False Start (Fair Catch Series, Book Two)

by Christine Kersey

  “Ma’am,” the man said. “I’m Officer Cassidy.”

  Nodding, she didn’t reply.

  “You witnessed the altercation?”

  “Yes.” Her voice was a whisper.

  “What happened?”

  She didn’t want to get Brock into any more trouble, but she wasn’t going to lie either. Maybe she could get them to understand that it wasn’t Brock’s fault, that Tommy had egged him on. “I broke up with Tommy the other day, and he was jealous. He…he accused me of cheating on him. He…he said some ugly things to me.”

  “And then?”

  “Brock was just trying to protect me.”

  “Did you feel threatened by Mr. Zimmerman?”

  Ainsley looked toward Tommy. Had she felt threatened by him? Not with Brock by her side. No one could hurt her with him there to protect her. “Tommy approached me after I told him to leave. He…he wouldn’t leave.”

  “Did Mr. Zimmerman threaten Mr. Remington before Mr Remington hit him? Or did Mr. Remington step forward first?”

  Fear of saying the wrong thing squeezed Ainsley’s chest. Clear as day, she remembered Brock taking two large steps toward Tommy before punching him, but she couldn’t say that. That would condemn him. Panic swelled within her. “I…I.” She shook her head and her lips clamped shut.

  Officer Cassidy grimaced, then he turned and walked away. Not waiting to be questioned further, and not wanting to face Tommy again, Ainsley strode briskly back to her house, went inside, and locked the door.

  The next thing she did was call Brock’s agent, desperately hopeful that he could get this straightened out. After explaining what was going on, she hung up and began pacing the room.

  Chapter Thirteen

  As the afternoon turned to evening and Ainsley hadn’t heard anything from Brock or heard back from Brock’s agent, she became frantic with worry. What was happening? She had to know.

  Using Brock’s phone, she called his agent as she sat on the couch and stared at the wall.

  “This is Steve,” the man answered.

  “Hi, Steve. This is Ainsley Hunter. I’m sorry to bother you, I just, I wanted to find out what was happening with Brock.”

  “Sure. I found a good local attorney for him, but the man he assaulted wants to press charges. Evidently his nose was broken.”

  “Will he…will he go to jail?”

  Steve sighed. “It’s hard to say, but it’s certainly possible. An assault charge is serious.”

  Ainsley still held on to a sliver of hope that Brock could get out of this. “But Tommy was on my property and he wouldn’t leave.”

  “Earlier you told me that Brock walked toward Tommy before hitting him, and that Tommy never physically threatened either one of you.”

  “Right.”

  “It sounds like Brock initiated the attack. That’s not allowed, even if someone is on your property and won’t leave. In that case, you should call the police.” Steve sighed. “I’m sorry, Ainsley. I’m sure Brock’s attorney will do everything he can, but I don’t want to give you false hope.”

  Closing her eyes in abject despair, she said, “Thank you. Please let me know if you hear anything.”

  “I will.”

  She disconnected the call and set Brock’s phone on her coffee table, then she stood and went to the front window, staring at the spot where Brock had punched Tommy. No one was there now, but she could vividly see the whole thing play out in her mind.

  There had to be something she could do. Had to be.

  Chewing on the inside of her lip, she tried to think of anything she could do to help Brock, but she kept drawing a blank.

  If Tommy hadn’t come over, none of this would have happened. It’s all Tommy’s fault, and now he wants to press charges.

  That’s when it hit her. If she could convince Tommy not to press charges, then maybe it would all go away.

  Fresh hope poured over her, and without waiting another moment, she grabbed her purse from the kitchen counter and raced to her car. Ten minutes later she stood on Tommy’s front porch, her finger pressing the doorbell.

  When she heard his footsteps approaching the door, Ainsley had to force down the anger that had been building inside her ever since he’d shown up at her house. Moments later the door opened.

  Tommy’s eyebrows shot up. “Ainsley.”

