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Chapter Three - I Found You, Puppy.
The smell of the bar made him nauseous. He could feel a familiar crawling sensation on his skin as he stepped into the building. He never thought he could be back here—especially not today; he hadn't expected to find himself in another bar tonight, fully dressed to impress people he had never met and to be inscribed into the dreams and minds of those who gazed at him.
He felt sick at the thought and the familiar sense of déjà vu.
The heavy scent of whiskey, sweat, and cigars clung heavily to the velvet-draped walls, invading his senses like a deadly poison.
Everything there stank of wealth, spiced up in cologne, expensive enough to buy a whole town, sharp liquors, and something that burnt the throat beneath it—cigars, sweat and sin.
Avery didn't expect any less from an underground bar known to only those who mattered in the human population—those whose wave of their hands could mar and make the world.
Red light exclusive bar; the resting place of the significant and powerful.
"What am I even doing?" Avery couldn't help but wonder as he looked around him; he didn't fit in here. He didn't belong here—in the midst of all these people.
The elevator door slid open with a soft chime, revealing a corridor lined with velvet-red wallpaper and gold trim. Two tall, suited men stood at attention beside the heavy double doors that stood alone at the end of the corridor. Joshua didn't pause—he just nodded once at them, and they stepped aside making way for them.
Avery followed closely behind Joshua, his hands clenched into tight balls by his side. His steps were slow and careful, his stomach churning more from the dread of the known gate that awaited him and more of the dread of the unknown faces watching his every movement than from the bruises.
The doors opened revealing the VIP section of the bar—and the air changed. Avery froze in his tracks, just in front of the newly opened room, letting the low hum of music pulsing from hidden speakers hit his already aching head.
The VIP lounge was drenched in moody shadows and seductive gold. Velvet curtains hung heavy over the floor to ceiling windows that barely let the world outside peek in. Dim amber light poured from crystal chandeliers hanging like stars, bleeding gold over polished leather couches and polished black marble floors. Plush leather couches lined the walls, dark and sleek while the small black marble tables reflected distorted faces in their glossy appearance.The low thrum of bass-heavy music rolled through the room like a heartbeat—slow, sensual, and laced with danger.
The music sounded like it was made to make your skin crawl if you didn't belong.
Everything about the place made his skin crawl, and his stomach twist.
All eyes turned towards them, their gazes resting on their figures—some curious, some hungry, most unreadable, watching. Avery wanted to disappear. He wanted to back away gently and run back home without looking back again till he was safe enough—but Joshua wouldn't let him.
Joshua's hand found the small of his back, his fingers pressing dangerously close, purposefully against the bruises hidden beneath layers of makeup and pain. In the gentle touch seeped threats—it reminded him of what could become of him if he did as he felt.
"Smile, baby," he whispered through gritted teeth. "Make me proud."
Avery forced a small smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and continued walking along with him again. He didn't dare speak—not here, not with so many eyes watching and so many eyes following his every movement. He simply let Joshua guide him through the haze, past many eyes like a puppet on a gold stitched leash.
This wasn't an ordinary bar—anyone could tell. It was a cage, gilded in luxury and stitched together by dark, unspoken secrets. A place where names weren't used, and people were currency.
Nothing about that place was ordinary.
It was dangerous.
Avery kept his head hanging low, staring down at the black marbled floor beneath his feet.
He knew why he was there—and what he was there to do rang in his head like an alarm bell.
The scent of expensive cologne, alcohol and something dark hung in the air. In the corners, men in tailored suits whispered over glasses
of aged whiskey and women in silk smiled with secrets in their eyes.
There were no laughter here; no smiles—only deals, lies spoken with
wide purposed smiles and the weight of unspoken deals.
In the farthest booth drifted far from the others and the lights; eyes
of predators surveyed. Separated by a half drawn curtain, it was where
the real business happened—where smiles were weapons, and someone
always left broken.
Avery gulped down a lump in his throat as something whispered to him
that this was gonna be a long night and he lost the chance to escape the moment he stepped into this room.
"You know what to do." Joshua's words woke him up from his deep thoughts. He just simply nodded. How could he forget something painful and endless suffering that drilled into his very bones?
He could never forget what to do—this wasn't his first time walking into
obvious death.
Joshua strolled towards the booth like he owned the place and maybe he
did—not by deed but the sheer force in his presence that loudly said he
couldn't be messed with. Dressed in an obsidian suit, tailored like second skin, his crisp white shirt open enough to show a peek of his toned muscles that hid beneath it. Joshua wore charm like a blade—sharp, refined and deadly.
But it was his smile that killed. It was calm, charming but hid a lot of
secrets underneath—Avery could tell.
Avery stayed close to him like a shadow as he walked a step behind
him; his body language quiet, tense and very much calculated like any
wrong step could cost him his head. Clad in a soft champagne-colored shirt tucked into tailored black slacks that hung perfectly off his slender
frame and aligned his waist. His strawberry blonde hair was curled gently framing his delicate face in soft waves that couldn't hide the emptiness in his golden brown eyes.
