Vindicated
Page 20
“It’s too much,” she whispered, eyes glued to her coffee cup. The lump in her throat thickened. “I’m so freaking miserable. And I miss Randy.” The unexpected lurch of her heart caught Karly off guard. She wanted to say she didn’t care, but the truth was she did care. Too much. She missed him, his clean scent, his big feet tripping her up, and the sound of his deep rumbling laughter when she did something silly. “And I hate myself for it.”
Ally drew in a deep breath and patted the back of Karly’s hand. “I want you to tell me all about it. But I think we’re going to need something a little stronger than coffee.”
Chapter 53
At night, Felony was a sight to behold. During the daytime, paint peeled from the walls and the floors were scuffed and warped. Silence echoed through the rooms. Karly slumped into a chair at a table near the bar. Ally joined her a few minutes later with a bottle of Jack Daniels and a two-liter of Coke.
“So you got the plumbing deal worked out?” Karly asked when they were settled.
“Yeah. Six grand to fix everything, but we’re open this weekend.” Fine lines of worry crinkled the corners of Ally’s eyes. “We still have the back taxes to take care of on the building. I don’t know how we’ll ever pay them.” She fiddled with the edge of her drink napkin. “David refuses to pay off the lien. I don’t get that guy.”
“Have you met him?” Karly asked. “Randy told me a little about him. He’s in prison, right?”
“Not anymore,” Ally said with an expression that raised more questions than it answered. “And yes, I’ve met him. He’s not what you’d expect.”
“So why doesn’t he pay the taxes then?”
“It’s complicated, I guess. I don’t really understand the whole deal.” Ally narrowed her eyes at Karly. “Now, stop distracting me. This is about you. Spill it. Start at the beginning and don’t leave anything out.”
Karly drew in a deep breath and told Ally everything about Emma, how Randy helped her, and about the stripping incident. By the time she finished, they both had tears in their eyes. In an uncharacteristic display of emotion, Ally came around to Karly’s chair and enveloped her in a huge hug.
“Oh, sweetie. I had no idea,” Ally said, wiping away her tears as she spoke. “I wish you had told me sooner.”
“I should have. It’s been hard, you know. I was so ashamed of it—of Emma. But on the bright side, I’ve met with the attorney a few times, and he thinks I can get her back with a few prayers and a lot of luck. I get to see her this week. It’s not much, but it’s a start.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Ally said, raising her glass in a toast.
“Everything keeps coming back to money,” she said. Ally nodded her head in agreement. “I think I’m going to have to sit out another semester.”
“You know,” Ally said, “you could come work here.” Karly raised an eyebrow but didn’t protest. “Just hear me out. We need you here. Jack and Randy both agreed you kicked ass the other night, and Luke said he was impressed, too. I know it doesn’t pay terrific, but it’s better than nothing. And we need someone at Jameson’s during the weekdays. You could pretty much set your own schedule there.”
“I don’t know,” Karly said, shaking her head. “It sounds perfect, but I’m not sure I want to see Randy every day.”
“Did I just hear someone take my name in vain?” The rough voice carried through the hall, followed by the echo of Jack’s laughter. Her stomach flipped at the familiar sound.
“I thought you said he wouldn’t be here,” Karly snapped, nudging Ally’s leg beneath the table.
“He’s not supposed to be here,” Ally said with a scowl. “I’m so sorry, Karls. If I’d known, I would never have brought you here.”
Jack and Randy exploded into the room like two raucous schoolboys, sweaty and disheveled from their basketball game. When Randy saw her, he stopped in his tracks. The smile slid from his face. A wash of red color surged from his collarbone, up his neck, and into his face.
“Hey,” he said with a jerk of his chin.
“Hi,” she replied. Her heart thundered so hard and so fast in the walls of her chest, she thought it must be visible through her sweater.
