Dare to Dance: The Maxwell Series (6 page)

“When is your next fight?” The word “fuck” was on repeat in my head.

“Two weeks,” Tommy said. “But that fight doesn’t include Ruby.”

I took the stairs two at a time. Maybe I could still plead with her, grovel, anything to get her to talk.
Get a grip, man. Get a fucking grip.
Fuck no. I wasn’t about to let our child live on the streets.

I tore through the dingy hallway, up another set of stairs, then out into the crisp, cold night. I scanned the narrow expanse of the dark alley. Nothing. I ran until I reached the street. Again, I came up empty.

“Motherfucker,” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Kross,” Dillon called before he jogged up to me.

I turned with my hands on my head. Tommy was at Dillon’s side. I stalked up to Tommy and grabbed his collared shirt. “If she shows up here again, I want you to call me.”

He pushed me. “Chill.”

“I’m serious. I’ll kick your ass from here to California if I find out she’s hanging around here and you haven’t called.” Then again, she would probably stay as far away from this place as possible now that she’d seen me.

He snarled. “Both of you are fucked up.”

Dillon stepped in between us as I was about to lunge. “I know you don’t want me on your ass. But you also don’t want Kross either. Now get me my money.”

Tommy marched back down the alley without another word.

“We’ll find her,” Dillon said, turning back to me. “She couldn’t have gone far. Let’s check the area. If we come up empty, then I know some places the homeless hang out.”

The word “homeless” sent a knife-like pain to my heart.

T
he streets
of Boston were bustling with businessmen and women who hurried in all directions, probably late for a lunch meeting. They were vastly different from the types of people who roamed the streets at night. I sat cross-legged on a busy sidewalk corner in front of a coffee shop. My cup was at my side as it normally was during the day when I wasn’t dumpster diving for food. A sharply dressed lady dropped a few coins into my till, and they dinged against the other coins.

“Thank you.” I glanced up at the woman, who was already hoofing it down the street.

A siren wailed in the distance. More people hurried by me. I touched my eye, which was healing. Four days had passed since I had gotten my face pummeled by a timid girl who’d turned into a demon. It had also been four days since Kross Maxwell shocked me, angered me, and made me cry.

Argh! Those damn blue eyes of his had always caused me to say and do things without thinking. I had almost thrown myself at him. I couldn’t breathe when I saw how good he looked—tall, toned, and muscular. He smelled wonderful too, like sugar and spice. When he recited his lyrics to
Star Light, Star Bright
, the tears blasted out before I could stop them. He’d said our nursery rhyme with such conviction that I almost believed he had feelings for me. But my tears quickly dried when he asked about the baby. All the anger I harbored for him rushed back quicker than a runaway train. I’d almost jumped off the stairs and cold-cocked him. Particularly, since he had been responsible for my nine-hundred-dollar loss.

I whipped out an old photo of Raven before she’d gone into foster care. Seeing her always helped to calm me. I smoothed my finger over her picture. Her black hair was pulled up in a ponytail, her blues eyes were framed by the longest lashes, and she had her hands on her hips, posing as if she was modeling a new outfit. A tear spilled down my cheek. I was a terrible mother. I shouldn’t have been stealing with her at my side. Maybe Norma was right. Maybe I should talk to Kross and tell him everything, dump my problems on him so he could take care of Raven and me. Maybe he was my ticket to getting Raven back.

The jangle of change caused me to look up. A young girl, who looked to be about ten years old, smiled at me. Then she removed her yellow scarf and handed it to me. “This will keep you warm.”

More tears streamed down my face. “You keep it, sweetie. It’s cold out here.”

Her mom ran up, bundled in her own winter gear. “Jenny?”

“She looks cold, Mommy.”

The lady nodded at me with sad green eyes. “Please, take the scarf. She doesn’t like seeing homeless people.” Then she pulled out her wallet and gave me two ten-dollar bills. “This is for a warm meal.”

Tears continued to spill as I took the money. The change in my cup added up to maybe three dollars, and Norma and I needed to eat. Since the night of the fight, we’d only found stale bread as our sustenance. “Thank you.”

Jenny wrapped the scarf around me. Then her mom grabbed her hand. The little girl waved as they merged into pedestrian traffic.

I tightened the soft fabric around me. It smelled of baby powder, reminding me of Raven. More tears dropped. I stuffed away her photo before I became a blubbering frozen mess on the street.

Out of nowhere, Norma bounded up. She’d ducked into a diner a block away to apply for a waitressing position. She sat down then felt my scarf. “That was nice of the little girl to give this to you. So, any luck?” She peeked into the cup. “Mmm. Not much. Hey, why are you crying? Have you been staring at Raven’s picture again? Or thinking about her hot daddy?” She buttoned her oversized men’s coat that we’d found while raiding a donation bin.

