Dare to Dance: The Maxwell Series Read Online Free Page B

possibilities of what I could do with fifteen thousand dollars. That amount of money would definitely be a good start to getting an apartment for Norma, Raven, and me. I climbed out and brushed off my clothes, which was futile since I lived on the streets. Not to mention, I’d just sat in all kinds of crap in a dumpster.
    The dim light on the building lit up the name Firefly on the metal door that was now closed. Damn it. I pulled on the doorknob. Pay dirt. Shouts and whistles erupted from the stairwell that went down, although another went up. I would bet it led up to the kitchen. My stomach voted to take the kitchen route. Sometimes, cooks and servers were nice enough to hand me scraps or a loaf of bread. Maybe I could get some soup for Norma. I heard more whistles and guffaws. Curiosity was always a bitch, so I chanted “eeny meeny miny moe, which way should I go.”
    Another outburst of cheers rose from below, feeding my curiosity enough that I descended the stairs. When I reached the dirt-crusted floor at the bottom, a rat scurried by me. A bright light bled from a doorway up ahead, spotlighting yet another rodent. I checked behind me. Confident that no one was around to kick me out, I pushed forward toward the ruckus and onto a landing that overlooked a room below. A crush of male bodies was crammed wall-to-wall, all crowded around something I couldn’t see. Their fists were in the air, waving handfuls of money. I moved closer to the railing when someone grabbed me by the shoulders.
    Jumping what felt like a mile in the air, I turned with my fist ready to pummel someone.
    A tall, wiry man with dark hair and dark eyes let go of me and held up his hands. “I’m not going to throw you to the wolves.” His voice was gruff like the man I’d heard in the alley. “If you want to punch, then go down there.” He flicked his pointy chin toward the crowd.
    Fighting wasn’t my scene, but if fifteen thousand dollars was up for grabs, I would sure give it a go.
    He angled his head, a gold studded earring glinting off the brightness of the stadium-like lights. “Are you mute?”
    I narrowed my eyes. “Thanks for the offer, but I have to go.” This was a bad idea. The dude gave me the creeps.
    He blocked my passage, his hands now at his sides. “Seriously, come with me. I’ll even give you something to drink while you watch. Then you can leave.” He sized me up as though he was interviewing me before throwing me to the wolves, as he had so eloquently put it.
    I tried to skirt around him again. “My mom is expecting me home.” A young woman in a room full of men wasn’t a good idea, particularly excited men.
    “Where’s home?”
    I glanced up, meeting his dark wide-set eyes. “Like I would tell you.”
    He dragged two fingers down his day-old stubble. “You have a name?”
    “People usually do.” I rolled my eyes. “Now, get out of my way.”
    He chuckled. “Tough girl.”
    I wasn’t always a tough, sarcastic girl. Actually, I’d been shy in high school. But the streets had molded me into a person I didn’t like, a person I would have never imagined I’d become.
    He scanned my body again.
    “Look, mister. I sense you’re up to something, but give me a once-over again, I’ll kick you in the balls.”
    He bowed his head and slid to one side. “You look hungry. Would you like some food?” His gravelly voice turned sweet.
    My stomach growled for the fiftieth time that day. “What’s the catch?”
    He gave a slight shake of his head. “None.”
    There was always a catch, but Norma needed some soup or sustenance, and I did too. Another wave of hoots and hollers singed the air. My gaze tracked down to the active crowd, but I still couldn’t see what all the excitement was about.
    The wiry man followed my line of sight. “You’re welcome to go down and check out the festivities.”
    “Do you have any soup?” I asked.
    “If that’s what you want.”
    “Actually, I’d like two plates of food and a