuckled to himself.

When Eric, who previously wished to disappear off the face of the earth, witnessed the ongoing events, his face turned a darker shade of red. He bellowed at Michael, "Shut up or else you'll face my wrath."

Michael smiled slyly as he saw the look on Eric's face. "Oh, it's you."

He then threw a casual glance at Eric's hand as he raised his eyebrows in astonishment and uttered, "Is your hand still attached to your body?"

"I swear!"

"Michael!" Eric and Jack yelled at the same instant, but Jack's hoarse voice clearly trumped Eric's. Michael looked over his shoulder in astonishment.

"Don't mess around with him," Jack said aloofly.

With a dubious expression, Michael made an unimpressive effort of saluting Eric and said sarcastically, "My apologies, boy."

"You bastard!" exclaimed Eric, as he clenched his fists in utter rage. "Who do you think you are? I am not a kid, you moron!"

"I shall have none of this anymore!" Rachel stated affirmatively as she pulled Eric back. Lea joined the duo, and she tried to comfort Eric. "Don't worry, we won't be talking to this man anymore," she said in absolute disgust.

Soon Jack had Rachel's undivided attention to him as she questioned, "Is there anything you wish to tell me, Jack?"

Jack threw her a serene look and said, "Do you want to go back with me or not? I'll gladly give you a ride."

"No, thanks for the offer, but we…" Rachel stuttered.

"Let's go, my car is nearby. I'll give you a ride," Jack insisted. He locked eyes with Rachel expecting her to agree with his demands.

Rachel was quite fazed by his constant bidding. She wondered whether it was appropriate to discuss the matter at hand with Lea and Eric here.

"Thanks, Jack, but I won't be able to go with you as I am heading towards my parents' house," Lea stated, her voice filled with exasperation.

"Lea…" Rachel muttered absentmindedly. Lea briskly rotated her cell phone in between her fingers and said, "Give me a call when you get home."

"Alright." Rachel then contemplated what Lea said, and the true meaning of her subtle words came to her like an epiphany. She made a mental note of calling Lea later to apprise her of the happenings.

Eric had already made up his mind of leaving with Lea. But before he could join her, Jack threw a dirty look towards him and stated affirmatively, "You are going with us."

Eric was dumbfounded by what Jack said. He locked eyes with him refusing to back down. But then, he gave in to his fear and reluctantly agreed to follow Jack into the car.

Jack's every action from there onward raised red flags. Out of the blue, he said, "Rachel, come and sit in the front seat."

Eric was as helpless as a baby as he watched his sister riding shotgun with Jack. He stood motionless as Rachel opened the front door of the car and got in.

He pondered over his next move but couldn't come up with any solutions. He had no choice but to sit in the back seat of the car. The idea of sharing the car seat with a person other than his sister did not amuse Eric at all.

He was about to jump inside of the car when he heard a man yelling barbarically, "You better get in soon, boy. Or else some misfortune might befall you."

Eric froze, and a chill ran down his spine as he heard these unsettling words. He promptly got in the car. Fortunately for him, the seat of the Land Rover was sizeable enough for two people to be sitting on either side and would still have enough space in between them as to avoid any unnecessary contact.

Michael, who was also accompanying them for the journey, was amused by Eric's reaction. He wondered how the personalities of the siblings could be so contrasting to each other.

As Jack steered the car out of the parking lot and onto the road, Rachel reminded him, "Can we drop my brother's place first? He lives near the Times Square."

Jack threw her a long look and then muttered, "Okay."

Eric was quite relieved when he heard his sister's voice. He wanted to shed a tear of joy but maintained his composure, nonetheless.

The remainder of the journey was met by an awkward silence as no one uttered a word.

Suddenly, Rachel recollected what Michael earlier said. He informed her that Eric might have had something to do with Hiram abducting her.