Starting Point (12 page)

I looked over at the direction he’d come from and saw the two people Ruby had been with, Darius and Tyler. The two men Mitch had warned me about it.

And they were heading straight towards us.

Chapter Eight

“Come on, guys,” I said quickly. “Inside.” I unlocked the door and held it open for them, but before I could follow them, the two men were behind me. I turned to face them, and they stopped about four feet from me. Both men smiled, more menacing than pleasant.

“Sorry, we’re not open for business yet. You’ll need to come back in an hour or so,” I said. I stood with my head slightly turned, facing my good ear towards them.

“We’re friends with Rueben,” one of them said.

“We’re not open,” I repeated.

Kira now stood beside me, and the two men in front of us saw they were evenly matched in number, and with another sneer, they turned and left.

“You okay?” Kira asked quietly.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Turning to look at him, I asked, “Are you?”

Kira nodded, though he looked rather disappointed. I pulled the front door shut and locked it. “They’ve gone,” I said softly.

I thought he was upset with me, but he clapped his hand on my shoulder, and turned around to where Claude and Ruby had disappeared into my office. “Let’s go see what Rueben has to say for himself.”

“What the hell do you mean you slept at Matt’s place?” Ruby cried, just as we walked in. He glanced up at us. “What the hell, man? What did you do to her?”

I was shocked at his outburst. “Hey,” I said, resisting the urge to point my finger at him. “The only thing we
did to her
, was give her dinner, a hot shower and a place to sleep. What
we
did, was pulled her out of the damn dumpster last night, because she was scared and alone.”

The boy sighed, his frustration and relief evident in his slumped shoulders. “I was coming back,” he said weakly.

I sighed as well, and leaned my ass against the table. “It’s all right, Ruby. Claude had fun, I think. She watched some TV, helped set the table. Isn’t that right, Claude?”

The little girl nodded and smiled brightly. “Yeah, and look, Rube,” she said excitedly, rifling through her new backpack. She pulled out some foil-wrapped bacon. “I saved you some of this. Kira cooks real good.”

Ruby took the parcel of food and opened the foil to look inside. “Kira cooked you this?”

Claude nodded. “Yep. And dinner last night. I mean, it was a stew type thing, and it looked like something died in it, but it tasted so good.”

I laughed at Kira’s expression. “Like something died in it?” he repeated.

“Well, kinda,” Claude said, not even sorry. “But it was the best thing I ever tasted. Almost better than this bacon.”

Ruby smiled, finally, and bit into a piece of bacon. He spoke with his mouth full. “I’m sorry about before. I didn’t mean anything, I mean, it wasn’t personal. I just couldn’t find her and I was so scared that something bad had happened, and well, it’s just that when she said she’d spent the night at your place…” He shook his head.

“Claude,” I said. “How about you and Kira go stock up the bathrooms for supplies for me. Can you show him where I keep it all, please? I just want to have a little chat with Ruby.”

Kira gave me a nod, knowing it was an excuse for me to speak to Ruby alone. Once they’d gone from the room, and even though Ruby wouldn’t look at me, I said, “Ruby, I won’t lie to you, she was scared as hell last night. I was scared for her, and for you,” I added. He looked at me then. I continued, “I’m glad you’re okay, I really am. And it really was no problem having Claude stay over. Kira’s already told her that if, for whatever reason, you can’t be there, she can stay with us. Just for the night.”

Ruby bit off some more bacon. “I can look after her.”

“I know you can. And, Ruby, you’re doing a great job. You really are. She adores you. But you gotta promise me you’ll stay away from those two guys. I don’t care what they’re promising you, what they’re telling you they can do for you. Those guys are bad news, Ruby. No good will come from it, I promise you. You know what I’m saying?”

He nodded, but I could tell he wasn’t interested.

“You know I spent years in Narcotics in the police, and I can’t tell you the things I’ve seen…” I exhaled loudly. “Ruby, I want better than that for you.”

The small kid didn’t look at me, but at least he nodded.

“Ruby, you can have a better life than that,” I told him. “If you want, I can try and get you a traineeship, or a scholarship, or whatever it is I can get for you. You’ll have to work hard, but you can do it. You can have a better life,” I said again. “It’ll be hard work, Ruby,
real hard
but you’ll go to school, and so can Claude. We’ll find you some place to live, where you can stay together, and go to school. Does that sound good?”

