Hustle Him (Bank Shot Romance #2) (25 page)

I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. “Chill out. We’re going to get the kids and leave. No big deal.”

I
would have liked for things to go smoothly.

They didn’t.

When I pulled up into the driveway, it was full of cars. Vessa looked over at me and shrugged. It was still morning, so it wasn’t likely to be a gathering or party. “Does he have roommates now?”

“Not that I know of. I was just here the other day.” We both got out of the car. She gave me a look but I followed behind her anyway.

When we got close to the door, we could hear yelling. Vessa didn’t waste any time knocking. We stood there waiting and nobody came to the door. She ran down the steps and pulled me with her. “Where are we going?”

“To look for my kids.”

I didn’t understand until she climbed on the air-conditioning unit and looked in a window. I saw her waving and soon Asha was at the window. She was crying.

I stepped in front of Vessa I held out my hands.
She ran away from the window and came back with a baby and Logan. I grabbed the baby and handed it to Vessa, while lifting her two out, one at a time. The screaming was getting louder and with someone’s baby, we couldn’t exactly drive away.

I pulled out my phone and called the police, then handed her the phone to give the address. We got the kids in the car, including the baby. She was asleep and oblivious to what was going on. When something came flying out the window, I reached for my gun, instinctively. Of course, it wasn’t there. It was laying on the floor in the pool table room. I had another gun locked away in the back of the truck, but there wasn’t time. The screaming was louder and we could hear thing being thrown. Vessa looked petrified. She ducked back in the car and checked on the kids.

I ran up to where the broken window was and put my cell phone down to record it. If that bastard wanted to screw me over, I was going to play my own.

When I saw Vessa coming toward the window, I yelled at her to get back in the truck. The screaming in the house stopped. All of the sudden the front door flew open. Gavin stood there looking at the both of us. He pointed at me. “What the fuck is he doing here?”

I’d been around enough people to know he was drunk or on something. His eyes could barely stay open. “What’s going on in there?” I asked. “Is everything alright?” I didn’t want him to know we had the kids.

He started laughing. “Are you for real? Get the fuck off my property, before I claim self defense again and shoot your ass.”

I almost wanted to smile because I was recording him, but I could tell that something else was going on. “Where are the kids?”

“Fuck you, cop. I’m not telling you shit. Get off my property.” He could barely stand up.

“Look, I didn’t come here to start trouble. Why don’t you calm down and tell us what’s going on. We only came to pick up the kids. Vessa’s aunt is in the hospital.” It wasn’t his business, but I needed to get in that house. Something wasn’t right.

Vessa just stood there looking at him with a shocked look on her face. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking, but it could
n’t be good. “Hey, get in the car, honey.”

Yeah, that was a dick move. I didn’t care. He needed to know that she was mine.

“You can just turn around and go home. The kids aren’t going anywhere with you. Ask your honey about our agreement.” He started laughing and waving his head around. “You can’t have her,” he sang.

I rolled my eyes, still waiting to hear the police sirens.

Gavin came down two of the three steps on the porch. He looked from me to Vessa and then back to me again. “You want a piece of me, man?”

It would have felt real good to beat his ass again. I shook my head. “Not here for that. Who’s in the house Gavin?”

“Nobody.”

I knew he was lying.

I could see someone moving around in the window. “Who’s in there?” I called into the window.

“Get away from my house, dude.” He took another step and was on the sidewalk.

The sirens were in the distance, but they weren’t close enough to help me with this situation. “Where is your girlfriend?”

“She’s sleeping.”
He laughed again.

I looked at Vessa and she returned my concern. “Did you hurt her?” She asked.

He laughed and started walking back in the house. “That little bitch is fine.”

I waited for him to get in the house and I handed Vessa my truck keys. “Take them down the street and stay there until I come for you. No matter what, you promise me that you’ll stay here.”

She took the keys and nodded. “What are you going to do? He’s never acted like this before, I swear.” She followed me to the back of my truck. I grabbed the carpet and opened up the hidden panel where my gun and vest were. She pushed the small box out of my hands. “No! You can’t!”

I leaned my head in the truck. “Asha, I need you to tell me what is going on in the house, sweetie. Can you tell me what you saw?”

She looked at her mother and then back to me. “They were fighting. She gave me the baby and told us to hide. Some other people came and she never came back in the room again to get us. That’s when you came.”

“Good girl.” I pulled Vessa away from the truck. “You and I both know he has a handgun. Get the kids out of here. The police will be here any second. There could be someone in trouble inside. This is what I’m trained to do. I won’t hurt anyone if I don’t have to.”

She was crying again. I put my vest on and put my gun behind my back. Vessa climbed into the truck and started it. She leaned out the window and let me kiss her. “Please be careful.”

“Go.”

I imagined Gavin coming out with his gun firing. That’s how a cop movie would play out. Instead, it was much like every other domestic situation I dealt with. Until we talked to everyone involved, we had to be prepared for the worst. Whatever came out of the house, I didn’t want Vessa or the kids around it.

I put my back up against the house and listened for movement.

I could hear him yelling. “What do you mean the kids are gone? Well, look again. They didn’t just run away with a baby.”

A couple minutes passed. “Gavin they aren’t in there. We need to get out of here. You know they called the cops. They can’t arrest you for anything if we leave.” It was a female’s voice.

“I can’t leave without my kids. Find them!” I heard screaming again. “Tell me where they are? You sent her here didn’t you? I knew you’d fuck this up for me. I never should have fucked you!”

