Dare to Dance: The Maxwell Series (4 page)

Kade sauntered up to me. “Brother, I’m not going to beat your head in. However, I can’t say I’m not shocked. Regardless, we need to find this girl and find the truth. If she gave birth to a Maxwell, then she and the kid belong with us.”

My head spun as I made my way back to the couch. I had to sit down before I collapsed.

Kade caught my arm. “We’ll find her.”

I laughed out of sheer panic. “What happens when we find her?” I would go to the ends of the earth to find this woman and my child. “I don’t know the first thing about being a dad. Besides, it’s clear in my mind that Ruby doesn’t want anything to do with me. Otherwise, she would’ve contacted me again.”

Kade drew me in for a hug. “Regardless, we’re here to help you no matter what.”

I hugged him back with all the strength I had. I almost bawled like a damn baby. “What about Mom and Dad? I can’t imagine telling them.”

Kade let go of me. “We will do it together, but not before we find Ruby. There’s no sense in getting them all worked up if you’re not the father.” He pinned a look on Kody and Kelton. Both nodded.

Dillon sat, observing and pensive. I imagined he was thinking of his own family. He fought every day to keep his spirits up while continually searching for his sister. He had brothers, but he didn’t talk much about them. “So, I take it I’m here because you want me to help find her,” Dillon said.

Kade stalked over to the coffee table and took a swig of whiskey straight from the bottle.

“You do have a ton of connections,” I said to Dillon as I walked on shaky legs back to my seat. “I’ve been thinking.” My brain hurt from all the images, scenarios, and ways to find Ruby. “We might be able to start with her old man. Tasha told us he was busted for drugs. I’m not sure if he’s still in jail, but maybe we can find out. If he is, then I can pay him a visit. He might know where she is.”

“If the dude’s in jail, then there’s a public record of what went down.” Kelton finally relaxed into the couch. “Well, maybe. If the feds were involved, then they could’ve sealed the records, depending on the drug bust. I’ll look into that when I go into the office tomorrow.”

I hadn’t thought of that. Regardless, I was grateful that Kelton was working at a law firm while he studied to get his law degree.

“I just thought of something. I’ll talk with Detective Rayburn.” He and I had met when Kelton, Lizzie, Dillon, and I were at an illegal gambling game, and the cops had hauled us off to jail. Mark Rayburn was a fan of mine too. “He probably has easier access to get information on inmates than what you would find,” I said to Kelton. “He also might be able to search his database for an address on Ruby.” As soon as my excitement stirred, it was quickly squashed. Detective Rayburn was out of town at the moment. I’d spoken to him before my trip to the Berkshires, and he’d mentioned that he wouldn’t be around for a couple of weeks. He had some assignment in New York.

“What’s wrong?” Kade asked.

“It might be a while before I can get a hold of Mark. He’s working on a case in New York.” But I could at least call him.

“Dillon,” Kelton said. “Lizzie told me one of your guys hacked into the BU computer system to find out more about her. Maybe he can hack into the government’s computers. That might be faster than waiting on Mark or me to sift through records.”

Dillon straightened. “The BU computers are one thing, but the government?” He shook his head. “That’s asking for more trouble.”

“Dude,” I pleaded. “I’m desperate. Put yourself in my shoes. What if you knew you had a kid in this world? What would you do?” Dillon had a ton of connections outside of his guy who hacked into computers. Kelton was right. He might encounter red tape, and I might not get through to Mark.

Dillon grabbed the whiskey bottle. “I can’t have my guys snooping. But I know someone who might be able to help. I’ll pick you up on Saturday night,” he said to me.

The room fell into an eerie silence. Kade stared into space. Kody continued to pick at the label on his beer bottle. Kelton focused on the muted TV. Dillon drank from the whiskey bottle. As for me, my brain spun with visions of a little boy running around who looked like me. My heart skipped a beat, then another. I had a feeling my heart wouldn’t settle until I found Ruby.

N
orma
and I stood in a room in the basement of Firefly, waiting for Tommy. The strong odor of urine burned the hair in my nostrils. During the past week, Norma had recovered after I’d given her the NyQuil I’d stolen. It had taken her a couple of days, but thankfully, she’d gotten better.

