Page 55 of Dare to Dance
I didn’t want to take him away from his family. “Um, maybe another day.”
Hurt washed over him before he quickly banked it.
“Are you free Wednesday? I don’t have to work until seven.” I didn’t know if Ms. Waters would agree to let me see Raven on short notice. She might if I came clean about Kross.
“I am in the afternoon,” he said.
“Then I’ll meet you outside the gym at noon.” The faster Kross met Raven, the faster we could get the paternity paperwork started.
Thirty minutes later, I was walking into Tommy’s office. After I’d left Kross, I changed back into my jeans then went in search of pain medication. Pete had a bottle of Advil behind the bar.
Trent and Tommy were lounging on the couch, talking until I sat down in a chair across from them.
Tommy glanced at his watch. “I said ten minutes.”
“I’m here. I want my money.”
Trent laughed. It was a sound that grated on me. In fact, the hairs on the back of my neck rose.
“You see, Ruby”—Tommy’s voice stiffened those hairs on my neck—“you were late for the fight. Which meant I lost money. Lots of it.”
I clenched my fists in my lap. “How did you lose money? Your customers got a fight.”
“That room downstairs is always packed from corner to corner on fight night,” Tommy said. “When you didn’t show, people took their money and left.”
His first sentence was correct. I’d noticed it wasn’t as crowded tonight. “I won. Therefore, you owe me money.” I knew nothing about how he made money, and frankly, I didn’t want to know.
Trent plucked a folder from a pile of disorganized papers on the coffee table, which was cluttered with empty beer bottles and an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.
My nails dug into my palms.
“Tommy isn’t lying to you,” Trent said. “Our entry fee is one hundred dollars per head. We had a packed house of two hundred. After thirty minutes, half of them got restless. So, we had to return their entrance fee. When it was all said and done, we lost ten grand in entry fees.”
“Bull,” I blurted out. I was savvy to the knowledge that numbers could be calculated any way to suit someone’s needs. My mom’s boss had done that a time or two.
They both let out a chuckle that made me feel degraded.
Assholes.Stars clouded my vision. “I won fair and square. That’s my money,” I nearly shouted, pressing my hands into the arms of the chair.
“It’s no longer your money.” Tommy’s voice dropped, mean and deadly. “You lost it all when you decided to stroll in late. We run a business on our time, not yours.”
The need to kill him skipped through my mind. “Then pay me half.” A thousand dollars was still a lot of money. Besides, I deserved it.
“Ruby.” Trent’s tone was nice and calm. “You’re no longer dealing with Tommy. The ten grand that was lost tonight is mine. I’m a businessman that doesn’t like to be screwed out of all that cash. You now work for me. Youwillpay me back.”
I jumped out of my chair. “Fuck you. I owe you nothing.”
“Do you want to keep your waitressing job?” Tommy asked.
“Seriously? You’re using the waitressing position to threaten me again?” The need to kill him grew brighter than a full moon on a clear, dark night.
“A Ms. Waters called me today.” Tommy’s tone was smug.
Visions of holding a loaded gun to Tommy’s head completely vanished. If he knew that piece of information, then he also knew about Raven, although Alex could’ve told him about Raven. My mouth fell open as the office spun. I grasped the arms of the chair.
Trent pushed to his feet, holding that folder in his hand as though it held secrets, my secrets. “Do we have your attention?” He climbed over a box and reached into the fridge near Tommy’s desk. He snagged a beer and twisted the cap.
A pregnant pause filled the room, my fear rising as though I was on a sinking ship.
