“A family, huh?” She said it more as a statement than a question as though she was trying the concept on for size.
“Yes. A family,” I said to reassure her. “My heart is yours, Ruby.”
“Why?” She adjusted her body so she was straddling the bench with me. “You love me. But what triggered those feelings?”
Given what she’d been through in the last four years, including me dumping her like a bad virus, I couldn’t blame her for asking.
We sat face-to-face, knees-to-knees, and hands-in-hands. “Because I love the way you lightly snore,” I said. “I love the way you bite your fingers when you’re thinking or nervous. I love that you can be shy and feisty. But more than anything, I love the butterfly feeling you give me every time I lay eyes on you. That hasn’t changed after four years.”
She averted her gaze as her teeth commandeered her bottom lip. Whether she shied away deliberately or not, the act still drove me to kiss her. When my lips touched hers, she purred like a satisfied cat after a good scratch session before our tongues tangled and danced.
The door squeaked open. Voices bounced off the lockers, echoing.
Ruby and I both froze before we pulled away from each other as though we’d been caught by our parents.
“She’s in here,” Liam said.
Liam and Norma emerged from around a bank of lockers.
Norma’s big brown eyes got bigger as she ran to Ruby. “I’m so sorry. I just heard Kade telling Dillon about Raven. Oh my God.”
Ruby hopped up and hugged Norma.
Liam’s gaze ate up Norma as though he wanted to jump her bones. Hell, I wouldn’t have blamed him. Her blond hair had grown out some, framing her face more, and the curves on her body were more pronounced, or maybe it was just the tight sweater hugging her big breasts. Aside from that, she was prettier than I remembered.
Pushing to my feet, I touched Ruby’s arm. “I have to get ready. Why don’t you and Norma head out to your seats.”
She pulled away from Norma.
I planted a kiss on her lips. “I love you.”
Norma gasped. “Seriously? Since when? You didn’t tell me, Ruby.” Norma’s glossy lips split into a huge smile. “We have a lot to talk about, girl.”
Norma would keep Ruby distracted, and for that, I breathed a little easier.
Ruby lifted up on her tiptoes. “As big as the universe?”
“As big as the fucking universe.” And I did.
She quickly placed a chaste kiss on my lips then left with Norma.
“Time to tape your fingers, man,” Liam said.
I dropped my ass onto the bench and buried my face in my hands. I was a second from collapsing. I’d never given up on anything in my life. I also had never felt so inept. “Reggie doesn’t stand a chance tonight,” I said more to myself than Liam. The pent-up anger inside me was enough to hurt Reggie badly. If I gave into it, I would ruin the deal with Trent.
“That’s great, dude, because I overheard Gail talking with Jay. She’s hoping you show her your moves.”
Great! I didn’t have the heart to tell Liam that I wouldn’t beat Reggie even though I could. Then again, I shouldn’t get cocky. Maybe Reggie would beat my ass fair and square without me having to throw the fight. Reggie had some key moves that could take me down in a second. In any case, I would at least go a couple of rounds before I threw the fight. That way, Gail would at least see some of my moves.
Liam stuck his hand in his jeans pocket and produced a roll of white tape. “Let’s get started.”
As he covered my fingers in tape, Dillon came in. As usual, Dillon sported his signature ponytail and a scruff-covered jaw. I hadn’t had a chance to call him to fill him in on Raven’s kidnapping.
“Is Ruby out there?” I asked him. I didn’t think Norma would let Ruby take off. Still, I had to be sure. I didn’t need to worry about her too while I was fighting.
“Don’t worry, man,” Dillon said. “Kade, Kody, and Kelton have her surrounded.”
Thank God for my brothers.
Dillon sat down next to me and slapped my back. “Kade just told me. Sorry to hear about all this.”
“Liam, can you give us a minute?” I asked.
Liam cocked his head. “Dude, you need to get ready.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Two minutes.”
He swung his gaze between Dillon and me then shook his head as he walked out.
Dillon waited until the door clicked shut to speak. “I just called Rafe. I asked him to swing by Baker’s shipping company. He’ll also check out his dealerships.”
