Heat radiated from her skin, amplifying the cinnamon smell. He grabbed her arm, but she shook free.
“I’m not going to let you lay this on me. I didn’t do anything. I’ve worked my ass off to make this place a success every bit as much as you have. It might not mean anything to you, but this place is everything to me.” Fear swallowed him. Everything slipped from his grasp. “I couldn’t do that to you.”
“Why would I believe that?”
“Because I love you.” He blurted the words out, and his brain scrambled to keep up.
She froze and a flicker of pain crossed her face. “That’s rich. Nothing else works, so you prey on my emotions? Go home, Colin. I’ll make sure I fulfill our contractual agreement, but I don’t want you here anymore.”
She was throwing him out? Fuck that. “No.”
“I wasn’t asking. I’m still the owner and boss. Go back to O’Leary’s. You’re not needed here.” She walked away, quietly adding, “I don’t need you.”
Her words did more damage than he’d thought possible. His anger boiled, but he clung to enough control to keep his mouth shut. Anything he said would only make things worse. “Fine. Have it your way.”
He stormed out, determined not to look at her. So she didn’t need him. Just like everyone else. He got into his Jeep and sped toward the highway. He put in a call to Keith and left a message. Whatever crap Keith had going on with Elizabeth was ruining everything Colin had. He wanted answers, and Elizabeth wouldn’t talk. Without real reason, what he wanted more than anything was to punch Keith’s face. He didn’t need the whole story to know that Keith had been the cause of Elizabeth’s pain.
The wind whipped around him as he increased speed on the Kennedy, driving toward downtown. Air slapped at him, but he struggled to breathe. He hadn’t told any woman he loved her since his lust-crazed adolescence. He learned quickly the power of those words. And now, the one time he’d used them, he’d been tossed aside. Part of him wanted to keep driving until he crossed state lines, to escape. He’d done that plenty.
He turned his car around and headed back to O’Leary’s. Elizabeth might not need him, but he knew his family at least wanted him.
He was done running.
CHAPTER 16
Elizabeth released a shuddering breath. Telling Colin to leave was harder than she’d anticipated. The man was an excellent actor. She’d give him that much. When she’d confronted Matt all those years ago, he’d immediately looked ashamed. Matt thought it was a harmless game. He hadn’t been the brightest bulb in the chandelier.
She shook off thoughts of the past. She debated whether she should call Keith and let him know she was onto him. No, Colin had probably already made that call. Their dad wasn’t due in until late tomorrow. She could sleep in and then plan how to approach him.
After finishing the closing routine, she looked over the bar again. She’d done good work here. Maybe it wasn’t perfect, but it was a complete turnaround. Keith had to grant her that much. In some ways, she’d accomplished at least as much as Keith did with most of his projects. Maybe on a smaller scale, but she’d done enough to be proud.
She double-checked the lock on the front door and flipped off the last lights, allowing the glow from the hallway to guide her. The light glinted off the nearest TV and a niggle of doubt pricked at her. If he wasn’t guilty, why hadn’t Colin told her about his conversation with Keith? She stared at the black screen and tried to imagine Colin swinging a bat to smash it. The picture couldn’t form in her head. The damage done here struck her as the work of someone who was angry.
Even after her accusations, Colin didn’t seem angry enough to strike out like that.
No, maybe it wasn’t anger. If he’d wanted it to look that way, he could’ve faked it. She wondered how much of their relationship had been for profit. Her heart sank. Everything had felt so real with Colin. What had Keith offered him to make him prostitute himself?
She couldn’t think about that. If she held on to the anger, she’d be fine. The minute she let herself feel anything other than the anger, she might fall apart. And she no longer had anyone to turn to.
No, that wasn’t true. She had Janie and Lori. When she got back to the hotel, she’d send them an e-mail to make plans to get together this weekend. After her father’s visit, she would definitely need comfort. A last trip out with the girls before going home. A night of dancing and drinking would fit the bill. Well, maybe not the drinking, but dancing with strangers, people who wanted nothing more than the temporary use of her body . . . She could get behind that.
