Dare to Dance: The Maxwell Series (24 page)

I
was
out of breath after climbing the steps two at a time, my lungs and thighs burning. I knew Alex worked for Trent, but as a madam? The hairs rose on the back of my neck. She’d lured Norma and me into her den. The pieces were falling together. Alex was quick to give us the key to her apartment. She had different styles and sizes of clothes in her closet.
She outfits the women.
Tommy’s words skipped through me. She probably had called Trent after she’d given us the key to her apartment. That was why he’d been sitting in Tommy’s office that day. He’d wanted to survey the next two pieces of meat.

What didn’t make sense was the way Alex hadn’t wanted Norma and me to work for Trent. Maybe that had all been an act on her part so Norma and I would believe her.

I banged on the door. “Alex. Alex, are you in there?” Norma had given me her key before I left for the Berkshires. Unfortunately, the key was in my bag at Kross’s apartment.

I turned the doorknob. A click sounded, then I gently pushed.
Whoa!
My pulse raced as I entered. “Alex?”

The living room and kitchen were empty. I slinked into the bedroom. The bed was made, and the air smelled stale. If Alex had been there recently, the air would’ve been laced with her flowery perfume. I checked the bathroom. All her toiletries and makeup were gone. I ran into the bedroom and slid open the closet door. That too was empty.

I sat down on the bed. Norma and I had been played big time. Or at least, I had. I was the one who had fallen into Tommy’s trap then Trent’s. Norma had kept trying to convince me not to fight. I screamed, but it came out as more of a long, low growl.

I didn’t hear Kross or Detective Rayburn come in.

Kross tugged me into his arms. “We’ll find Raven.”

His tone wasn’t all that convincing. I knew he was trying to ease my nerves as much as he was trying to quell his own. He’d been redder than a tomato when Ms. Waters was reading me the riot act back at the Santos’s house. I couldn’t blame her. I expected her to have the cops handcuff me and throw me in jail. It was my fault Raven was missing, but I couldn’t let my own self-pity get in the way of finding her.

I pushed Kross away. “Where? When? Before or after her kidnapper hurts her?” Oh God. The thought of anyone’s hands on her sent a bolt of lightning through me. I launched several punches to his chest as I cried. I was such a mess. One minute, I wanted to kill someone. The next minute, I couldn’t handle my baby being scared, lost, and hurt.

“Shhh,” Kross whispered. He sucked me into his strong, strong arms while Detective Rayburn stuck his head into the bathroom.

Shuddering, I buried my nose into Kross’s scented T-shirt and hugged him so tightly, I was afraid to let go. Afraid if I did, I would jump out of the window behind me. I would never forgive myself if Raven was harmed.

“Have a seat,” Kross said, ushering me to the bed. “I’ll try Alex’s phone.”

The bed creaked as I wiped the flood of tears from my face. All kinds of scenarios were filtering through my brain. Maybe Trent had kidnapped Alex. Maybe he was holding something over her head. Or maybe she’d taken off with Trent to avoid any trouble.

Raking a hand through his blond locks, Detective Rayburn settled against the closet door across from Kross and me, reading something on his phone.

Kross held his phone to his ear. “Alex.”

I took the phone from him. “Alex?”

“It’s her voice mail,” Kross said.

“Alex, this is Ruby. I know you work for Trent. I don’t know if you had anything to do with kidnapping my daughter, but I’m begging you to call me back. Pleading with you that you understand what I’m going through.” I hiccupped. “You said your sister died on the streets. So you know what it feels like to have someone you love taken from you.” Oh, God. I prayed Raven wasn’t dead. “Please, please call me back.” I handed the phone to Kross. “Can you tell her your number?”

He rattled it off then added, “Ruby and I will be at Crandall’s Gym tonight. If you are involved in all this, then I highly suggest you cooperate. Kidnapping charges are severe. Oh, and tell your scumbag boss, Trent, that I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure he’s put away for a long time.” Then he hung up.

“Okay,” Detective Rayburn said. “I just got word that our team has done a complete sweep of the Boston Public Garden and questioned some folks. But they struck out. You said earlier that Mrs. Santos said Raven had been waving at someone. Maybe Raven knew that person. Kids tend to go willingly with people they know.”

