Aster paced back and forth in the small living room that was part of this suite of rooms. Blondie was, no doubt, sitting on the little black bench outside the door. Whereas the guest room had been pleasantly plain, this room was domineering. A thick blue carpet covered the hardwood floor of the room which was decorated with plush black furniture with a modern metallic edge. The large painting behind the couch depicted a Siberian tiger leaping from one rocky ledge to the next as birds took flight from the budding trees. The smart TV on the wall was inset into a bookshelf that held a variety from Sun Tzu to Plato and Oscar Wilde. Aster's finger stroked the spine of a collection of stories by Sade.
Trenton had said to deliver his books and personal items. That didn't bode well. He thought that, at worst, he'd have to endure a few days of torture but it seemed that Trenton hadn't been joking when he'd said that he wanted Aster to be his pet. As soon as he'd entered the room, Aster had tried to rip off the collar that now hung around his neck. It was locked tight and he could only manage to detach the leash.
Once Aster had worn himself out from pacing, he decided to peruse the suite of rooms. There were two doors that connected to the living room. The first led into an office which held two chairs, a large dark wood desk and rolling office chair. Bookshelves lined the walls and among the books were small glass cases that held various preserved insects. There were no papers left on the desk and Aster couldn't bring himself to rifle through the desk. The last thing he needed was more information that could actually sign his death warrant.
Quickly leaving the office, Aster entered the other door which led to the bedroom. A large four-post bed dominated the center of the room. The sapphire blue comforter looked to be of silk with some gold brocade embroidery. Aster looked away, not wanting to imagine what Trenton would do to him there. He walked slowly around the room to inspect the dark wooden furniture. It was spotless, as if someone had just cleaned. The only footprints on the blue carpet belonged to Aster. Atop the dresser was a selection of expensive colognes.
Several photographs hung on the walls, but none were personal. A local bridge at night. An osprey in flight with a fish. A mountain ridgeline covered in snow. There was no life or emotion to the room. It had been lived in, sure, but this room was not someone's home. Aster doubted that anyone really called this place home despite it looking like a luxurious house. The lack of personal affects made the room feel empty.
Next, Aster wandered into the adjoining bathroom. It held a roomy shower, a large bathtub, double sink, toilet, and closet. There were several shower heads and the knobs looked complicated to Aster. The tub had jets and could likely hold two people comfortably. The products in the shower were, surprisingly, unique. High-end toiletries designed for specific purposes with their own unique scents. Aster stopped himself from inspecting them further, instead hurrying back to the main room. He shouldn't have been snooping, but he was too curious for his own good.
Taking a familiar book off the bookcase, Aster sat in the corner of the room on the floor so he could see the door. He tried to read as his heart pounded. Trenton would come for him. He didn't know when or how much he would do, but Aster had caught the look of possessive lust in his dark brown eyes. He would return.
**
Despite his best efforts, Henry couldn't follow the trail further than the maze of alleys. He wasn't used to urban tracking. The lack of windows and cameras in the alleys was frustrating. Henry debated on whether or not to call the police. He didn't want to get caught up in an investigation that would likely go nowhere. No, he'd have to do something else. Necessity won out over his wounded pride. Henry pulled out his phone and readied himself to call in a favor.
"What do you want, Glenn?" A gruff voice answered his call.
"Hey, Stork, I need a favor." Henry said as he walked back to the spot where he'd found Aster's phone.
"Seriously? Damn. I thought you'd never ask. What do you need?" Stork asked.
"I'll send you my location. I need you to tap into the security cameras nearby and find any footage from last night featuring a specific person. I'll send you a picture, but he shouldn't be hard to spot." Henry switched the call to speaker phone and took a picture of the footprint he'd found earlier.
"What'd he do?" Stork seemed distracted as a keyboard clacked in the background of the call.
"My..." Henry paused for a moment, thinking of Aster. "My friend disappeared. I think he might be in trouble."
"Got it. Send me what you have and I'll get on it." Stork said.
"Yeah, It's on the way. Thanks, Stork." Henry hung up then sent the information.
Henry stopped as he saw the moving truck parked outside of Aster's apartment. He was dumbfounded. Breaking into a jog, he hurried down the sidewalk to where Joseph was outside his shop speaking to a young blonde woman with curly hair. She wore jeans and a t-shirt with the moving company's name on it.
"Hey, what's going on?" Henry butted into the conversation.
Joseph turned to him with an exasperated look. "They say they're here to move Aster's things."
"What?" Henry then looked at the woman who was growing impatient.
"Like I told him, I don't get any more information than what we're moving and where it's going." She sighed and tapped her foot impatiently.
"Where is it going?" Henry asked, confused.
"I can't give out that information. We take our client's privacy seriously. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got a job to do." She turned around and motioned to her crew to open the door. Henry watched in disbelief as the movers opened the door and filed up the stairs with several unfolded boxes. Joseph turned to him, wringing his hands.
"Aster didn't mention anything about moving." Joseph frowned.
Henry put a reassuring hand on the older man's shoulder. "It's okay, I'll find Aster and sort this all out."
**
Trenton opened the door to his suite of rooms and smiled as he saw Aster look up from a book. He had sequestered himself in a corner chair and now set the book down on a side table where the red leash had also been placed. He smiled at Aster and locked the door behind him.
"Have you been a good boy, waiting patiently for me?" Trenton strolled over to Aster and gently stroked his face. Aster frowned and said nothing in return. He let Trenton pet him and resisted biting the hand that stroked him like a dog. "Come on, I've got some time."
Trenton then grabbed Aster's hand and pulled him up and toward the bedroom. Aster's stomach dropped. He knew what Trenton wanted. His mind raced as he thought of how to escape the situation, but nothing came to mind. He walked stiffly behind Trenton.