I ignored her questions. “Did they let you fill out an application?”

“Yeah. But they don’t have any openings.” Norma wiped her nose with the back of her gloved hand. “Have you thought anymore about going to see Kross?”

“No.” It would have been so easy to depend on Kross, and so wonderful to have him in my life again. The thought of being a family with him and Raven was fantastic. But I couldn’t depend on him or anyone else. I had to show my daughter I could be a good mother. Most of all, I was in no physical condition to see Kross. No way. No how. Not ever.

“Ruby.” Norma’s tone dropped like it normally did when she didn’t agree with me. “He can help you. You didn’t see the despair written all over his face the other night. The man was begging me to tell him something.”

I didn’t need to see his face. Norma and I had heard Kross swear at the top of his lungs as we’d run from Firefly. While his pain tugged at my heartstrings, two things waged a war inside me. His apology was weak at best. I got the feeling he’d said he was sorry for not returning my calls because he wanted to know about the baby. Second, I couldn’t figure out how he knew about Raven, and I was worried that he might try to get custody of her.

“Again, I’m not ready. Please tell me you won’t go over to that gym you said he worked at and rat me out.” Or maybe Norma was the one who had found Kross and told him about Raven and where I would be. As quickly as that thought entered my head, I let it go. We were like sisters, and we trusted one another.

“I’m not a tattler. But I can’t promise you I won’t go over to that gym and check things out.” She giggled then waggled her eyebrows.

I snarled. “Don’t you dare.” Knowing Kross, he would give her his puppy dog eyes or his sad face like he used to do to me when he wanted to know what was bothering me.

“I was kidding. I promise.”

I jumped up. “Let’s go.” My butt was frozen from sitting on the cold concrete. I had twenty dollars in my pocket. Any hot meal would thaw me out and get rid of my hunger pangs.

“We should hang for another hour. We only have a couple of dollars in the cup.”

I pulled out the wadded-up ten-dollar bills.

She scowled. “You didn’t pickpocket some dude, did you?”

I was good at stealing, but it wasn’t something I was proud of, and I only stole when we were desperate. “That little girl’s mom gave it to me.”

She plastered on a hungry smile. “Where to?”

We started walking. “Tommy’s place.”

“Are you crazy?” she asked. “That place is a dive. Unless you have something else up your sleeve.”

“Hear me out. No one is going to hire us. But Tommy owns Firefly. Maybe he’ll give us a shot at a waitressing or let us work in the kitchen.” I knew my way around a kitchen. My mom had taught me to cook when I was twelve. Actually, I loved to bake. But I would clean the bathrooms if it meant a steady job and money in my pocket.

“Fine.” Norma eyed me. “As long as you don’t fight.”

“Yeah, well, I wouldn’t mind another shot at Mel.” Even with all the pain that came from fighting, I did get a high out of the adrenaline rush. Not that I would sign up today, but a part of me still hungered for the big money.

She punched me lightly on the arm. “I’ll kill you myself if you fight again.”

I dipped my chin inside my new scarf as we walked the five blocks toward Firefly.

“So, aren’t you afraid that Kross will show up at Firefly?” Norma asked.

I shrugged. In the back of my mind, I always knew that one day Kross and I would run into each other. I just wanted that time to be on my terms when I was ready. “We need a job.” I didn’t know if Tommy would hire us, particularly since I had lost the fight and caused trouble the first night I met him. Still, I had to try. “If Kross does show up, then I’ll deal.”

“You said Kross had brothers. Triplets, huh?” Norma asked.

“Seriously? We’re trying to survive, and you’re thinking of men?” After I had bolted out of Firefly as if my life depended on it, Norma and I had found a secluded spot in an abandoned warehouse not far from Tommy’s place. I had spent the night in her arms, crying and telling her all about Kross and his brothers. I couldn’t blame her too much for asking about the triplets. After all, Kross times three would make any woman do crazy things to get their attention. I’d witnessed it firsthand at the academy when the girls would giggle and squeal every time the triplets were together in the halls. A couple of those same girls had snarled at me when they found out I was dating Kross, although most of them had doted on Kelton. He’d been the one brother who hadn’t seemed to brood or sneer at someone if they looked at him the wrong way.

Fast forward four years, and wow. I couldn’t shake the image of Kross. I hadn’t had a date, sex, or someone to hold me since him. I wasn’t sure I even knew how to kiss anymore.

Norma hooked her arm with mine as we crossed over streets and fought pedestrian traffic. “We’re human, Ruby. I’m sure you have sexual urges. Sometimes, I miss being a lady of the night. I had some badass men who were great in bed.”

With Raven and my pathetic life, sex was the last thing on my mind. But I had pleasured myself a time or two. “I’ll kill you if you start selling yourself.”