Her mind wandered back to the first time she’d wanted Colin to use her body. She wished she had followed through that night. If they’d slept together then, she never would’ve allowed it to go further. She would’ve laughed him out of the conference room when he proposed becoming her partner.
Hindsight and all that. Time to move on.
She locked her office door, just in case, and set the newly installed alarm at the back door before leaving. She walked to her car with her keys in hand. Exhaustion swamped her, and her bed called. But it wasn’t really comfortable. Noises would be heard in the hall. A Friday night meant people would be coming back from a night out. Doors would slam, people would talk, yell, moan. She longed for the quiet of her little house.
Or Colin’s apartment. His place was always quiet. Or maybe it was the comfort of sleeping next to him that gave her the feeling of peace.
Two blocks from the hotel, her cell phone chirped. Who the hell would call so late? She checked the screen. No one she knew. She hit Ignore. A few seconds later, it rang again. “Hello?”
“Elizabeth Brannigan?”
“Yes.”
“This is Metro Security. The alarm at your building was triggered. Are you on the premises?”
“No. Send the police.”
She turned her car around. Nerves gripped her stomach. Colin was upset when he left. Would he come back now to do something else? But he wouldn’t have tripped the alarm. Unless that was part of his plan to throw suspicion off him.
Maybe she shouldn’t have called the police. If she went there alone, she would have all the proof she needed. His actions would be cause to terminate their contract, and she could prove to her father that she could handle everything.
But what if it’s not Colin? the voice whispered quietly in her brain.
By the time she returned to the bar, two squad cars were in the parking lot beside the bowling alley, blue and red lights flashing. She pulled in and approached the nearest cop. He looked vaguely familiar, and then she realized that he was one who showed up for the bar fight when she first took over.
He smiled, putting her at ease.
She shrugged. “At least it’s not a bar fight this time. What triggered the alarm?”
Part of her hoped it was a malfunction, that no one had tried to break in.
He pointed toward the door. Sitting on the ground, hands cuffed behind his back, was Mitch, her old manager.
“He was trying to get in the door when we showed up. He had a key in hand, saying he didn’t know why the door wouldn’t open. He’s pretty drunk. He got loud and pushy, so we cuffed him, but we wanted to check with you before hauling him in.”
“Did he by chance admit to breaking in before?”
The cop snickered. “He thinks he has every right to be here. He said he’s the manager and just forgot something inside.” The cop leaned forward and added, “I get the impression that you’re new to the business, but allowing employees to drink on the job doesn’t usually turn out well.”
She bristled at his accusation. “He’s no longer an employee for that very reason. I’d already fired him when you were here for the bar fight. But thanks for the advice.”
“So you’re pressing charges?”
“Hell, yes.”
He signaled to another uniformed officer who grabbed Mitch’s elbow and hauled him to his feet. Mitch swayed and started to yell, but then he caught
sight of her.
“You,” he shouted, hitching his chin in her direction. “You never shoulda fired me.”
His eyes were filled with hatred and anger.
In that moment, she knew she’d been completely wrong about Colin. Colin hadn’t destroyed their bar. Mitch had. He was pissed off over getting fired.
She couldn’t force enough air into her lungs. She sucked hard, but they wouldn’t fill. How could she have been so wrong? And if she was wrong, Colin’s declaration of love had been real.
She’d completely screwed up everything. She turned to leave, hoping movement would bring air rushing back. Instead, she plowed right into a hard body. Colin stood with his hands tucked in his pockets, but when she stumbled back, he quickly caught her arms to steady her. The warmth of his hands calmed her, and air filled her lungs.
She’d expected a smile and a quick remark about how clumsy she was, but his blue eyes were ice, his face blank.
“What’s going on? The alarm company called. They said they couldn’t reach you.”
