We drew to a stop in front of a pawnshop across the street from Crandall’s Gym.
“I was scared out of my mind when you didn’t wake up. Frankly, Kross shouldn’t let you do this.”
I mashed my lips together so hard it hurt. “First, I’m here to learn a few moves from a guy who boxes for a living,” I said as nicely as I could. She was worried. I got that. I didn’t want to fuel her fire. The more she got upset, the more I got upset, and I needed my head clear so I could put all my energy into winning the fight on Saturday. “Second, you’ve said yourself that women shouldn’t let men boss them around. You hated when your pimp told you what to do.”
“Kross isn’t a pimp,” she yelled above the brisk wind.
I tugged on my scarf. “He doesn’t own me. This is my life.” As screwed up as it was, I had to make my own decisions. For too long, my mom had made all the decisions while I took care of Raven. It was time for me to take control. Whether I made good or bad decisions, they were mine to own up to. While fighting might not have been the best decision, it was an opportunity to make money. “You’re supposed to be my friend.”
“I am your friend. Friends tell each other when they don’t agree with something. Damn it, Ruby. Think. Think about Raven. Not only could you get hurt badly, but Tommy’s fights are illegal. Do you want to do jail time like your parents?”
Screw trying to keep my anger at bay. I narrowed my eyes into slits so small, I could barely see her. “I am thinking about my daughter. I am trying everything I can to get a steady job so I can find a place to live.” Norma was right, which was why I was so darn angry at myself more than I was at her. “I’m fighting. End of story.” I had to go through with the fight. I’d committed to it. Tommy said I could be good. More importantly, if I won, then I wouldn’t lose my job, which meant we could get an apartment, and in turn, I could get Raven back. Alex’s hospitality would only go so far.
“If you fight, I’ll tell Kross about Raven.”
My jaw came unhinged. “Why are you so insistent on Kross knowing about Raven? Why? Tell me now.” We’d only been friends for two months, and I didn’t know everything about Norma. I knew she ran away from home. I knew she’d been a hooker. She rarely talked about her family. When I’d asked her why she ran away, she’d said her parents were too strict.
A teardrop slid down her wind-burned cheek as she moved to lean against the pawnshop. Then she bent over to hold her stomach.
“What’s going on?” I asked gently. Norma hardly got emotional. She was the strong one in our friendship.
She straightened, sweeping her blond bangs to the side. Tears rushed out. “I ran away from home at fifteen because I was pregnant. I didn’t want anyone to know. I didn’t want my parents to look at me and be disappointed.” She sucked in her lip ring. “I lost the baby, Ruby. I was running from some creep who was chasing me one night. I turned down a dark street, and I didn’t see the stairs. I fell head first. Next thing I knew, I was bleeding.” She sobbed, crouching down until her butt met the pavement. “To this day, I haven’t told my parents.”
My chest tightened. “I’m sorry. I know the feeling.” Tears burned behind my eyelids, not only for Norma’s pain, but for mine.
“What do you mean?”
I grabbed hold of her hands. “I was pregnant with twins. Raven had a sister. But she didn’t make it. Riley was stillborn from a genetic defect, according to the doctors.”
She reached out and hugged me, practically tackling me to the ground. “If I hadn’t run away from home, if only I’d been brave enough to tell my parents, then the baby would still be alive.” She sobbed in my ear, drowning out the sounds of a passing car.
I focused on the closed sign in the window of the pawnshop and rubbed her back, much like my mom had done after the doctor took Riley away. “I’m here for you.” The pain of losing a baby, whether from a miscarriage or stillbirth, hurt. But when compounded with the what-ifs, it made healing an uphill battle. Sometimes, I thought God had punished me for not trying harder to find Kross and tell him I was pregnant. “I go through all the scenarios of what would’ve happened if Kross would’ve returned my calls, or if he would’ve been with me when Raven was born. I’m not sure my life would’ve turned out differently.”
Her sobs became sniffles. I eased back and wiped away a tear from her face.
