"I wouldn't have had to call one if your team had taken it down when asked, may I ask why you're so persistent on keeping it up?" He asked stiffly but politely.
I watched as Lina was about to respond, but it seemed at that moment she realized I was in the room and turned her head in my direction.
A gasp caught in the back of her throat when she met my eyes. I clenched my hands together tightly as I watched recognition flash through her eyes.
"Gianna?" she whispered. Shock evident as a smile graced her lips.
She immediately stood and walked in my direction, so I stood too, meeting her halfway. We both just stood there for a moment as I watched her eyes run over my face. Tears pooled in the corners of my own eyes at the emotion swirling at seeing my best friend again after years.
"Lina," I smiled nervously. She snapped out of her shock and pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. Not caring at Callum's obvious confusion, I hugged her back letting a few silent tears fall.
"God Gianna, I had a gut feeling it was you. I agreed to this in hopes I'd find you." She swallowed and pulled back.
"I'm sorry you found me that way," I smiled at her as she wiped a few tears of her own from her face.
"This is great and all, clearly a reunion. But I'm a little lost." Said Callum as he stood with furrowed brows watching the interaction between us both.
I didn't know what to say as I looked at Lina, she just smiled and walked back to her chair with me in tow.
"Old friends is all." She said, still smiling as she sat. "I'll be happy to take down the article as soon as I return to work on Tuesday."
Callum looked completely out of the loop and more confused than I think I'd ever seen him. He turned to me, eyes holding mine. "How do you know each other, Gianna?" He questioned, clearly trying to grasp the situation.
"Just from when I was a kid." I whispered, taking a seat next to Lina in the open chair.
He watched as I sat and furrowed his brows, clenching his jaw. He gave me a knowing look as if to say he doesn't believe me. I could already see the wheels turning in his head and the itch in his hand to call someone to figure it out for him.
"Gianna, would you like to catch an early dinner to catch up?" Lina asked as I turned my attention back to hers.
"I'd love to." I said back.
Gianna, still looking confused, stood from his seat and walked around the desk to approach us both. He was about to say something when the ringing of his phone cut him off. He quickly grabbed his phone from his back pocket and scanned over the caller ID. His demeanor instantly changed, and his face hardened.
"You ladies have a good dinner, I have some things to take care of." He said quickly while grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair and rushing out of the room. My heart dropped at his quick leave, not a single glance back. I wondered who had called him?
"Well, gotta love the good old businessmen. So dinner?" Lina said while standing. I followed suit, head spinning at everything that had just happened in the last ten minutes. "Sure, let's go." I smiled, grabbing my things and followed her out of the modern office.
Callum was nowhere to be seen, clearly in a rush as he had already passed the lobby. I furrowed my brows and reached for my phone.
Me: Everything alright?
I kept my phone out in hopes of a response, but none came, and by the time we reached Mari's car, I had given up and placed it in my back pocket.
"Anywhere in particular?" She said while getting into the driver's seat of her BMW. I was so happy for her, I could tell things had gone well after I left... at least that makes one of us.
"No, you pick." I said while buckling myself into the seat. It was so unreal that we were here together in NYC in the front seat of her BMW.
The drive to the restaurant was not long, neither of us saying much all while avoiding the elephant in the room. Like where the hell had I gone? I knew she was dying to know, I could just see it. My heart rate had never gone down, and I'd be lying to myself if I said I wasn't nervous about dinner.
We were seated at a small booth in the back of a steakhouse that Mari had chosen. I thanked the waiter as she placed waters in front of us both and turned to Mari's awaiting stare.
"Gianna. I've missed you so much," she said, her voice cracking. "You know we looked for you. For at least 2 years."
I clenched the napkin in my lap, closing my eyes and breathing in. "I'm sorry." Was all I could say. It was pathetic, and she deserved years worth of apologies but I didn't know what to do at this moment.
"We were worried sick Gianna." She narrowed her eyes at me.
"I know what I did was... not right. But please Lina, please understand I did it for you." I pleaded. She didn't respond, just shook her head and flattened her napkin on her lap.
"I know you think leaving us was protecting us in some way, but it just made things worse Gianna." She shook her head and brought the glass of water to her lips.
"What do you mean worse? I wanted to prevent the government from getting involved. How did I make it worse," I whispered the government part hoping we had no unsolicited listeners.
"We were worried sick. It was torture not knowing you were alright. The least you could've done was written a letter or something." She shook her head and looked at me with glassy eyes. "After all we did, I think we deserved that." She was right. So right and I was a coward.
I thought I was protecting them, and I still think that. But now I understand that along the way I most definitely hurt them in the process.
"I could never thank you enough for what you and your family did for me Lina. I wish I could say I never would have run away if I could go back in time but I'd be lying. All I ever wanted was to keep you guys safe and under the radar, and with Matt-" I shivered at the mention of his name.
"Do you know?" She asked quickly, suddenly getting serious. She looked at me warily gauging my reaction. "Know what?" I was confused.
"Oh Gianna." She shook her head and reached for my hand, grasping it in hers.
"He was reported a year ago. A young girl, she escaped and told the police. Him and his family have been on the run ever since. Just this month they got several leads." She took a breath and I swear my heart stopped at what she had just told me.
"They have big time lawyers in this case Amelia. That's why I thought you knew." Shaking my head even more confused and just furrowed her brows further.
"Callum's mom. Kasey Black is the Lawyer taking the case to stand for the young girl."
My breath caught in my throat and my eyes widened.
"Oh my god," I whispered.
Matt was alive and on the run. Callum's mom was a lawyer. THE lawyer on the case. My head spinning I took my free hand and waved down the waiter walking by.
"A glass of bourbon please."