Into The Ring (Phenomenal: 2)

15 ~ I Won't Give Up

Clarissa stood there for a moment, just staring at Dante like he had just spoken in Kurdish and expected her to understand.

"I'm sorry," she eventually said, "he what?"

"Missing," Dante repeated, looking over to Darcy who was finishing up his call, "We don't know where he is. He's meant to be in Manchester but he isn't and no one has heard from him."

"What, he's just... up and gone?" Clarissa asked, staring.

"Don't sound so surprised, he's the flighty one of the three of us," Darcy said as he hit another button and held the phone to his ear. "Orla, help me out here, love."

"Wha... why?!"

"Your man doesn't deal well stress like this, easier to hide then face it," Darcy said, looking away from his phone for a moment, his old Irish accent slipping through for a moment with his stress.

Just as he said that, Dante's phone rang and he snatched it out of his pocket and all three piled around, Darcy saying thanks and goodbyes to Orla when she said she didn't know where Damian was.

Dante unlocked the phone and held it to his ear.

"Shane."

After a second, he held the phone away from his ear and hit the loud speaker button as a man with a strong Dublin accent came through.

"Yer man just rolled up into town, lads. I thought he was due for a conference but he's not saying anything," the guy said, sounding confusion and suspicious.

"He what?!" Dante cried in shock as Darcy's jaw all but hit the floor.

"Just walked into the café. Like he's here for a holiday. Sure what's he over here for? He's not looking all together with it, I'll tell you that."

"Has he told you his plans?" Darcy asked quickly.

"Nothing. Just walked in with his suitcase like he's back for Easter with the Nan and it pretending like no one knows his face. Caused a commotion of course and the boss had to hide him in a back corner so people would leave him be."

"Has he at least said how long he's staying or where he's staying?" Dante asked.

"Nothing of the like. Didn't seem to have any plans, like he got here by mistake. He'll stay in my flat while he's here, save him the hotel fees. I'm at the girlfriend's house all this week anyway. But when I asked when you guys would be coming over he clammed right up and got all the stranger. Figured I'd let you know in case he was having one of his moment."

"Having his moments. Sure when's he not this past year?" Darcy muttered.

"Thanks, could you keep us updated. He didn't tell us anything."

"Yeah, I figured as much. We'll take him out tonight; see what we can drag out of him."

"Thanks. We'll catch you soon once we have a plan," Dante said before hanging up.

"So?" Clarissa asked quickly, looking up, "Where is he? In London? Somewhere near Manchester?"

"Hah!" Darcy said, "That'd be too easy. He's only gone and landed in fecking Ireland. That guy on the phone lives in Dublin, near where we used to live. God sake, Donny, he's freaked out again."

Dante was rubbing his eyes like he was extremely tired.

"What do we do?" Clarissa asked quickly and Dante just let out a groan and sank onto the sofa.

"I can't be doing with this," he muttered, "Seriously; I can't be fucking dealing with this. He's not the only goddamn one suffering here."

"Hey, hey," Darcy said quickly, gently, sitting down beside him. "You know he doesn't mean anything self-centred by this."