Chapter 11

Chapter

Eleven

"Why the fuck did you knock him out?" Trev demanded haughtily. "How the hell are we going to move him now? Do you see how fucking huge he is?"

"We're not bringing him with us," Erasmus said coolly. "We're leaving him."

"What? No way." Trev backed away. "The only reason I'm here is because of him! He?—"

"Spoiled a perfectly good plan, put your life in danger because of his arrogance, and chained you to a wall." Erasmus quirked his brow.

He still hadn't blinked.

"Fuck you." Trev gave his best syrupy sweet smile. "I'm not going anywhere without him."

Erasmus's upper lip twitched.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Junior, formerly known as Howell, grabbed Erasmus's shoulder. "Easy now. I know how much yous love shootin' people, but let's just get goin', okay? Let the Luchesis worry 'bout him."

Erasmus looked at the real Howell.

"Fine! Okay! Just this once. Have fun." Junior held out his hand. "Gimme your keys, all right? Let's get the fuck outta here."

Erasmus handed Junior a set of keys.

"C'mon, kid." Junior waved at Trev. "Get your shit. Let's go."

"I already told you I'm not going anywhere without Jupiter." Trev batted his eyes. "And I'm pretty sure my half-brother gave explicit instructions to make sure I wasn't harmed, right? To deliver me in one piece and all that?"

"Your point?"

"Either bring Jupiter or I'm going to make your life very, very difficult."

Erasmus turned to stare at Trev.

"Stop it, creepy," Junior warned Erasmus, waving his hand at him. "We ain't takin' him in the trunk or nothin', all right?" He sighed and addressed Trev, saying firmly, "Look, we gots to come to an understandin' here. He's a Luchesi, okay? He's one of them. We brings him with us, I can promise that Cold will send him back in a body bag."

"But if we leave him here, he's as good as dead anyway!" Trev pointed at Howell. "All that fucker has to do is open his big mouth and tell the Luchesis what happened and that Jupiter was helping me?—"

"Oh no, don't worry 'bout that!" Junior patted Trev's back. "We got this handled. Don't we, Razz?"

Erasmus glared at Junior and without looking, he leveled his gun at Howell.

"No, don't yous do it?—"

Erasmus fired.

"Ya' crazy dumb fuck!" Junior rubbed his ears. "I'm standin', like, right fuckin' next to yous! You did that on fuckin' purpose!"

Erasmus smiled.

Trev made a face and turned away, his ears ringing and his stomach turning. He really hadn't wanted to see anyone die today or ever , and Howell made the third person he'd seen murdered in the last hour.

"Yous were supposed to fuckin' wait until I got the kid outta here!" Junior continued to scold. "Asshole!"

Erasmus shrugged. "Now we can go."

"I'm not going anywhere," Trev warned. "You can both fuck right off."

"Come on! See?" Junior patted Trev's shoulder. "Now your lil' boyfriend can spin whatever dumbass story he wants to! Wasn't that so fuckin' nice of us?"

"How do you even know that will work?" Trev snarled. "What if they don't believe him and still kill him?"

"Sucks to be him?"

"This is bullshit ."

"Let's get goin', kid." Junior grabbed Trev's arm. "You can scream at us later, but right now we?—"

"Fuck you!" Trev snatched up the lockbox and cracked Junior as hard as he could over the head with it.

"Ow! Yous lil' fuckin' bitch!" Junior howled, clutching his head.

Trev turned to swing at Erasmus, but Erasmus was faster.

So much faster.

Erasmus slipped behind Trev like a shadow and slammed his gun against the back of his head.

Shit, shit, shit.

Trev collapsed, the world fading into darkness.

Trev woke with a groan, his head pounding worse than any hangover. He felt the back of his head, gingerly tracing around a sore bump. He was in the back seat of a car, maybe a truck, and Erasmus had fucking knocked him out and…

Jupiter!

Trev bolted up. "Hey! Where the fuck are we?"

"Aw, good mornin', sleepin' beauty," Junior chirped from the front seat. "How was your lil' nap?"

Erasmus was driving and said nothing, though he did stare at Trev through the rearview mirror for a long moment.

Fuckin' creep.

"Fuck you!" Trev growled. "Turn the fuck around! We're going back."

"No can do, kid." Junior shrugged. "We're only, like, an hour away or somethin'. Sit back before I make yous sit back, all right? We don't wanna hafta knock yous out again."

Erasmus smiled, indicating that he clearly didn't mind.

