“Holy Moly. You’re fighting Sasquatch,” Norma all but screeched.
Vickie, the very large girl I had told to fuck off the first night I’d found Firefly was cracking her knuckles and bouncing on her feet. Her body gleamed with sweat. She regarded me with a bone-chilling smile as though she was ready to beat my head into the dirty floor.
Suddenly, I berated myself for not spending more than thirty minutes training with Kross. “She’s not seven feet. She’s six.”
“You can’t fight her.” Norma’s voice hitched. “She’s going to seriously damage your body parts.”
Vickie had the advantage. Her sports bra was stretched tight over her well-toned chest. Her biceps reminded me of Kross’s, big and cut. Her short shorts revealed thick thighs. But her muscles weren’t what had me shaking where I stood. Her hands were big. One punch, and my entire face would be bruised. Then Ms. Waters might think it wasn’t safe for my own daughter to be around me. Heck, I didn’t want Raven to see me all black and blue. I was also beginning to think Tommy had gotten me all excited about winning two thousand dollars when he knew I didn’t stand a chance. A psychopathic laugh broke out in my head at something Tommy had said. “You have potential and great footwork.” Those two attributes did nothing to quell my nerves.
“Kross gave me some good pointers,” I said to Norma as I looked for Kross in the crowd.
Norma chewed on a long nail. “If you’re looking for Kross, he’s banned. Remember?”
“He said he’d be here.”
“He’s not walking through the door upstairs. Pete will kill him this time.”
I’d gotten in through the alley door, which had been wide open earlier.
Tommy circled the police-taped ring, extending his arms. “Sorry that we had a snag.”
Whistles and shouts erupted from the throng of men gathered around the ring. The room was packed, but not as much as it had been the last two times I’d been there.
“Are you ready, Vickie?” one man shouted. “I got a lot of money on you, sweet thing.”
Vickie cracked her neck and pumped her fists. “Kill,” she shouted, bouncing her way into the ring like a prizefighter.
I swallowed thickly as Norma held onto my arm for dear life.
Tommy glared at me. I guessed that was my cue to get my ass in the ring.
Norma hugged me tightly. “Be careful.”
A guy wolf-whistled as I pushed men out of my way and stepped into the ring. I wasn’t anxious to fight, but I was anxious to get this night over with.
“You two know the rules,” Tommy said.
“Wait,” a smooth and tingly baritone voice shouted.
“Fuck,” Tommy muttered.
Kross appeared from behind a group of men, cutting a visceral path through the spectators. Power and confidence oozed off of him.
“Hey, isn’t that Kross Maxwell?” someone asked.
He pushed toward me with a sense of purpose, his long, thick, denim-clad legs closing the distance between us.
Butterflies took flight in my stomach when I saw how his muscles bunched along his arms. I swore that snake tattoo on his forearm slithered. Or maybe it was the light-headed feeling that settled within me.
“Yeah, they call him rattlesnake in the ring,” a guy added.
I had no idea why. But at the moment, the why didn’t matter. What mattered was that Tommy was ready to throw down, which was surprising, considering he was afraid of Kross, although he was more afraid of Dillon, who was behind Kross. Suddenly, Tommy unclenched his fist.
“Let’s fight,” I said to Tommy. It was better to get this party started before a huge brawl broke out and before Tommy fired me. I’d promised him Kross wouldn’t be any trouble.
“Hold up.” Kross ducked under the yellow tape like an expert fighter.
Okay, I was getting fired.
“You know Kross Maxwell?” Vickie asked me with awe in her voice.
Maybe if I said yes, she wouldn’t kill me.
“You’re banned from this establishment.” Tommy’s tone was all businesslike as he addressed Kross.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Tommy’s business partner, Trent Baker. He was with a pudgy man, dressed in a tailored business suit, standing out like a sore thumb among the men who were dressed casually in jeans. With his arms crossed, Trent pointed at either me or the ring then said something to his friend.
“I need a minute to confer with my fighter,” Kross said.
Holy cow! I’d thought he would try to stop me. I smiled.