His makeup was flawless, perfect to the smallest detail—not enough to
distract but enough to conceal. But to anyone who looked closely, there was
pain beneath the powder.
Joshua paused at the edge of the booth, his smile widening just a little that didn't reach his eyes.
"Evening gentlemen," he purred, voice like velvet draped around a dagger just like everything else here. "I brought a little something to sweeten the deal a bit."
He gestured lightly to Avery next who kept his gaze down hoping no one would notice him, like he was trained. He didn't see any of the men's faces as it blended perfectly with the shadows and the dim light around them— it didn't even matter. Not knowing anything just made it more easier.
It was better not to remember their faces than let it haunt him his dreams and linger in his thoughts.
One of the men leaned forward, interest flickering behind his dark eyes as they ran freely on his body.
"Is this the one?"
Joshua chuckled lowly. "Of course. Only the best."
Avery forced a smile and nodded slightly at his words; he could already
tell what would happen next. His lips parting just slightly like he
wanted to say something or protest against it all but he couldn't, a
quiet sigh escaped him.
He couldn't. He wouldn't dare.
Avery just stood still, heels barely sinking into the lush velvet carpet
beneath his feet. The low lighting and heavy scent of whiskey and cigar
made his head spin or maybe it was just the pressure of all the eyes on him
Like he was an exhibit placed in a glass case for them all to look at.
A doll to be dressed up, looked at, and passed around when the time came.
His fingers twitched at his sides as he clenched and unclenched his fists
trying to calm his racing heart; he could feel fear and dread grip his heart
with each word that came out of their mouth. With each word they said, it drew them closer to the end of their discussion and the beginning of his nightmare.
"Breathe, Avery. Breathe." he chanted in his head like a mantra.The stinging pain in his stomach from earlier that never left wasn't helping.The makeup masked his bruises, but not the ache in his throat or the pounding in his head. He could still feel where Joshua's boot had landed.
"You're lucky to have something this refined." One of the men said, his voice smooth but his gaze feral as it raked through Avery's body. He spoke of him like he wasn't human but an object.
He felt dirty and disgusted as those words hit his ears. Like something crawled under his skin the moment those words were spoken urging to do something.
He wanted to look up so bad he made his eyes twitch slightly—he wanted to glare at that man with all the hatred boiling inside him and anger sealed inside him. Maybe even spit out a few words he'd been choking on for years.
But he didn't.
Not with Joshua sitting right there beside him.
He knew better.
Joshua didn't need a reason. Any sign of disrespect—even a twitch of defiance—could be enough to set him off like an alarm clock and Avery was already holding himself together with nothing but willpower and makeup- and what he referred to as love. One kick to the stomach was all it was going to take to send to the afterlife.
And Avery wouldn't dare.
"He's special," Joshua said casually, his voice as smooth as butter. Despite his sweet words,Avery could feel a shiver crawl down his spine "But I'll make an exception—after you sign the contract."
Avery froze.
He didn't need to ask what that meant. He already knew- he expected it but nothing ever prepared enough for it. The moment those papers were signed and they shook hands, Joshua would stand, smile like always, and walk out—leaving him alone with strangers.
And he wouldn't look back.
Not even once and that was it.
His stomach turned at the fleeting thought of it. He wanted to speak—to beg him not to leave him again. But he couldn't. The words sat on his tongue like stones. He didn't even know if Joshua would listen, let alone care.
"Save me" he mumbled under his breath almost like a whisper.
Then—
"Puppy."
One word. That was all it took.
Everything stopped.
Even the air seemed to go still and time froze in place not daring to move.
The word settled over the room like a cold shadow taunting the silence that now surrounded them. It was quiet, but it carried weight—like it didn't need to be loud to be dangerous and cause shivers to run down his spine.
Avery's whole body tensed.
No one called him that. No one could call him that. No one dared mention it.
Except him.
His heart skipped a beat, then picked up speed hitting hard against his chest like it wanted to escape. He didn't look back, but he didn't need to. He knew that voice too well to mistake it. His body and soul recognized that voice that followed him even when he thought he was far away. The smooth calm that sounded polite on the surface—but held something colder than ice and sharper than blades underneath.
A few people shifted in their seats silently, no one dared whisper or breathe too loud. Joshua stiffened beside him, but tried to play it off. His hands still stubbornly hover over the small of Avery's back.
The man stepped closer. With each click of his shoes on the marbled floor, Avery's heart skipped a beat. Avery could feel his presence behind him hovering over him—heavy, quiet, confident. The faint scent of clean spice and something darker crept into Avery's nose, grounding him in a memory he never wanted to remember but couldn't forget.
Augustus Salvatore Genovese.
The name echoed in Avery's head like a warning bell.
He didn't move. Didn't speak. He kept his eyes on the floor, fists clenched in his lap, trying to steady his breathing. His body trembled without permission as memories started flooding into his mind.
He wanted to run.
But the damage was already done.
He was here.
And he had found him.
"I found you, puppy."