Page 19 of Notorious Park Avenue Prince

It’s up to you if you choose to accept the ride.

Thatwas it.

That was all it said. The message was in the same gold script that my name had been written in, and it was signed by no one.

What in the fresh hell was going on? Was this some sort of prank? Some kind of payback by someone I had slighted? It could happen. One didn’t become, well,mewithout racking up some enemies. But this didn’t feel like a prank. It felt important and screamed money.

But who was more important and richer than I was?

I grabbed my laptop and did an image search on the symbol. When nothing came up, I sighed in annoyance and sent the photo to Harry.

Stop what you’re doing and tell me what this symbol is and who it belongs to. Confidential, obviously

Yes, I had commandeered the hacker West had found back when he was stalking his Golden Boy. I needed access and information at all times, so he was now at my personal beck and call. It wasn’t long before Harry sent a response.

HARRY THE HACKER:

Initial search comes up empty. Running another now, but the symbol is probably someone’s personal, handmade design and wouldn’t show up online.

Wow, that was incrediblynothelpful, which seemed to be the case with him lately. I really did need a new hacker.

I slammed the laptop shut, tossed my phone aside, and leaned back against the pillows to study the invitation again.

It’s up to you if you choose to accept the ride.

Ride from whom? To where? I didn’t like being left in the dark.

I also couldn’t deny the instructions left me more than a little intrigued.

I tapped the invitation against my palm.Decisions, decisions…

NINE

zac

THE INVITATION I’D received earlier in the week was odd, that was for sure. Part of me had wanted to ask East about it, since if it was for a party, surely he’d have heard something.

It didn’tseemlike a party, though. More like an invite to join a fraternity. But since I was a few weeks out from finishing my master’s, that couldn’t be the case either. My interest was piqued enough that it had stayed on my mind the last few days.

By the time Friday night rolled around, I’d finished my shift at The Cellar, one of my family’s chain of high-end restaurants, grabbed a shower at my place, and debated whether it was a smart idea to head downstairs to see who arrived.

I didn’t even know what the dress code would be if I took up the offer, since I had no idea where we’d be going. The safe bet was always to overdress rather than throw on whatever sweats were lying around. I doubted anyone using a wax seal was the t-shirt and jeans type.

All black it was. Since I hadn’t gotten any use out of the outfit I’d worn when East begged to get inside the nonexistent club, I threw it on. It’d gotten a reaction out of him, after all, and East was a picky bastard. If it was good enough for his tastes, it’d be good enough for wherever I was going.

This is fucking crazy,I thought as I headed down to the lobby of my Upper West Side apartment. With Central Park across the street, it was the perfect location for me, since early morning runs kept my head clear and my body in the best shape of my life.

The doorman nodded at me as I walked out into the chilly night. It wasn’t the cold that made me shiver, though, but the plum-colored Rolls-Royce Phantom that slowed to a stop along the sidewalk directly in front of me.

Holy shit. Is that for me? No way…

The driver stepped out, came around to the side of the car, took hold of the door handle, and looked at me expectantly.

“Will you be accepting the offer, Mr. Fletcher?”

Well, I guess that answered theis it for me?question, but how? Who? Why? I didn’t recognize the man dressed in a pristine black suit, cap, and white gloves, but maybe he’d give me a little more information before I got into the most expensive car that had ever picked me up.

Like I’d turn down a ride inthat.

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