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“I’mglad you aren’t planning to show up alone. What made you change your mind?” Jesika Rawal asked as she exited her limo upon arrival at the Altus House, one of the event spaces owned by her father.
I offered her my arm. “Let’s say I have a few people to annoy.”
“Oh, goodie. We have the same mission.”
“Want to share the names on your list?”
“Absolutely not. It’s a need to know.” She shot me a grin. “Besides, you are just as tight-lipped about the people you like to poke into a frenzy of rage.”
“I’m pretty open about who I dislike.”
“Members of New York City’s elite establishment don’t count. And you need to remember you’re one of them.”
“I’m an interloper who learned the right speech and behavior.” As we passed security, I handed them my invitation, but as soon as they caught sight of Jesika, they handed the envelope back to me and stepped out of the way.
However, a few other team members began scrambling, and others began speaking into wrist mics.
“You fit better than I do, and I was born into it.”
“I take it you forgot to let your family know you would be in attendance and bringing a guest.”
“My sister knew, and now my parents do.”
“So the grass isn’t greener on the elitist side?” We stepped into the ballroom, and immediately a sweep of attention shifted in our direction.
Jesika’s lips curved in that calm smile I’d seen Devani don so many times whenever she wanted to mask her emotions. “Didn’t Jayna and Danika fill you in? It’s sunshine and roses. And if you don’t follow the establishment, the ladies and daughters with all the power make your life so easy. They talk about you to anyone who will listen and then point out every one of your flaws. Then, your parents will meticulously groom you and force you to attend all the parties to prove you are the perfect example of an upper-crust socialite.”
The sarcasm in the description of her youth had me chuckling. She could definitely give Jayna a run for her money in the “just keeping it real” department.
“What could one of the most successful litigators in New York have done to fall from grace in her family’s eyes?”
“You mean, besides, show up at an exclusive charity dinner with Samir King?”
“Exactly.”
“Oh, so many things,” she hummed. “Chief among them, I stood on the opposite side of the line they drew in the sand.”
“So under the ‘Miss Perfect, I always follow the establishment’ guise is a rebel.”
“Duh. You know about the outdoor sports I enjoy.”
“Speaking of those sports, are you playing anytime soon?”
“I’m always playing. Everything else is a side gig.”
“When did you start playing?”
“Is this curiosity, or do you want to join a team?”
“From what I heard, you have to start young. I doubt I qualify.”
“We do start young, between seventeen and eighteen usually. I only know of one exception, much younger, but I’m sure there are others.”
No. Only one exception ever—Devani. According to Devani, when the North American directors had learned her education started the day she turned thirteen, all hell broke loose. They viewed the actions of her trainer as grooming a child to become an assassin before they could make a conscious choice. However, Devani believed her trainer gave her a purpose and helped her survive her childhood.
Her mentor had also given her the skills to play on the shark-infested chessboard she’d have to navigate as the heiress to Maya Ratna Holdings.