The girl continued to cry.

More muffled sounds were close to the window. I ducked to the side, just in time for him to peek his head out. Without my badge, I could put myself in harms way. I saw them pulling in and around to the side of the house. I waved down the officers and they came over to meet me.

“My name is Ramsey Towers
. I’m a sheriff in West Virginia. Look me and my girlfriend showed up to pick up her kids this morning. They were hiding in a room, with a baby. We managed to get them out of a window, but…”

“Wait. Are you dating Vessa?”

I shook my head. “Yeah.”

“So Gavin’s in there. Is she in there, too?”

“No! She took my police vehicle and got the kids out of here. I was just waiting for you to get here.”

“Any idea what’s going on?” Since he knew Vessa, he seemed to be comfortable enough to
believe that I was a cop.

“I know he’s under the influence. I didn’t get close enough, but his eyes were messed up. His words are slurred and he seems unstable. I could hear thing
s breaking and a female screaming. Vessa thinks more than one other person is inside based on the vehicles. Also, she said he has a handgun.”

They both looked at each other and then back to me. “She should have took it when she shot up the house. He tried to press charges on her, but I kept losing the paperwork. Gavin’s an asshole. The best thing Vessa could have done was left. I’m going to call for backup and then we’ll go in and figure out what the hell is going on this time.”

“This time?”

“We were here last week and last night. All he does is party. He’s got that baby in there and I don’t think his girlfriend is even twenty one.” He grabbed his radio. “Five one five six I’m going to need backup at my location. Can you have officer Tanger respond?”

Once he got confirmation he put his radio back in place. It beeped again. “Five one five six please be advised that a report of children missing just came in for your location.”

He put the radio back up to his mouth. “Copy that.”

I held up my hands. “We didn’t kidnap anyone. Vessa’s right down the road.”

He drew his gun, but walked by me. “Stay here!” I watched him walk to the front door. “Police! Open up!”

The door opened and Gavin came walking out. “What seems to be the problem Officer Friendly?” He laughed at what he called the guy.

“What’s going on Gavin? We got a call for a noise disturbance. You fight
ing with your old lady again?” They were talking like they were friends. I didn’t like it.

His partner walked up behind him. “You mind if we come in and make sure everything
is alright?”

“Yeah I mind! You got a warrant?”

“We don’t need one when we can smell marijuana coming out of your windows.” I stood there and watched them handcuff Gavin. It was going to take a lot more than pot to make sure he left us alone.

Another cop showed up and ran in the house. I sat on the curb and watched them put Gavin in the police car. A few minutes later and ambulance arrived. They went running into the house and came out with a female on a stretcher. I ran over to the girl.
She was conscious, but had a busted lip and a wrapped up leg. “Is she going to be alright?”

“She might have a broken leg. He locked her in the closet and knocked her around. She’s crying about her baby, but there’s no kids in the house.”

The other officer came walking over toward us. “I need you call Vessa and tell her to bring the kids back. We’re going to need to interview them and get the baby to her grandparents.”

I walked over to the window and grabbed my cell phone from the ledge.

Ramsey? Please tell me you’re okay?

I’m fine. The cops need you to bring the kids back. Gavin’s in the back of the cop car, so he can’t hurt anyone.

I’ll be there in two minutes.

As soon as she pulled up, the police crowded around the truck. I think the other cop was shocked when he
saw her pull up in my police vehicle. She pushed through the officers and ran into my arms. “I was getting worried.”

“I’m fine. They need to interview the kids.”

Another female came walking out in cuffs. She looked around as she was pushed in the back of the car. Vessa’s cop friend walked up to us. “We got him on possession and assault. I’m hoping his girlfriends family will convince her to testify.”

“Thanks, Tommy.” Vessa gave him a hug.

“I thought you told me, you’d never date a cop.”

She turned and looked at me. “I might marry one.”

Tommy’s eyes lit up. “Really? That was fast. I mean, you’ve only been gone for like a year.”

“She’s just trying to skip the dating part,” I teased.

“Well, congrats. You got a great girl there. Be good to her.” He started walking back to his patrol car.

She turned and wrapped her arms around me again. “Are the kids alright?”

“Yeah, they’re shaken up. I hate that I have to tell them more bad news. I mean, they just watched their father get arrested. How much more can they take in one day?” She was so stressed and we hadn’t even been to the hospital yet.

“The good news is that I recorded him admitting that he set me up and the police have enough on him to make sure that he won’t ever be able to take your kids away. I know it’s going to be an adjustment for the kids, but I’m not letting you out of my sight. I think we need to sit them down and give them the good and bad. Together, of course.” At first, I thought she was going to shoot down my idea. I could only push her so much before she felt smothered. She was depressed and I was ecstatic. I’d felt so damn guilty about putting herself in danger of losing her children.

“Together sounds like a plan. After all of this, I’m just so glad that you were here with me. Can you imagine how bad it could have gotten?”

I kissed her on the top of the head. “Get in the truck. I’ll give them all my information to get in touch with you, if they need it. We need to get these kids to the hospital before visiting hours are over.”

When I opened my door to get in, Logan climbed over the seat and hugged the back of my neck. “Thanks for rescuing us. You’re the best hero, ever!”

Chapter 22

Vessa

The kids didn’t say much on the way home. I could tell that they were
completely freaked out. About halfway down the road, we stopped to eat. Asha needed to go the bathroom, so I took her while Ramsey and Logan ordered our food.