“This is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard of.” She watched me pace, pick at my nails, and twist strands of my long hair around my fingers. “I still can’t believe that a few minutes from now, you’re about to fight. When have you ever fought?” Her voice cracked.

“Never. But if I win, we’ll have money to buy food.” I hadn’t even gotten into a spat or fight with any girls in school. Aside from my close friends, I’d always kept to myself, not sticking my nose where it didn’t belong. Unlike the popular girls who’d wanted all the attention, the only attention I’d craved was from Kross or the audience at one of my ballet performances.

She grabbed my wrist. “Stop bouncing around. You’re making me more nervous. You don’t have to do this. We’ll keep looking for jobs.”

I stomped my foot like a two-year-old. Every fast food place I’d followed up with had given me the thumbs-down in the last week. “No one is hiring, or no one wants to hire me. I’ve got to get Raven back.” I cried most nights at the thought of her with another family. I also cursed my mom for hooking up with one of my father’s associates, who’d convinced her to step into my father’s drug-dealing shoes. My mom had no skills other than being a stay-at-home mom. She’d tried to get a job as an office assistant, a fast-food worker, even a clerk at one of the big chain stores. I had given the job hunt a go too before I delivered Raven. But no one would consider a pregnant girl. So when my dad’s associate approached her, my mom caved. I tried to convince her not to take the offer, but I couldn’t blame her too much. We’d been desperate.

“Ruby, you could get hurt. I can’t stomach that. All the money in the world isn’t worth you risking yourself.”

“I’m doing this for us, and for Raven. I’ll never get her back if I can’t show I’m responsible.”

“Do you think fighting in a dump like this is responsible? This idea is as bad as the one I had to work for my pimp.”

“We need to eat. I just don’t know what else to do. I can’t sit around the streets, begging for money. Like you said, we can put money away.” Some days, I collected five dollars, but other days, I received nothing. I blinked away a tear. “I’ll be fine,” I lied. If I was going up against a girl twice my size, I didn’t stand a chance. Then again, the way the adrenaline was coursing through my body, I might be able to wield a good punch or two, maybe even to the point where I could knock out my opponent. I blew out a breath. I could do this. I was a ballet dancer after all. Then I broke out in hysterics.

Norma cocked her head. “What’s so funny?”

Ballet and fighting were vastly different. I didn’t know a darn thing about bobbing or weaving, but Kross had always told me that ballet and boxing were very similar. “You dance to music. I dance around boxers. Both are about footwork,” he’d said.
Argh! Kross Maxwell.
Since Raven was born, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Kross. Every time she smiled, it was like Kross was smiling back at me.

My laughter turned into tears. I dropped down onto the dirt floor and hugged my knees to my chest.

Norma joined me, draping her arm around me. “Hey, you don’t have to do this.”

“It’s not the fight. Well, it is sort of. Raven’s daddy boxed. All week, I’ve been thinking of him, and how I used to watch him dance around boxers in the gym at school.”

“Aw, honey. Why don’t you try and find him? You know he might be the key to getting Raven back.”

I shook my head vigorously. “Absolutely not. He can’t ever know about her.”

“He’s her father,” Norma said softly.

“I don’t want him to see me like this. Besides, he didn’t want to be bothered when I called him a thousand times. He left me like I was the scum of the earth. Besides, before I’m ready for her to meet her father, I need to have my life in order.” I would die if Kross saw me now. My skin was pallid, as though I walked among the dead. I had dirty hair and nails, and I didn’t feel pretty at all.

Tommy strutted in, looking as greasy as ever. “What’s going on? You’re not backing out, are you, Ruby?”

Norma and I jumped to our feet.

I wiped my eyes. “No.” I tried to sound sure and strong. I couldn’t keep feeling sorry for myself. I had to take control of my life, and if that meant physically fighting, then I would put everything I had into it.

“Good. Good,” he said. “The crowd is off the hook tonight.”

I could hear the voices in the distance.

“How much is the pot worth?” Norma asked.

Tommy swung his dark gaze between us.

Norma stuck her hands on her hips. “If you so much as—”

I took hold of her hand. “Tommy, I’m not doing this for three hundred dollars. I saw how that girl got her face bashed in last week. I also know you make fifteen thousand dollars on a fight.”