“Thanks,” I said. “But don’t get your men in a bind with the cops. Besides, that waitress Alex probably has a hand in Raven’s disappearance.”
Dillon’s posture went rigid as his nose ring glinted off the lights from above. “What?”
I hit a nerve. “Talk,” I demanded.
“I’m just surprised that she would have anything to do with kidnapping.”
“Dude, she works for Trent. She wrangles the women of the night for him.”
“I’ve known Alex for two years since she breezed into the city to find her baby sister. Like mine, hers left home because of an abusive father. She searched endlessly for her sister until she got a call from the cops one night. They found her sister dead in a dumpster in some alley. Someone had done a number on her. Since then, Alex has made it her mission to find out what happened. The cops followed leads, but then they dried up. It became a cold case. Then she got a lead about Tommy, who might be involved with her sister. Instead of confronting Tommy, she took a job there to play detective. She soon found out that Tommy is all about fights, and like my brother, he’s a loan shark or steals a car here and there. Petty shit. I just assumed that she was still working at that dump because she held out hope.” He rested his elbows on his knees.
“So, she’s never spoken to you about Trent Baker?” This new information made me wonder if maybe Alex wasn’t working for Trent.
“I haven’t spoken to Alex in detail in a long time. When I’m at Firefly, I’m there because Tommy owes me something. I’m not there to hang out. And before you ask me if her and I dated, the answer is no. She’s not my type. You know that.”
In the time I’d known Dillon, I hadn’t seen him with a woman, although I did know from conversations that he was into blondes, not brunettes.
Jay’s voice filled the room. “Kross?” His short stature emerged. He had a scowl on his face. Then he glanced at his watch. “Why aren’t you ready?”
Liam huffed out a breath as he came up behind Coach. “It’s my fault,” Liam said. “I had to get more tape.” He wagged a roll of it between us.
I made a mental note to thank the kid.
“Good luck tonight.” Dillon unfolded his bulk. “I’ll be with your brothers.” Then he left.
I needed more than luck. I needed Detective Rayburn to find Raven. But I had to concentrate on the fight. Otherwise, Reggie would knock me out with the first punch. I had to at least show some effort before I lost.
Liam quickly worked to finish taping my fingers while Coach gave me a list of pointers. “First, be careful of his hook. Second, footwork. Third, don’t let him get near your face. Finally, in order to seal the deal with Gail, knock him the fuck out.”
I laughed at his last statement. Like me, Coach didn’t have any love for Reggie. We both respected his talent, but Reggie had been my first fight, and back then, Reggie was a cocky bastard. Coach hated players like that. I hated Reggie for my own personal reasons. That alone sent a pain of guilt through me because I had to throw the fight. Kody was salivating for me to hurt Reggie, but since he knew what was going on, he understood.
Not only that, I wanted my contract with Gail, more for financial reasons than for my own fucking ego. After tonight, I would be serving hamburgers at McDonalds or in jail for murdering Trent Baker if he was truly responsible for kidnapping Raven.
After I was dressed, primed, and ready for a fight I
wanted to run from, I walked out of the locker room with so much trepidation that fear had to be written all over my face.
Voices droned from the crowd, which occupied the three sets of bleachers lining three sides of the ring. On the fourth side, chairs were set up for Gail and her team plus a handful of chairs for family and friends of Reggie and me. We were limited by fire code on how many people could occupy the gym. Therefore, the fight was invitation only. At first, Jay didn’t want anyone at the fight except the essential people—referee, Gail, her entourage, and the EMS folks—but Gail wanted to see a fight complete with an audience. She’d said something about how the energy of the crowd affected the fighter’s actions, whatever that meant. All I knew were two things. One, I was glad Jay nixed the idea of having any reporters at the fight. I’d been chastised for throwing my last fight when I hadn’t, but tonight would be different. I didn’t want or need the press. And two, I blocked out the noise and the people when I was in a ring.
Regardless, I’d invited my brothers, Ruby, Norma, Dillon, and that girl Ruby had fought, Vickie. I’d decided not to invite my parents, solely because I didn’t want my mom seeing me get punched or bloody or any other gruesome act that might make her cringe.
