Dare to Dance: The Maxwell Series (9 page)

“A deal is a deal.” He rested his head against the couch. “I’ll have a check for your wages cut when I run payroll next week. I would highly suggest you get your sweet little ass out of here and tend to the open wounds that boy has.”

I stomped my foot. “You’re not firing me.” Tears burst out. “Please, Tommy. I need this job. I don’t want to sleep on the streets anymore.” I wasn’t certain if Alex would keep letting Norma and me stay with her if we didn’t have a way to pay her.

Tommy appraised me, a habit that was getting extremely old. “Tell you what. I just lost my fighter for next Saturday. You fight, you get to keep waitressing.”

I didn’t want to fight. I wanted a job that didn’t give me bruises or cuts or cost me my life.
That could happen waitressing. You could slip on a spilled drink and crack your head open.
But the odds of that happening were higher if I fought.

I joined Tommy on the couch. As soon as my body sank into the soft leather, I wanted to close my eyes and take a nap. “Why do you set up fights with women? Why not men?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “Guys like to see women fight, and I make more money. Look, Ruby, you’re good. You have great footwork. You could make a lot of money. I could make a lot of money. Who knows? I’ve had some girls who become so good, they go into legal professional boxing.” His voice held compassion.

I’d never thought about fighting professionally. I could make money that way too. The professional arena would also be safer. I would have to toss around that idea a little bit more. “I always wanted to do ballet.”

“Ah,” he said. “See. If you train, you could be really good. Maybe you can get Kross to teach you a few moves before next Saturday.”

I flew off the couch. “No way.” I would be a ball of slush with him, and he reminded me too much of Raven.

He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, and rubbed his jaw. “Suit yourself. That’s my deal. Fight and keep your job or leave.”

Illegal fighting wouldn’t get Raven back, but waitressing would. I picked at a nail. “You know, one minute you’re sweet like you care, and the next minute, you’re a dick.”

He grinned. “That’s what women tell me.”

“How much can I win?”

He unfolded his bulk and sauntered over to his desk. “Two thousand dollars.”

I flew off the couch, my jaw locked open. “For real?”

“You win, you get the money. No lies.”

I’d never seen Tommy in a calm and serious mood. He was either acting like a jerk or yelling at someone. His demeanor told me he wasn’t lying. “Who am I fighting?”

Tommy arched an eyebrow. “Does it really matter?”

Two thousand could be a deposit on an apartment plus first month’s rent. “I’m in.” Norma wasn’t going to be happy.

I
gripped
the edge of the bar so fucking tightly, my fingers were about to meld into the tacky wooden bar. For two long, agonizing hours, I sat with rigid posture and a scowl on my face, my gaze skating everywhere and nowhere. Blue-collar folks mixed with college preppies as they listened to the band. Penelope hung with her friends even though I sensed she wanted to sit by my side with her hands all over me.

I was a bomb waiting to explode as I tracked Ruby. She zipped around tables, smiled at men, laughed freely, and seemed to be having the time of her life. Meanwhile, my insides were burning. Tommy had the fucking nerve not to call me. Even worse, he had the balls to spit in my face. He and I weren’t even close to settling our shit.

Kody ambled over from Penelope’s table. Thank God for my brother. He’d kept Penelope away from me. “Penelope keeps asking questions. At least talk to her. Or get some fresh air. It looks like you could use some.”

Not bad advice on the fresh air part. The club was suffocating. But I wasn’t letting Ruby out of my sight. As far as Penelope was concerned, I did owe her an explanation, but not until I calmed my nerves.

“Seriously, Bro”—Kody wedged his way in between me and the dude sitting beside me—“stop looking at Ruby like a stalker. That bartender is onto you. He keeps eyeing you like he’s about to kick your ass out of here.”

“Let him try.” I drilled my gaze into Ruby as she filled her tray with drinks. Norma stood beside her and whispered in her ear. Ruby threw her head back and laughed.

My face reddened. How could she be so casual and flippant while a powerful storm brewed inside me.
Maybe because what you believe to be true isn’t. Maybe there isn’t a child.
Whether that was true or not, just knowing the story would relieve some of my pent-up tension.

The bartender banged a hand on the bar in front of me. “Mister, I don’t know what your intentions are, but if you keep staring at the girls like you want to rape them, I’m calling the cops.”

Steam came out of my nose.

“Kross, go outside and get some air.” Kody glared at the bartender. He wasn’t one to throw fists unless he was being attacked, but lately, he’d been working out a lot in the gym when he wasn’t performing or writing songs.

The cold November air would quell the rage in me. The bartender didn’t deserve my wrath. He was only protecting the waitresses.

A light drizzle fell from the sky. I strode down the block and around the corner into the alley. A can tumbled. Two cats meowed. I had to calm my fucking nerves before I talked with Ruby. Hell, I had to get myself under control for my upcoming match, which Jay was still working out the date and details for. Or maybe I could use my anger to beat Reggie. The problem with that idea was that I got sloppy when my brain was clouded. I paced down the alley and back three times before Kody found me.

