Page 142 of Pink

“You’re not coming?” Lev asked.

Not that he was shocked.

Or offended.

The boss rarely got his hands dirty. Then again, it wasn’t a great thing for the head of a criminal organization to put his life at risk when he did his best work alive.

“You don’t need me for this,” Andino replied, “and at this point, we both know I’ve done all that I can. The rest is up to the three of you.”

A low whistle came from Alessio before the man said, “Yup. Get that file open and get your ass in the Hummer. We’re already running late, Pink.”

He didn’t need to be told again. It meant he was one step closer to getting Gigi back.

Maybe.

• • •

The drive to a private airstrip in Vermont where Marco Farginpane’s jet waited before it would head out of country went by quicker than Lev expected it to. He spent that time familiarizing himself with the contents of the file Andino had provided.

Not that there was much.

Some details of Marco’s current business dealings and what they knew of his schedule. Times for flights that had been put through air control in Vermont. An updated list of security on Marco’s team that typically traveled alongside him. More.

It never failed to amaze Lev just how much Andino could pull together on short notice when the man was inspired.

“Ready?” Corrado asked.

The three of them stood at the back of the Hummer already dressed in their tactical gear, each with a semi-auto rifle in their grip. Alessio, who had already pulled the black ski mask down over his face, shrugged in response to his lover’s question.

“Whenever you two are,” Lev said.

A phone was passed over by Corrado, and the number already programmed into the device stared back at Lev, waiting for him to hit the green call button. At the back of the hangar where Marco’s plane was being readied to return to the tarmac for takeoff, the three men had arrived and prepped with minutes to spare and without trouble.

At least something was going right.

Lev hit the call button, putting the call on speakerphone so Alessio and Corrado were able to hear the conversation as well. Like the rest of the information in the file that laid out the basics of their plan for the day, Marco’s personal phone number had also been included.

The man picked up on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Marco,” Lev greeted, not unkindly though he would rather rip the man’s throat out than pretend to be friendly, “how are things?”

“Who is—”

“Pink. Or Lev, depending on how well you know me. Andino sends his regards … and me. See, in exactly twenty seconds, we’re going to storm the hangar you’re currently inside. It’ll take us less than sixty seconds to be inside your private jet. At that point, we’re going to sit down and discuss Jensen Todrey and what exactly he’s done with Gigi Parker. How does that sound?”

Marco didn’t even hesitate to reply, “You’re aware that we have—”

“Three armed men, and a fourth personal guard who we’ve already removed from the equation outside here. Go ahead, take a moment to ask your men if their man outside has checked in recently. I’ll wait.”

A crackle sounded on the phone, followed by dark, muffled words he couldn’t really understand. It took all of a few seconds before the man was back on the phone.

“If you come inside—”

“There’s a bomb on the plane,” Lev interjected before the man could say more. “Placed by a friend of a friend—he’s quite good with both breaking and entering buildings with shitty security and wiring bombs. He placed it shortly after you departed the property after landing. Or, that’s what this little file I have tells me about our meeting today. All I have to do is make a call, and this entire building is going to go boom in a big way. Which would you rather? A simple meeting with us, or … death? Your choice.”

Marco choked out a sound. “What meeting?”