I slumped where I sat. Raven had only talked about a little girl she’d met. Then again, while she’d been in foster care, she could’ve met a lot of people, like Mr. and Mrs. Santos’s friends.

“As far as I know,” Kross said, “Trent hasn’t met my little girl.”

“But Alex has,” I blurted out.

Kross knitted his eyebrows. “When?”

“My last visit with Raven at the Boston Public Garden.”
Holy crap.
“She was jogging.” Alex worked for Trent, and she’d met Raven, albeit briefly. Still, Raven had a great memory for faces and names.

Kross’s phone rang. I bolted upright, taking his phone from him before he could answer. “Alex?”

“Um. No. This is Liam. I thought I dialed Kross Maxwell’s number.”

I frowned, handing the phone to Kross. Then I went over to Detective Rayburn. “Please tell me Raven will be okay.” I needed some reassurance from him even though I knew he couldn’t answer my question. No one could. But I had to have something positive to keep me from losing my mind.

He gave me a doleful look. “I’m sure you know I can’t tell you that. But we are doing everything we can to find Raven.” Then his phone buzzed. “I’ve got to take this.” He stepped out into the living room.

I grabbed the back of my neck, massaging the knots of tension that were causing my head to pound.

“I know I’m late,” Kross snapped at Liam. “Tell Jay I’ll get there as soon as I can.” When he hung up, he punched his fist through the wall.

Detective Rayburn ran in with his phone to his ear as he surveyed the situation. “Thanks, man. I’ve got to go.” He lowered his arm. “What the fuck, Kross?”

“I can’t fight tonight,” Kross bit out. “I’ll kill my opponent when I’m supposed to lose.”

I went over to Kross then grabbed the hand covered in white flecks from the Sheetrock. His knuckles were red, but no sign of cuts or blood.

“You have to,” Detective Rayburn said. “I just found out that we’ve questioned Trent Baker. His alibi pans out. He was in a board meeting with his company. So, the best thing you can do is stay on course. Go to the gym, get warmed up, try to calm down. In the meantime, let us do our job. We still have a few hours before the fight. Maybe we can put this to bed before then or before you throw the fight. Ruby, I’ll need a description of Alex.”

“Sure, but did they search Trent’s penthouse or home or businesses?” I asked.

Silence dangled as Detective Rayburn scratched his head. “Not yet. Look, I don’t want to get your hopes up. We’ve been watching Trent Baker for quite some time. All I can say is we’re working on something with the Feds, and now coupled with a possible kidnapping, we might be able to convince a judge to give us a warrant before the fight to search his premises.”

I stifled a laugh. “A judge, huh? Trent knows judges.”

“We’re well aware of that too,” Detective Rayburn said. “Whatever we do with Trent Baker has to be done by the book so we don’t miss our chance again. Now, that description of Alex.”

I didn’t know whether to be relieved or not. Nonetheless, I spewed the essential details of what Alex looked like.

Detective Rayburn took notes on his phone. Once we were done, he said, “I’ve got to get moving.” He pinned a look on Kross. “Stick to throwing the fight. If I get wind or find anything out, I’ll call you. Keep your phone handy.”

Kross and I let out an audible sigh together. I couldn’t sit around and wait. I had to do something. That something was finding Raven. I didn’t need a warrant to search Trent’s penthouse or anywhere else for that matter.

I
straddled
the bench in the men’s locker room while Ruby bounced her knee. Since the gym was closed, no other men would be coming in to use the facility.

“I should go to Trent’s penthouse. The doorman might let me in.” Ruby gave me a sidelong glance. “I can at least rule out that place. It’s going to take the cops forever to get a warrant.”

After we parted ways with Detective Rayburn, Ruby and I doubled back to the Boston Public Garden. We’d wanted to do a search of the area ourselves. But we came up empty.

During that time, Jay had called me, screaming at me to get my ass to the gym. I didn’t want to give Jay any reason to cancel the fight, although it took all my energy to ignore Ruby’s pleas to swing by Trent’s penthouse. I’d even called Kade and put him on speaker, hoping he could calm both Ruby and me down.

