Hustle Him (Bank Shot Romance #2)(40)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Says the guy that’s been sticking his dick in my wife.”

“Where do you get your information from, man? We’re just friends. Neither one of us has ever given anyone a reason to think otherwise.”

“Let’s just say that I know Vessa more than you. She would have come running home by now. I knew she found somebody. I might not have physical proof that you’re screwing, but I know you are. I can see it all over her face that she’s into you. What’s your story anyway? Why do you even want a used up whore with two kids?” I was going to kill him with my bare hands.

“It’s taking everything I have in me not to take four more steps and knock your ass out. I advise you to shut your mouth up about Vessa. You know she’s not a whore and a real man doesn’t walk away because someone has kids. I don’t think you know her at all. You sure as hell don’t know me, or anything about me.”

We were up in each other’s faces again, only until Vessa came running down the hill after us again. She pushed us both apart and stood there between us. “Ramsey, go inside!”

“Hell no!”

“The police are on their way. Go in the house. Please!” She was pleading with me, but I wasn’t about to leave her alone outside with him.

“I’m not going in that house unless you’re with me.” She gave me this look, like I was making this harder for her.

“I can handle this. Just go inside and wait for them to get here. I want them to hear the truth before he tells his lies. Everyone knows you acted in self defense.” A smile formed out of the corner of her mouth. She wanted to screw Gavin over and this was a good plan.

Except the police didn’t buy it. They took one look at Gavin’s face and put me in handcuffs, like I was a danger to be around. I argued with each of the deputies about who I was, but it didn’t make a bit of difference. Gavin was pressing charges for assault. I spent the night in jail because I took up for Vessa.

The next morning, when I was released, she picked me up from the police station. I knew she wasn’t happy. She looked terrible, like she’d been crying all night long. I ran my hand through her hair that was in a ponytail. “I’m sorry.”

She started talking with her hands, which was never a good sign. “Look, I get that you were taking up for me. I’m not mad about that. He deserved it. What I’m mad about it that you took it to a whole different level after I walked away. The police took pictures of his face, Ramsey. He had to get seventeen stitches in his head and face.”

“I…I didn’t know.”

“What am I supposed to do now? This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen. He’s going to use this against me. He’s going to claim that I put the kids in danger being around you. I’m going to lose them.”

I started to answer her when my phone started to ring. I knew it was work related from the number, so I let it go to voicemail. “Vessa, what can I do to make this better? I’m sorry. I just lost it when he got his hands on you. I hated what he was saying. You should never be treated that way. He had no right to…”

“Save it. I can’t argue about this right now. I need to do some damage control and you aren’t going to like it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We need to be apart for a while. I think if Gavin sees that you’re not in the picture, he’ll drop the charges.”

I wasn’t an idiot. “And how are you going to get him to do that, Vessa. You know what, don’t even tell me. I don’t think I want to know the answer to that.”

She slapped me in the chest and pulled the car over to the shoulder. “How dare you think I would do that. I never even considered sleeping with him. Is that what you really think of me?”

“Of course not! I just…”

“I can’t do this, Ramsey. It isn’t because I don’t love you, because you know I do. I just have to protect my kids. You’ve seen what he’s capable of. I wasn’t kidding around. He will stop at nothing until he takes them from me. I don’t know what else to do.” Vessa started crying and there was nothing I could say to make things better. I hadn’t slept. I felt like shit and there was no way I was getting out of the assault charges.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her over into my arms. “I am so sorry, Vessa. I just don’t want to lose you.”

She cried even harder. “I don’t either. This hurts so much. I know it’s what has to be done. I just don’t know how to say goodbye to you, not when I know that you’re everything I want.”

“I never imagine myself loving someone again. I don’t care what we have to do, or how long you make me wait, I’m not giving up on us.” My phone started to ring again and it was the same number as before. “I gotta take this. Hang on.”

Hello?

Is this Ramsey Towers?

Yes, it is.

This is Mayor Calvin Vance, I think you and I need to have a man to man talk about your future in this town.

I can be there in an hour, sir.

My office, one hour. See you there.

“Who was it?” She asked.

“That was the mayor. I think I just lost my job.”

Chapter 18

Vessa

I didn’t understand how one perfect afternoon could turn into my whole world being turned upside down again. After years of being in a terrible marriage, with the most selfish person in the world, I’d fallen in love with someone that had more compassion than any man I had ever known. Unfortunately, in order to win custody of my kids, I couldn’t be with Ramsey.

My heart was ripped apart and I knew his was too. We’d spent so much time building up to, what we thought was going to be, our future. This hurt so much different than being cheated on by Gavin or anything else that we’d been through in our marriage. I guess I never had hope that things were going to last forever with Gavin. Maybe deep down inside I knew he was going to disappoint me.

At any rate, keeping my distance from Ramsey was tearing me apart.

Fearing that someone could access phone records, he mailed me a pay as you go phone. Our time to talk to each other also got cut in half. Ramsey’s meeting with the mayor didn’t go as bad as he thought, but he was on probation. He was suspended a week with no pay, got his second cover story in the local paper and six months of probation pending the verdict of his trial. Yes, he was actually being sued by my husband.

To say that it didn’t cause a major strain in our relationship would have been a lie. Even the kids knew something was going on.