Chapter 13

Chapter

Thirteen

Trev learned a lot about Rowena after consuming an entire pitcher of mimosas.

One was that he should have never underestimated how much she could drink.

Another was how much she loved to talk about anything and everything except what Trev actually wanted to know about. She was happy to provide juicy gossip about the Gentlemen's dating drama, dish on celebrities and fashion trends, and share intimate details about her own relationship with a man named Dario Romero, who was apparently quite terrified of Cold.

Trev didn't see what the big deal was.

Cold was highly observant, clearly intelligent, but dangerous ?

Pffft.

All he seemed interested in was fucking his husband and doing his weird sex thing.

Trev knew he shouldn't underestimate him though.

Cold had been able to plant a mole across the damn state, fool the entire Luchesi family, and oh yeah, had a secret assassin hiding somewhere at the damn Luchesi estate ready to murder at a second's notice.

Maybe Cold really was the monster the Luchesis said he was.

Rowena hummed happily as she shimmied through the kitchen. They'd come back in here to make another pitcher, and Mickey and Roger had followed them. Roger helped Rowena mix while Mickey stayed posed in the doorway, frozen like a statue.

God, he was creepy.

Trev wondered if he was related to Erasmus.

"So, you and Prospero, huh?" Roger asked with a bold grin. "Always heard he played for our team. Good for you."

"Thanks. I think." Trev scoffed.

"He's just jealous." Rowena cackled. "Wanted to have his Romeo and Juliet moment, you know. Fucking the enemy. But without the dying shit at the end."

"What? He's hot." Roger wiggled his left hand. "Married, not blind."

"As if that ring would stop you," Rowena teased.

"You're right. It wouldn't."

While they laughed, Mickey held up a finger as if in warning.

"How did you know what he looked like?" Trev asked. "Is there a mafia dating website? Gaga For Gangsters?"

"Know your enemy," Roger said with a mysterious wink.

"Especially the hot ones?"

"Exactly."

Rowena rolled her eyes, pouring two glasses of the freshly made mimosas. She passed one over to Trev. "Come on, lil' bro. You need to catch up."

"Do I really though?" Trev accepted the glass anyway. "Five o'clock somewhere. Or whatever it is they say."

"So." Rowena hummed. "We can order out for lunch if you'd like since Roddy wants you to stick around."

"Oh, now you're on team let's keep Trev prisoner ?"

"Nope. I'm on team my brother is an asshole but he's never been wrong ." Rowena shrugged. "He probably has a good reason for keeping you here. When and if he'll tell us, well, that takes a combination of patience, vigilance, and bitching."

"I've got all three of those, so I should be good." Trev tugged on the sleeves of his sweater.

"You okay?"

"Just getting hot." Trev shrugged. "I'm more of a crop top and booty shorts kinda girl, you know what I mean?"

"Ohhh, I sure do." Rowena grinned and grabbed her glass. She reached for Trev's hand, waving at Roger. "You! Grab the pitcher."

"What do I look like, a waiter?" Roger grumbled.

"Right now you do!" Rowena breezed by Mickey, leading Trev back upstairs.

"Where are we going?" Trev laughed.

"My room!" Rowena turned at the top of the stairs. "Okay, well, technically it's my old room since I live with Dario, but whatever. I still visit and have a few clothes here."

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh. Let's see if we can find a lil' something something that's more your style." Rowena dragged him into a large bedroom that looked like a clothing store had exploded.

There were clothes all over the furniture, some in piles on the floor, and the open closet was completely overflowing. The only area of the room that seemed to be free of clothing was the bed.

No, wait, that's where the shoes were, dozens of boxes peeking out from underneath.

"A few clothes?" Trev scoffed. "Really?"

"Oh, pfft, this is nothing." Rowena laughed as she headed to the closet. "You should see what I have at my place with Dario." She thumbed through the racks. "Okay. Let's see."

Trev dodged a flying shirt and then another. "Whoa! Hey! What are you doing?"

"Picking out stuff that might fit you! I've got tons of halter tops, midriff shirts, camis, all that. The only issue is gonna be bottoms."

