Lost Links.

Chapter One: Lost Links

Julian’s heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird.

He didn't stop to think, just ran, his sneakers pounding against the cracked pavement until he reached the old, crumbling building.

His brother’s old apartment. A place frozen in time since the tragedy.

The door gave way with a sickening crack. Dust motes danced in the slivers of light cutting through the boarded-up windows.

The air was thick and stale, tasting of forgotten memories and grief. White sheets draped over the furniture like ghosts, everything exactly as it had been left. Untouched.

Except for one drawer.

His breath hitched. It was slightly open, a dark gash in the sea of white.

His hands trembled as he pulled it out fully. Inside, nestled alone, was an old photograph. He flipped it over.

“A. Caesar.”

The name was a punch to the gut. He’d heard it before, whispered on the edges of the rushed investigation, the one that had so easily called his brother’s death a suicide.

A lie. Julian knew it in his bones. His brother was full of life, he would never have…

His frantic digging in the drawer revealed more. The full name sent a chill straight down his spine. Alessandro Caesar. Mafia royalty. Brutal. Untouchable. The last person to see his brother alive.

A floorboard creaked behind him.

“Hey you! What are you doing here?” a rough voice yelled.

Julian spun around. A hulking man stood there, a metal pipe gripped in his hand. Without a second thought, the man swung.

Julian ducked, the pipe whistling past his ear and smashing into the wall. Adrenaline seized him.

He didn't look back, just bolted out the door and into the cool night air, running until his lungs burned and his legs screamed.

Finally, in the relative safety of a dimly lit side street, he leaned against a brick wall, gasping. A fierce, cold determination solidified inside him.

“I’m coming for you, Caesar,” he whispered into the night, his voice raw. “If you had anything to do with this… I’ll make you pay.”

*****

“The Sphere Desire” was exactly what he imagined Caesar’s territory would look like…all flashing lights and dangerous, hidden shadows.

Julian smoothed down his hoodie, playing the part of a lost college kid. He flashed a fake ID to the mountain of a bouncer and slipped inside.

The bass throbbed in his chest. “A glass of vodka,” he managed to say to the bartender, his voice almost lost in the music.

“Here you go, kid.”

From his plush seat in the VIP lounge, Alessandro Caesar noticed the boy the moment he walked in.

He stuck out like a sore thumb-nervous energy practically vibrating off him. But that wasn’t the only reason Caesar’s dark eyes lingered.

The boy was… perfect. Cute, looking dumb enough to wander into a lion’s den, and exactly Caesar’s type.

A glass of amber liquid in one hand, a cigarette in the other, he watched. A predator sizing up his prey.

Julian’s eyes scanned the crowded club, searching for the face he’d only seen in photos. And then… he found him.

Their eyes met across the room.

Julian’s breath caught. His whole body went rigid. This was it.

He watched, frozen, as Caesar elegantly stood up and began descending from the lounge, his gaze locked on Julian like a hawk.

Julian’s heart pounded so hard he felt dizzy. I thought I was ready for this. I’m not ready.

The air shifted as someone slid onto the stool next to him.

“Hi,” the man said, his voice a smooth, dark velvet that made Julian shiver. “I’m Caesar. And you?” He stretched out a hand.

Julian’s own hand was clammy. “J-Julian. I’m Julian.”

He tried to pull his hand back after the shake, but Caesar held on for a second too long, his eyes boring into Julian’s as if trying to peel back all his secrets.

“Relax, kid,” Caesar said, a slow, dangerous smile playing on his lips. “I’m not gonna eat you… or not yet.”

He was charming, saying all the right things, but it only made Julian feel more like a mouse caught in a trap. The air grew heavier with every passing second.

Then Caesar’s smile faded, replaced by a look of eerie nostalgia. “You look similar. You remind me of someone I buried a long time ago.”

He reached out, running his fingers through Julian’s brown hair before trailing them down his cheek. Julian flinched but couldn’t move.

Caesar’s gaze swept over him, taking in his small frame and wide blue eyes. “So pretty,” he smirked, and the way he said it made Julian’s skin crawl.

“This is actually my first time here,” Julian blurted out, his voice shaking. “I, uh, I gotta go.”

He didn’t wait for a reply. He just fled, pushing through the crowd and bursting out into the cool night, Caesar’s intense stare burning a hole in his back.

He hurried down the street, wanting nothing more than the safety of his dorm. His mind was racing.

When…

A sleek black car suddenly swerved, blocking the alley ahead. Ice flooded Julian’s veins. He spun around to run back, but it was too late. A mountain of a man in a tailored black suit stepped out.

“Mr. Caesar would like to give you a ride home,” the man said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

“Th-thank you, but I’m almost home. I really appreciate it,” Julian stammered, forcing a polite smile.

The man’s expression didn’t change. “It wasn’t a request, kid. Mr. Caesar gets what he wants.”

Panic seized him. “I’m really sorry, but I have to go!” He tried to walk past, but the car began crawling slowly beside him, keeping pace.

His walk turned into a jog. The car sped up.

Then he was running, pure adrenaline fueling his legs. He heard heavy footsteps pounding behind him…two of them.

He vaulted over a fence, his chest heaving, but they were faster, stronger.

He skidded around a corner and his blood ran cold.

“Shit!” he cursed. A dead end.

He turned, fists raised, ready to fight. A sharp pain exploded in the back of his head, and the world dissolved into static, then nothing.

He came to in the backseat of the moving car, his head throbbing. And sitting right beside him, close enough to touch, was Caesar.

Those dark eyes were fixed on him, hungry and possessive.

Caesar leaned in, his whisper a hot caress against Julian’s ear. “I knew you were going to fight back. Stubborn and brave… my type.”

He brushed the back of his fingers down Julian’s cheek, making him flinch. "Same hair, same blue eyes. So much like him."

"I don't know what you want from me," Julian pleaded, his voice weak. "Just let me go."

Caesar’s smirk was the last thing he saw before the darkness threatened to pull him under again.

“Oh, Julian,” he purred, the sound full of dark promise. “I want a lot from you.”