Page 38 of Girl Going Nowhere

Sitting back, I toy with my coffee mug. Maybe his life isn’t as bright and shiny as I thought. I heard a lot of gossip about Dante growing up but was never sure if it was Mom’s bitterness talking or the truth.

Either way, there’s more on his mind that he’s not telling me. “You know you can tell me anything, right? If you want to talk…”

Dante doesn’t make eye contact with me but stares off at the people walking by. A contemplative expression shadows his face as if he’s debating his options. I’d like to think he knows he can trust me, but can he?

You already know the answer to that,my inner voice responds for me.

My bet is that Dante’s intuition is telling him to pipe up when he says, “There are some things about me that I don’t even understand. Using Blake, using—” He stops himself abruptly, rubs his lips together, and corrects himself. “Using people to distract myself never works. It only makes it worse. Blake doesn’t deserve that. Brodie is right.”

He’s obviously fighting demons I haven’t seen yet, and there’s nothing I can do.

“One thing is for damn sure,” he tells me, picking up his coffee. “If nothing else in life, I’ll always have my morals. I’ll never be like that asshole who used our mothers to get what he wanted.”

The statement sends a low blow to the stomach without him even knowing. I have to hide my clenched jaw behind my mug, forcefully taking a sip to calm down.

Because he may not be like our father, but that means I am.

Thankfully, my phone goes off with Vanessa’s name flashing on the screen. “Excuse me,” I mumble, standing to take it far enough away so he can’t hear. “What?”

“Is that any way to greet the person who’s going to get you everything you ever wanted?” she asks, a foreign chipperness to her voice I’m unfamiliar with hearing.

She found something. “What’s going on?”

“It’s all connected,” she informs me as if I’m supposed to know what that means. “Those pictures I sent you are tied to other images from Emily Hernandez’s wedding album dated almost four years ago. Who is Emily Hernandez? Blake Karr’s best friend. She was at her wedding. So was Jonathon Dover, who worked with Hector Hernandez, the groom. That’s how they met. That’s how the affair started between your little plane buddy and soon-to-be teammate. We’ve got him.”

Jesus.I look over my shoulder at my brother, who’s still people watching. “What does that mean?”

“It means that you were put on that plane for a reason, Rafael. I’m not one to believe in fate, but you were supposed to meet that woman. I guarantee you there are others who will come forward once the story breaks.”

Story breaks?“What story?”

“The one we’re selling to the media. I’ve already got a few bites with big numbers attached.”

I stand taller. “I thought we were taking it underground. Using it when we needed to.”

Vanessa is quick to butt in. “We need to use this now and strike while the iron is hot. I’m not going to sit on this information so you can bond with your brother.”

This is what I wanted, so why do I feel a weight on my chest? When I glance back at the man I share half my DNA with, I see the darkness in his eyes. Will this make it worse? “Can you at least give me a few more days?”

The hesitation I get from her isn’t a bad sign. It usually doesn’t take her long to tell me no. “Fine, but you better use that time to your advantage. Get some information from your brother. Maybe even from Blake herself. I’m going to shop the story and see if a more reputable news source will offer us more money than the tabloids have been.”

I’d say I’ve already gotten everything I can from Blake. “This wasn’t what I intended when I asked you for information on Blake,” I point out.

Vanessa hums. “Well, it’s the hand you were dealt. What do you want out of life, Rafael? A pretty girl on your arm who already has history with another baseball player, or a career that will ensure you financial stability for the rest of your life?”

I want to ask why it can’t be mutually exclusive from one another, but I don’t. She’ll tell me getting distracted by Blake will hurt my chances of becoming the next best player everybody talks about. And she’s right. My interest in certain women in my past has certainly rocked the boat a time or two when I shouldn’t have let it.

I’m too close to risk it now.

“Now,” she says, voice softening. “Finish whatever it is you need to do there and come back home. The bed is cold at night without you in it.”

I close my eyes. It was never a good idea to start anything with her, to begin with. We have an open relationship that she tolerates because I make her money. But she’ll always have a hold on me that nobody will understand. Not even I do half the time.

Hanging up, I walk back over to Dante. “You ready to head back? I’ve got some stuff I want to do and need my laptop.”

He looks up at me. “You good?”

No.But I will be.

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