I set my sights on Ruby. She was sandwiched in between Kade and Kody. She still looked pale. Kelton was sitting behind them with Norma and Vickie. Vickie flashed puppy dog eyes at me then pumped one of her muscled arms in the air as a silent gesture of encouragement for me to win this fight. Dillon sat in the end seat.
As I approached the ring, the referee began to spit out my stats. “Weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds with a record of eight and one, let’s give it up for Kross Maxwell.”
Liam, who was walking alongside me, hit me on the arm. “Remember, no deer in the headlights tonight.”
I harrumphed. When I’d first met Liam, he had the nerve to tell me how much I’d fucked up at my last fight. I’d almost popped him one, but I couldn’t argue with the truth. Boy, was I in for another one of his tongue-lashings when I lost the fight.
The ref pointed behind me. “Fighting in the other corner, weighing in at two hundred and twenty-five pounds with a perfect record of ten and O, let’s hear it for Reggie Stockman.”
I quickly glanced over my shoulder at Reggie. We’d given him access to the women’s locker room so he could dress. He hadn’t changed much since the last time I’d seen him. His dark eyes had that “fuck you” look, his hair was cut in a military style, and he wore his usual superior smirk that made me clench my fists.
The crowd tittered more for him than me, which was odd considering the audience was made up of mostly gym members. Jay had extended the remaining invitations to the people who worked out at the gym. I searched the crowd for anyone who stood out or gave me an inkling that they worked for Trent Baker. I came up empty, although I spotted Penelope. She sat on the top row of the bleachers to my left. As the fleeting thought of her working for Trent skated through my mind, Ruby smiled at me, erasing thoughts of Trent for the moment.
I stopped and kissed her quickly then continued, passing a long pair of smooth, bare legs.
Liam whispered in my ear. “Gail is staring at you.”
Shoving down all my problems, I planted on a smile as I passed the gorgeous woman. Man, her legs went on forever, disappearing underneath a classy red coatdress that was cinched at the waist by a belt. Her black hair was tied behind her head, revealing a long neck, angular face, dark slanted eyes, and red painted lips. She was the picture of a wealthy businesswoman.
She returned the gesture, showing bright-white teeth as she dipped her chin. When she did, the slight movement of her head made me do a double take at the main entrance behind her.
The noise dulled. I flicked a quick glance to Ruby then back to the fucker in the doorway. Trent Baker strutted in like a cocky son-of-a-bitch. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to show up there. Ruby screamed. The sound sliced through my psyche, propelling me into action. I leapt over Gail, or maybe she moved out of the way. People scrambled.
“Kross,” Jay shouted.
He could fire me now or after I killed Trent Baker. I dove at him, landing my gloved fist into his bulbous nose. The impact didn’t have the same effect as it would if I’d had bare knuckles. Before I could launch another blow, hands were pulling me away, while Kade was holding Ruby securely to him.
“You bastard,” she screamed at Trent. “Where is my daughter?”
Trent held onto his jaw with a smug expression on his face.
I tried to jerk out of Kody’s hands, but my brother was strong. “You have the nerve to show up here?” I asked with venom gushing out of me.
Trent held up his hands as a small amount of blood oozed out of his nose. “I was invited.”
I tossed a look over my shoulder at Jay. If he so much as let this bastard in here, then he and I were finished.
Jay pushed through the crowd. “I don’t have time to hear what’s going on. Kross, get your ass in the ring. Now,” he said through clenched teeth.
“I want to know who let him in here.” I wasn’t getting in any ring until I knew. Even then, I wasn’t sure I would fight.
Trent nodded his head at the ring.
I glanced over my shoulder. “Reggie did?” I shouldn’t have been surprised. Reggie was friends with Kade’s enemy, Greg Sullivan, who reminded me a lot of Trent, dirty and sleazy.
Trent held out his invitation. “No trouble. I’m here to protect my investment.” He flashed Reggie a smile.
I couldn’t tell if what he meant by his investment was Reggie or our deal.