He grinned, but it turned into a snarl. “Eavesdropping on me? Not cool.”

“I want a thousand if I win.” I would’ve said more, but I had to be realistic with a thug like Tommy.

He pursed his lips. “I like your feistiness. But I can’t agree to that.”

“Then I’m out of here.” I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I recalled the conversation between Tommy and some man when I was hiding in the dumpster last week. The man had said, “Just make sure she shows. I’ll be taking your nuts if she doesn’t.” I wasn’t the
she
the man had referenced, but I had an inkling that if I walked out, Tommy would be without a fighter, which meant he would lose money.

Norma beamed from ear to ear as we headed for the door.

“Wait,” Tommy said. “Eight hundred.”

“Higher,” Norma whispered in my ear.

“Nine hundred fifty,” I countered, tossing a look over my shoulder.

Tommy’s tone dropped. “You’re not in any position to barter.”

“You’re not in any position for me to walk out.” I wasn’t sure if that were true.

He narrowed his dark eyes. “Nine hundred.”

I exchanged a questioning look with Norma, and she nodded.

“Deal,” I said.

“You got five minutes before show time.” He stormed out.

“He must think you have a shot at winning.” Norma darted her tongue over her lip ring. “Otherwise, I’m not sure he would’ve agreed to that much money.”

“He agreed to my demand because his ass would be toast if I bailed. Besides, I have no shot. I’m fighting some big girl named Vickie.”

“Do you know for sure?” Norma’s hair was styled into a short bob, but she always tucked it behind her ears when she got nervous, just like she was doing now.

I’d assumed I was. Tommy had asked if I could take Vickie. “It doesn’t matter, anyway. If I win, we’ll get nine hundred dollars.” Thinking about that amount of money sparked my adrenaline to new heights.

Norma helped me out of my coat. When the cold air hit me, goose bumps popped up along my bare arms. Then she smoothed a hand over my ragged T-shirt.

I shivered again. “I’m fighting. I’m not walking down a runway.”

“So sue me. I’m nervous. Where’s your hair tie?” She searched my jacket pockets and found a hair band. “Put your hair up. You don’t want the girl to be pulling on it.”

I twisted my oily hair up onto my head.

“Make sure you block your pretty face, and use anything you remember from watching Raven’s daddy box.”

“Did you have to bring him up?” In the time we had known each other, I hardly talked about Kross. Norma had caught me looking at his picture one night. So I told her he was Raven’s daddy. But that was it. When she’d probed further, I shut her down by changing the subject. Regardless, maybe she was right. Maybe I could use a move or two that Kross had once done in the ring.

She pinched my cheeks. “Get loose.”

I snorted. “Who are you? My coach?”

“I never told you this, but I was a long-distance runner in high school. Before every run, my coach would say, ‘get loose.’ I’m sure you stretched before you danced.”

Of course, warm-ups were a routine before every ballet performance. But I was more skilled at ballet than boxing, and no amount of stretching would ease the tension in my body. Instead, I bounced on my feet, a move I had seen when I watched a boxing match with my dad. I’d even seen the move from Kross while he was waiting for the coach to start the fight.

The door opened. “It’s time,” Tommy said.

Norma rubbed her hands up and down my arms. “Kick some butt out there.”

Before I got myself worked up or backed out of the deal, I marched out of the room and into a hallway. Norma hurried to my side and grabbed my shaky hand. She squeezed lightly. Tommy strutted on the other side of me. Within twenty feet, we stopped at a metal door.

“So, am I fighting that Vickie girl?” I asked.

“Nope,” he said, ushering us in.

I didn’t know whether to be relieved or even more frightened.

People were packed into the room like sardines. I waved off the thick cigar and cigarette smoke that floated in the air. Once I got my bearings, I zeroed in on the girl just inside the door. She was the same one Vickie had had a field day with. Her face was black and blue, but I didn’t get the vibe that she was scared. If anything, she looked angry.

Tommy introduced us before heading into the ring. “Ruby, meet your opponent, Mel.”

I didn’t know if we were supposed to shake, but I extended my hand anyway. She glanced at it then turned her head as if I was beneath her.

