Imaginary Lines (New York Leopards 3)

I’m downstairs.

Oh, God. My fingers around my cell went numb. For some reason, I’d figured he’d give me a few minutes’ warning. I jumped up and started haphazardly throwing all my things in my bag, while Jin and Mduduzi watched with amusement. “Where’s the fire?” Mduduzi asked.

“I’m meeting someone for dinner and he’s here—I didn’t think he’d be here this soon.”

“You guys going anywhere interesting?” Carlos asked.

Why hadn’t I thought more about the overlap between my work and personal life? Not that Abe was my personal life. I mean, he was. But he wasn’t...

Whatever.

The point was, was it bad that I hadn’t mentioned that I was going to dinner with Abraham Krasner? Then again, how was I supposed to bring that up? It would sound a little awkward—oh, yes, I’m going to Ryan Carter’s for dinner. No big deal.

I smiled. “A dinner party.”

Tanya’s door swung open. “Kiddos, Abe Krasner’s downstairs in the lobby. Carlos, go down and find out what he’s doing here. Get a picture, too.”

I froze and my eyes widened. Was it overkill to curse again?

Mduduzi leaned back in his chair. “The hell is he doing here?”

Oh phew. Oh phew, oh phew. They hadn’t put two and two together.

Tanya shook her head. “I have no idea, but as long as he’s in our building, he’s not leaving until we get him.”

I cleared my throat. “Why don’t I go?”

Carlos was already out of his chair and grabbing up his key card. He patted me on the head fraternally as he shook his head, in a clear mimic of Tanya—I just couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not. “Sorry, kid. You have to earn the honor of running after celebrities later.”

I smiled awkwardly and nodded. And tried not to look super conspicuous as I grabbed up my cell. One of my coworkers is coming down to take your pic.

There was a pause, and then to my shock, my cell phone rang. I

almost dropped it. Who called in response to texts? Beside my mother.

I mean, unless you texted something really bad. “Hello?”

Abe’s voice came across tinged with displeasure. “You set me up?”

What? No! “I didn’t! Someone must’ve spotted you and called up to my boss.”

“I’m not giving an interview right now.”

“I don’t think they want an interview,” I mumbled into my cell as I walked into the corner. “Just a pic. Maybe to tweet it.”

He groaned. “Fine. If you do it.”

Oh, God. “Abe, no. I’m the rookie reporter—I don’t cover celebrities.” Another silence stretched, and I squeezed my eyes shut. “Don’t let that go to your head.”

“What if I say you or no one?”

Carlos had to be almost to the lobby by now. Or he could already be there, watching Abe talk irritably into his phone. “I’d say you’re not that stubborn.”

Now surprise flavored his words. “You don’t think I’m stubborn?”

I shrugged. “You’re go with the flow-y.”

“And you don’t think rivers are stubborn?”