Page 49 of Ruthless Cross

"It's all good. I heard you found the kid."

"I helped find the child," she corrected. "It's nice when there's a happy ending. It doesn't happen all that often."

"But this time you got a win."

"Yes. But tomorrow I am at your service."

"I will take you up on that."

"There have certainly been a lot of changes in our group," she said. "Marriages and babies. Don't you want to join us?"

He laughed. "I'm very happy being single."

"That's because you haven't met the right person, but you will. And when you do, that will be it. You won't be able to imagine your life without her."

Bree's words brought Callie's image into his head.

"Wait, have you met someone?" Bree asked, her speculative gaze narrowing.

"Let's get some food," he said, ignoring her question. "I'm starving."

"Fine, I won't press. At least not today," she added, with a gleam in her eyes. "Who knows what will happen tomorrow?"

"Who knows?" he agreed. Although, first he would have to get through today.

* * *

After watching her mother sleep for almost a half hour, Callie left her room, both disappointed that she hadn't been able to speak to her and relieved that she was apparently sleeping without sedation. The nurse also said she'd eaten a little yogurt for breakfast, which seemed like a good sign. Dr. Clarke would be in to see her that afternoon and would give Callie a call after that conversation.

Since there was nothing to do but wait, she decided to leave. She still had time before she was due to meet up with Flynn, and Layana's address was burning a hole in her pocket. After leaving the hospital, she headed to Century City.

The studio was located on the corner of a block filled with small retail stores, boutiques, and gift shops, two hair salons and a nail studio as well as a bagel shop and a Mexican restaurant. Callie parked and got out of the car, walking up to the studio window. There were some smaller portraits on display. None were of Arthur, but they were all very good.

Unfortunately, there was also a Closed sign on the door and while there seemed to be a light on at the back of the studio, there was no sign of life in the showroom.

She turned around, feeling deflated. The sign said the shop would open tomorrow at eleven, but she really didn't want to wait until then. Unfortunately, she didn't appear to have a choice.

She was about to return to her car when a woman came out of the bagel place with a coffee and a brown paper bag in her hand. Her focus was on her phone, her waist-long black hair flowing out behind her. She was a slender, curvy woman wearing skintight jeans and a loose tunic top with cutouts on the sleeves.

She didn't look up until she was a few feet from Callie, and then she stopped abruptly, surprise and wariness in her dark eyes.

"Layana?" Callie said, her heart starting to race.

"What do you want?"

"I'm Callie Harper."

"I know who you are."

Layana's mouth tightened, and the movement only made her face thinner and her expression bleaker. Her eyes were red. She'd been crying.

Faced with that genuine emotion, Callie didn't quite know what to say. She'd been thinking of Layana as a monster, a homewrecker…but she was also apparently very sad.

"We need to talk about Arthur," she finally said.

"I don't have anything to say."

"I think you have a lot to say, and that you're dying to say it. That's why you've sent my mom a text and an email. You want her to know what was going on between you and Arthur."

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