“You remember what I went through with Lacey and her kidnapping,” Kade had said. “How I was ready to barge into the club and kill her grandfather and the men who took her. If I had, I could’ve fucked things up badly. As hard as I know it is for you, let the cops do their jobs. Stay away from the penthouse. You could contaminate the evidence, which would hurt the case against Trent. Besides, if you don’t stick to the fight or come off as you’re losing the fight, then you will make things worse for Raven. Trent will have someone at the fight making sure you’re following through on the deal.”

I scooted closer to Ruby. “You heard Kade. He speaks from experience.”

“I know,” she said in a defeated tone. “It’s hard for me to wait, knowing Raven is probably scared out of her mind.”

I held out hope that Detective Rayburn could and would find something before my fight, especially if Trent was being tailed by the Feds. They had to know his every move and every hidey-hole.

My phone sat ominously on the bench. Both Ruby and I willed Detective Rayburn to call us with some good news. “Take my phone in case Detective Rayburn calls.”

Ruby plucked it from where it sat between us.

I tucked a clump of her hair behind her ear. “Baby, as difficult as this is, think about us as a family. Think about all the good times ahead of us.” There was power behind positive thinking. I might have been a little out there on that notion, but my old man always counseled his patients with that motto.

“A family, huh?” She said it more as a statement than a question as though she was trying the concept on for size.

“Yes. A family,” I said to reassure her. “My heart is yours, Ruby.”

“Why?” She adjusted her body so she was straddling the bench with me. “You love me. But what triggered those feelings?”

Given what she’d been through in the last four years, including me dumping her like a bad virus, I couldn’t blame her for asking.

We sat face-to-face, knees-to-knees, and hands-in-hands. “Because I love the way you lightly snore,” I said. “I love the way you bite your fingers when you’re thinking or nervous. I love that you can be shy and feisty. But more than anything, I love the butterfly feeling you give me every time I lay eyes on you. That hasn’t changed after four years.”

She averted her gaze as her teeth commandeered her bottom lip. Whether she shied away deliberately or not, the act still drove me to kiss her. When my lips touched hers, she purred like a satisfied cat after a good scratch session before our tongues tangled and danced.

The door squeaked open. Voices bounced off the lockers, echoing.

Ruby and I both froze before we pulled away from each other as though we’d been caught by our parents.

“She’s in here,” Liam said.

Liam and Norma emerged from around a bank of lockers.

Norma’s big brown eyes got bigger as she ran to Ruby. “I’m so sorry. I just heard Kade telling Dillon about Raven. Oh my God.”

Ruby hopped up and hugged Norma.

Liam’s gaze ate up Norma as though he wanted to jump her bones. Hell, I wouldn’t have blamed him. Her blond hair had grown out some, framing her face more, and the curves on her body were more pronounced, or maybe it was just the tight sweater hugging her big breasts. Aside from that, she was prettier than I remembered.

Pushing to my feet, I touched Ruby’s arm. “I have to get ready. Why don’t you and Norma head out to your seats.”

She pulled away from Norma.

I planted a kiss on her lips. “I love you.”

Norma gasped. “Seriously? Since when? You didn’t tell me, Ruby.” Norma’s glossy lips split into a huge smile. “We have a lot to talk about, girl.”

Norma would keep Ruby distracted, and for that, I breathed a little easier.

Ruby lifted up on her tiptoes. “As big as the universe?”

“As big as the fucking universe.” And I did.

She quickly placed a chaste kiss on my lips then left with Norma.

“Time to tape your fingers, man,” Liam said.

I dropped my ass onto the bench and buried my face in my hands. I was a second from collapsing. I’d never given up on anything in my life. I also had never felt so inept. “Reggie doesn’t stand a chance tonight,” I said more to myself than Liam. The pent-up anger inside me was enough to hurt Reggie badly. If I gave into it, I would ruin the deal with Trent.

“That’s great, dude, because I overheard Gail talking with Jay. She’s hoping you show her your moves.”

