Wild Man (Dream Man #2)(110)

I heard Vance chuckle, his scariness evaporating (kind of) and I saw Damian’s eyes narrow.

Then he stated, “He’s had sexual intercourse with suspects he was investigating.”

“I know that too seeing as I was one of them,” I informed him, Vance chuckled again and Damian’s narrow eyed look turned into a scowl.

Then he shared, “You weren’t the only one.”

“Yeah, her name was Darla and he had his reasons, he shared them with me but I will not be sharing them with you. What I will be doing is hunkering behind hot guy Vance while I call the police and inform them you’re harassing me again if you don’t go away. ”

Damian ignored me too and stated, “He’s not a good man, Tess.”

At that, I burst out laughing, so hard, I bent forward and had to wrap my arms around my belly because my sides were hurting.

I did this for a long time then straightened, wiped tears of hilarity from my cold cheeks and focused on a Vance and Damian who were both looking at me like I was more than a little crazy.

Then my eyes turned to Damian and I declared, “That was hilarious.”

“I’m not being funny,” he whispered.

“You wouldn’t know a good man if he walked up and tapped you on the shoulder,” I whispered back, suddenly deadly serious. “Brock Lucas is wild and he’s rough and he’s driven but he’s loving and affectionate and so f**king loyal it isn’t funny. He takes care of me. He makes me feel safe. He’s good through and through and that is the first and last f**king time I’ll listen to you talk shit about him. I’m done speaking to you or seeing you.

I’m reporting this incident to the police immediately and any future ones will also be reported. I’m done with you Damian and since you won’t listen to me, maybe the Denver Police Department can make you listen.”

Then I dug out my phone, touched the button to light the screen, slid my finger on it to activate it, got to my phone pad, dialed 911 and put it to my ear.

Vance stayed close and Damian stared at me.

“Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”

“This is Tessa O’Hara and I’m standing outside Tessa’s Cakes in Cherry Creek North. My ex-husband is harassing me and he won’t allow me to get in my vehicle. Can someone come help me?”

“I’m trying to help, Tess, with this guy, you’re in danger,” Damian told me as the 911

operator informed me she was sending a unit to the scene.

I ignored his idiocy and told him, “They’re sending a unit to the scene.”

He stared at me. Then he looked at a Vance Crowe who was standing close to me, grinning his shit-eating grin, arms crossed on his chest.

Then Damian looked at me one last time, moved away and disappeared into the shadows.

Vance uncrossed his arms and dug his phone out of his back jeans pocket. “You stay on with the operator, I’ll call Slim.”

I nodded. Then I told the operator Damian took off but I’d like to make a complaint as Vance told Brock what went down and Brock told Vance he was on his way.

Then the operator released me after telling me to get safe and stay put and I called Martha and begged off girls’ night in thankful I had an excuse but not thankful as to what that excuse was. Martha, surprisingly, agreed that, after a visit from Damian I should relax at home with my boys. But she wasn’t allowed to let me go until Shirleen confirmed I would be at the bakery the next day to peruse my nightie options and for her to collect on her debt.

I confirmed this through Martha then Vance and I waited for the police.

“Good news is, he’s dropped his shit with Slim,” Vance said into the night and I looked up at his profile. “He isn’t diggin’ anymore. He found the only things he could find, laid those out for you tonight and his activities on that have ground to a halt.”

I turned my head and replied into the night, “That is good news.”

And it was.

“The bad news is, he isn’t done f**kin’ with you,” Vance went on.

I sighed.

“I know,” I whispered.

“Advice,” Vance said softly and I looked up to him to see his eyes tipped down to me.

“No more conversation. You see him, you pull out your phone immediately and you dial 911.

Even if he’s near but hasn’t tried to engage you, you make note of it, keep the card of the officer assigned to your case, you call him or her and you report it. Yeah?”

This sounded like good advice and Vance Crowe looked like a man who knew what he was talking about so I nodded.

“You want more good news?” he asked.

“Uh… yeah, more good news is always good.”

He nodded. Then he stated, “His shit is comin’ to trial. Word on the street is they got a f**kin’ great case. Word also on the street is, he’s scramblin’. This means he’s either gonna rat on factions higher than him which makes him a marked man and, with the scum he worked for, they’ll make certain he won’t live to see trial, or it means he’s gonna go down and when he does, that’ll be for awhile. You gotta live with this a little while longer, Tess, but, one way or another, it’ll be done. It just depends on how permanent that done’ll be.”

Hmm.

“Which way do you think he’s leaning?” I asked.