Gail joined us. “Is there a problem?” Her voice was light but firm. “I don’t have all night.”
Jay pinned a glare on me. I knew I was ruining my shot at a boxing career, but I couldn’t ruin his. He had connections in the industry and was well-liked and respected. He’d jumped through hoops to get an audience with Gail. Not only that, if Reggie was in cahoots with Trent, then this fight would be all the more interesting. I knew where to punch to make sure the blow would hurt without knocking him out.
“I’m cool,” I lied.
“What?” Ruby all but shouted.
“Jay and Gail, one minute, please.” I softened my expression the best I could.
“All right, everyone.” Jay corralled the group around us. “Back to your seats.”
I stepped closer to Trent with Kody close by me, ready to intervene. “Where is my daughter?”
He glanced around before he answered. “You stick to the deal.” Then he casually sauntered off to find a seat next to Reggie’s friends.
A primal instinct to beat the man until he couldn’t breathe warred with the need to stick to the plan for Raven’s sake. I briefly shut my eyes before I turned to face Ruby. I thought about having her call Detective Rayburn to tell him Trent was there, but he’d said the cops were keeping an eye on Trent.
She wriggled, trying to get out of Kade’s hold. “Well, what did he say? Does he have Raven?”
“He isn’t going to tell me.” But the smug look he’d given me before striding off led me to believe he was responsible for Raven’s disappearance.
Ruby stopped trying to get away from Kade as I ran into the ring.
29
Ruby
I should have been marveling at the man I loved, whose ripped abs and bulging biceps were a huge turn-on. Yet I couldn’t concentrate on anything except wondering where in the world my daughter was. She had to be scared out of her mind. I couldn’t believe that Trent had the nerve to show up here. Maybe it was good that he was at the fight. That way, when the fight ended, I could tie him down until he told us the truth. I whipped out Kross’s phone and held it in one of my hands as though it was my lifeline. Detective Rayburn had advised Kross to go through with the fight. I couldn’t have said I disagreed. I was reminded of all those cop shows I’d watched, where the bad guys held someone for ransom, and the cops always recommended that the parents follow the
kidnapper’s orders. None of that made me feel any better, though.
Kade and Kody flanked me on each side as I bounced my knee faster than a car moving at a hundred miles per hour.
Kade gently placed his large hand on my knee. “Ruby, I know this is hard. I feel your frustration, pain, and every other emotion that is gripping the fuck out of you. But I promise you, Trent will get what’s coming to him.”
I peered up at Kade. Empathy and sympathy swam in his copper eyes. He’d been through something similar with his girlfriend, and for that, I felt connected to him. I covered my hand over his warm and strong one. He adjusted his so that he was holding mine.
I hoped his girlfriend would be okay with him holding my hand. I needed something to keep me from acting on my motherly instinct to hurt Trent Baker. “Please don’t let go,” I said to Kade.
He squeezed my hand. “I never let go of family.”
I held back a burst of tears. The Maxwells were too real to be true.
Norma massaged my shoulders from behind me. “We all got you,” she said.
I couldn’t keep the tears at bay any longer, especially as Kody covered my other hand with his. As one, then two, then three tears found their way out and down my cheek, I focused on the fight. The noise level was low, at least for me. All I could hear was my heart pounding in my ears.
“Come on, Kross,” Vickie shouted from behind me. “You can do better than that.”
Reggie was punching Kross in a right, left, right sequence. Kross took a hit, ducked, then took another hit. When Reggie and Kross were locked together, the referee untangled them. Kross danced as he jabbed at Reggie. Reggie bobbed and weaved, taking a punch every now and then. For a boxing match, it seemed boring until Kross glanced at Trent. Then Pandora’s box opened. One side of Kross’s mouth turned upward.
“Rattlesnake,” the crowd chanted.
No. No. No. He wasn’t supposed to knock out Reggie.
Kross lunged at Reggie, punching him in the jaw, ribs, and stomach. Then in one smooth motion, Kross wielded an uppercut that sent Reggie backward. He fell with a thud.
Dare to Dance: The Maxwell Series Page 26