Trev's head hurt too much to argue and he melted into the seat, defeated. He felt around to find the duffel bag and his lockbox, and he briefly considered whacking Junior again.

This sucked.

Short of causing a car accident and then trying to flee on foot, Trev saw no way out of this.

The best thing he could do was let this play out and meet Cold.

Maybe by then, Trev would have thought of what to do next.

Using the duffel as a pillow, Trev tried to relax, but it was hard to rest when his head was pounding and his mind wouldn't let him stop thinking about Jupiter.

Stupid, annoying Jupiter.

Who had an amazing smile, a pretty good sense of humor, a great dick, and who they'd left to possibly take the heat from the mafia family he so wanted to escape.

Shit.

Trev hadn't taken the collar off yet, but he couldn't really say why. He should have pulled it off and hurled it out the window the first chance he had. Jupiter was not innocent in any of this, not even close, and yet Trev still wanted to keep it on.

Jupiter had wanted to help him escape.

They were going to run away together.

They…

No, that was stupid.

"Wakey, wakey," Junior sang out. "Eggs and bac-ey!"

Trev realized the truck had stopped moving. He sat up, staring out the windows in shock.

They were at a mansion.

An honest to God mansion that made the Luchesi estate look like a dumpster.

There were more men in suits—of course—but these guys even had dogs .

The first blush of the sun was lightening the sky, though Trev didn't have long to admire it before Junior and Erasmus were herding him out of the truck. He scowled as Junior grabbed the lockbox and Erasmus the duffel bag, and then they each grabbed one of Trev's arms to urge him to the door.

"Come on!" Junior grumbled. "I'm fuckin' tired and my goddamn dome hurts 'cause some lil' asshole hit me with a fuckin' box. And oh yeah, next fuckin' time, we're usin' my phone for fuckin' directions. Yours fuckin' sucks moldy ol' fuckin' donkey balls, Razz."

Erasmus grunted.

"Don't yous grunt at me, you moody bitch!" Junior waited for one of the suited men to open the door so they could head inside. "And I fuckin' swear, yous is never having them gas station burritos again. Fuckin' biological warfare?—"

"Good mornin'," a deep voice said in greeting.

Trev barely had a moment to admire the polished foyer before he looked up.

And up.

And up .

To see a man even larger and more bulging than Jupiter.

He was wearing a ratty T-shirt that said "Bucky's All-U-Can Wings" and gray sweatpants that he filled out very nicely, and he looked like he'd just woken up. His dark eyes met Trev's and his expression froze. He appeared startled as if he'd seen a ghost. " Fuck ."

"Right?" Junior cackled. "Didn't believe it myself until I saw 'im."

Trev wrenched his arms free and stood as tall as he could, glaring up at the giant man. "Wow. Expedition Bigfoot know you're out here?"

The man laughed. "You're funny."

"Yes, ha ha." Trev rolled his eyes. "Being kidnapped really lets my sense of humor shine."

"Is he here?" A woman's voice called out. "Jules?"

"Come on." The man turned to call down the hallway. "Roe! You gotta see this."

A gorgeous woman came racing up to them, bundled up in a lush silk robe, her heels clicking over the tile floor. She stopped right in front of Trev and stared in shock. Her eyes were the same icy blue as Trev's own, and it was…

Strange.

Like looking in the mirror but not, recognizing parts of himself but there was a stranger mixed in there too.

"Oh. My. God!" The woman screamed and threw her arms around Trev's neck.

"Uh? Hi?" Trev caught her so he wouldn't topple over.

She pulled back, stared at him, and screamed again. "Holy shit, this is fucking wild!"

Trev blinked.

"I'm Rowena Legrand," the woman said quickly. "I'm your sister!"

"Sister?" Trev's heart fluttered. "I…" He laughed. "I have a sister?"

"Look, you'll learn real fast that ol' Boris really got around." Rowena laughed sweetly. "I always said there's a ton of us little Legrands somewhere out there!"

"Legrand?"

"Yeah. Boris Legrand. Our mutual sperm donor."

Trev tensed.

Right. Because it wasn't actually Boris Usher like his mother had told him.

"Trevanion, right?" Rowena asked.

"Trev." Trev smiled wearily.

"God, you're so gorgeous." Rowena squealed. "Boris was a man slut, but damn if he didn't make some fine kids!" She looked at Erasmus and Junior. "Oh! Is that your stuff? Boys, be a dear and put that upstairs for me." She looped her arm with Trev's. "Come on, babe. Time to go meet the rest of the family!"