"What's wrong with bottoms?" Trev joked.

"Not a damn thing!" Rowena laughed. "Except your bottom might be bigger than mine, okay?"

Trev thought about the jeans he'd been gifted. "Got a pair of scissors?"

"Not gonna stab anybody with them, are you?"

"How about you just tell us what you need cut?" Roger snorted. "Trying to make some shorts?"

"Yeah," Trev replied. "Got some jeans in my room I wanna cut up."

"How short?" Roger mused. "Date, clubbing, or prostate exam?"

"How about first date?"

"Do you want to fuck on the first date?"

"Definitely DTF."

Roger grinned. "I got you."

"Seriously?" Mickey rolled his eyes. "You're a tailor now?"

"Fuck you!" Roger sang cheerfully as he walked away.

After Roger was gone, Trev focused on going through the offerings from Rowena. Some of the halter tops were tie-on and would definitely fit, and even some of the camis seemed possible if he didn't want to breathe. She did have some oversized crop top T-shirts and Trev took those too.

Accessories were also a must, and Rowena had several pairs of fishnet stockings that had never even been opened. She let Trev go through her jewelry too, and he wondered how much of it was real or not. He stuck with colorful bangles and gaudy rings, things that were pretty but clearly costume jewelry.

It was too tempting to grab the earrings he recognized as real diamonds or the big sapphire ring. He had always been shameless, and yet…

He didn't want to steal from Rowena.

She had been nothing but kind and gracious, and she was giving him clothes, jewelry, and even promised him whatever makeup he could find in her bathroom. Having already clocked the designer label on much of the clothing, he knew the cosmetics wouldn't be of the drugstore variety.

Trev wasn't sure what to make of this.

Rowena had nothing to gain by being nice to him unless this was something Cold had put her up to.

Same with Jimmy and his own generous albeit hideous gift of clothing and how he'd also stood up to Cold for him.

In Trev's experience, people only did things for him because they wanted something in return. So, what did Rowena and Jimmy want?

They didn't want to fuck him. They didn't want to use him for leverage or as any source of information. They didn't seem to have any need for his money. They didn't really need him for anything, and it only made Trev even more unsettled.

Roger returned with the newly trimmed shorts and then Trev dragged them along with his new wardrobe into Rowena's bathroom. While he changed, he could hear Mickey and Roger shouting at each other.

"You're still such a fucking whore!" Mickey sneered.

"Me? Are you kidding me?" Roger laughed. "All I did was hand him some shorts."

"I saw how you looked at him."

"Excuse me?"

"Listen here, slut…"

Trev tuned them out and finally settled on a black halter top that showed off his midriff, the jean shorts with fishnets underneath, and his big boots. He asked Rowena for a pair of black socks, of course. He scored eyeliner and mascara from digging around in the drawers, and finally, he felt a bit more like himself when he looked in the mirror.

It was… strange.

He'd spent a lifetime staring at these eyes—they were his, after all—but it was surreal to see them gazing back at him from Rowena or Cold.

Especially Cold.

Rowena's were capable of warmth and joy, even a tenderness that oddly reminded Trev of his mother even though they weren't the two who were related.

Cold's were nothing but ice and more ice.

He had barely blinked when describing the murder of their father, and Trev still hadn't had time to sort out how he felt about that. If what Cold said was true, then he had probably done Trev a favor. Yet, it had robbed Trev of the chance to know Boris for himself.

To see if anything his mother had told him might be true.

Or was it all really a lie?

A fairy tale woven for a child who'd wanted to know where his father was?

Trev cursed when his eyes burned.

He dabbed at them, pleased that the makeup hadn't run at least.

It really was some nice stuff.

Trev took a deep breath and then walked out of the bathroom, pausing to strike a pose against the doorway.

"Ah!" Rowena squealed. "Yes!" She grinned and clapped as she jumped to her feet to take in his outfit. "You look hot ."

"I know." Trev winked as he sashayed forward.

Mickey did not appear impressed.

Roger whistled, which earned him a snarl from Mickey.