  Despite the fact that both of his eyes had dark bruises and a bandage covered the bridge of his nose, the mere sight of him brought on a fresh bout of fury, but Ainsley shoved down her anger—she had to stay focused on her purpose for being there. “Can we talk?”

  He smiled. “Sure.” Then he opened the door wider and invited her in.

  She stepped inside, the space familiar.

  Tommy gestured with his head toward the couch, and when Ainsley nodded, he sat. She joined him, but sat as far from him as possible.

  Wanting to start the conversation on a conciliatory note, she asked, “How’s your nose? Are you doing okay?”

  Tommy’s hand went to his face, and he grimaced. “It hurts. A lot.”

  It was nothing that he didn’t deserve, but Ainsley couldn’t say that out loud. “Brock didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  A scoffing sound came from Tommy’s mouth. “Coulda fooled me. He stepped right towards me before taking a swing. And don’t forget, he tackles people for a living. Don’t think for a minute that he didn’t mean to do this.”

  Ainsley could see this was going to be more difficult than she’d anticipated. Licking her lips, she tried to come up with another strategy.

  “Why are you here?” Tommy asked.

  Deciding honesty was the best policy, she said, “I’m here to beg you to drop the charges against Brock. Please, Tommy. He just lost his father, for heaven’s sake. Give the man a break.”

  Tommy stared at her. “I’m worried about you, Ainsley.”

  Brow furrowing, Ainsley tilted her head. “Why?”

  “The man has a temper.” He touched the bridge of his nose again. “Clearly. What if he loses it with you?”

  That was not going to happen. Ainsley was certain of that. “I appreciate your concern.” Total lie. “But what can I do to convince you not to press charges?”

  Tommy looked thoughtful, like he’d never considered that before, and after several moments he spoke. “There may be a solution.”

  Would he reconsider pressing charges? Hope ignited within her. “What? What’s the solution?” She hadn’t meant to sound so eager, but she couldn’t help herself.

  He lifted his chin. “You’re not going to like this, but I’m only doing it because I care about you so much.”

  Wary, Ainsley said, “What are you talking about?”

  “I’ll drop the charges on one condition.”

  Heart pounding with optimism, Ainsley nearly held her breath. At this point, she would do anything. The thought of Brock going to jail made her stomach churn. “What? What’s your condition?”

  “I’ll drop the charges if…” He pursed his lips. “If you agree to stop seeing him.”

  “What?” The word shot out of her mouth. Then, fearing he would withdraw his offer, she clamped her lips shut.

  “In addition,” Tommy said, his expression calm, “you can’t tell him about our agreement.”

  Her heart plummeted. The choice was between losing all hope of a future with Brock in exchange for keeping him out of jail.

  “That’s my one and only offer, Ainsley. And it expires in five minutes.”

  She couldn’t catch her breath. Desperate for a sliver of hope, she scrambled for something to say as tears filled her eyes. “But he’s my friend.”

  Compassion flashed across Tommy’s face. “You can remain friends, but there must never be anything beyond friendship.”

  This was the last thing Ainsley had expected, and she didn’t know if she could agree to it. But she didn’t have a choice, did she? If this would keep Brock out of jail, then she had to do it. There was simply no other option.
Sure, Brock’s attorney might manage to keep Brock out of jail, but the assault would always be on his record, always be there to haunt him. If Tommy dropped the charges, it would all go away, it would be as if it had never happened.

  Except for the ramifications for her. Was she willing to make this sacrifice for Brock, the man she’d fallen in love with?

  Picturing his face, Ainsley knew she would do whatever it took to fix this. Then, letting her logical side take over, she reminded herself that there was never going to be a future for her with Brock beyond friendship anyway, so maybe this wasn’t so bad. Well, it destroyed any hope for a romantic relationship, so it was actually beyond awful, but if it would keep Brock out of jail—something he faced only because of her—then the sacrifice was worth it. Right?

  “Clock’s ticking, Ains.”