He shrugged and nodded again, still not convinced.

“Do you want to give Claude a better life?”

He looked at me again. His shoulders sagged and his hands, still holding the wrapped food, fell to his side. The fight in him was gone. I’d hit a nerve—maybe it was a low blow, but I had to do everything I could to get him to see which was the better path to choose.

“Of course I do,” he said softly. “Of course I want her to be safe, and to have a home.” He looked at me, and there was a haunted look in his eyes, much older than his thirteen years. “I’m doing the best I can.”

I clapped my hand on his shoulder. “You’re doing great, Ruby. But let me help you.”

He didn’t answer me, but he didn’t say no either.

I took it as an opportunity to push a little harder. I needed him to know it was something I understood. “Ruby, can I tell you something?”

He gave a nod. “Sure.”

“My mom died when I was seventeen,” I told him quietly. “I didn’t have anyone else. Just me. I was completely alone, but I was lucky in one regard. I had some policemen come by and check on me, and they offered to help.” I exhaled loudly. “I could have ended up in a home, or a ward of the state.”

“But you didn’t?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No. I was almost eighteen anyway, and they kept tabs on me. I was lucky. I had a home, and that’s more than most people. I was real lucky, I know that.”

“They helped you how?”

“They didn’t just help me, they saved me,” I told him. “As soon as I could, I joined the police and got myself a new family.”

Ruby’s eyebrows knitted, and he frowned. “You want me to be a cop?”

I smiled at him. “If you want to be you can. But I was thinking a little closer to this family,” I said, looking around the gym.

Ruby looked at me, not sure what of what I meant.

“Let me see what I can do about scholarships and MMA. I’ve seen what you can do these last few months. You have talent, kid, and I reckon you’d have a shot at a place in the programme. But it’ll take real hard work, and a lot of dedication.”

Ruby bit the inside of his lip. “You reckon I could do it?”

I smiled. “Hell yes, I do.”

“Will you coach me?”

“I can teach you stuff like nutrition and how your body will adapt and all that boring science stuff, but I think Arizona would be a better boxing coach. Or even Boss. But how ‘bout we check with the big fella and see if he wants a new student? How about that?”

I thought pairing him with Arizona would be a good idea. Arizona was a good man, and I wanted Ruby to see that an African-American guy, who came from nothing, could make a life for himself. Arizona would make a great mentor for Ruby.

“I can’t,” he said softly after a long silence.

“Why not?”

Ruby shrugged and looked to the floor when he spoke, “I appreciate you tryin’ and everything, Matt, I really do.”

“Rueben, why won’t you at least try?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“No, it won’t be,” I agreed. “It will be hard, but good things don’t come easy, Rube.”

“No,” he said, looking up at me this time. “It’s just that I’m not real good at the school stuff. I haven’t really done much of it, ya know, and if I have to sit tests and stuff, then I may as well just not waste anyone’s time.”

“Let’s just get one thing straight,” I said seriously. “You’re not a waste of anyone’s time, Ruby. Not now, not ever. So if you can’t read and write very well, then you can sit your ass in here and learn. When you’re not out there with Arizona, you’ll be in here with me. If we have to get books and stuff from the local library, then that’s exactly what we’ll do. Not just you, but any kid that wants to join in. You wanna know something, Ruby? Life sucks. It’s unfair and cruel, but every now and then something good comes along, and you fucking grab it with both hands, you know what I’m saying?”

He looked at me, and there was a sadness in his eyes. Not just a sadness, but there was an old soul in those eyes, a kid that had seen too much, learned and lived through things no kid should ever have to. It was a hollow darkness. But inside all that, there was a flicker of hope. There was a need for acceptance and a want to not be forgotten. This kid, all of thirteen years old, needed something to hold on to.

“Will you do it?” I asked quietly. “Will you at least try?”

Ruby seemed to think it over seriously, and in the end he nodded. “Okay,” he said.

I grinned and held out my fist, which he bumped with his and rolled his eyes. “But just so you know,” he added, “I’m doin’ this for Claude. Not for you, not for anyone else.”

I nodded, though I was still smiling. “Of course.”