Dillon stared Tommy down until Tommy lifted his hands. “No trouble.”
Kross got super close to me, just as he had the other night when I thought he was going to kiss me. “Walk away. Leave with me. You don’t stand a chance with that girl.”
The light-headed feeling vanished as anger seeped into my veins. My pulse jumped a notch.
The room buzzed with chatter.
“Way to motivate your fighter. I made a deal. I’m sticking to it.”
“Ruby.” He lowered his head, piercing me with a look that would have knocked me out from lust if I weren’t hurt and angry that he was still trying to be bossy.
“No,” I said. “I get she’s big. I get I probably don’t stand a chance. But I’m not running like a scared animal.” My voice was several octaves lower than the restless drone in the room, so I didn’t think anyone could hear us. Then again, I didn’t care. “I’ll tire her out. I’m winning this fight.” Okay, maybe my bravado was a little too strong. But if I let the fact that I didn’t have a chance consume me, then I definitely wouldn’t win. I needed to win.
He latched onto my arms with his strong hands. “God damn it. You should’ve let me train you more the other night.”
Even though I agreed with him, I realized another hour or two of training wouldn’t have made me an expert fighter.
“Are you going to kiss her or let her fight?” a spectator asked.
I cocked an eyebrow. If he so much as touched my lips with his, I might have had to use a boxing move or two on him. I didn’t need him to replace my confidence with a dreamy state of mind.
“Just stay close and give me pointers while I’m fighting,” I said. Maybe that would make him feel better. Hell, it would make me feel better.
He lowered his gaze to my lips. “If I see you faltering, I’m stopping the fight.”
“This isn’t your boxing world with rules.”
His gaze shot up to mine. “I know that. I’m also aware of how people in underground fights get their heads torn off. Remember, block, keep your face shielded, punch hard, often, and fast. And keep your footwork going. Do. Not. Stop.”
“Maxwell, get the fuck out of her way,” Tommy said.
“Go.” I pushed him, or I at least tried to push him.
He gave me a cocky grin before he stepped out to stand close by, next to Norma.
“If Maxwell is in her court, my money is on that girl,” someone said.
The men began waving money in the air as though they were swaying to some melodic music. Vickie, on the other hand, was flaring her nostrils and fisting her hands, ready and anxious to beat my lights out.
Tommy held out his arms between Vickie and me. “Only one rule, ladies. You fight until one of you gets knocked out.” He gave Vickie a nod then me before he ducked out.
The buzz of the crowd energized me as Vickie and I met in the middle then bumped fists. Once we stepped back, we both bounced on the balls of our feet. Footwork, I had to keep telling myself. Punch hard, often, and fast. I could do this. I might have been five foot four, but I could also be the Tasmanian Devil if my life depended on it.
She lunged, throwing the first punch directly into my mouth. Pain ricocheted up through my nose. My eyes watered. She came at me again. This time, she jammed her Sasquatch paw into my gut.
On reflex, I bent over, air gushing from my lungs as though someone had popped a balloon.
“Ruby, hit back,” Kross instructe
d.
As hard as it was to straighten, I swallowed the pain. I charged her with my fists flying. She darted to the right, and I hit air.
“You’re too wild,” Kross said. “Block with one hand, punch with the other.”
“Let’s face it,” Vickie said. “You’re going down.”
I snarled as I lunged. This time, I kicked, my foot landing in her gut.
An “oof” then a groan dropped from her lips as she held her stomach.
“Again, Ruby,” Kross said.
Vickie swung her gaze to Kross. In that split second, I punched, my fist connecting with her side. She bent over, giving me easy access to her face. I jabbed hard, once, twice, three times in quick succession. Blood sprayed from her nose. Don’t stop now. You don’t want her to recover. I landed another blow to her mouth. She narrowed her dark-brown eyes at me as she spit out blood.
“Hit her again,” some men bellowed.
Adrenaline pumped through my veins at warp speed. My pulse pounded in my ears. If pain existed anywhere on my body, I couldn’t feel it. All I knew was I had to keep hitting her, wearing her down. Otherwise, she would probably beat me until I couldn’t open my eyes.