Aside from the smudges of exhaustion beneath his eyes, he looked good enough to eat. Despite her best efforts to appear unconcerned, her eyes stayed glued to his insane body, drinking in every long, lean inch of him. After a long moment of silence, Jack cleared his throat before dropping a kiss on Ally’s forehead.
“Uh, Ally, can I see you in my office for a minute? I need to go over something with you.” Jack’s hand slipped to Ally’s shoulder and squeezed.
“Why?” Ally asked. Uncomfortable silence filled the room.
Don’t leave me here alone with him, Karly begged with her eyes.
“Does it matter?” Jack asked. His voice was tinged with affectionate irritation.
“Well…” Ally frowned and glared openly at Randy. She pointed at him. “I’ve got my eye on you, Mackenzie.”
“Come on, baby doll,” Jack urged gently. “I think I have a fever, and I need you to check it out.” He grabbed her hand and tugged her from the chair.
Concerned, Ally raised a hand to Jack’s forehead. “You don’t feel hot,” she said, her green eyes searching his face.
“It’s not there,” he replied with a smirk. “It’s in my pants.”
Ally rolled her eyes but smiled. “That has to be the worst line you’ve used yet. It’s a good thing you’re pretty, because no girl in her right mind would ever fall for that.”
Their flirty banter followed them down the hall to the office until Karly and Randy were left alone in the bar. He shifted from foot to foot, while she stared at the wall next to her. After a few seconds of silence, they both spoke at once, their words colliding.
“How’ve you been?”
“How are you?”
Karly’s face flushed hot and her heart resumed its erratic cadence. She glanced down at the floor, feeling shy and awkward and hating herself for it.
He swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. “It’s nice to see you.”
“You too,” she replied. The words came out breathy and stilted as if she’d been running a footrace.
Their eyes met. Attraction sizzled between them, heating up the room and jolting through Karly’s body like a lightning strike.
“Well, it was good seeing you.” He gestured toward the stairs to his apartment. “I’m going to head upstairs and take a shower.”
“Yeah, you too,” she replied.
On the fourth step of the stairs, he stopped but didn’t face her. “I miss you,” he said. And without another word, continued up the steps.
Chapter 54
In theory, the job at Felony sounded like a good idea, but in practice, it was nothing short of a disaster. By the expression on Randy’s face, he wasn’t thrilled to see her there. After a few days, the forced politeness between them dissolved, and old hurts began to surface. Like a guitar string, the line of tension between them drew tight and taut enough to snap.
Luckily, business kept them hopping and left little time for conversation. She did her best to avoid him. The most uncomfortable moments came when they shared the bar, their bodies brushing against each other in the narrow space, or during the after-hours cleanup when they were forced to be alone together. The constant strain of being near him made her temples throb in time to the bass drum of the band.
“I need you downstairs.” The touch of his hand to her elbow caught her off guard. “There’s a situation.”
“There’s a downstairs?” She cocked her head at him. “Is this a joke?”
“Nope. No joke. I need you,” he said.
For the first time in weeks, she found warmth in his eyes. Her belly dipped. She quashed the feeling before it could fester and take root.
“I wouldn’t ask, but this requires confidentiality, and I trust you.” His fingers wrapped around her elbow and nudged her toward the back hall.
“Luke and Tasha can handle things up here. This can’t wait.”
“Fine.” She wiped her hands on a bar towel and smoothed her apron.
He led her through the convoluted maze of hallways and into the storage room. He opened a wood door at the back and gestured for her to follow. Narrow steps led down. The music of the band grew fainter with each step until only a faint hum could be heard. One final door remained, and when they pushed through, they emerged into a large space with wood paneled walls and a beamed ceiling.
Smoke hung in a thick cloud, shrouding the room like mist. Several large round tables clustered in the middle of the space, and men in suits gathered in comfortable chairs around their circumferences. A fully stocked bar with barstools sat to one side, a miniature version of the one upstairs. Soft jazz music played from a sound system in the corner. The appointments were upscale and plush.