Trev's heart thumped again.

Rowena's excited energy was infectious and not at all what he expected. He thought this was going to be more brooding gangsters and chains, not a new half-sister who was wearing a kickass pair of Louboutin heels.

"Love your kicks, by the way," Trev noted.

He felt like an absolute trash fire right now and probably looked like one too, suit or no.

"Aw, thanks!" Rowena frowned at him. "Do you need some threads, sweetie? You actually look like you're about Jimmy's size, maybe? Look, let's get you some breakfast, and then you can get a shower and get all cleaned up."

"And Jimmy is?"

"Your brother-in-law," said the giant man who had somehow silently trailed right behind them.

"Holy fuck, you're sneaky." Trev cringed.

"I'm Jules Price," the man said.

"Are you another one of Boris's kids?"

"Nah."

"Might as well be," Rowena chirped. "He grew up with Roddy and me. The other big, annoying brother who scared off all my boyfriends."

Trev looked around as they headed to presumably the kitchen, trying to take in the layout as quickly as he could. There were fresh flowers everywhere, the decor crisp and minimal, and he was not the least bit surprised that the kitchen was decked out with the fanciest appliances he had ever seen.

A tall thin man in an apron was humming as he cooked at the stove, and he turned to smile at Trev and the others. His surprise was not as startling as Rowena's or Jules's had been, but Trev noticed it all the same. "Hello," the man said in a thick French accent. "Good morning."

"Jerry. This is Trev!" Rowena shook Trev's shoulders. "Look at him!"

"I see." Jerry tipped his head politely and then looked to Trev. "Eggs, monsieur ?"

Trev scrubbed his hands over his face. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold the fuck up." He spun on Rowena. "What is happening here? Where is Boss Cold? What the fuck is actually going on?"

"Breakfast?" Jules frowned.

"Sweetie," Rowena soothed. "Take a big breath. It's okay! You're safe now."

Trev laughed.

Yeah, right.

"Look, babe." Trev snorted sourly. "I love your taste in shoes, but I do not buy this let's be a happy gangster family for a fucking second."

"How about you just rent it for breakfast?" Rowena suggested. "Roddy will talk to you and explain any questions that you have, okay? For now, just know that all we want is you safe and fed."

Trev shuddered.

He was surrounded by strangers in a new place and unarmed. He'd never felt more alone, but at least everyone's friendly attitude would allow him some time to figure out what to do next. He fully intended to keep his guard up, but if they wanted a sweet, helpless young man who was so happy to be reunited with the family he never knew he had, he could do that.

The collar at his neck was comforting.

It was also a bitter reminder of how he'd been forced to leave Jupiter behind, and he wondered if he should have fought harder to bring Jupiter with them. Jupiter had certainly been no saint, and Trev decided that this made them even.

For the lying, the chain, and all the rest.

Hopefully, Jupiter would live long enough for Trev to find him and tell him.

"Okay. Breakfast sounds great." Trev smiled sweetly.

That at least wasn't a lie.

Jerry smiled warmly and fixed Trev a plate.

Trev sat down at a table beside a big window to eat. It was scrambled eggs, some sort of sausage, and a few slices of fresh fruit. Rowena had the same and sat down across from him. Jules hovered by the counter, where two more plates were waiting to be claimed.

"Where's Brick?" Rowena asked, her icy eyes flitting to Jules.

"Still sleepin'," Jules rumbled in reply.

Rowena smirked.

Jules rolled his eyes.

"Where's my brother?" Trev asked casually.

"He'll be down after a while." Rowena waved her hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm here to take good care of you, sweetie." She smiled. "So! Ready to tell me your life story?"

Trev batted his eyes. "No."

Rowena scoffed. "What do you mean no ?"

"We just met!" Trev wagged his fork at her. "What kind of idiot is just going to spill their guts and tell you every dirty detail about themselves?"

Jules laughed as if something was very funny.

Rowena flipped him off and then eyed Trev. "Okay, fine! Later. After margaritas."

"Isn't it a little early?" Trev blinked.

"How about mimosas?" Rowena laughed. "I'm kidding. Mostly. I don't drink much these days, but once upon a time! Oof." She nibbled a piece of sausage. "So, Trev. Hmm. Are you all right? I get if you don't wanna get all personal, but do you need anything?" She wrinkled her nose. "Other than clothes?"

"No. Thank you, but..."

"What?"

