𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐛𝐲: 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐲-𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬
“I was going to ask what you’re doing in New York. Every article I ever see says you live in—” “Milan, yeah.” Gigi’s gaze darted to his, and a small smile formed on her pretty lips. “Bought a property there a little while back. I’m in New York for work. Fashion Week in September. Some campaigns before that. Never ends.” “I knew I was right about you.” Her light laughter had the fire in his chest easing as he admired the way she wasn’t ashamed to grin wide in her happiness. He wondered if the beauty that was presented about her and her life in the magazines was the truth sometimes. It had to be a lonely life to constantly be watched and seen but not really known. “Did you follow me back here?” she asked. Unconcerned about letting her know the truth, he nodded. “Yeah—they’re bad news, you know? Those men you’re here with today, I mean. I’m not sure what you were told about today, but—” “Nothing until I was here. This was all set up around me; I was given a time to show up. That’s how things work in my business sometimes. My time is money, as I’m often told.” “Really.” It wasn’t even a question. Just a heavy understanding. One he didn’t like at all. Gigi raised one brow. “What did you mean by that—bad news?” “Them. Their business. Whatever Jensen Todrey thinks he might be able to get from you. It’s all bad news. Without details, he could cause you a lot of problems. Word to the wise—keep away from him, and anything he wants you to do, as much as you can.” She cleared her throat, shifting from foot to foot and hugging the bomber jacket she’d thrown over a short, flowy dress tighter to her form. “I don’t think my agency would put me in any danger, Lev.” “Don’t be so sure.” He wasn’t going to give her all the information he learned today. Not because he couldn’t … but because he wasn’t sure that it was safe to do. Hopefully, if she stayed away from Jensen, then that would be that. Right? The buzzing of a phone in Lev’s pocket reminded him that he still had a boss to report back to and soon. Probably tomorrow because he needed to grab his daughter after daycare, too, and he was running out of time to beat the worst of traffic if he lingered too long. “I gotta run,” Lev told her, “but don’t trust them, Gigi. Please.” He’d use the exit at the end of the hall to head out of the business and then just round the back and side of the building to where he left his Jeep parked with a meter running. Before he had the chance to say goodbye, Gigi asked, “Could I see you again? I’m going to be in the city for a while, and if you have time I would love to catch up.” He should have told her no. She already had traffickers too close. Did she really need a mob enforcer around, too? Lev’s heart raced to speak before his brain could explain why it might be a bad idea—all because looking at her gave him a sense of nostalgia that he had never felt before. She looked at him differently than most people did; she saw a man she had known from a time before. And that time came before he was this man. Pink. So yeah, he should have said no. Instead, he said, “Yeah, there’s a bar I like where we could meet up in the next couple of days … it’s private, and you probably need that, right?”
𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝟭𝟭𝟮𝗸 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗳𝗶𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘆-𝗞𝗿𝗶𝘀’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱.
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