“What the hell is this?” Karly tried not to gape. Once her eyes grew accustomed to the smoke, she recognized several faces—Moseley and Scotty among them.
“Poker,” Randy said. “High stakes. Invitation only.”
“I don’t understand. What does this have to do with me?”
“I need you to tend the bar for a bit,” Randy said. “The guy who usually does it got sick and had to go.” At her look of consternation, he frowned. “Look. I know you hate me, and I wouldn’t ask, but this is big money. I’ll make sure you get paid extra. It’s only for a few more hours.”
“Do Ally and Jack know about this?” She searched his face, looking for answers, and found nothing but his frustrating blank stare.
“Jack, yes. Ally? I don’t know.” He shrugged and started to say more, but she stopped him with a raised hand.
“Never mind. I don’t want to know. Just show me what I need to do.” She moved to the bar, stepping around a man seated on a barstool near the end.
He swiveled on his barstool when they approached. Karly sucked in a surprised breath at the sight of him. He wore an immaculate navy blue suit, perfectly tailored to fit his broad shoulders. Sleek blond hair framed a square face and the most brilliant pair of blue eyes she’d ever seen.
“Karly, this is David, Jack’s uncle,” Randy said, frowning at her open mouth. She snapped it shut and swallowed hard.
“You’re Jack’s uncle? Are you shitting me?” Shocked beyond propriety, she didn’t realize what she’d said until it was too late. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected, but it wasn’t this spectacular hunk of masculine perfection. “What are you? Thirty years old?”
“Thirty-eight. I’ll take that as a compliment. And you must be Karly. Well, this is certainly a pleasure,” David said in a rich voice, smooth like whiskey over ice. His gaze washed over her with blatant approval. An embarrassed flush heated her cheeks. One corner of his mouth quirked in amusement. “She’s quite a treat, Randy. I’m beginning to see what all the fuss is about.”
“Yes, she’s one in a million,” Randy said. David’s eyes flew to Randy’s, and their stares locked in a dynamic she didn’t understand.
“She’s Mitch’s little sister? Can we trust her?” David’s gaze appraised her once more, this time with cool cunning.
“I trust her,” Randy said. His hand lingered on her back.
“You make it sound like espionage instead of poker,” Karly replied, growing tired of the drama. The pounding in her head increased. She rubbed her temple with two fingers. “Can we just get on with this?”
Karly’s head continued to throb, exacerbated by the cigarette smoke, David’s curious stare, and Randy’s watchful gaze. He wandered in and out of the room, splitting his time between the raucous upstairs and the subdued basement. On his second trip, he brought her a bottle of aspirin.
“You don’t really look like his type,” David said when Randy had left again. He parked on a barstool across from her, sitting with the easy grace of a confident man. “Usually he goes for the tall, leggy type like Pilar.”
“And you don’t look like an ex-convict either,” she replied, feeling too ill for politeness and irked by his gall.
“And why would you say that?” He leaned forward, eyes bright with interest.
“You’ve got a tan, the tips of your hair are highlighted, and you’ve had a manicure.”
“Well, in all fairness, it was minimum security,” he replied with an easy smile. He tapped one of his well-manicured fingertips on the bar surface. “I like you,” he said. “You don’t take any bullshit.”
“Seems like I’m standing knee-deep in it at the moment,” she muttered. Thankfully, one of the tables ordered a pitcher of martinis and drew her away from him. Something about him unnerved her. It was like having a rattlesnake in the room, coiled and ready to strike. He was waiting for her when she returned.
“You know, if you’re down here, it’s for a reason. Randy wouldn’t let just anyone into our game,” David said. “And we didn’t need another bartender. I could’ve taken over.”
“He said the other bartender went home sick.” A wave of nausea rolled over her. She poured a glass of water and took an ice chip from the glass to rub over the pulse points of her neck. He continued to watch her, blue eyes drilling into her with unnerving intensity.