  Pressure squeezed her chest. She had to decide, and she had to decide now. She filled her lungs, briefly held her breath, then exhaled in a loud whoosh. “Okay.” The word was barely audible.

  Tommy grinned. “What? I couldn’t hear you.”

  “I said okay. You have a deal.” This time the words were loud and clear. She tried to stay focused on the moment rather than think about the way her future was crashing and burning before her very eyes.

  Nodding, he slapped his legs once. “All right.” Then he frowned. “How can I be sure you’ll keep your end of the agreement?”

  In all reality, once the charges were dropped, they probably couldn’t be reinstated. Ainsley was confident Brock’s attorney would make sure of that. But she needed Tommy to keep his end of the deal. “Because I keep my word. It’s called integrity.” And that was true too. Even if she could double-cross him by agreeing to the deal, and then once Brock was free and clear, backing out of it, she wouldn’t do that. It wasn’t in her nature.

  “Good to hear, Ains. But I have another little piece of insurance to keep you honest.”

  Wow. He’d really thought this through. Which only bolstered her original thought that he’d planned this all out ahead of time. “What?” She tried not to spit the word.

  He took his phone out of his pocket, and then he pulled up Youtube. “Watch this.”

  She took the phone from his outstretched hand and watched a replay of the whole incident. Evidently a neighbor had filmed their altercation and then uploaded it. There had already been over a million views.

  Bile churned in Ainsley’s stomach. Seeing Brock hit Tommy in the face, then Tommy fall to the ground as blood poured from his nose… It was horrible to watch. And she’d been the one Tommy had been insulting. None of that had been picked up on the recording. Instead it clearly showed that Brock was the aggressor, that he had cold-cocked Tommy. And Brock looked huge compared to Tommy. No one would feel sorry for Brock. No one but her.

  She handed the phone back to him.

  “If you break our deal,” he said as he tucked the phone into his pocket, “I’ll bring civil charges against Brock Remington for pain, suffering, humiliation, injury. You name it. A jury will eat it up. The big NFL star punching out the little guy.” He grinned. “That would be me. I’ll win, and everyone will know that a jury of his peers agreed that Brock is a bully. He could even get kicked out of the NFL.”

  Horrified that any of that could happen, Ainsley fought back tears. If she could keep that from happening to Brock, then she would. No matter the cost. And the only way to assure that was to keep her relationship with him strictly platonic.

  The memory of him kissing her the night before filled her mind. She’d never enjoyed a simple kiss as much as she’d enjoyed the kisses with him. Without a doubt, being in love with him made all the difference. But she would have to put that aside, to forget the way she felt. She would do it. For Brock.

  Heart aching with sorrow, she again reminded herself that there was never going to be a future for the two of them. He had his life in Sacramento—a life filled with NFL games, parties, and gorgeous women. There was no room for her in his life. If she could only remember that, this would be much easier to get through.

  Who was she kidding? This was going to be torture.

  “Ainsley?” Tommy said, his voice nasally due to his broken nose.

  “What?”

  “I’m not going to have to file a civil suit, am I?”

  “No.” The word was immediate. “No, you’re not. I promise.”

  His grin, accentuated by his black eyes, looked evil. “Good.”

  “When are you going to drop the charges?”

  His lips twisted into a smirk. “It’s getting a little late now, but I’ll go in the morning.”

  Outrage built inside her, but she drew in a slow breath to calm herself. She was so close to the goal line. She couldn’t do anything to blow it.

  Standing, she tried to smile, but she couldn’t quite get there. She turned and walked to the door.

  “Thanks for stopping by,” Tommy said as he followed her. “And remember, don’t tell him about our deal.”

  Without another word, Ainsley opened the door, walked to her car, and drove away.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “That’s all he wants?” Brock asked his attorney as they sat in a small room at the jailhouse the next day. “A letter of apology and for me to pay his medical bills? And then this all goes away?”

  “That’s right,” Ted Michaelson said.