Trev hesitated to say anything as this particular request would be rather revealing, but he needed to try. "You guys got me out. What are the chances of getting Jupiter out?"

"Who?" Rowena wrinkled her nose.

Jules scoffed. "Prospero?"

"Yeah." Trev put his fork down. "He tried to help me."

"Oh, the guy who chained you to a wall?" Rowena asked.

"How does everyone know about that?" Trev held up his hands. "Never mind. Just… Ugh . Yes, he did do that, but he also tried to help me escape. He wants to get away from the Luchesi family too and?—"

"That's a question for my brother." She paused. "For our brother. I promise, he's really not that scary?—"

"I am not scared," Trev cut in firmly.

"Nope!" Junior laughed as he strolled in. "Not this one. This one here has fuckin' balls of steel."

Jules grunted. "Where's Erasmus?"

"How the fuck should I know?" Junior scoffed. "I turn around and he's gone. He's like a fuckin' ghost, okay? He'll pop back up in a second and scare the fuck outta all us."

"Are you boys crashing here?" Rowena asked sweetly. "We got plenty of room."

"Yeah, definitely gonna take yous up on that, Miss Legrand. I'm sure fuckin' tired. Thank you." Junior tipped his head and then smirked at Trev. "Hey. Got all your shit upstairs, okay? You take care of yourself, kid. No hard feelin's 'bout leavin' your lil' boy toy behind, all right?"

Trev smiled icily. "None at all."

"Fuck, that's creepy." Jules laughed.

"What?" Trev cut his eyes to Jules.

"You look just like him when you make that fuckin' face." Jules laughed again.

Him .

Like Cold.

Trev didn't know why that unsettled him.

Everyone here was comparing him to a man he hadn't met, a man who supposedly killed their father. Perhaps Trev should have taken it as a compliment, but it made his blood boil. It only made the full scope of his mother's lies even more obvious.

His father's name, how he'd passed, everything.

If none of that was true, what else had she lied to him about?

And still the most important question of all—why?

Why had she created this fantasy for him about a perfect loving father who had been taken from the world too soon because of a negligent driver? Was that meant for Trev's benefit?

Or her own?

"So!" Rowena eyed Trev's abandoned food. "Ready for that shower?"

"Sure." Trev stood up and made a fuss about tidying up his plate.

Jerry swept over to accept the dishes from him with a courteous smile.

Everything but the knife, of course.

It was only a butter knife but better than nothing.

Trev kept it up his sleeve and followed Rowena upstairs. He knew everyone was watching him as he left, and he had already decided that he didn't trust any of them. Their friendly smiles and kindness could be hiding any number of devious plans, and he refused to believe that they had gone to all this trouble simply because he was related to them. That was insane, and if it was true, then they were idiots.

Why risk so much for a person they'd never met?

For supposedly ruthless gangsters, they seemed like a bunch of chumps.

Rowena led Trev to a large bedroom, gesturing to a door that likely led to the bathroom. "So! Check under the sink and in the tub. There should be some shampoo and stuff. I used to live here, so pretty sure there's at least some bodywash or something."

Trev was already subtly eyeing the windows and the doors. "Uh-huh. Thanks."

"You're not a prisoner here, you know," Rowena said, arching a perfectly manicured brow.

Apparently not subtle enough.

"Hmm?" Trev batted his eyes and tried to feign ignorance.

"Checking the exits? Looking for a way to get out?" Rowena's brow remained quirked. "I already clocked you stealing that butter knife from breakfast, so. Come on. Let's be real for a moment, sweetie."

Trev froze.

Well.

Shit.

Rowena crossed her arms with a heavy sigh. "If you wanna go, you can. We're not going to keep you here. But give Roddy a chance to talk to you, okay? You probably don't trust us. I get it. Probably been through some crazy ass shit, but just know… you're not the only one, okay?"

"The only one what?"

"Who Boris hurt."

Trev narrowed his eyes sharply. "Never met him."

"So?" Rowena cocked her hip. "Trust me. That man has a way of getting to you even from beyond the fuckin' grave."

Trev hesitated to pry because he didn't want Rowena to know how curious he was, but he couldn't help asking, "Did you know him?"

"Uh-huh." Rowena's smile was strained. "Wish I hadn't. I don't know what your mom told you about him or what you think you might know, but he was not a good man."

Trev bristled, but said nothing.

"Hey." Rowena's expression softened. "I'm sure you have your reasons, okay? If your mom told you he was a saint and his shit didn't stink or whatever, she probably did it to protect you. Give you somethin' nice to think about."

