Page 11 of Dare to Dance
For the last week, Gail and winning were the furthest things from my mind. Hell, my boxing career didn’t stand a chance unless I could snap out of the fucking haze clouding my brain. I jabbed Liam. Jay had invited him down for a couple of days after I’d given the kid my thumbs-up.
“Weak. Where’s your footwork, Maxwell?” Jay sounded as frustrated as I felt. “The kid is showing your ass up.”
I stalked out of the ring, glaring at Jay’s hooknose and baldhead. He pinned his gaze on me, and I growled in return. I had enough anger in me to kill Liam, and I didn’t want to hurt him, although the kid had been tough in sparring with me. He took my punches and returned a few good ones of his own.
Jay marched up to me. “I don’t want to know what’s going on in your head.” He tapped an arthritic forefinger against my temple. “Take time off and get your shit together.”
“I’m fine. Besides, you said Gail would still give us a look as long as I kept my losses to less than three.” I wasn’t sure my head would be screwed on in time for my next fight, and I didn’t know when the next fight was. Jay was still working on the details. Still, my head wouldn’t be in the ring until I knew one way or the other whether I had a kid on this fucking planet.
“In the three years I’ve been coaching you, you choose now, when we’re so close to signing with her, to mouth off to me?” He scratched his shaven jaw. “I’ll let this slide. She called today. She has another prospect that seems to have a better record than you. She didn’t like how you went down at your last fight.”
I’d only lost one bout. I didn’t know anyone in my circuit with a better record than me. “Who’s the boxer?”
He huffed as his nostrils flared. “Reggie Stockman.”
I stilled. “Fuck.” Reggie and I had history. He’d been one of Sullivan’s cronies who’d helped put Kody in the hospital back in the ninth grade.
“Exactly. The man hasn’t lost a match since you knocked him out cold during your very first fight three years ago, which didn’t count since neither of you were in the game yet.”
That night was the best ever. I had gotten to legally punch his lights out without going to jail. Then he’d disappeared. Since then, I hadn’t seen him. We’d been fighting in different circuits. “I can take Reggie.”
Jay rapped his knuckles on my head. “Don’t get cocky. Instead, get your head screwed on, because she’s setting up a bout between you two.” He pivoted on his heel and stomped back to his office.
Climbing out of the ring, Liam spit out his mouth guard and removed his gloves. “Reggie has four knockouts in his last four fights.”
I snarled as I began to remove my gloves. “Your point?”
“There are only two boxers I follow religiously.” He took off his headgear, revealing sweat-soaked brown hair. “You and Reggie. The difference between you two is huge. Reggie goes in for the kill, hard and fast. You dance and tire your opponent out. That’s why someone like Reggie can’t touch you. But I feel you need a wakeup call.”
I contemplated bashing in the kid’s face. Instead, I gave him my full attention. I wanted to hear what else Liam had to say, and he didn’t deserve to get his head squashed.
He continued, sounding as if he was my coach. “Your last fight. You were a deer in the headlights. Walk into the ring like that again, and Reggie is going to tear you apart.”
The kid had balls, but he spoke the truth. I had to figure out how to find Ruby or forget about her, and I couldn’t do the latter.Idiot, ask Liam. The boy goes to Greenridge.Liam was a senior, which meant that he could’ve known Ruby when he was a freshman.
I’d called Tasha’s brother, but he didn’t know how to locate Ruby. That had only made me angrier, sadder, and more frustrated because I didn’t know where to even begin to find her.
I finally got my gloves off. “Have you attended Greenridge since the ninth grade?”
He stuffed his gear into a sport bag. “Yeah, why?”
“Did you know a girl by the name of Ruby Lewis? She would’ve been a junior when you were a freshman.”
“No, sorry. I don’t.” Then again, freshmen probably didn’t know many upperclassmen.
“You’re a good boxer. Maybe you can help out more leading up to my fight.” I liked the kid. He had balls, and if he’d studied Reggie’s moves, I could use him on my team.
“Seriously, dude?” His eyes flashed with excitement as he zipped up his bag. “I’d be honored.”
“Clear it with Jay. I’ve got to run.” Since it was Thursday, it was brothers’ night. Kody, Kelton, Kade, and I hung out once a week, watching sports, drinking, or both.
Heading for the showers, I called Kody. “Hey, are you still coming over tonight?” I’d asked him to keep a lid on my secret until I told Kade and Kelton.
“Only if you’re ready to break the news to our brothers.”
“I am.” I hated to keep anything from them, and if I didn’t get the shit off my chest, I was going to explode. Plus, I needed to win my next fight. I’d worked my tail off to become a boxer. I couldn’t throw it all away when I was so close to signing with Gail Freeman.
“Good, because it’s killing me. You know they won’t judge.”