“Bro, the band is done with their set, so I’m going to walk Penelope and her friends to their car. Also, I talked to Ruby. She still has an hour before she’s done with her shift. She said she knows you and her need to talk. So, relax.”

My shoulders slumped. I couldn’t say I was relieved. I wouldn’t be until I got answers, but it was good to know she acknowledged that we needed to talk. Regardless, I wanted to position myself back on my barstool just in case she got any ideas to slip out on me.

I walked Kody back to the entrance, where Penelope waited with her friends. I needed to apologize to her. I took hold of her hand. “Can we talk for a minute, privately?”

She nodded as I guided her to a quiet spot near the corner of the building.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be an ass in there. I’ve got a lot of shit going on.” I didn’t know if this was the right time to tell her I didn’t want to see her anymore, but I couldn’t lead her on. “Look, you’re a beautiful girl.”

She searched my face. “But?”

“I can’t date you anymore. You want a steady relationship. I’m not that guy. I’ll still train you, but nothing more.” She’d been one of my clients, which was how I’d met her in the first place. I couldn’t drop her as a client. Jay would have my hide. Besides, she needed to keep up her self-defense classes, especially if she was planning to frequent dives like Firefly.

“Does it have something to do with that redhead waitress?” Her eyelashes, which were thick with mascara, fluttered as though she was holding back tears.

“It does, and it doesn’t.” It was time for the truth. “I’d been thinking about calling it off with you before tonight.”

She stuck out her chin. “So have you been dating her too?”

The drizzle started to turn into a steady rain.

“No.”

“Let’s go,” one of Penelope’s friends called.

“I can’t change your mind?” she asked. “Don’t answer that.” Her bottom lip trembled before she lifted up on her toes and kissed me on the cheek. “You have my number if you change your mind.” Then she hurried back to her friends.

I followed, but at a slower pace. I hated to hurt her feelings, although if I knew Penelope, she wasn’t the type to give up.

“I’ll be back,” Kody said before he escorted Penelope and her friends down the street.

I slipped into the club and commandeered the same barstool. The band was packing up, and people were saying good-bye to each other.

The bartender glared at me as he wiped a glass. I raised an eyebrow then scanned the room again. Norma and the other waitress were collecting empty glasses from tables as Bob Seger’s Night Moves blared from overhead speakers. But no Ruby. I bounced my knee, trying not to blow a gasket.

“What’s your problem?” I asked the bartender.

He shuffled over. “My problem, man, is you. The waitresses don’t need men like you drooling at them.”

I bit my tongue.
No trouble. Jay will have your balls on a skewer.
I itched to erase the disgusted look off the bartender’s face, though.

Norma glided up. “He isn’t any trouble, Pete. I know him.”

He nodded lazily at Norma as he continued to pierce me with daggers.

She tucked a strand of her short blond hair behind her ear. “Ruby ducked into the bathroom.”

I liked Norma. The first night I met her, I’d gotten the sense that she was trying to tell me something without coming out and saying it. Whatever was going on with Ruby, it wasn’t Norma’s responsibility to tell me.

“You look a lot better tonight than you did when I first met you.” I scanned her pretty features, wanting to know more of her and Ruby’s story. “What changed?” Gone were the dirt and grime under her fingernails. Her hair was shiny and clean, and her skin glowed like Ruby’s.

“Norma, a customer needs you.” Pete flicked his chin to a man sitting at a table near the wall, who had his hand raised.

She licked her lip ring. “Got to run.”

I kept an eye on my watch as the secondhand ticked by. One minute turned into two, then five, then ten. A bathroom stint didn’t take that long unless Ruby was sick. My gut was telling me she wasn’t in the bathroom. Maybe she was in Tommy’s office, trying to save her job. He’d fired her when we were in the hall, although she’d said she would finish her shift. Then again, she had walked out on me before.
And you left her behind without even blinking an eye.
Oh, how I loved my subconscious. Anger pushed through the guilt poking at my stomach.

As I hopped off the barstool, Pete picked up the phone on the wall. He was probably alerting Tommy. Fuck if I cared. I had some unfinished business with the fucker, anyway. First, I wanted to make sure Ruby was okay. I headed in the direction of the restroom. I’d barely made it to the hallway when heavy footsteps thudded behind me.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Pete asked.

I whirled around. “Are you serious? Last I checked, this was a public place. I have every right to take a piss. Unless of course you want me to relieve myself right at your feet.”

Pete stood two inches shorter than me, but he was built to fight with muscular arms and a chest that would no doubt have power behind a punch. “Leave now. Or else the cops will escort you out.”

I glanced past him. “I don’t see any cops.”

He snarled. “They’ll be here in five.”

I laughed. “They won’t arrest me for wanting to take a piss.” I pivoted on my heel. My gut told me not to push this dude, but Ruby came first.

A large hand wrapped around my arm and spun me around. “I told you to leave. You’ve been making the girls very uncomfortable all night.”

I ground my teeth and fisted my hands. “Get your hand off me.”

