He followed her gaze, spotting Andy McLeish, holding court at the centre of the bar, laughing raucously. Jack’s blood began to boil just watching him. He turned back to Ally, who was trying her best to look inconspicuous. She was clearly nervous, and from what Callum had told him and what he had observed himself the other night, he could understand why.
“I met him the other night,” he said, nodding in McLeish’s direction.
“You what?”
“That night I went to talk to Callum, I found him here. Along with Mr. Personality over there.”
“What happened? He and Callum didn’t – “
“He was just shooting his mouth off. Nothing happened,” he lied.
“Thank God. You need to keep away from him, Jack – he’s pure evil, and he’s got just enough between his ears to bring a whole lot of trouble down on you just as soon as look at you.”
“Yeah, Callum told me about that.”
Ally looked more and more uncomfortable by the second.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” he said.
Ally didn’t waste any time. She grabbed her crutches from under the table and shuffled sideways in her seat. Straightening her legs, she used the table and the back of the booth to hoist herself up.
He noticed that several pairs of eyes were on her but she was too preoccupied to notice. He moved in front of her, shielding her from prying eyes, his protective instinct in overdrive. Shifting her weight, she reached over for her crutches.
“Okay, let’s go,” she said, looking over his shoulder, nervously judging the crowd of people between them and the door.
“I’ll take it slow,” he assured her.
He shot a glance towards Andy and his entourage as they made their way towards the door, but thankfully they appeared to slip away unnoticed. Heading slowly through the throng, he kept one eye on Ally and the other on the door. It seemed to take forever, but after several minutes they were finally making their way out onto the street and into the cool night air.
They trudged away from the bar in silence. He tried to think of something to say to lighten the atmosphere, but nothing came. As a result, the mood remained sombre.
As they rounded the corner onto the side street and his car, she suddenly stumbled. He moved quickly to catch her before she fell, grabbing her around the waist.
“Whoa - are you okay?” he said, still holding onto her as she hurried to right herself.
“I’m fine,” she snapped.
Reluctantly, he let her go, afraid he had grabbed her too hard. “I’m sorry – that was just instinct. Did I hurt you?”
“Just my pride, but I’m sure I’ll live. The lighting out here is crap,” she said, clearing her throat. “Makes it kinda hard to see what I’m doing.”
He remembered what she’d said about having to see her legs to control them.
“How about I bring the car closer?”
“Thanks. That’d be great.”
“No problem. You going to be okay here for a minute?”
“I’m fine as long as I don’t try to walk,” she smiled tightly. “How’s that for irony?”
He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be right back.”
“And I’ll be right here.”
Her tone reeked of frustration. He headed for his car at a brisk walk, heart pounding. This was not how he was hoping the night would end. It was all he could do to stop himself from running back to her, but he forced himself to jog the last few steps to his car instead. He drove back up the street, double-parking and leaving the engine idling as he jumped out and made his way over to her.
“Your carriage awaits,” he bowed slightly, trying to alleviate some of the discomfort.
She flashed him an anxious smile before slowly making her way towards his car. He hovered behind, just in case, but she managed to get herself between the parked cars safely. Waiting while she eased herself in, he closed the door behind her and made his way around to the driver’s side.
He could not have foreseen any of this. This is what it was like for her, all the time? Something stupid like bad lighting becoming less of an inconvenience and more of a real safety issue? The simplest things turning into one hurdle after another? The guilt that he had successfully managed to push to the edge of his subconscious over the past couple of hours seeped in again, turning his stomach.
He climbed into the car and pulled out onto the quiet street. The tension in the air was palpable. Ally seemed closed off, staring out the side window. The easy companionship they had shared earlier had disappeared.
The lights from the car behind them reflected off his rear-view mirror and he squinted, tilting it slightly. He took the next corner slowly and the car behind did the same. He frowned, suddenly feeling claustrophobic.
“I’m sorry,” Ally said.
“What do you have to be sorry for?”
“This wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for tonight,” she mumbled, echoing his sentiments.
“Are you kidding? I think you’re just looking at it all wrong.”