"You're really sure about that, aren't you?"

"I'm sure that your pretty face looks like a cat's ass right now." Rowena smiled like a shark. "Come on. You wouldn't be pissed off unless your mom told you some sweet little story about what a great man he was, right? And here we are, throwing down all the vibes that he wasn't."

"Does it even matter? Cold killed him, didn't he?" Trev bit out the words.

"Yup," Rowena replied without hesitation. "If he hadn't, I would have."

Trev found it hard to believe that Rowena could kill anyone.

Then again…

There was a spark in her eyes that made Trev think maybe she could.

"If you'd met him," Rowena went on, "you probably would have too."

"Pretty bold assumption." Trev frowned. "How do I know you're even telling the truth? What if my mother was right and you're all the ones lying, huh?"

Trev was prepared for Rowena to give him a sob story and try to convince him what a horrible man Boris was. That seemed to be the next logical step in this conversation, and he readied a litany of responses to cut her down because he?—

"You don't." Rowena shrugged.

"What?"

"I can't make you trust us. You'll just have to decide for yourself." Rowena wiggled her fingers in a little wave. "Enjoy your shower."

Trev waved back, watching her leave. As soon as the door shut, he hurried over to lock it.

Wait.

He should probably leave it unlocked. Rowena was already suspicious of him, so he should keep it open to show he trusted them. Not that he actually did, of course, but he needed to make them think otherwise. Being on good terms with his new family— captors —would be more beneficial in the long run.

Especially if he was going to get back to Jupiter.

Shit.

Trev touched the collar around his neck.

He missed Jupiter, more than he'd been willing to admit before.

Fleeing the country was still Trev's main priority, and now it seemed he had yet another mafia family to escape. This one was definitely kinder and it was nice they didn't seem intent on murdering him, but a gilded cage was still a prison. He didn't trust their intentions were as pure as they made them out to be, and he refused to be used as a pawn again.

Jupiter at least came clean about how he had used Trev and they both had a mutual goal: freedom.

That's what mattered now, Trev decided.

Getting the hell out of here and finding Jupiter.

But first, a shower.

Trev stripped off the suit, got the water going, and scrubbed himself clean. The bodywash and shampoo he found in the shower were a bit too floral for his liking, but he wasn't going to be picky. He took his time, soaking up the hot spray and pressing his brow against the cool tile.

He wanted a few moments to turn off his brain and try to relax, but the train of his thoughts continued to crash through any semblance of peace.

Was Boris really the villain Rowena and the others believed him to be?

Trev's mother had always been so honest with him, so why lie about Boris being a monster?

What was the point?

He reconsidered Rowena's words about his mother wanting to protect him, and he wondered if she was right. Maybe not for the reasons that Rowena thought though.

Maybe for something else…

Trev left the shower to dry off, wishing the shower had washed away some of his scattered thoughts. He wrapped a towel around his waist and poked his head out into the bedroom.

To his surprise, there were a few pairs of pants and a selection of sweaters and shirts on the bed.

Must have been Rowena.

From Jimmy, his brother-in-law or whoever.

Trev picked some black skinny jeans and a light blue sweater he deemed to be the least hideous of the bunch. He didn't have any fresh socks so he opted to go barefoot instead. Not optimal if he wanted to make a break for it later, but he didn't enjoy the idea of wearing his boots without them. He could probably ask Rowena or whoever for some later, but first…

He touched his neck.

The collar.

Trev hurried back into the bathroom to retrieve it. He admonished himself for missing it so soon, but he didn't feel right not wearing it now.

He missed Jupiter so much and?—

There was a knock at the door.

Trev grabbed the butter knife he'd stolen earlier and held it behind his back before answering.

Waiting on the other side was a man.

He was tall, broader than Trev and with lighter skin, and his cropped dark hair was more salt than pepper. He was wearing a black pinstripe three-piece suit with white spats.

Who the fuck wore spats? Like, really ?

Despite his fashion choices, he was effortlessly attractive. The rest of his ensemble was stylish, fit well, and immediately commanded a sense of power and wealth. He'd yet to utter a single word and Trev was already on edge as a result of his proximity alone.

And his eyes…

Like his own and Rowena's, they were icy blue.

Bright, beautiful, and dangerous.

This was Boss Cold.

"Well, hello there, Mr. Usher," Cold said, his voice low with a rumbling purr as he scanned Trev over like a bit of prey he was going to tear apart. "It's so nice to finally meet you."