“I love that you’re worried about Raven. I am too. But she’s with a good family.” I’d met them briefly on my last supervised visit two weeks before. The couple had smiled and waved at me. Sure, outward appearances could be deceiving, but Raven had seemed happy, talking about the dolls her foster mom had bought her, and the books they’d read to her before bed. Tears stung. I wanted to be the one reading to my daughter. Damn it. I squeezed my eyes shut, collecting my emotions. I couldn’t go into the gym with red eyes and a splotchy face. Kross would probably think Tommy had done something to hurt me, then Tommy and Kross would scuffle. Then Tommy would fire me for sure. “You’re right. I shouldn’t fight. But Tommy thinks I’m good. Maybe Kross can help me get better. Maybe I can make fighting a career.”
She scrunched her red nose. “Do you like getting hit?”
“I like the adrenaline rush.” I would rather dance, but that door had closed a long time ago. Ballet dancers usually peaked somewhere in their mid-twenties, and those were the ones who had been practicing consistently since they were kids. If I couldn’t be a dancer, I would love to maybe teach ballet someday.
“Ruby, I regret what I did. I don’t want you—”
“Nothing is going to happen to me. Except some cuts and bruises.”
“If something did, then Raven would be without a mom, and Kross wouldn’t know his daughter.”
I cocked my head and grinned. “I’m sure you’ll be the first one to tell him.” I had no doubt that Norma wouldn’t hesitate to introduce Kross to Raven.
She gave me a tentative smile and a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry for getting all emotional. I’ve kept that secret to myself all these years.”
“I’m glad you told me. But maybe it’s time your parents knew.”
She shook her head vigorously. “No effing way. I don’t want to see the pity on their faces or take the chance they don’t want to see me. They probably hate me.”
I lifted my eyebrows. If that was how she felt, then I wanted to tell her not to be so insistent on telling me to inform Kross about Raven. Instead, I said, “I bet they would love to see you. Maybe it’s time to put the past to rest.”
She wiped her hand underneath her nose. “Tell you what. You come clean with Kross, then I’ll reach out to my parents.”
I looked at her for a long moment. “I’m late. I should get inside.” I dashed across the quiet street.
“You’re avoiding me,” she said, following closely on my heels.
I opened the door to the gym and smacked right into a Kross look-a-like. He wasn’t Kross because he didn’t have the large muscular arms. Sure, he was buff with a gray Harvard T-shirt stretched across his toned chest, but he didn’t have a snake inked on his forearm like his brother.
His blue gaze sized me up as he moved out of the way to let me enter. “Ruby, right?”
Okay, so he wasn’t Kody either since Kody and I had met at Firefly, and he would’ve remembered me.
The man in front of me sported a cocky grin as he eyed Norma, who glided in and stood beside me. “I’m Kelton. Do you remember me?”
I wanted to laugh hysterically. Their unabashed attitudes and their arrogance at the academy were hard to forget. Girls had followed them around school, trying to get their attention. They had made a name for themselves, not only because of their good looks, but they’d been in the principal’s office on a daily basis for acting out in class, telling a teacher off, or getting into fights.
“Norma, this is Kelton Maxwell. The other triplet.” I punctuated the last three words in a snooty tone. Kelton and I didn’t get along back then. He’d sat behind me in two of my classes a
nd tried to play with my hair every chance he had. But when he’d outright sniffed my hair, I’d whirled around in my seat and slapped him. He’d laughed. I’d gotten detention.
“You still hate me. It’s been four years, Ruby.” His grin screamed arrogance. “I see you still have long hair.”
I clenched my fists.
“Hi,” Norma said.
Kelton laughed. I walked away.
“Nice to see you again, Ruby,” he said to my back.
“He’s a bit pompous,” Norma said at my side. “But really hot.”
A potent smell of sweat and man penetrated my nostrils as we stood at the empty check-in desk. Grunts, shouts, and clangs sounded. Men and women worked out on weights, rowing machines, and treadmills. I squinted at the bright lights as nostalgia swept me from the room.
Spotlights had shone down as I danced to music of Tchaikovsky, practicing for my role in the Sleeping Beauty performance.
