Page 90 of Dare to Dance
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.
28
Kross
Istraddledthe 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.