Great!
I didn’t have the heart to tell Liam that I wouldn’t beat Reggie even though I could. Then again, I shouldn’t get cocky. Maybe Reggie would beat my ass fair and square without me having to throw the fight. Reggie had some key moves that could take me down in a second. In any case, I would at least go a couple of rounds before I threw the fight. That way, Gail would at least see some of my moves.

Liam stuck his hand in his jeans pocket and produced a roll of white tape. “Let’s get started.”

As he covered my fingers in tape, Dillon came in. As usual, Dillon sported his signature ponytail and a scruff-covered jaw. I hadn’t had a chance to call him to fill him in on Raven’s kidnapping.

“Is Ruby out there?” I asked him. I didn’t think Norma would let Ruby take off. Still, I had to be sure. I didn’t need to worry about her too while I was fighting.

“Don’t worry, man,” Dillon said. “Kade, Kody, and Kelton have her surrounded.”

Thank God for my brothers.

Dillon sat down next to me and slapped my back. “Kade just told me. Sorry to hear about all this.”

“Liam, can you give us a minute?” I asked.

Liam cocked his head. “Dude, you need to get ready.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Two minutes.”

He swung his gaze between Dillon and me then shook his head as he walked out.

Dillon waited until the door clicked shut to speak. “I just called Rafe. I asked him to swing by Baker’s shipping company. He’ll also check out his dealerships.”

“Thanks,” I said. “But don’t get your men in a bind with the cops. Besides, that waitress Alex probably has a hand in Raven’s disappearance.”

Dillon’s posture went rigid as his nose ring glinted off the lights from above. “What?”

I hit a nerve. “Talk,” I demanded.

“I’m just surprised that she would have anything to do with kidnapping.”

“Dude, she works for Trent. She wrangles the women of the night for him.”

“I’ve known Alex for two years since she breezed into the city to find her baby sister. Like mine, hers left home because of an abusive father. She searched endlessly for her sister until she got a call from the cops one night. They found her sister dead in a dumpster in some alley. Someone had done a number on her. Since then, Alex has made it her mission to find out what happened. The cops followed leads, but then they dried up. It became a cold case. Then she got a lead about Tommy, who might be involved with her sister. Instead of confronting Tommy, she took a job there to play detective. She soon found out that Tommy is all about fights, and like my brother, he’s a loan shark or steals a car here and there. Petty shit. I just assumed that she was still working at that dump because she held out hope.” He rested his elbows on his knees.

“So, she’s never spoken to you about Trent Baker?” This new information made me wonder if maybe Alex wasn’t working for Trent.

“I haven’t spoken to Alex in detail in a long time. When I’m at Firefly, I’m there because Tommy owes me something. I’m not there to hang out. And before you ask me if her and I dated, the answer is no. She’s not my type. You know that.”

In the time I’d known Dillon, I hadn’t seen him with a woman, although I did know from conversations that he was into blondes, not brunettes.

Jay’s voice filled the room. “Kross?” His short stature emerged. He had a scowl on his face. Then he glanced at his watch. “Why aren’t you ready?”

Liam huffed out a breath as he came up behind Coach. “It’s my fault,” Liam said. “I had to get more tape.” He wagged a roll of it between us.

I made a mental note to thank the kid.

“Good luck tonight.” Dillon unfolded his bulk. “I’ll be with your brothers.” Then he left.

I needed more than luck. I needed Detective Rayburn to find Raven. But I had to concentrate on the fight. Otherwise, Reggie would knock me out with the first punch. I had to at least show some effort before I lost.

Liam quickly worked to finish taping my fingers while Coach gave me a list of pointers. “First, be careful of his hook. Second, footwork. Third, don’t let him get near your face. Finally, in order to seal the deal with Gail, knock him the fuck out.”

I laughed at his last statement. Like me, Coach didn’t have any love for Reggie. We both respected his talent, but Reggie had been my first fight, and back then, Reggie was a cocky bastard. Coach hated players like that. I hated Reggie for my own personal reasons. That alone sent a pain of guilt through me because I had to throw the fight. Kody was salivating for me to hurt Reggie, but since he knew what was going on, he understood.

