Page 84 of Pink

Sure.

That was easy for his boss to say.

Lev found a chair and sat down in the same manner his boss had minutes earlier. Scrubbing a hand down his face and then massaging his temples with the pads of his fingers, he willed away the raging headache starting to form. “We were careful … she made it clear we had to be. It wasn’t supposed to be a problem.”

At first, Andino didn’t reply.

The silence was fine.

He needed it to think.

“When are you going to tell me?” Andino asked quietly.

Lev glanced up, meeting his boss’s stare head-on. “Tell you what?”

“That she was at the meeting I asked you to report on. I know everybody that was there—she was one of them. You didn’t mention it when you reported back about it. You didn’t think to tell me now that was how you ran back into her if you’re being honest about—”

“I am. Do you think we could have kept a relationship a secret for this long? Shit, I fucked her two nights ago, and they’ve already got pictures of my kid in the goddamn rags, Andino!”

“Lower your voice.”

Lev checked his attitude.

But only because it was Andino.

“I didn’t mention her being at the meeting because it didn’t matter … why should it? She was there to show off for Jensen Todrey. A way to show the guy he wanted to do business with what he could do. You know what I mean? I was more worried about her and what that asshole might be trying to pull with her than the fact she might be interesting to you. Forgive my ignorance. I won’t make the mistake again.”

Andino sighed sharply.

Lev rolled his eyes.

So, maybe his attitude was still there.

“This can’t be a problem,” Andino said, pointing at the remaining magazines on his desk. “Whatever you do with her from here on out, you make sure it’s not a fucking problem, Pink. Especially not one I will have to fix.”

“Yeah, I know. I got it.”

“I don’t want to see you in the tabloids again.”

“Well, I can’t really—”

“Try. And I’ll get the goddamn lawyers on their asses, too. Not that I suspect it’ll do any good except to maybe get the mafia out of their fucking mouths.” Andino shook his head, grumbling under his breath all the while. “Probably the least of my fucking problems now, honestly.”

That had Lev’s attention. “Why is that?”

Because, to him, this couldn’t get worse.

Right?

Andino passed him a look, shrugging. “What are the chances the other men at that meeting won’t see these magazines? Your face. Her. How long will it take for them to put two and two together and realize I had a man of mine watching their meeting to report back to me, huh? I haven’t even handled my associate from Cali yet. This is not good, Pink.”

Perfect.

A little more to add to his ever-growing plate.

“I was sporting a beard; let’s hope they don’t put it together,” Lev muttered.

“Lev, be real.”