She groaned. I rammed my elbow into her temple. She staggered.
“Again,” Kross shouted.
“Come on, Ruby,” Norma shouted. “She’s tiring.”
Only one way to win—knock her out. I came around with my other elbow and caught the left side of her jaw. When her head swung right, I immediately followed with a swift and hard punch directly to her nose. She shook her head like a dog shaking off water. Then she brought a hand up to her face, wiped the blood, then smiled as though she was enjoying herself. I felt as if I’d just swallowed a handful of rocks. This woman wasn’t going down.
I retreated to catch my breath. As soon as I did, Vickie launched her large body at me like a diver in the Olympics. I wanted to laugh because she made the same move she had when I’d told her to fuck off that first night. I danced to my left. She stumbled before righting herself. She came at me, throwing a fist to my gut.
Air left my lungs as I shuffled backward.
“Stay upright,” Kross said.
I blew out a breath. But before I could orient myself, she landed a blow to my ear. The pain brought tears to my eyes along with a blinding anger. Screw control. I went wild, attacking her with all the energy I had left in me. She blocked her face as I delivered punch after punch to her gut and anywhere else on her body. My breathing was all over the place, but I wasn’t stopping.
Vickie shuffled two steps back, giving me the opportunity to gain control of myself. But I couldn’t lose the momentum. If the audience was hooting and hollering, I barely heard them, especially with the ringing in my left ear. Then for some reason, my ballet training came to mind. I did a pique turn. Normally, in ballet, I would step onto a full point. Instead, I lifted my right leg as high as my limber body would allow me. Then with all the power in my leg, I kicked out, my foot connecting with the side of Vickie’s head.
She listed to one side then another, her eyes going wide as gravity took control. She fell. Her head hit the hard dirt-covered floor with a resounding crack followed by a whoosh.
The room fell silent.
Vickie didn’t move. I squeezed my eyes shut as dizziness crept in. I began to sway to one side when strong hands caught me.
“I’m here,” Kross whispered in my ear as he cocooned me in his arms.
At that moment, pain began to take over my body.
Whispers hummed in the distance.
A hand touched my back. “Ruby, you did great,” Norma said.
I didn’t feel so great.
“Is Vickie dead?” someone asked.
Horror settled in my veins as I pushed off Kross. “Dead?” I sucked in all the smoky, dank air I could. When my lungs expanded, bile rose to settle in my throat. Oh, God. If I killed her, I was certainly going to jail. My life was over. I would never see my daughter again.
A crowd formed around Vickie.
“Norma, hold onto Ruby,” Kross said as he pushed the men out of the way.
The spectators moved but not far. The men I could see standing over Vickie wore concerned expressions.
Please let her be okay. I couldn’t be charged with murder. “I’m so going to jail.”
“Shh,” Norma said. “Don’t get ahead of yourself.”
Kross lowered to his knees near Vickie’s head. Dillon was tapping on Vickie’s face, and Tommy was on his haunches, sweat dripping down his temple.
Kross opened one of Vickie’s eyelids, then the other. He moved his fingers down to her neck. He checked her as though he was a skilled doctor or trained in CPR. “She’s got a pulse.” His shoulders slumped as he sat back on his heels.
A huge exhale zipped around the room as though a large gust of wind had blown through the dingy basement. I hung my head, celebrating with everyone.
“That creepy Trent is looking at us,” Norma whispered in my ear.
Wincing in pain, I searched the crowd. Trent was standing at the opposite end of the ring behind Vickie, leering in my direction.
“Again, yuk.” Norma shuddered. “He reminds me of my pimp.”
I broke eye contact with the man and went over to Vickie. Her chest rose softly. Mine didn’t. I took in another humungous breath. Fighting was definitely off my list of career options. Legal or not, I didn’t want to worry that I would hurt someone, or worse, kill someone. Not to mention, the pain. My entire body felt as if I’d been run over by a tractor-trailer, not once but ten times.