After a sip of his martini, he spoke again. “See that lady over there? The one with the super short hair?” There were two women in the room. David nodded to one of them, a trim-figured, silver-haired woman in a tasteful red suit. She’d been throwing back highballs with gusto. By the pile of money in front of her, the whiskey hadn’t hurt her game. “That’s the honorable Judge Winston. She hears most of the divorce cases and child custody suits.” David’s gaze leveled on Karly and he spoke his next words with deliberate intent. “I’d be nice to her if I were you.”
Chapter 55
The game went on until just past closing time. The players left through a separate entrance. Karly made quick work of wiping down the tables. She collected six hundred dollars in tips. The cash in her hand lessened a little of the ache between her temples.
“Are you alright?” Randy touched her elbow. The question and concern caught her off guard. “You’re super pale.”
“My head is killing me,” she replied. “I feel like I’m going to puke. I think maybe I’ve got Jack’s bug.”
“So, why don’t you go upstairs and lie down for a bit.” He pressed the keys to his apartment into her hand. “I can finish up here.”
Randy found Karly asleep on the sofa. Her burnished hair tumbled over the cushions, eyes closed in sleep, lashes fanned out over her cheeks. A lock of her hair had fallen over one eye; he smoothed it away from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. She sighed and smiled in her sleep. God, she was lovely. She looked so frail and small. He frowned at the feeling of her bones beneath his hand. She'd lost weight. He was sure she hadn't been eating properly. Tomorrow, he’d take her out and stuff her full of food until she couldn't move.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he whispered.
Her fingers twitched, but she didn't stir. He stroked a finger over her lips, tracing the prominent Cupid’s bow and full lower lip. He pressed a chaste kiss on the sweet lips. Why couldn’t he tell her how he felt? That his heart leaped out of his chest at the mere sight of her? Working in such close proximity drove him to distraction. Every brush of her arm against his, even the scent of her, reminded him of what he’d lost.
Damn. I’ve really fucked this up.
With the utmost gentleness, so he wouldn’t wake her, he scooped her into his arms. Her head lolled against his chest as he carried her into the bedroom. Carefully, he laid her on the bed and removed her shoes. Then he tugged off his jeans and climbed into bed beside her, wearing a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. She turned to face him, snuggling aga
inst his chest, and wrapped an arm around his waist. With his nose buried in her hair, he let himself drift away into sleep.
Chapter 56
The sound of a garbage truck in the back alley awakened Karly in the morning. She tried to sit up but found herself imprisoned by strong arms and a leg thrown over her thigh. For a few seconds, she forgot where she was until she saw the tattoo on one of the arms and turned to see Randy behind her, features relaxed and free of the previous night’s tension.
She allowed herself a minute to enjoy the feeling of his arms around her, the rise and fall of his chest against her back, and the strong beat of his heart. How could something that felt so right be so incredibly wrong? With a sigh, she snuggled her bottom into him, unwilling to let the moment end. He pulled her closer and buried his nose in her hair. Warm and safe, she drifted back into sleep.
Deep in the haze of unconsciousness, she reveled in the long, lean body stretched behind her. His lips nuzzled her ear. One of his hands slid down her waist, over the curve of her hip. She wiggled again, this time coming in contact with the hard ridge of his erection against her backside. It was the most blissful dream she’d ever had. She sank deeper into sleep, hoping to prolong the pleasure. He sighed, turned her onto her back, and sealed his mouth over hers. Drifting in and out of dreams, she returned his kiss, blissful in the fantasy. When he nudged her lips with his tongue, she opened for him out of need and longing. The large hands slid down her back, cupping her bottom and pressing her into him.
All the feelings she’d been holding back exploded in a rush. Her nipples tightened as she arched into him, returning his kiss with fervor, melting into the sweet heat of his mouth. One large hand slid down her thigh and raised her knee, hooking her leg around his hip so he could grind into her. Emotions and feelings swirled through her, overriding common sense, sweeping her along on a tide of lust.