The large Firefly sign came into view, jutting out from the two-story brick building. As we approached, a patron walked out of the main entrance, bringing with him the smell of grease and a reminder of the fat, juicy hamburger Tommy had given me the night I’d met him. “Let’s eat before we talk to Tommy.”

The inside was somewhat dark, and a handful of people were scattered between the bar that stood directly in front of us and a table near the window. A stand-up sign said to seat yourself. Norma and I wound around the bar and headed to the back of the restaurant. We slid into a booth near what appeared to be a small stage carved into an alcove. Norma plucked a menu from behind the table’s jukebox. I knew I wanted another hamburger.

A round-faced waitress came over. She scrutinized Norma and me as she pulled a pencil from the bun on her head. “What’ll you have?”

“First, I want a hamburger with fries,” I said. “Then I’d like to put in an employment application.”

Her perfectly made-up face twisted, and a crease formed between her light-brown eyebrows. Then she relaxed and smiled. “We don’t get much business in here, and the owner is a prick.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I know.” Norma and I busted out laughing.

“Ah.” She snapped her gum. “You were in the fight last Saturday.” She twirled her forefinger around my healing eye. “I hate watching ladies get their faces ruined.”

“Is Tommy here?” I asked.

She glanced at the bald, bearded bartender then scooted in the booth and sat next to Norma. “Look, you don’t want anything to do with Tommy.” She kept her voice low. “And you shouldn’t be fighting.”

“I don’t want to fight.” I laced my fingers together on the table. “I told you I want to waitress.”

She cocked her head. A strand of light-brown hair fell from her bun. “No offense, but you two are in no shape to apply for a job. You both look like you live on the streets. When was the last time you showered?” Pity rolled off of her.

Normally, I would have smarted off, but I couldn’t argue when it came to our hygiene. Norma and I had to sneak into the YMCA on occasion to shower. Otherwise, bathroom gas stations were places where we could at least brush our teeth.

“Lady,” Norma said, “we want to eat. If you don’t want us to work here, just say so.”

“My name is Alex. I’m trying to help you.” Her tone was flat. “I had a sister who lived on the streets. Unfortunately, she didn’t survive. So before you get all snotty with me—”

“We’re sorry.” I glared daggers at Norma. “Look, we realize our hygiene isn’t spectacular, but we’re trying to remedy that. You see, once we have some money, we’ll be able to buy some decent clothes. I’m Ruby, by the way.”

Everything about Alex seemed genuine—her smile, the fact that she was giving us the time of day, and the motherly look in her brown eyes. I would have guessed her to be in her late twenties, and something told me she didn’t want to be in this place.

“We just need a break.” I wanted to spill my guts about how dire my need was for a job and a roof over my head so I could get my daughter back. But I barely knew her.

“Alex,” a deep voice from the bar said.

“Be right there,” she called. Then she looked at us and rolled her eyes. “This place doesn’t see much action, but Tommy has booked a band for the first time in a long time. So we’ll need the help on Saturday for sure. We also had a waitress leave, but Tommy’s not going to hire you until you clean up.” She climbed out of the booth, dipped her hand inside the pocket of her apron, and placed a key on the table. “My apartment is next door, above the bakery. Apartment three. Go shower. I have clothes in my closet that should fit both of you. I also have food in the fridge. Take your time then come see me.”

“Alex, why are you helping?” I asked. She’d said she had a sister who’d lived on the streets. Still, Norma and I could rob her of everything she had.

“Life is precious,” she said with a frown before she strode over to the bar.

Norma and I stared at each other for a mere second before we hurried out of there. The thought of a long hot shower, new clothes, and food had me rushing up two flights of stairs to apartment three.

After we closed the door, I laughed out loud. The place was bare except for a dilapidated couch, a rickety coffee table made out of boxes and plywood, and a wicker basket full of wine bottle corks that sat next to the couch. “Not much to steal if we wanted to.”

“We wouldn’t do that.” Norma stuck her head in the fridge. “Right?”

Alex was giving us a break. I wasn’t about to ruin the opportunity to get squeaky clean and sated. As Norma rummaged around for food, I went in search of the bathroom.

After two hours of showering, eating, and raiding Alex’s closet, I felt like a human again. My hair had never been silkier, my skin was clean and smooth, and the shampoo I’d just used made my hair smell like coconuts. Not to mention, I was wearing new clothes. I borrowed a pair of jeans, boots, and a pullover sweater with sleeves that fell to my fingertips. The clothes were looser on me than on Norma. She’d found jeans, a pair of Chucks, and a tight-fitting cotton shirt that accentuated her large breasts. Her short blond hair was shinier than I’d ever seen it. We went as far as applying a little foundation. For me, the makeup was more to cover up my bruises. We found a plastic bag in the kitchen and stuffed our dirty clothes in it before we made our way back to Firefly.