“Ruby.” Tommy said my name again before he tapped on my shoulder.
My dreamy bubble burst. The music grew louder, and voices became clearer, especially Tommy’s.
I briefly closed my eyes before I jumped to my feet. I peered up at Tommy’s scowled face. Then I looked back at Kross, who was now on his feet with a similar sneer, but it was directed at Tommy, not me. I got a sinking feeling that Tommy hadn’t called Kross.
Tommy had his hands on his denim-clad hips as he eyed me then Kross. “I see you two have now talked. Good. Now clean this mess up. Oh, and those drinks are coming out of your paycheck.” Then he stormed off.
I pinched my eyebrows together. Tommy didn’t yell, and Kross didn’t punch him. But the line between Kross’s eyebrows was unyielding as he watched Tommy head back down the hall. Not a good sign.
“Ruby,” Pete called.
When I turned, I was met with a towel that Pete had thrown at me.
“Clean up. Then get moving.” Pete pointed a fat finger to another round of drinks he’d whipped up while I was skipping down memory lane.
I hurried and picked up my mess. Surprisingly, the glasses weren’t broken. On my way to the bar, Kross stormed down the hallway with his hands fisted. I’d seen him in a similar fury when we were at the academy just before he had gotten into a fight with a boy who thought he owned the school.
No. No. No. I practically threw the lemon wedges, glasses, and cherries at Pete. I was not about to get fired because of Kross. I flew down the hall in hopes of stopping the imminent brawl.
“Ruby,” Pete yelled. “Get back here.”
Not a chance. I had to save my job. But as I skidded to a stop, I saw that Kross was in Tommy’s face, and Tommy had his back plastered to the paneled wall outside his office.
“You were supposed to call me if Ruby showed up.” Kross’s voice thundered down the long hallway. “Do you know what I’ve been through in the last week?”
“Fuck off, man. I don’t owe you squat. So get the hell out of here. This is my business, and you’re trespassing.” Tommy literally spat in his face.
I didn’t have time to stop Kross’s fist from connecting with Tommy’s jaw. Even if I could have, I wasn’t strong enough to intervene. Tommy’s head flew to the right.
Kross positioned himself to hit Tommy again.
“Stop,” I shouted.
Kross wiped the spit from his eye as he stalked up to me. “I’ve been searching every fucking place in this city, looking for you.” His voice was so deep, a chill zinged down my spine. “Every minute of the day and night, I roamed the streets, looking for you and our child. All this time, you’ve been here under this asshole’s nose.” He turned to Tommy, who was rubbing his jaw. “We’re not through yet.”
“Yes, you are.” My tone was firmer than the bunched muscles on his arms. “The fight is between you and me. But right now, I have to work. So if you want answers, get out of here until I finish my shift.” That was if I had a job. Tommy was a businessman that didn’t break deals, or at least I assumed he didn’t. I would beg and plead and do whatever it took to keep this job. This was my one shot at a better life. Granted, it wasn’t the greatest job, but it sure beat begging for change, eating out of dumpsters, and sleeping in dark alleys.
“Problems, Bro?” Either Kelton or Kody strutted up as though scuffles were an everyday occurrence with the Maxwells. Oh, wait. They were. The triplets had been hellions at the academy, always in trouble with a teacher for mouthing off or acting out. Still, after not being around them all these years, it was hard for me to tell the difference between Kelton and Kody. Not to mention, when Kross and I had dated, I hadn’t exactly hung out with his brothers, although Kelton had teased me a time or two.
Tommy did a double take. “Dillon didn’t tell me there were two of you.”
“Three,” Kross’s brother said in a light tone. He pointed to Kross. “But he’s the one you don’t want to fuck with.” He wasn’t as broad in the chest as Kross, and his hair was shaggier.
“Kody,” Kross said, his eyes fixated on me. “Can you make sure Penelope and her friends are okay. I’ll be just a minute.”
“Nice to see you, Ruby.” Kody sauntered off, leaving me alone with two angry men.
Kross glared at me as though I was the one who had never returned his calls. “You and I are talking before I leave here.”
“Oh, now you want to talk? Years go by, and out of the blue, I’m supposed to drop what I’m doing to talk to you? Yeah, think again. I have a job to do, and you’re interfering.”
“No, you don’t,” Tommy said. “We had a deal. You’re fired.” He held his bruised jaw.
Like hell I was. “As I said, I’m finishing my shift.” I glowered at Tommy then Kross. “We have nothing to discuss.”
Kross folded his large arms over his chest. “I’m not leaving, darling.”
“I’m not your darling. You lost the right to call me that when you all but ran like Freddy Krueger was chasing you.”
Tommy disappeared into his office.
Kross pushed up the sleeves of his shirt, exposing the head of a snake on his right forearm. He looked ready to rumble.
I laughed. “Is that move supposed to scare me?” The man I knew wouldn’t hit me. He was frustrated, but I wasn’t about to let him bully me into talking when he wanted me to.
“I said I was sorry for not returning your calls.” His voice was softer.
“Kross.” The blonde wiggled her curvy hips up to him. “What’s going on?”
I had a sudden urge to tell the girl to take a hike. But once again, she was the perfect distraction.
“I’ll give you time.” The hardness in his tone returned. “But don’t get any ideas of running because we’re talking tonight, even if I have to get my cop friend to put out an APB on you.” He grasped the blonde’s hand and stalked out.
My mouth fell open. I wanted to scream, shout, and tell him to fuck off. Instead, I stormed into Tommy’s cluttered office. I needed to save my job first, then I could deal with Kross.
“You’re definitely fired. I don’t want cops sniffing around this joint. Who the hell is Kross to you, anyway?” Tommy plopped down onto his couch. “He keeps asking about a baby. Care to elaborate?”
“Are you firing me or trying to be my shrink? I mean, why do you care?”
He moved his jaw from side to side. “The fucker can hit.”
“First, you started it by spitting in his face. Second, you don’t strike me as a whiner. You run a business. You set up illegal fights. You deal with bad men.” Maybe my last statement was a shot in the dark, but his business partner, Trent, was bad in my book. “Why are you afraid of Kross? Or is it that friend of his?”
“That dude”—he pointed to the door—“is wired to kill. If I were you, I’d tell him about his baby. Well, if there is one.”
“You can’t fire me,” I said as though I owned the club. “Look, I promise Kross won’t be a problem anymore. Besides, you need the help out there.” Alex had been right about the band drawing in a crowd.
“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 c
ouch. 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.
Chapter Nine
Kross
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 dagger
s.
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.”
The Maxwell Series Boxed Set - Books 4-6 Page 9