"Thank you." Trev did a little spin. "I needed this. Was starting to forget I had an ass."

"And legs too!" Rowena cheered, laughing as she pulled Trev in for a hug.

Trev hugged her back and smiled, not minding the unexpected warmth. Growing up as an only child had been pretty lonely, and maybe it wouldn't have been so bad with a sister like Rowena around.

Would have been nice to have someone to steal clothes from.

"Come on, sweetie." Rowena hooked her arm with Trev's, grabbing the pitcher of mimosas.

"Where are we going?" Trev chuckled. "Off to rob a bank?"

"In these shoes? No! We're gonna go drink some more and watch a movie!" Rowena breezed by Mickey and Roger.

"With our, uh, supervisors?" Trev glanced back at them, noting that the pair did indeed follow them.

"Oh! It's fine. Come on." Rowena scoffed. "Just ignore them. That's what I do."

"Rude," Roger called out.

"Can't hear you! Drinking mimosas!" Rowena sang out sweetly. She brought Trev downstairs and to a luxurious living room with a giant television, big couches, and a full bar.

Incredibly, there were already two glasses waiting for them on the counter as if someone had been expecting them to bring a pitcher of booze with them.

Rowena hummed as she poured. "So! What movie do you want to watch?"

Trev shrugged. "Whatever. I don't care."

"What about Mean Girls ?"

"What's that?"

Rowena jerked as if she'd been struck. "You've never seen the epic masterpiece that is Mean Girls ?"

"No." Trev didn't understand why Rowena appeared faint. "I'm not much of a TV person."

"We're fixing this. Immediately. This is an emergency."

Trev laughed. "Okay."

Voices drew his attention to the doorway. Roger was there, but he didn't see Mickey. He recognized one of the voices as Jimmy, but the other one was new.

Jimmy entered the room, wearing a different set of clothes and his hair ruffled. The man with him was revealed as a tall, bulging man of Korean descent with a dashing smile and biceps bigger than Trev's head.

"Oh! Wow. You look different." Jimmy blinked in surprise when he saw Trev. "But good! Good different. I promise. I'm gonna stop now."

The other man clapped a hand on Jimmy's back. "Open mouth. Insert foot."

"Sorry." Jimmy laughed. "Sometimes my mouth runs faster than my brain."

"We still love you anyway." The man chuckled as he came over to offer out his hand to Trev. "Hey there! I'm Brick."

"I'm single," Trev replied.

"Sorry, I'm not." Brick grinned.

"That is a crying shame."

"Trev, right?"

"Yeah. But you can call me anything you want."

"He's with Jules," Rowena chimed in. "I admire the effort, but good luck."

"You mean Beefzilla?" Trev wrinkled his nose. "Okay, I'd still try to hit it. At least I'd die doing something I loved."

Brick laughed. "Are you really related to Cold?"

"That's what they tell me. Why?"

"Because you're actually funny."

"Come on!" Rowena waved for them to join them on the couch.

"What are we doing?" Jimmy laughed.

"We are going to day drink and watch Mean Girls ."

Trev scoffed. "What is this, a mafia wives club meeting?"

"What? No!" Rowena wrinkled her nose. "My sweetie is a good boy." She swatted at Trev's arm. "And Brick and Jules still live in sin, so, technically Brick would be a mafia girlfriend."

"He's not one of the Gentlemen?" Trev asked.

He would believe it as big as Brick was.

And his name was Brick.

Who the hell was named Brick ?

"Nope. Translator." Brick grinned as he took the other spot on the couch beside Trev. "I sit behind a desk all day, working on a computer."

"Wow. That sounds boring as shit." Trev snorted. "What about you, Jimmy?" He thought he remembered someone mentioning a case. "Are you a lawyer or something?"

"Or something." Jimmy got settled in an oversized plush chair. "I used to work for a big firm here in Strassen, but then I started a nonprofit to help overturn wrongful convictions. Give innocent people who are imprisoned a chance at freedom."

"That's really awesome." Trev smiled.

"What about you, Trev?" Brick asked politely. "What do you do?"

Oh.

