Chapter 1
The Velvet Rope, The Grimy Door
Eli, once accustomed to privilege, now stands guard at a door, the muffled sounds from within a stark contrast to his former life. He's a pawn in Stephon's cruel game, the weight of his new reality crushing him.
The heavy, damp air clung to me like a shroud, thick with the scent of stale cigarette smoke and something else… something sickly sweet and cloying, like overripe fruit left too long in the sun. I stood there, a sentinel of despair, my hand resting on the cool, unyielding wood of the door. It was a plain thing, dark and scuffed, a stark contrast to the polished mahogany and gleaming brass I was accustomed to. Behind it, a muffled cacophony of sounds – a woman’s husky laugh, the clinking of glasses, a snatch of tinny music – filtered through, a symphony of deb