“Cut the music,” Ms. March shouted, her voice echoing throughout the auditorium.
I stopped. “Am I doing something wrong?” She’d been riding me for two solid months about my form, my attitude, and my smile.
“Head up and shoulders back,” Ms. March said.
I wanted to tell her I was exhausted, but that would only fuel her ire. Then she would have made me practice another two hours. I understood her strict teaching. If I looked good in front of an auditorium of people, then so did she. Above everything, I didn’t want to disappoint myself. I had to be perfect. The artistic director of Joffrey Ballet School in New York would be present for my performance.
“Can we take a break?” I had desperately needed some water.
An elbow pushed into my side, startling me back to the present. “Kross is over there.” Norma’s voice registered as Ms. March’s waned. Norma tipped her chin to the left.
Kross was sparring with a young brown-haired boy, who looked to be in high school. I watched in quiet fascination at the lithe way Kross danced around his opponent. I was mentally taking notes for my bout on Saturday.
“Look at him move,” Norma said in awe, or maybe she was drooling.
I couldn’t blame her. Kross’s body was covered in a sheen of sweat, highlighting the way his muscles rippled every time he jabbed. He was so much bigger now than when we were in school. Hey, idiot, he’s a man now. A very large and sexy man. Actually, he was more like a sexy beast. My stomach fluttered as I licked my lips. “Maybe I should go.” I couldn’t take boxing lessons from him. I could, however, take kissing lessons or something more.
“You afraid you might give in to him?” Norma’s voice held giddiness.
I would have loved to have given him every inch of me. “Not a chance.”
She giggled. “Liar.”
I bit my lip as I willed the tornado in my stomach to calm the heck down.
A short, bald man who had his back to us threw up his hands. “God damn it, Kross. Get your fucking act together. Hit Liam like you mean it. Reggie is going to pummel you into oblivion.”
Kross stretched his neck one way then the other. Liam bounced on his feet before throwing a punch. His gloved fist landed square in Kross’s jaw.
“Your footwork is lacking, Kross,” a guy with a ponytail next to the coach said.
Kross growled before he lunged at Liam. One fist hit Liam’s nose. The next one hit his mouth. Liam raised his forearms as Kross let loose a series of jabs and hooks.
“That’s it. Keep that footwork going,” the coach said with pride in his voice.
“Liam, fight back,” I shouted. As soon as the words left me, I slapped a hand over my mouth. I should have been rooting for Kross, but I always liked to root for the underdog.
Kross whipped his head in my direction. When he did, Liam landed a left hook into Kross’s face. Kross stumbled backward into the ropes. Ponytail guy and the coach shot fiery glares at me. All the sounds in the gym died. I scanned the room and found that all eyes were on me. Suddenly, I wanted to crawl into a dark hole.
“Isn’t that the ponytail guy who was with Kross at your fight? Dillon, right?” Norma asked with way too much excitement in her voice. “Alex likes him. Maybe he’s the one she’s been spending time with. I’m not one to step into a girl’s territory, but for him, I might have to.”
“I’m leaving.”
“No, you’re not.” Norma blocked me with her body. “Two thousand dollars.”
I briefly closed my eyes. Money. Lots of money. You can do this. At the moment, I hated my subconscious and Norma.
“One minute, you don’t want me to fight. The next, you’re encouraging me. Is it because you’re foaming at the mouth for Dillon?”
“In all honesty,” she said, “no. Sure, he’s hot, but if you’re in that ring with Kross, then you have a chance to win.”
Kross held his jaw as he glanced my way with a blank expression. Dillon, on the other hand, swaggered over with a gym bag in his hand. His brown gaze appraised Norma and me. “I didn’t think you would show.” His voice was husky. “I’m Dillon Hart. I was at your fight with Kross. We never officially met, though.”
“Why does Tommy hate you?” Nerves sometimes caused me to stick my foot in my mouth or babble.
“Ruby,” Norma said. “Sorry. My friend says weird shit when she gets nervous.”
“It’s still true. Tommy is also afraid of you,” I said.
Dillon chuckled. “We have a long history.”
It had to be quite a history. Then again, it really wasn’t any of my business.
