The Inside Passage (Ted Higuera Series Book 1) Read Free

LA to take care of the rest of the
family she took her first airplane trip to Seattle to see Ted’s graduation. 
    Ted’s heart nearly
stopped when a willowy thirty-something woman with long black hair met them at
the door.
    “Ted, you finally
made it. Please come in. I’ll find Chris for you.” Her voice was like velvet,
her emerald green eyes melted Ted’s brain.
    Seeing Candace
took his breath away. She was like something out of a fashion magazine, a whole
different species from Mama and him.
    “Candace,” Ted
unraveled his tongue and motioned the dark haired woman back. “I’d like you to
meet my mother, Roberta Higuera. Mama, this is Candace Anderson, Mr. Hardwick’s
fiancée.”
    Old Harry made
out like a bandito , Ted thought. Candace was closer to Ted’s age than to
Chris’ dad’s age.
    “I’m pleased to
meet you, Meess Anderson.” Mama extended her hand.
    “ El
gusto es mio .” Candace smiled back. “And Candace, please.”
    “I was so pleesed
to hear about your engagement,” Mama said in her singsong accent. “Eet’s good
to see that Mr. Hardwick ees getting on with his life.”
    “Ted, Mrs.
Higuera,” Chris interrupted as he came into the foyer, a petite blond on his
arm. “Come in. Let me show you around.”
    “Please,
Chreestopher, call me Mama.”
    “All right. Mama,
I’d like you to meet Meagan O’Donnell. Meg, this is Mama.”
    “I’m please to
meet you Mrs. . . Mama.”
    “I’ve heard so
much about you, Meagan.”
    Yeah , Ted
thought, but it sure ain’t been good. He thought back to how he and
Chris first met Meagan at the Aquarius Tavern after a ball game. She
practically seduced Chris, right there on the dance floor. Chris must have had
a big dollar sign painted on his forehead.
    “Mrs. Hi. . .
Mama, let me show you to your room.” Candace bent over to pick up Mama’s bag.
“I’m so glad you can stay with us.”
    Ted came back to
reality. Man, that’s one fine ass.

Chapter 2
     
    Toronto, Canada
    Ahmad slammed the
door behind him as he entered his parents’ house
    “Father, how can
you listen to such a man?” They had just returned from Rogers Centre at
Exhibition Place for a rare family outing. It was Allah’s will that he respect
and help his parents, but they were so far from the true path that he could
barely tolerate being around them.
    His father,
Mahmoud Fazul, was an older version of Ahmad. His dark skin, darker eyes and
hawk-like nose all mirrored his son’s appearance. Tall and thin, with short-cropped
dark hair graying at the temples, he had eschewed wearing the traditional
headgear of his ancestors.
    When his father
asked him to accompany them to see the Islamic cleric Amr Khaled, Ahmad thought
maybe they were ready to begin the path back to Allah.
    “Amr Khaled is the
most popular cleric in the Islamic world.” His father hung the car keys on a
hook by the front door and precisely placed his umbrella in the stand. He
stopped to adjust all four umbrellas equidistance apart.  “He broadcasts in
eighteen languages. He has millions of followers.”
     “He’s a charlatan!”
Ahmad brushed past his father and started towards the living room. “Did you not
see how the audience dressed? Young girls in tank tops and jeans, their heads
uncovered. He’s not an imam. He’s a rock star.”
    “He preaches a
message of peace and co-existence. We need to listen to men like him to get
along in this world.”
    “No,” Ahmad
slammed his hand against the table. “If we listen to men like him, we’ll lose
all that is great about Islam. We must follow the path of the prophet
Mohammed.”
    Mahmoud picked up
the newspaper that was neatly placed on the coat stand and walked into the
living room.
    “As Khaled
reminded us,” Mahmoud stared at Ahmad. “Mohammed said, ‘Whoever puts joy in the
hearts of the believers, his reward is not less than paradise.’”
    “Paradise will come
to those who fight for the true faith.” Ahmad returned his father’s