Page 184 of King’s Ransom

‘No fucking way . . .’ Heidi said.

I just shook my head. ‘What a shame.’

Our cab pulled to a halt outside the street entrance to the Steinway Tower.

Like 59West, the Steinway is a colossal yet ultra-thin tower filled with mega-expensive apartments.

Also like 59West, it has a unique feature: it rises in ever-­narrowing steps called ‘feathered setbacks’ which means that some of its superhigh apartments have balconies.

There were eight guards at the entrance: three private security guys, three NYPD cops and two FBI agents.

I’d expected this, given the guests who would be at Aristo King’s party: rich friends, maybe a politician or two, and at least one FBI deputy director.

Audrey led with her FBI badge.

‘We have to get up to that party,’ she declared.

The two agents answered by drawing their service pistols and aiming them at me.

‘Step away, Agent Mills. We were given specific orders to keep an eye out for him—’

So much for my plan.

Then it got worse.

For, right then, another FBI agent came storming out of the lobby, his eyes blazing with fury.

Special Agent Trey Hooper.

I didn’t need this.

Getting stopped by the other agents was one thing, but this was personal and I needed to get into that party.

Hooper glowered at the sight of me.

‘Trey, listen—’ Audrey began.

‘No, Audrey. Are you all right?’

‘We have to get up to that—’

‘And you.’ He stepped in front of me, scanning me up and down with distaste.

We couldn’t have looked more different.

Him, in his FBI suit, handsome and well groomed.

Me, in my dirty grey Patagonia fleece jacket and jeans, with concrete dust on my throat and my glasses and in my messy hair.

‘Listen, Hooper. I know you don’t like me but we have to get up to that party now—’

‘You . . .’ he said again, ‘. . . you saved my life in Chinatown. Threw me over that counter a second before that robot cart blew up. I owe you and I hate that I do. Where do you have to get to?’

I’m not often surprised, but that surprised me.

Trey Hooper wasn’t a total douchebag. (He was still a pretty big douchebag, given everything he’d done to Audrey, but not a total one.)

A minute later, we were zooming up to the 77th floor in one of the Steinway Tower’s high-speed elevators.