Trev was grateful for the mimosa to drown the new feeling trying to crack his confidence.

Insecurity .

Ugh, gross.

Who cared if Brick was a fancy translator or Jimmy was some goody-two-shoes lawyer? He already knew that Rowena ran a club here in the city from their earlier conversation, and Trev was startled by how inadequate he suddenly felt.

"I'm a burlesque dancer," Trev replied with a confident smile.

That sounded better than former escort on the run from the mob.

"Nice!" Brick nodded his approval. "That takes some balls. I could never get up in front of people and dance like that."

"Really?" Trev snorted. "With your body?"

Brick laughed. "Hey, dancing takes a very unique set of skills. Just something about getting up in front of all those people. Not for me."

"That kinda thing gets easier with practice," Jimmy said kindly. "I mean, I have horrible anxiety, but I can still get up in court."

"Do you imagine everybody naked?" Trev teased.

"What? No!" Jimmy looked mortified by the thought.

Everyone laughed, and Rowena taunted, "Come on! Like you've never thought about Roddy naked when you're up there on stage singing!"

"Shut up!" Jimmy turned a vivid shade of pink and tried to melt into the chair.

"You sing?" Trev asked, genuinely curious.

Jimmy peeked through his fingers. "Yeah. Uh, sometimes. I used to sing at Rowena's club, but uh, I just do that for special occasions or whatever. Birthdays. Anniversaries. Stuff like that."

"See, you could totally do it!" Trev winked. "If you can sing in front of a crowd, you can absolutely dance. I could show you some moves. Really knock Roddy's socks off."

Rowena giggled through a sip of her drink, mashing buttons on the remote to get the movie on. "That would be so fetch ."

"Like, so fetch ," Brick echoed in a snobby voice.

"Huh?" Trev was lost.

"Just trust us." Rowena giggled.

"What?" Brick arched his brow. "Wait, have you not seen this?"

Trev wrinkled his nose. "No."

Jimmy gawked. "How have you not seen this movie?"

Mickey scoffed. "Even I've seen it."

"Maybe if you all stop talking about it and we actually put it on, I'll understand what all the damn fuss is about!" Trev clicked his tongue. " Jesus , let's go."

Rowena cackled as she hit play. "This is the best day ever."

After a few more drinks, Trev was inclined to agree.

He was actually having fun . He hadn't spent this much time with anyone even close to his age before unless it was at work or for sex. In either situation, he only did the bare minimum of socializing and encounters were as brief as possible. Whatever worries he'd had earlier about feeling inadequate or being treated with condescension vanished.

It was nice.

Listening to everyone quoting lines from the movie together was a riot. Trev was an instant fan of the story, though he would have made sure Regina ended up in front of a bus a lot sooner and it would definitely be because he pushed her.

Roger had even come over to sit down with them and join in on the fun.

Mickey did not.

Must not be a fan.

When the movie was over, Jerry swept in with trays of mini burgers and fries. It was exactly what Trev needed to soak up the booze. He couldn't remember when he'd last just hung out with anyone for fun other than his kooky neighbor, Juicy.

God, he was going to miss him.

Barkie too.

Trev stopped drinking after that.

He needed to stay sober and sharp.

He wasn't here to party and have a great time. No matter how honest or genuine Rowena and the others seemed to be, he was still being held here against his will because his half-brother happened to be a gangster who other gangsters hated. He was caught in the middle, a pawn in a game he didn't sign up to play, and he wanted to get the hell out of here.

Whatever Cold was up to, Trev didn't trust it.

He touched his collar.

And yes, he missed that asshole, Jupiter.

Another movie was put on, To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar , and Trev had at least seen this one.

He continued to be friendly enough, but his mind was already hard at work trying to figure a new way to escape.

Rowena was too loyal to her brother, so she probably wouldn't help him leave. She could probably be used to dig some more information out for him if he played the family card a bit harder, but from who?

Jimmy?

Jimmy was whipped, loyal to Cold, but he also came off as soft and maybe someone else Trev could play the family card with. Maybe even the relationship card. After all, he was married to a gangster. Trev could use that to talk to him, perhaps get a sympathetic ear about having fallen for a criminal?