  Confused as to why Tommy had decided to drop the charges, Brock was just glad he could put it behind him. “All right. Let’s do it.”

  Two hours later he was home. After showering, the first thing he did was go to Ainsley’s, but she was apparently still at work. Eager to see her, he couldn’t even send her a text. She still had his phone.

  Keeping himself busy with packing, every hour he walked next door to see if she’d gotten home yet—she typically parked in the garage. A little after three o’clock, she was there.

  At the look of joy on her face when she opened her door and saw him standing there, his first instinct was to pull her into his arms and kiss her. He didn’t have the chance. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tight.

  “I’m so happy to see you,” she said, her voice strained.

  Sliding his arms around her, he held her tight and he never wanted to let her go. Sitting in that jail cell, he’d come to realize how much she meant to him, how much he wanted her to be part of his life. And now that they’d put the unfortunate incident with Tommy behind them, the future was bright with possibilities.

  Ainsley was beyond thrilled that Brock was actually there, free. Tommy had kept his end of the bargain and for that she was grateful. Regardless, she was certain he had orchestrated the whole thing to get the end result he wanted—Ainsley and Brock only ever being friends.

  The reminder that there was no hope for a future with Brock was like ice water pouring over her. She unwound her arms from around him, her happiness dimmed. Ignoring the ache in her heart, she invited him in.

  “Have you eaten?” she asked. “When did you get home? Tell me everything.”

  They sat side by side on the couch, angled to face each other, and when Brock took her hand, Ainsley convinced herself it was okay, that friends could hold hands as a way to comfort each other. Besides, she wasn’t ready to reject him just yet.

  Pushing a bright smile onto her lips, she waited to hear what Brock had to say. Then a new idea jumped into her head. What if his freedom had nothing to do with Tommy? That would make her deal with Tommy null and void.

  “Tommy dropped the charges,” Brock said.

  The reality of the situation plowed through her, and it took all of the discipline she could muster to keep smiling. “That’s great!”

  “I know. I’m surprised though. All he asked was that I write a letter of apology to him and pay his medical bills.”

  That wasn’t all he asked.

  “So I did it,” Brock continued. “And now I’m good to go. My attorney made sure the charges couldn’t be reinstated, so now there’s nothing t
o worry about.” He grinned, his brown eyes glowing. “I’m free.”

  Lead settled in Ainsley’s stomach. Invisible shackles circled her ankles and wrists, but most especially her heart. She was anything but free.

  “I’m so happy for you, Brock.”

  And she was. She was just sad for herself.

  For a split second she considered telling him everything and breaking the deal with Tommy, but then she pictured Brock being sued by Tommy and dragged into court, the whole world watching as he defended himself. Or maybe Brock could settle out of court. That could work. That could be a way around this.

  Hope, bright and clear, blossomed inside her.

  But she’d made an agreement. Tommy had done what he’d promised, and now she needed to do what she’d promised. Her parents had always emphasized honesty and integrity. What would they think of her if she broke a verbal contract? What would she think of herself?

  Frustrated beyond reason, she focused on the good that had come out of this. Brock’s name had been cleared. He wouldn’t go to jail.

  Remember, Ainsley, there’s no future with you and Brock anyway, so what difference does keeping your relationship platonic matter anyway?

  Clinging to that logic, she smiled at Brock.

  “I want to take you to dinner tonight,” he said. “To celebrate my freedom.”

  Panic seized her. She couldn’t go on a date. What if Tommy saw them together? But he’d said she could still be friends with Brock.

  Hatred for Tommy slid through her, taking up residence deep inside her. She’d broken up with him, but he was controlling her life.

  “What do you say?” Brock asked, his face filled with expectation.

  Ainsley hesitated. “Would this be a…a date?”

  Brock’s eyebrows rose. “Uh, yes?”

  Swallowing over the knot that formed in her throat, Ainsley gently pulled her hands from his as she shook her head. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  Brock’s eyebrows yanked together. “Why not?”