Stars dotted my vision as I jerked away, or at least tried to. The fucker had a strong grip around my arm. I was trying desperately to keep myself out of trouble.
Go outside and wait for her or find another way into the restroom
.

But when Pete dug his nails into me, breaking skin, all sense of doing the right thing vanished. With my free hand, I threw the first punch. He let go of me. Then, like a linebacker, he tucked his chin to his chest and came at me. Before I could react, my body was pinned up against a wall. A crowd formed. One guy from the band tried to pull Pete off of me. But Pete was in his zone. He grabbed my head as I reared back for a punch. My face met his knee. Once. Twice. Three times. The adrenaline flowing through me was fucking high, making the pain weak at best. Blood oozed out of my nose, slipping into my mouth. When the iron taste exploded on my tongue, I shrugged out of his hold then threw a fist toward his face. He ducked.

“Seriously?” I asked in a deep voice. “You want to fight me?”

We circled around each other as if we were in a boxing ring. Actually, the crowd around us formed a ring of sorts.

Pete smirked, showing crooked teeth. “I’ve been dying to bash your head in all night. I hate when men drool at the waitresses.”

I couldn’t argue with his last statement. Kody had even said I could pass as a stalker. The thought of apologizing flitted through my mind. But I wanted to fight. I wanted to feel my knuckles connect with muscles and bones. I wanted to hear the “oof” or the grunting sounds coming from my opponent and witness the blood flying in all directions. Yeah, I was a little out there, but that was the thrill of boxing.

“Hit him, Pete,” a male voice said. “Like you used to do when you boxed.”

I waved him on. “Yeah, Pete. Hit me.”

His eyes became slits. His nostrils flared, and he lunged at me. We tangled with each other, punching with fists and elbows. Blood, spit, grunts, and heavy breathing ensued. The voices around us were barely noticeable. I pushed him away. When I did, he spun around, and before I could flinch, his booted foot hit the side of my head. I stumbled backward. The dude didn’t box. He fought dirty. Then again, we weren’t in a sanctioned event.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I bent over, pain gripping my ear. Before I could get my bearings, a hand was secured tightly around my neck.

“Stop!” a female screamed. I couldn’t make out if the voice belonged to Ruby above the ringing in my ears.

I scanned the faces as best I could while Pete anchored my neck in place. My lungs burned for air. I opened my mouth. Nothing. I took in air through my nose and choked. I had to give him props for his dirty move. Then again, Mixed Martial Arts fighters used roundhouse kicks.

A pair of hands landed on Pete’s shoulders. I blinked several times and found Tommy lurking behind him. “Pete.” Tommy’s voice was hard. “Let go. This dude will kill you.”

Pete laughed through gritted teeth. “Does it look like he’ll kill me?”

With my airway cut off, I had no way to retaliate.

“All right, break it up,” a baritone voice said.

“Cops are here,” Tommy announced.

“It’s about fucking time.” Pete dropped his hand. “Hey, Roy.”

I bent over again, taking in breath after breath as my lungs jump-started. The people around us parted then scattered. I searched the room for Ruby, but no luck.

Norma ran to my side. “Are you okay?”

“Where’s Ruby?” I sounded like a guy who’d been smoking all his life.

“I lied to you. I’m sorry. She took a break. She went down to the diner to get a coffee.” Regret shone in her brown eyes. “I thought she’d be back by now.”

My pulse sped up as I straightened. “She took off because of me, didn’t she?”

“Give her some space. You can’t expect her to throw herself at you. Seriously, where have you been for four years? Why didn’t you call her when she called you repeatedly? After a while, a girl gets the hint that the boy doesn’t want anything to do with her.”

Kody came in with a wild-eyed expression on his face. “What happened?” His hair was soaked.

“Where have you been?” I asked, not that I was thinking of my brother when I was getting my head bashed in.

“It’s pouring out, so the girls and I ducked into an all-night diner a block from here until the rain let up. But when I saw the blue lights speeding down the street, I bolted.”

“Did you see Ruby in there?” Norma asked.

“No,” Kody said.

Pete and Tommy were talking to Roy.

I rubbed my ear. I shouldn’t have let my anger get in the way. I should’ve walked out the moment Pete told me to. I couldn’t get arrested. Jay would have a coronary.

Roy headed our way. “Sir,” Roy said to me, “it’s time to call it a night.” It was hard to discern any features of cops with all the gear they wore, although Roy sported a mustache and had fine lines fanning out from his hazel eyes.

I darted my gaze to Pete and Tommy, who were watching me while the other cop guided people to the door. Pete subtly flicked me the middle finger as he combed his beard.

I narrowed my eyes and took one step toward Pete. The fucker was itching for another fight. “If you want to fight, meet me at Crandall’s Gym,” I said loudly.

Roy tossed a quick glance over his shoulder.

“Come on, Bro,” Kody said. “Another day.”

“I’m not leaving yet.”

Roy grabbed my arm. “Yes, you are.”

“Look, I want to say something to my friend. Then I’ll leave.” I switched my gaze between his hand on my arm and Norma.

She shook her head and mouthed, “just go.”

“One minute. Please,” I said nicely to the officer.