“They got me on the second call, so I came back. Mitch, the old manager, was trying to break in.” She looked into his eyes. She couldn’t read anything. “With a set of keys.”
He nodded his understanding. “You have everything handled?”
Now she smelled the faint whiff of alcohol on his breath. He’d been drinking. In all the weeks they’d been together, he rarely drank.
Her head reeled, juggling notions of love. Before she answered, he turned to leave. He got as far as his Jeep before she could make her voice work. “Wait,” she called.
He paused with one leg in the car, ready to hoist the rest of himself in and drive away.
She hurried over to him. “I’m sorry.” The words choked out, and she knew they were inadequate.
He eased his leg out of the car and leaned against the side. He crossed his arms, but didn’t say a word.
“I’m sorry I accused you. I know I was wrong. It was Mitch who did everything, I’m sure of that now. He had a key to the bowling alley and used it to do everything I accused you of.”
His icy stare chilled her. “I’m glad you have the proof you need. It would’ve been nice to have that before you started believing the worst.”
“I know. But you don’t understand. I heard you talking with Keith. You don’t know.”
Colin shoved forward so quickly, she stepped back. Anger sparked in his eyes. “You’re right. I don’t know anything because you won’t talk to me. About anything. But I never pretended to be anything other than who I am.”
He leaned close enough that she could feel his breath on her face.
“I’ve done some fucked-up things in my life, and I’ve let a lot of people down, but I’ve never betrayed anyone. Especially you.” He backed away and climbed into his car. “Good-bye, Elizabeth.”
He started the engine and flicked the radio on, much louder than necessary. Probably to make sure he couldn’t hear her if she tried to talk.
But she had nothing to say. Colin was right. He never had a chance.
The single shot he’d had in his apartment hadn’t numbed him nearly enough for facing Elizabeth. He drove away from her for the second time that night, and even with her apology fresh in his mind, he didn’t feel any better. She’d said from the beginning that they wouldn’t have anything more than sex. Business and pleasure didn’t mix.
Now he understood why. She couldn’t trust anyone enough to build a relationship. It had nothing to do with her living in Florida or the amount of travel she did for work. It was all about her fucked-up family and her inability to trust.
The woman should’ve come with a warning label.
He tossed his keys on the counter and grabbed the bottle of whiskey, not even bothering with a glass this time. Taking a swig, he plopped onto the couch. The leather couch Ryan had left behind. The couch where he’d made love to Elizabeth. Another swig, this one to make him forget.
Shit. Maybe he’d just get a new couch. He stood and walked to the bedroom. She’d been gone for only two days, and evidence of her lingered. He’d washed the clothes she’d left and they sat on his dresser. He looked at the stack. Half the clothes he considered hers were actually his.
He picked up the Blue Balls T-shirt and thought about putting it back in his drawer. Then he realized that he’d never be able to wear the shirt again without thinking of her.
A softball team. They should sponsor one. They were a sports bar after all. That would give them an extra group of regular drinkers.
He put the bottle on the dresser. He had to stop thinking about how to improve business. Elizabeth had made it clear that he was hands-off from now on.
But she’d apologized. Was that enough for him to want to continue to work with her?
No, she’d made it clear that he worked for her, regardless of how he felt. It was time to move on. He’d made money on this venture, added it to the savings he had. He’d talk to Ryan about adding another business. His brother was a partner he could count on.
He’d proven it time and again.
And this time, Colin knew he could pull his own weight and wouldn’t have to lean on Ryan more than as a partner.
He guessed he’d gotten more than just some money out of his dealings with Elizabeth. He grabbed the bottle again, but put it back. Alcohol wasn’t going to cure anything. He stripped and crawled into bed.
The phone rang, and Colin sat up in bed. Sun glared through the window, and he scrubbed a hand over his face. The numbers on the clock were blurry, but he was certain it was early enough that he couldn’t seriously consider staying awake.