Not only that, I wanted my contract with Gail, more for financial reasons than for my own fucking ego. After tonight, I would be serving hamburgers at McDonalds or in jail for murdering Trent Baker if he was truly responsible for kidnapping Raven.

After I was dressed, primed, and ready for a fight I wanted to run from, I walked out of the locker room with so much trepidation that fear had to be written all over my face.

Voices droned from the crowd, which occupied the three sets of bleachers lining three sides of the ring. On the fourth side, chairs were set up for Gail and her team plus a handful of chairs for family and friends of Reggie and me. We were limited by fire code on how many people could occupy the gym. Therefore, the fight was invitation only. At first, Jay didn’t want anyone at the fight except the essential people—referee, Gail, her entourage, and the EMS folks—but Gail wanted to see a fight complete with an audience. She’d said something about how the energy of the crowd affected the fighter’s actions, whatever that meant. All I knew were two things. One, I was glad Jay nixed the idea of having any reporters at the fight. I’d been chastised for throwing my last fight when I hadn’t, but tonight would be different. I didn’t want or need the press. And two, I blocked out the noise and the people when I was in a ring.

Regardless, I’d invited my brothers, Ruby, Norma, Dillon, and that girl Ruby had fought, Vickie. I’d decided not to invite my parents, solely because I didn’t want my mom seeing me get punched or bloody or any other gruesome act that might make her cringe.

I set my sights on Ruby. She was sandwiched in between Kade and Kody. She still looked pale. Kelton was sitting behind them with Norma and Vickie. Vickie flashed puppy dog eyes at me then pumped one of her muscled arms in the air as a silent gesture of encouragement for me to win this fight. Dillon sat in the end seat.

As I approached the ring, the referee began to spit out my stats. “Weighing in at two hundred and twenty pounds with a record of eight and one, let’s give it up for Kross Maxwell.”

Liam, who was walking alongside me, hit me on the arm. “Remember, no deer in the headlights tonight.”

I harrumphed. When I’d first met Liam, he had the nerve to tell me how much I’d fucked up at my last fight. I’d almost popped him one, but I couldn’t argue with the truth. Boy, was I in for another one of his tongue-lashings when I lost the fight.

The ref pointed behind me. “Fighting in the other corner, weighing in at two hundred and twenty-five pounds with a perfect record of ten and O, let’s hear it for Reggie Stockman.”

I quickly glanced over my shoulder at Reggie. We’d given him access to the women’s locker room so he could dress. He hadn’t changed much since the last time I’d seen him. His dark eyes had that “fuck you” look, his hair was cut in a military style, and he wore his usual superior smirk that made me clench my fists.

The crowd tittered more for him than me, which was odd considering the audience was made up of mostly gym members. Jay had extended the remaining invitations to the people who worked out at the gym. I searched the crowd for anyone who stood out or gave me an inkling that they worked for Trent Baker. I came up empty, although I spotted Penelope. She sat on the top row of the bleachers to my left. As the fleeting thought of her working for Trent skated through my mind, Ruby smiled at me, erasing thoughts of Trent for the moment.

I stopped and kissed her quickly then continued, passing a long pair of smooth, bare legs.

Liam whispered in my ear. “Gail is staring at you.”

Shoving down all my problems, I planted on a smile as I passed the gorgeous woman. Man, her legs went on forever, disappearing underneath a classy red coatdress that was cinched at the waist by a belt. Her black hair was tied behind her head, revealing a long neck, angular face, dark slanted eyes, and red painted lips. She was the picture of a wealthy businesswoman.

She returned the gesture, showing bright-white teeth as she dipped her chin. When she did, the slight movement of her head made me do a double take at the main entrance behind her.

The noise dulled. I flicked a quick glance to Ruby then back to the fucker in the doorway. Trent Baker strutted in like a cocky son-of-a-bitch. I couldn’t believe he had the nerve to show up there. Ruby screamed. The sound sliced through my psyche, propelling me into action. I leapt over Gail, or maybe she moved out of the way. People scrambled.