Chapter 2: Neon Celebration

Chapter 2: Neon Celebration

The Club Night

Leopard had given the order himself:

"Tonight, you and your men celebrate. The streets are clean again. Marcus is gone. Drink, dance, spend—show the city that Leopard’s empire is untouchable."

So, Wade and his crew went to the biggest club in the city—Eros, a wild den of flashing lights, liquor, and dangerous pleasures.

Inside, the music thundered. Bodies moved together in rhythm, laughter drowned in bass, and the smell of sweat mixed with perfume and smoke. Wade’s men scattered to the dance floor and the bar, their shouts echoing over the music.

But Wade stayed back. He never celebrated like them. His joy, if it existed, was quiet—buried in cigarettes and whiskey.

The First Glance

That’s when he saw him.

Sitting at a shadowed corner table, away from the chaos, was a boy—fragile, silent, his brown eyes lowered to a notebook where he scribbled sketches between sips of water. He looked too pure for this place, too soft for this jungle of wolves.

Something about him caught Wade’s chest. It wasn’t lust, not yet. It was… curiosity.

For years, Wade had been surrounded by noise, by violence, by blood. But this boy was quiet. His silence was louder than the music.

Wade found himself walking toward the table, boots heavy on the floor.

The Conversation

Wade sat down across from him without asking. The boy looked up, startled—but not afraid.

“You’ve been staring at me,” Wade muttered, lighting a cigarette.

The boy blinked, then picked up his pen and scribbled quickly on the page before turning it around.

“You look sad.”

Wade froze. No one had ever said that to him. People called him dangerous, merciless, a monster—but sad?

He leaned forward, smoke curling from his lips. “You talk too much for someone who doesn’t speak.”

The boy smiled faintly, and in that moment, Wade knew—this wasn’t like the others.

The Interruption

Before Wade could ask his name, a heavy hand slammed down on the boy’s shoulder.

“Peter,” a cruel voice snapped.

Wade’s eyes flicked up. Standing there was Sanchi—a dealer under Leopard’s network. Ruthless, greedy, and brutal to those weaker than him. Sanchi had built his empire on fear, using boys like Peter as tools and property.

Peter flinched but didn’t resist. His notebook slipped from his hand, pages fluttering to the floor.

Sanchi’s eyes narrowed at Wade. “You’re sitting with my boy.”

Wade exhaled smoke slowly, unbothered. “Didn’t know you owned people now, Sanchi.”

Sanchi smirked, then leaned down, gripping Peter’s arm so hard the boy winced.

“He works under me. Runs errands. Cleans up. Stays silent, like he should.”

And then, in front of Wade, he slapped Peter across the face. The sound cracked louder than the music.

Peter’s head jerked sideways, but he stayed quiet, eyes lowered. His cheek flushed red.

Wade’s jaw tightened. His hand twitched near his gun.

But Sanchi wasn’t done. He yanked Peter up by the wrist. “Come on. Don’t sit here looking like you’ve got choices.”

He dragged Peter toward the back of the club, his grip bruising, the boy’s feet stumbling to keep up.

The Aftermath

Wade didn’t move. Not yet.

He sat there, cigarette burning to ash, his cold eyes following them.

Inside him, something shifted—a storm he hadn’t felt in years. Anger. Not the blind anger of gang wars, but something deeper. Something personal.

He had seen cruelty every day of his life. But watching Sanchi lay hands on that boy—Peter—made his blood boil in a way bullets never had.

He crushed the cigarette into the table.

For the first time in a long time, Wade Johnson wasn’t thinking about Leopard, about orders, about territory.

He was thinking about Peter.

And he knew this wasn’t the last time their paths would cross.

⚡ Expansion Plan Words:

Extended club atmosphere – describing Wade’s men partying, drug deals happening in corners, the contrast between chaos and Peter’s stillness.

Peter’s backstory through hints – showing how Sanchi uses him, why he stays silent (trauma + being mute).

Wade’s inner monologue – his thoughts while drinking, flashes of his violent past, why Peter unsettles him.

Tense interaction between Wade and Sanchi – longer dialogue, with Wade’s men watching, almost ready for a fight.

Peter’s perspective – how he feels sitting alone, seeing Wade, being slapped, and dragged.

Foreshadowing – Wade silently deciding he won’t let Sanchi keep him forever.

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