The phone stopped, and he flopped back. Then it started again. What the fuck? He crawled to the edge of the bed and fumbled for his jeans. As he yanked the phone from the pocket it stopped.
He checked the call log. Keith. Didn’t that just figure? Why bother being courteous to people who had to work late? Not that Colin had been courteous in calling Keith at two a.m. No messages, so Colin dialed.
“Hello?” Keith’s voice was the smooth sound of someone who’d been awake for hours.
“It’s Colin. What did you want?” His own voice was rough and cracked. He stood and got a glass of water from the bathroom.
“What the hell happened last night?”
“What didn’t happen?”
“Elizabeth won’t take my calls. You left some cryptic, threatening message. Then I get a call from my former bar manager saying he’d been arrested.”
Where to begin? “Mitch was arrested for trying to break into the bar, well, technically, the bowling alley. We think he was behind other problems we’ve had since reopening. I have no idea why he called you.”
“I know why he called me. He wants me to bail him out. He said Elizabeth was an unreasonable bitch, which, of course, she can be, but he tried to say it was all a misunderstanding.”
Anger rose in Colin’s chest, and he wanted to defend Elizabeth. She was no more a bitch than she needed to be. And even if she was, shouldn’t her own brother stand up for her? “No misunderstanding. He was trying to use an old key to get in. Based on the damage he did last time, I don’t want to know what he would’ve done last night.”
Colin felt weird having this conversation with Elizabeth’s brother while naked, so he pulled on jeans.
“Fine. Now tell me why Elizabeth won’t take my calls and you threatened me.”
He sat back on the edge of the bed. “It wasn’t a threat. It was a request for information. Before we closed last night, Elizabeth accused me of sabotage. She said she overheard us talking. I assumed she meant she’d heard about the party. But she said she knew I was conspiring with you, that you were setting her up to lose again.”
“Shit.”
“That’s not an explanation.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Since she accused me of betraying her, I think I’m entitled to that story, don’t you?”
“Fuck.” A long stretch o
f silence followed. “Can we meet for coffee?”
“That long of a story?”
“Unfortunately.”
Keith agreed to come to O’Leary’s in a half hour, which would give Colin enough time to attempt to look human. As long as he was up, he called Bianca and made sure everything was set for Elizabeth’s party. He wouldn’t attend, but he wanted her birthday to be a good one. He just hoped her brother wouldn’t screw that up.
Down in the bar, Colin found the quiet that used to make him enjoy being here. He still loved working at O’Leary’s, but he’d become accustomed to working with someone. The quiet didn’t soothe him the way it used to.
A knock sounded at the front door, and he unlocked it to see Keith standing in the sunlight wearing a suit. What was with this family? He couldn’t come for coffee dressed like a normal person?
“Come on in. Coffee’s ready. We don’t open for lunch for a few hours, so I can’t offer you anything else.” Colin locked the door after Keith walked past him. Keith looked at him and Colin pointed to a table near the bar. “I’ll be right back. How do you take it?”
“Black’s fine. How did you end up meeting Elizabeth?”
“She came in here and we got to know each other.”
Colin grabbed two cups and sat across from Keith. They stared at each other. Colin had nothing to say, so he let the silence fill the space.
“I don’t know where to start.”
“How about you start by telling me whatever you did to make Elizabeth be leery of anyone wanting to help her.”
The man sighed and hung his head. “The year before Elizabeth graduated college, my dad thought it would be fun to have us compete for work. We’d both worked with him, but I’d had more experience. My dad bought two properties in Tampa. While they were in similar neighborhoods, he leveled the playing field by giving Elizabeth the place that would require less work.
“At first I didn’t care. I knew I’d win.”
“Should I bother asking what the prize was?”
Keith shook his head. “I don’t even remember. It might’ve been bragging rights. It was supposed to be fun. A way to spend our summer. After the first two weeks, I knew I was in trouble. Elizabeth is good at what she does.”
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