Free Vindicated by eliza_ Page A

couple of guys are headed into the alley to throw down. Can you go check it out?” Jack ruffled a hand through his dark hair.
    “Yeah, man, I’m on it,” Randy said, relieved by the distraction. He eyed his friend and shook his head. “Dude, you look like shit. Why don’t you get out of here?”
    “Yeah, I’m out,” Jack replied. “I’m going to leave my truck here, and Ally’s going to drive us home.” If Jack was leaving his beloved truck behind, he must really be ill.
    “Don’t worry, man. I’ve got it covered. Go home. Get some rest. I’ll catch up with you tomorrow.”
    The altercation in the alley was nothing more than two drunks pissing on the wall. Randy sent them on their way with a word of warning, smoked a cigarette, and returned inside. As he walked through the maze of hallways, the sound of low, intimate voices caught his ear. He smirked. It wasn’t unusual for couples to hook up in the dark recesses, their inhibitions loosened by liquor and music. He paused beside the recess, debating whether to break up the interlude, and raised an eyebrow when the girl spoke to her lover. The female voice belonged to Amber. He shook his head and walked past, relieved to be rid of her.
    Once the bar emptied and they closed for the night, Karly left with the blond guy from the Scotsman, one hand on the small of her back. His gut clenched, watching them walk way. Their laughter floated down the hall then faded, leaving him in silence. He locked up the building and sat on a barstool alone, chain-smoking, a glass of Jack’s favorite Scotch in his hand.
    Devoid of people, the stillness of the bar unsettled him. The century-old building creaked and groaned as old buildings often do. A cold draft swept through the room, sending a shiver down his back. Usually, he enjoyed the quiet following the chaos, but tonight the silence disturbed him on many different levels, highlighting his isolation. In the past, when loneliness struck, he hit the nearest all-night bar and got drunk with the prettiest girl he could find. Hence, his acquaintance with Amber. Liquor never filled the void, only masked it for the short-term. Tonight the emotional hole in his heart gaped wide open, too big for repair by alcohol or sex.
    How had he gotten to this miserable place? Jack was home with Ally, probably enjoying her attentions as he struggled to recover from the flu. Caleb, his son, was miles away, sleeping in the house of a man Randy hated. And Karly was with the pretty boy bartender from the Thirsty Scotsman. Randy snorted and took a long drink of his Scotch, the heat of the whisky doing nothing to dispel the coldness inside him. This wasn’t the life he wanted, but he had no idea how to change it.

     
     

 
     
    Chapter 17
     
     
     
    The next morning, Randy nearly missed Karly shivering on the bench at the bus stop as he drove down Meeker Avenue. He did a double take into his rearview mirror and saw the telltale bright hair. The image of Karly and Josh the night before burst into his mind, followed by the painful sting of jealousy. With a shrug, he accelerated and sped away, eager to get as far away from her as possible. Two blocks down the street, he thought better and circled back. With sub-zero temperatures and another snowstorm on the way, Karly had to be freezing. He wasn’t the kind of guy who left his friends in the cold, figuratively or literally, and if nothing else, she was his friend.
    He stopped the truck in front of the bus stop and rolled down the window. "Hey, pretty girl. Need a lift?" The bitter cold burned his lungs, while the exhaust from his truck rolled in clouds around the cab, almost obliterating Karly from view.
    She’d been looking in the opposite direction but turned at the sound of his voice. Her eyes brightened. A smile lit her face. Plenty of girls smiled at him, but their smiles didn’t churn up his insides the way hers did. He thumped a hand on his chest and coughed to cover up the stir of