Dillon handed me the gym bag. “Kross would like you to change into workout gear while he finishes up.”
I stood dumbfounded as I fixated on the gym bag.
“It’s okay. It’s just clothes,” Dillon said. “You’ll have more flexibility in the workout gear than your jeans.”
Norma grabbed the bag. “Thanks.”
Oh my God. No one had bought me anything in years, not since Raven was born. The money my mom had made had gone to purchase diapers, formula, and clothes for Raven.
“Locker room is behind the boxing ring,” Dillon said.
Norma dragged me with her as we headed in that direction. As we passed the boxing ring, Kross grinned at me, his lone dimple popping out. I blew out a breath. I couldn’t get in the ring with him. The minute he touched me was the minute I would cave. That wouldn’t be so bad, would it? Or I could look at this another way. I get to take out my anger on him. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to get in that ring.
13
Kross
Kade, Dillon, and I were huddled outside the ring. I was waiting on Ruby to emerge from the ladies’ locker room. Kade had been working out with Kelton earlier and wanted to meet Ruby. My sparring partner, Liam, had cut out early to study for an exam he had the next day at the academy. Jay had retreated to his office to finalize a date and time for my upcoming fight with Reggie Stockman. But my fight, which was my vie to impress Gail Freeman, wasn’t in the forefront of my mind even though it should have been. For the last year, Jay and I had worked tirelessly, entering every fight we could so I could get exposure. But the last two promoters weren’t interested. They’d said I wasn’t ready, and that I still had much to learn before I faced the champions on the circuit. Hence, Jay was down my throat constantly. I didn’t blame him. I wanted a boxing contract as badly as he did. He’d worked just as hard and lost sleep at night, trying to get me ready.
But Ruby was on my mind twenty-four, seven. How could I build trust with her? Would she show? Would we argue again? Would she open up to me? So between Jay’s yelling and my mind wandering, my footwork sucked. My jabs were weak at best, and Liam was in a better position than me to fight Reggie Stockman.
Kade snapped his fingers. “Bro, are you with us?”
I tore my gaze away from the locker room door, blowing out a breath. “Maybe you should meet her another time.” I was afraid Kade might scare her. Sometimes, he could be quite imposing to a stranger.
Kade wiped
his face with the towel he was holding then threw on a T-shirt. “I’ll say ‘hi’ then leave.”
“And you?” I asked Dillon.
“I’m curious if she’ll change into the clothes you bought her. When I gave her the bag, I got the impression she thought there was a bomb in the bag.”
“A little dramatic, don’t you think?” Even though his comment didn’t surprise me, I had to try. Ruby had said she didn’t want a handout. If she was sticking to her guns and fighting at Tommy’s trashy dive, then I wanted her to be able to move freely. It was easier to throw a punch or a kick without the weight of heavy boots or tight jeans. At least in my mind, wearing street clothes to fight was like trying to swim in wet clothes. The fabric just got heavier with each stroke.
“In all seriousness,” Dillon said, “I wanted to tell you one of my rooms at the house just opened up. I’d like to offer it to Ruby and her friend if you’re okay with that. It will be months before the building I bought is transformed into a place for runaways.”
Man, Dillon had to be an angel in disguise. At first sight, he came off as a scary dude. He normally kept the scruff off his face, his hair was tied back into a ponytail, his body was tatted up, and he had piercings in his nose and ears, as well as a new one in his lip.
“Thanks, dude. I’ll ask, but I highly doubt it.” Ruby wanted to be her own person. “She’s staying with that waitress Alex at Firefly.”
Dillon winced when I said Alex’s name. Kade and I exchanged a confused look. The words “care to elaborate on Alex” started to fall from my lips when a door creaked open, drawing my attention away from Dillon.
Ruby glided out of the locker room with Norma holding her arm. Ruby’s auburn hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing the clothes I’d bought for her. I grinned like an ass. I had to thank Lizzie for knocking the clothes size out of the park. I’d enlisted her help, giving her a description of Ruby, which was similar to Lizzie, except Ruby was shorter than she was.
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