Whatever. The less I knew of her, the easier it might be to smack her around the ring, especially if she cowered in a corner like she’d done against Vickie. The tightness in my stomach lessened. It might be an easy nine hundred dollars. It wasn’t enough to get an apartment, but we could get a cheap hotel room for the night. Then Norma and I could shower, eat, and sleep in a bed for once.

Tommy held up his hands then pushed them down. “Quiet.”

Within a second, the boisterous voices died.

“Hopefully, you’ve placed your bets. We have a newbie here tonight. I know how you like newbies. I think she’ll give Mel a run for her money.”

“If Mel doesn’t fight tonight, this should be an easy win,” someone said. “My bet is on the newbie.”

“Asshole,” Mel murmured next to me.

Suddenly, my pulse went haywire. Mel, the scared girl with blue streaks through her blond hair and bruises dotting her delicate face, was not so innocent. Then I remembered something. A man I’d been standing next to while watching Mel and Vickie had said, “Some shy girls have so much adrenaline and anger, they can beat the shit out of the larger opponents.” I wasn’t larger than Mel by any means. If anything, we were both the same height, and we both had small frames. But she had one advantage over me—anger. I wasn’t nearly as enraged as she was at the moment. Besides, I was banking on keeping my cool. Maybe then I could fight strategically.

Norma’s cold hand touched my arm. “You can do this.”

I rolled my shoulders back. If I backed out, Tommy wouldn’t be pleased. In fact, he might skin me alive if he had money on the line. Still, all the money in the world wouldn’t stop my stomach from churning like a whirlpool.

“Go.” Norma nudged me. “He’s calling your name.”

I zeroed in on the here and now to find that Mel was already in the ring beside Tommy, who had an evil look on his face. I shuffled through a group of old men. One patted me on the back. Another slapped me on the butt. I almost hauled off and kicked him but decided to reserve my energy for Mel.

“No rules,” Tommy said once I was in the ring. “You fight until one of you gets knocked out. Shake.”

We bumped fists as if we were seasoned fighters.

“I love this shit,” Tommy mumbled as he walked away.

As soon as he left the ring, Mel came at me. Her fists were wild as though she was possessed. I shuffled, sidestepped, then ducked.

Whistles then shouts sang around the room. “Hit her already,” yelled one man.

I danced around her. My footwork was sloppy. It had been a long time since I had even tried to practice any of my ballet moves. I nearly laughed. I was in an illegal underground fight with no clue about what I was supposed to do.

Mel was still swinging. I was still stumbling.

“Fight,” Tommy said.

I threw a punch at air.

Mel laughed. “Pathetic.”

I was trying to wrap my head around how much she’d changed since the previous week.
Screw that. Worry about your ass. Fight.

She jabbed, her knuckles connecting with my cheekbone. Stars floated in front of my vision as I returned a punch to her nose. Pain shot up my arm. It hurt more to punch someone than to be hit. I went at her again but missed. She reared back, snarling. Whoa! This couldn’t have been the same meek girl from the week before.

“What?” she asked as we both glided around each other. “Shocked I’m not the same girl you tried to get to fight last week? Well, thanks to you, I got off my ass. I won that fight.”

Great, I’d helped her. Now she was going to beat my pathetic butt.
Weave, bob and dance,
I repeated.
I always tire my opponent out,
Kross had said.

“Come on, Ruby,” Tommy shouted from somewhere close by. “I got money on you.”

You have nine hundred dollars on the line. Nine hundred,
my inner voice blared.

“Sucks that the tables are turned,” Mel said. “Not so brave now, are you?”

The decibel level was deafening. Not to mention, the pain gripping my face was disorienting.
Stay focused on Mel.
Don’t waver. The moment you do, she’ll knock you out.

Her fists came at me. I ducked then punched. She bobbed her head to the left. I swung out with my right fist as I rammed my left into her stomach.

She bent over for a second then glared at me, nostrils flaring.

“See, I’m a fast learner. Unlike you.” I had no business getting cocky, but the adrenaline was overpowering and energizing.

Growling, she lunged forward. She extended her right hand, and her fist crashed into my eye.