Chapter 5 A Nobody, Apparently

Dante

“…and their chances aren’t looking good. We don't want their inadequacies to fall on you. Dante? Dante, are you even listening to me?”

I tore my gaze from my phone long enough to glance at Louis. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m listening,” I muttered before looking back down.

Apparently, I wasn’t, because I didn’t even notice him moving closer until he snatched my phone straight out of my hand.

“Give it back,” I said, standing to reach for it.

But he dodged easily, stepping to the other side of the table like this was some kind of game.

“Louis.” My tone was a warning.

He ignored it, eyes already scanning the screen.

“Oreo-haired girl,” he read out loud. “Oreo-haired girl with an attitude. Oreo-haired girl who just got her heart broken. Oreo-haired girl—”

I snatched the phone back before he could finish.

“Who the hell is this Oreo-haired girl you’re desperate to have Google help you find?” he asked, grinning like he’d just caught me doing something scandalous.

I sank back into my chair, jaw tight. “A nobody,” I murmured.

“Uh huh. Sure doesn’t look that way to me.” Louis leaned forward, grinning. “Wait… wait… the girl from the club? Why are you searching for her man?”

I exhaled slowly. “I wish I knew why.”

It had been three days, and she still hadn’t used my card. I shouldn’t have cared, but I did. More than I wanted to admit.

I’d even considered getting her contact through her fiancé—something I found out after she stormed out of my building—but that idea felt wrong.

So, I did the next best thing. I tried to stalk her through his social media. Except they weren’t following each other anymore.

But going through his profile earlier only made me more desperate to reach out to her, because of Tom’s latest post.

In his post he was grinning like a man who’d just won the lottery, with another woman wrapped around his arm.

The caption read: “New beginnings with the one who truly deserves me.”

I wasn’t sure why the post affected me more emotionally than when I’d found out Natalie was pregnant with another man’s child, and was planning to pin it to me.

All this… all this for a girl whose name I didn’t even know.

And it bothered me that, after three days, I was still worked up about her.

It bothered me that she was out there, going through all this alone.

And yet, she wouldn’t bloody reach out for help.

It fascinated me, if I was being honest. The stubbornness. The quiet fire. I couldn’t even remember the last time a woman intrigued me this much.

“Hold on,” Louis said, snapping me out of my thoughts. “I think I remember her face from somewhere. She’s been on the news lately.”

“Yes, she has,” I admitted, glancing up from my desk.

“You really need to get active on social media. If you did, you’d have seen the dozens of posts about her—and the tags to her actual page.”

That got my attention. I turned fully to him. “Her actual page? You mean you know her handle?”

Yeah, I sounded eager. I didn’t care.

“Well, no,” he said with a shrug. “But it’s not that hard to find. Well… maybe for you, since you’re not exactly a social media person.”

Louis wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t. I’d literally downloaded Instagram just to stalk Tom.

But still, he didn’t always have to say things out loud.

“Well, are you going to help me find her page?” I asked, impatiently.

“Yeah, sure. But first we need to—”

Louis got interrupted by my phone ringing.

I snatched it off the table, heart kicking up for a second, only for the name flashing on the screen to make my shoulders drop. Not who I was hoping for.

Mom.

I sighed, then tossed the phone to Louis. He caught it mid-air.

“Tell her I’m in a board meeting.”

He threw it right back. “Nuh-uh. And don’t even think about tossing it again, because if you do, I’m letting it fall.”

I didn’t let him finish before I lobbed it at him again. He caught it with a muttered curse. For a second, I thought he was going to answer for me—but then he tossed it right back and darted out of reach.

“Dumbass,” I mouthed.

“You’re best friends with the dumbass,” he shot back. “So who’s dumber?”

“Dante!” my mother’s voice rang sharp through the line.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose before bringing the phone to my ear.

“Hey, Mom.”

“You said you would come visit me yesterday with your girl. It’s a new day, and I haven’t seen you or any girl. Mind telling me why that is?”

“Yeah… pleasant afternoon to you too, Mom. And I’m doing very well, thank you for asking.”

“Dante!”

I rolled my eyes and switched the phone to my other ear.

“Something came up…” I started.

“Or you just don’t have a girlfriend and have been lying to your mother.”

“I do have one, Mom. And I’m sure you’ve seen her somewhere, or at least heard about her.”

“So, she’s popular?” Her tone softened, laced with curiosity now.

“I… wouldn’t say popular, but yeah, you’ve probably heard of her.”

Louis gave me a look that screamed ‘what the hell are you talking about?’, but I ignored him completely.

Mom started going on about me bringing the mystery girl over or she was going to bring one to me, but I cut her off quickly.

“Actually, Mom, a client I’ve been waiting for just came in. But don’t worry, I’ll bring her over sooner than you think. Take care, Mom.”

And before she could reply, I ended the call.

“You just dug yourself into an even deeper pit, my friend,” Louis said, shaking his head.

“Yeah, no kidding. I really need to find someone now. And I mean right fucking now.”

“What about Natalie? Any news?”

“I blocked her. So, I wouldn’t know.”

Just then, my phone started ringing again. Without checking the caller ID—assuming it was Mom—I answered and tossed it toward Louis.

He shot me a death glare but lifted it to his ear anyway, muttering a nervous, “Hello?”

I watched his face shift from nervous to completely baffled.

“Traffic girl? Who names someone ‘Traffic—’”

I lunged forward and snatched the phone from him.

“Hello, Dante Killgore speaking. Who is this?” I asked, forcing my tone to stay professional even as my pulse raced.

“Marilyn. Traffic girl as you’d like to call me if that helps jolt your memory. I’d like us to meet. Like, right now—if you can.”

My grip tightened on the phone. “Text me your location,” I said without hesitation. “I’ll be on my way.”