Dare to Dance: The Maxwell Series by S.B. Alexander Page B

can’t control him or what he does. He’s not going to kick your ass because of me, anyway.” I wasn’t sure about that. Kross might’ve been sweet when he was reciting a nursery rhyme, but the way his muscles had tensed the other night meant that he’d been holding his emotions in check.
    “Then you have nothing to worry about,” Tommy said.
    I looked at Norma for approval even though I was taking the job no matter what. She blinked, albeit reluctantly.
    “Fine,” I said, jutting my chin out. I would face Kross if it meant I could work there.
    “If things don’t work out here, then come talk to me,” Trent said.
    In your dreams.
    “I’m glad that’s settled,” Tommy said. “Alex will show you the ropes. Now, Trent and I have business to discuss.”
    We headed to the door.
    “One more thing,” Tommy said.
    I held my breath. There was always some last detail that was left out of the deal.
    “Where are you two living?” Tommy swung his gaze between Norma and me. “I can’t have you living on the streets with no means of keeping up your hygiene.”
    There went that opportunity.
    “They’re staying with me,” Alex said.
    Norma and I gaped at her. I wasn’t about to question her reasons for being super nice, but I couldn’t help but wonder why. Then again, the streets were harsh. The nights were harsher, and food was scarce. Tommy was giving us an opportunity. Alex was giving us shelter. Those two things equaled survival, and that alone erased any curiosity I had about Alex’s intentions. For the moment, I would do the best job possible and start rehearsing what I was going to say to Kross.

7
    Kross
    A car sat up on cement blocks, askew and devoid of tires on the somewhat deserted Boston street. As I wheeled by, I noticed the driver’s door looked as if someone had rammed into it with a tanker. I’d spent one long and tortuous week searching homeless camps and shelters for Ruby. The past few nights, I’d roamed the streets alone. I hadn’t been able to sleep, so I’d ventured out into places Dillon had told me about. He’d offered to tag along, but he was meeting with a real estate investor about a potential investment property for a home for runaway girls. A place I wished he already had. Then we could’ve offered a room to Ruby and her friend, Norma. Aside from all that, I checked in with Jay’s receptionist to see if I’d gotten any calls from Norma or Ruby.
    “No date with Penelope?” Kody asked from the passenger seat.
    “Nope.” Since I’d seen Ruby and learned that I could be a father, I couldn’t focus on anything. Penelope had been the furthest thing from my mind. “I’m calling it quits with her.” I had never planned to get serious with her in the first place.
    I shot Kody a side glance. “So, Ms. Sharp, huh?” Kody had taken Ms. Sharp from Greenridge Academy on a dinner date last week.
    “Dude, she’s fucking hot. She wore this pencil skirt that reached her knees, and when she sat down, it rode up a little, exposing the sexiest thighs I’ve ever seen.”
    “Dare I ask if you explored more than her legs?” As brothers, we did share some details of our dates, but we kept the most intimate ones private.
    “Let’s just say she’s a sweet lady.”
    Flames flickered from a garbage can as we rolled by a group of homeless men trying to keep themselves warm. The neighborhood grew darker the farther down the street we got. A sinking feeling took root in my stomach. Every night, I envisioned Ruby and our child sleeping out in the cold temperatures that dropped into the twenties at night.
    Broken windows poked holes in the dilapidated brick buildings along both sides of the street. Steam swirled from a manhole as I made a U-turn at the end of the road.
    “We should’ve brought a handgun,” Kody said as he scanned the streets.
    “We’re looking for a homeless girl, not a thug.” Still, he may have been right about the shadiness of the area.
    “Do you want to get out