“Then we better go see what Claude has Kira doing, and wait for Arizona to get here,” I said. Looking at my watch, I continued, “He’ll be here in about ten or so minutes. And I’ll need to get some paperwork started and make some phone calls, huh?”

Ruby nodded again, but he looked happier.

We walked out into the main floor area of the gym in search for Kira and Claude. We heard Claude’s voice from the women’s bathroom, giving orders to Kira. I smiled at Ruby and leaned against the wall. “You two done in there?”

The little girl walked out first, her self-importance evident in the way she raised her chin. “Just showing Kira how it’s done. He gives me chores at his house, I give him chores here.”

Kira, who was now behind her, rolled his eyes, but there was a smirk threatening to give him away. “I have to go to my real job now,” he said to Claude. He gave a nod to Ruby. “See you guys later.”

“I’ll walk you out,” I said, and as we got to the front door we could hear Claude telling Ruby how she had to set the table and fold her blanket in the morning.

Before I unlocked the door so Kira could leave, I gave him a smile. “Thank you for being so understanding,” I said quietly. “I thought at first, the way you kept giving Claude orders that you were mad, but you weren’t.”

Kira shook his head. “Not at all.” Then he shrugged. “I don’t want her to think it’s a free ride, ya know? I don’t want her to think she can just turn up at our place and be waited on, hand and foot. I want her to respect what she’s doing, even if it’s just setting a table. If she’s going to stay at our place, even if it’s just one night, then she can contribute and pull her weight.” He looked over to where Claude and Ruby were still talking. “I wanted her to feel important.”

I bit the inside of my lip to stop my spreading smile.

“What?”

“You’d make such a great dad.”

Kira’s mouth fell open and his eyes widened. He snorted. “Oh, um…”

I smiled at his comical reaction. “Not right now,” I added. “But someday.”

Kira exhaled through puffed cheeks. “I thought we were gonna start with a dog?”

“We will,” I agreed. “Maybe we could check out some shelters this weekend or the next?”

He shook his head at me and a slow smile graced his beautiful lips. “I’ll see you this afternoon after five.”

“Does that mean we have all afternoon to ourselves?” I asked. “Just us? No work, no doctor’s appointments, no cooking…” I said, waggling my eyebrows at him. Then I whispered, “Hours in bed, takeout for dinner, more hours in bed…”

Kira smiled just as Arizona walked up to the front doors, arriving for work. I unlocked the doors for him. “Hey, man,” I said holding my fist out for him to bump with his.

Arizona nodded to Kira then looked at me. “You’re in a good mood this early,” he replied. “Whassup?”

“I need to talk to you about taking on a new student,” I told him. “I might have talked Ruby into going full time, as a bit of a scholarship thing. I haven’t worked out any details, but if he goes back to school, we can teach him MMA and then by the time he’s old enough for college, he’ll be good enough for a full scholarship.”

Arizona smiled and shook his head. “You got it all worked out, haven’t ya?”

I shrugged. “The kid needs a break.”

Kira grinned at me. “Is that what you talked to Ruby about this morning?”

“Yep.”

“And
you
think
I’d
make a great dad,” he said with a grin. He tapped his open hand on my waist. “I’ll see you this afternoon,” he said and walked out.

“Did I miss something?” Arizona asked, his eyes wide. “Did he just say something about being a dad?”

I laughed. “Yep. We’re gonna get a dog.”

Arizona rolled his eyes. “Oh, man. I thought you were being serious,” he said as we walked over towards Claude and Ruby.

“We are!” I told him. “We’re gonna check out the rescue centres.”

“I meant about the baby,” he said.

I laughed at him. “I think we’d be better off with the four-legged variety.”

“Whatcha doin?” Claude asked.

“Just never you mind,” I told her with a smile. “The question is—what are you guys doing?”

“I hear you might want to start some serious training?” Arizona interjected, looking at Ruby.

“Will you, Ruby?” Claude asked, with wide, hopeful eyes. “Will you do it?”

Ruby’s eyes met mine briefly, then he gave a nod to the big man next to me. “Yeah. Matt seems to think I could handle it.”

“There’s some schoolwork that needs doing, too,” Arizona said. “That’s part of the deal, you know that, right?”

Ruby nodded again. “Yeah. So Matt said.”