Prologue
Clary and Jace had been best friends for as long as he could remember. They grew up together, right next door in fact; their parents were both filthy rich and they lived in the nicest apartments in Time Square. The bustle of the streets amused them and they appreciated the twinkling lights, but it was never quite enough to quench their burning curiosity of what lay beyond the city. Or, rather Clary's burning curiosity; she had always been the wanderer, disappearing to who knows where at random intervals. Even as children, she was the one who had dragged Jace to the forbidden parts of the apartment complex, never minding the risk at getting yelled at for not listening. She was reckless.
And that was why Jace wasn't surprised at all that she had been away for near on three years. Jace, too, was known for leaving and usually not at all at Clary's influence. He wasn't necessarily what women would call a "good" boy. Even at sixteen, his perfect face looked like it belonged to an adult, allowing him easily into any place he wanted. At nineteen he got into even more trouble than ever before, more so than even Clary, he thought; he doubted that she would've done much worse, than hiring prostitutes, cheating on his girlfriends, and initiating several bar fights. Granted, she was a free spirit too; they had had an open relationship, kissing other people then sleeping with each other, and basically doing whatever the hell they wanted.
The three years had caused little concern in Jace for Clary's safety; she had enough money to stay safe and he always found her somehow. Or she found him. Sometimes it was hard to tell the difference. Without her it was boring, which was why Jace found himself standing in front of the hotel concierge, bags at his feet, his American Express black card in his hand.
"One room, please," he asked the concierge and waited while the man went through with the motions. In a few short minutes he was headed towards his room on the 18th floor, thinking over something his buddy had told him: a hot prostitute was in the area and he would send her Jace's way if he said the words, Jace didn't need to hire people to have sex with him; most would willingly do that anyways. He was just being lazy, but before he over thought it, he texted his friend back in the affirmative.
Once Jace had unpacked all of his things and unfolded himself onto the bed, he heard a knock at the door. He smiled, walked over, and opened the door.
Only to be left meeting the eyes of his best friend.