Page 204 of Callan

And she knows how to be loyal when she has to.

So, I trust her even though she doesn’t want to reveal her source.

“Okay,” I say halfheartedly.

A few moments of silence fill the room as I’m mulling over the next course of action.

“You do what you need to do,” she says. “I don’t want to know about it or have anything to do with it. I’ll give the info to your men.”

“You do that. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Sounds good…” she says, her voice trailing off. “There’s one more thing,” she eventually adds. “Whatever you choose to do, cut ties with your woman for the next, I don’t know? A couple of weeks? If shit hits the fan and you’re still with her, you risk having her killed or arrested. They can also harm her in other ways.”

“I know,” I say in a clipped voice, eager to move away from this conversation.

We hang up a moment later, and I stay still, my eyes trained on my phone, my finger hovering over the screen.

It takes me a few seconds to make up my mind, shove my phone into my pocket, and leave the bathroom.

I’ll talk to Hudson first and then make the call.

“Is everything all right?” Hudson asks as I inch closer and take a seat across from him at the wicker table.

“As good as it can be considering the circumstances.”

A restrained smile struggles on my lips.

“So…” he says before pushing his napkin across his lips, chewing on his food already.

He points to the food first.

“Try some of her food. It’s the best.” He must be talking about Maribel. “Ceviche, Arroz con pollo, and my favorite one, Casado.”

Meaning meat, rice, beans, fried plantains, and salad.

I pick up a fork and taste the food under his watchful eyes.

“I’m listening,” he says eventually, and I chew on my food before swallowing quickly and giving him the entire story.

The loss of the necklace. The setup. Being on a wild goose chase ever since.

And then the newest developments.

We are halfway through our meal when I drop the name I just got from Beverly.

“O’Malley,” he mutters pensively, chewing slowly while trying to come up with something I don’t already know. “Who the fuck is O’Malley?”

Looking down, I smile.

“That’s exactly what I said.”

He finishes chewing on his chicken, swallows hard, and takes a sip of wine.

“And the woman you just met?” he says with a glint in his eyes.

“She’ll become collateral damage if I don’t do something about it.”

“I see,” he murmurs, relaxing in his seat. “I can probably find out who this O’Malley is. Is he in New York right now?” he asks, pulling his phone out of his pocket and setting it on the table.

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