Free Something to Prove by Shannyn Schroeder

because Elizabeth would bear the
     brunt of making the changes. All he had to do was bide his time and make sure the
     bar was profitable enough for her to want to sell.
    Grabbing a clipboard that Elizabeth had left on the counter, he began counting cases
     of beer and bottles of alcohol. Tucked away in the corner between shelving units,
     he found a box of stale pretzels. He dragged it out the back door and tossed it in
     the Dumpster.
    An identical metal door stood eight feet to the left of him. It was for the adjoining
     business. Faded lettering on the door couldn’t be read. He scanned his memory for
     what used to be there and came up empty. He walked around the other side of the building.
     This side had a few more windows than The Irish had, but they were all soaped and
     boarded up. The other half of the building was bigger than the bar and it had a parking
     lot attached.
    He wondered if Elizabeth had looked into who owned it. Did her father own the entire
     building and The Irish just happened to come with it?
    There were a lot of questions crowding his brain. He shouldn’t care. He had a deal.
     Make a profit and get her out. He circled back to the door he’d exited, leaving it
     open behind him for a cross breeze.
    From the back hall, he heard Elizabeth’s voice. They weren’t expecting anyone for
     a few hours yet. A voice rose, but it wasn’t hers. Colin headed into the bar to see
     what was going on.
    Elizabeth stood near the door. The sunlight was blocked by the behemoth of a man she
     was talking to.
    “We’re closed. Not just now, but indefinitely.”
    “Mitch always lets me come in early.” He stepped toward Elizabeth, and Colin moved
     in.
    Before he had a chance to say anything, Elizabeth put her hands on her hips. “Take
     another step into my bar and I’ll call the police.”
    Not a smart move. Colin could see the guy was already half in the bag. Calling the
     cops would just piss him off.
    “Fuck you.” He looked over Elizabeth’s head and called, “Mitch. Get this bitch out
     of my way before I move her.”
    “Mitch is gone. Fired. He won’t be back.”
    Colin stood beside Elizabeth. “Excuse me, I’m Colin, Mitch’s replacement. Can I help
     with something?”
    Elizabeth glared at him and pressed her lips together tightly.
    “I just want a drink. And she”—he stuck his thumb at Elizabeth—“won’t let me in.”
    “We’re not open for business right now. She’s a stickler for the rules. You know how
     some people are.” The man cracked a smile, and Colin knew he had him. “I don’t think
     one small drink could hurt. You are alone, right?”
    The man furrowed his eyebrows.
    “I don’t want to tell you to come in for a drink and have you bring fifty of your
     closest friends.”
    “Just me.”
    “Come on in, then. But only one and then you have to leave. We’re trying to fix the
     place up.”
    The hulk of a man brushed past Elizabeth, and she stormed off into the back. “Feisty
     one, ain’t she?”
    Colin didn’t respond. He knew he was already going to pay for letting this guy have
     a drink. The man plopped onto a stool while Colin moved around the bar. “What’s your
     poison?”
    “Shot of whiskey and a beer.”
    Colin quickly poured both. “I’ll be right back.”
    The man grunted and swallowed the shot. Colin went to the office.
    As soon as she saw him, Elizabeth opened her mouth. “You have—”
    He cut her off. “You can yell at me later. Call the non-emergency line for the police
     and let them know we have a guy who plans to leave here and drive drunk. He won’t
     get far.”
    He left the room with her mouth still hanging open. Back at the bar, the man was nearly
     finished with the beer. “You’re gonna need a new place to hang out for a while. We
     really are closed for remodeling.”
    “No shit?”
    “No shit. The boss back there wants to turn this place around.”
    The man stood and looked across the room. “What’s wrong with