Absolution(49)

Listening to the engine idling, he contemplated his next move. He had no idea how this would go but he had promised Ally he would try, so try he would. He pulled away from the curb and into the darkness, headlights illuminating the road ahead.

Driving through town, the roads were more or less deserted as he left the streetlights behind, detouring from the main road and onto a quiet side street. He hadn’t been to Callum’s house in years, but he drove on autopilot, as if he were here just yesterday. He pulled over to the curb opposite the last house on the street and sat in the car, staring at it. The house was dark and Callum’s car was nowhere in sight. What had happened to Callum’s van? He had put so much work into getting it on the road, he found it hard to believe he would ever part with it, yet apparently he had.

He could tell from the way Ally talked about him that they were close and while he understood why, it still hurt. He had to keep reminding himself that he had walked away – Callum hadn’t. It made sense, their bond. He swallowed down the jealousy he knew he had no right to feel. He had to work at gaining their trust back, and that was exactly what he was planning to do.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled away from the curb. Callum wasn’t at home so that meant he would have to go looking for him. Barney’s was his first stop. He hadn’t been inside since he returned to town but he was willing to play the odds. He started to sweat. Barney’s was familiar territory and he had purposefully avoided any such places since the debacle at the funeral. The curtain-twitching going on next door every time he left the house was getting on his nerves. What sort of reception would he get here?



Callum glanced up from the sink as the men’s room door creaked open. Andy McLeish stood in the doorway, wearing a self-satisfied smirk that Callum immediately wanted to punch off his face. Instead, he grabbed a paper towel and quickly dried his hands, tossing it into the tin bucket in the corner.

“Well, look who it is,” Andy purred.

“What the hell do you want? Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Why? Am I making you nervous?”

“Nope,” he mumbled, pushing past Andy irritably. “But the smell of bullshit in here is making me gag.”

Andy grabbed Callum’s arm as he passed, twisting it up behind his back and pushing him up against the wall. Callum’s face smacked into the hardboard paneling as Andy pinned him in place, pain shooting up his arm.

“Careful,” Andy breathed in his ear. “That was almost assault. Wouldn’t that be a violation of your probation?”

Callum breathed heavily through his nose, his temper rising with every heartbeat. Just as he was sure he wasn’t able to rein it in any longer, Andy let him go and stepped back. Slowly, Callum turned to face him, flexing his hand and ignoring the dull ache in his elbow. He glanced at Andy out of the corner of his eye and turned to head straight for the door.

“I saw her the other day, on the street. She didn’t see me, but I got a good look at those skinny little legs in action. Much hotter than the wheelchair – you can tell her I said that, too.”

Callum stopped in his tracks, one hand on the door, not daring to turn around. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. His lungs felt like they were sitting in his throat.

“I mean, there’s no doubt that the sex would still be weird, but I’m willing to bet that she could do other things just as well as normal chicks – maybe even better. I mean, is it kinda like blind people having great hearing? Y’know, other senses compensating for the one that’s gone? Something like that.”

Callum’s teeth clenched together so hard he thought his jaw was going to break. The image of Andy anywhere near Ally made his skin crawl. He turned around to face him, barely able to contain his temper. His face felt like it was on fire as they circled each other in the small bathroom. Callum’s fists clenched in anticipation. What he wouldn’t give to knock that cocky smile right off his ugly face.

Andy raised his eyebrows at him and threw his hands up in mock surrender, almost inviting him to hit him. Callum seriously considered it for a moment. Then he realised what was happening and knew he had to get out of there. Andy had positioned himself in front of the door again, smiling.

“Get out of my way,” he hissed, elbowing him aside and shoving the men’s room door open so hard it rebounded off the wall.

He stopped in his tracks as the door swung behind him. Jack stood at the bar, beer untouched in front of him.

“Hey!” Andy yelled, addressing Harry, the bartender. “You can’t do that – that was assault! Did you see that?”