Kross popped to his feet then pulled me to him so fast, I grunted. I wanted to tell him not to hug me so tightly, but I would endure any amount of pain to be in his arms. He smelled like heaven and felt like home. I wanted to be home. I wanted to be with him. Suddenly, I wanted to bawl like a baby and tell him about Raven. I wanted, no, needed him to rescue me from a life that had gotten out of control. A life that had taken the wrong path. But I couldn’t feel sorry for myself. I’d made my choices. As my mom had always said, “Your decisions in life will make you who you are.” Those were her words as she was carted off in handcuffs.
Easing back, Kross placed his large palms on my face. Panic shone in his dark-blue eyes as he rubbed his thumbs over my cheeks.
“I’m good, Kross.” I was more than good as tingles spread through my entire body.
“You’re not fighting in this dump again.” His voice was soft but firm.
He wasn’t getting an argument out of me. I had fulfilled my obligation to Tommy, and I could keep my waitressing job.
Tommy’s voice broke through the fluffy cloud I was on. “She’s awake.”
Vickie moaned.
Kross turned his attention to Vickie. “Hey, slugger.”
Her eyelashes fluttered at Kross. “Maxwell? Am I dreaming? I can’t believe you’re here.”
“In the flesh,” he drawled in that whiskey smooth voice of his.
Her smile grew wider. The girl had a major crush on Kross.
“All right. The fight is over,” Tommy announced. “The winner is Ruby.”
The men huddled into small groups as they exchanged fistfuls of bills.
With all the fear that was spiking my adrenaline, I didn’t exactly feel elated.
“You won,” Vickie said as she sat up. “By the way, what kind of move was that? You looked like you were about to do some kind of ballet dance.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked her.
“I’m alive,” she said.
The word alive was the catalyst to replace my fear with joy. Oh my God. I glanced at Kross. “I won two thousand dollars.” I threw my arms around him. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything. You’re the one with that fancy ballet move.” He let out a hearty laugh. I loved that sound from him.
“I can’t believe it,” Norma said. “We have money.”
The amount wasn’t enough to live off of since rent in Bosto
n was so high. Still, it was money to deposit into an account.
Tommy sauntered up to me. “My office in ten minutes.” His tone was even. “Norma, get your butt back to work.”
“I should go,” Norma said. “My break was over fifteen minutes ago. I’ll meet you upstairs.”
The roomed emptied out with the exception of Kross, Dillon, and Vickie.
“We should get you to a doctor,” Dillon said to Vickie.
“Vickie, I’m sorry,” I said.
“No worries. That’s what happens in fights.” Then she shifted her crush-filled eyes to Kross. “I’m such a fan.”
Kross flashed her a dimpled grin. “Would you like to come to my next match? It’s invitation only, but I have a few tickets left.”
Her whole face lit up as though she’d just walked into her favorite candy store. A small jealous pang hit me from Kross inviting her to his match. I wanted one of those tickets. I would love to see Kross in action. I almost asked him for one then decided not to. If he wanted me there, then he would invite me.
“I’ve got to go.” My money was waiting for me, and I had to find some Advil then see if Pete needed a hand.
“About Thanksgiving,” Kross said. “I’ll take you up to the Berkshires like you wanted me to.”
I didn’t want to take him away from his family. “Um, maybe another day.”
Hurt washed over him before he quickly banked it.
“Are you free Wednesday? I don’t have to work until seven.” I didn’t know if Ms. Waters would agree to let me see Raven on short notice. She might if I came clean about Kross.
“I am in the afternoon,” he said.
“Then I’ll meet you outside the gym at noon.” The faster Kross met Raven, the faster we could get the paternity paperwork started.
Thirty minutes later, I was walking into Tommy’s office. After I’d left Kross, I changed back into my jeans then went in search of pain medication. Pete had a bottle of Advil behind the bar.
Trent and Tommy were lounging on the couch, talking until I sat down in a chair across from them.
Tommy glanced at his watch. “I said ten minutes.”
“I’m here. I want my money.”
Dare to Dance: The Maxwell Series Page 15