Except wait.

Shit.

No.

Trev hadn't fallen for Jupiter.

That was insane.

That was totally stupid and…

Trev sighed.

Maybe he would have one more drink after all.

The movie had ended, and Trev offered to go with Rowena to get some more snacks. He had a bit of a buzz and was hoping to get her chatting. The plan for today seriously couldn't be sitting around, getting drunk, and watching movies. If so, Trev was going to use this time to see what else he could pry out of her.

As they walked down the hallway to get to the kitchen, he heard the front door opening. There were several voices, loud and firm, and…

Trev stopped abruptly and then took a few steps closer so he could hear better.

"Well, well," Jules bellowed with a hearty laugh. "Look what the cat dragged in."

"Will wonders never cease?" Cold taunted. "How nice we finally get to meet."

"I'm here for Trevanion Usher," a man said.

Wait .

Trev knew that voice!

He surged forward, racing down the hallway before Rowena could stop him.

"Jupiter!" Trev didn't quit running until he saw Jupiter—standing there in the foyer, looking tired and exhausted but perfect and warm—and he jumped right into his arms. He knew Jupiter would catch him, he just knew it, and he wrapped his arms and legs around him.

He knew he looked like an idiot.

But he didn't care.

"Trev." Jupiter breathed his name out like a prayer and held him tight.

"You're okay," Trev whispered, hating how his eyes burned. He buried his face in Jupiter's shoulder. "Assholes wouldn't let me leave. I wanted to come find you."

"Wow, look at that," Jupiter teased. "You really are sweet on me."

"Shut up."

"Hi!" another voice greeted cheerfully.

Trev lifted his head to see who was talking and he gasped. " Juicy ?"

Juicy, his neighbor, was here.

"I had to board Barkie," Juicy said with a sigh. "I don't think he'll ever forgive me."

"Yes, he will! Oh my God!" Trev wiggled out of Jupiter's arms to give Juicy a hug. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"Working on a case! I received a transmission through the fillings in my teeth." Juicy replied with a grin. "You smell nice."

"Thank you." Trev glanced back at Jupiter, hoping he had answers grounded in reality.

"I went over to your place to see if you were there," Jupiter said. "Ran into Juicy here, who was packing up a bunch of your stuff. He said he needed to bring it to you as soon as possible. Told me you were going to need it because you were on a dangerous mission."

"How did you know where to find me?"

"Google."

"Don't worry!" Juicy laughed heartily, smacking a hand on Trev's back. "I got us here in one piece." He bowed his head to whisper in Trev's ear, "It's all right. I'm working a case."

"Yeah, you just told me that." Trev blinked. "Uh, okay."

"Pssst. It's for Boss Cold. Did I tell you that already?"

Trev tensed.

There was no way?—

"Oh!" Rowena had caught up and she squealed when she saw Jupiter. "That must be Jupiter."

"It is." Trev smirked.

"Been talking about me, huh?" Jupiter teased.

"Don't let it go to your head." Trev scoffed even as he gravitated back toward Jupiter. He really had missed him, and the fluttery feeling he got in his chest when Jupiter smiled at him was ridiculous.

But then he saw how Cold was looking at Jupiter—his eyes full of ice and ready to pierce Jupiter with every single jagged shard.

Trev immediately put himself in front of Jupiter, glaring right back at Cold. "Nope, nope, nope. You are not touching him."

Mickey was suddenly there, standing at the doorway of the parlor with a creepy scowl, and Jules remained posed beside Cold with an equally unfriendly glare.

Jupiter put his hand on Trev's shoulder. "It's all right, baby doll." He addressed Cold now, saying firmly, "Boss Cold, I'm sure by now you've heard that I renounced my family."

"I did," Cold replied calmly. "I'm still curious what makes you think I shouldn't kill you right now?"

"Just say the word, sir!" Juicy said cheerfully.

"Juicy, what the fuck ?" Trev hissed. "Whose side are you on?"

"Because," Jupiter said, raising his voice to be heard over the bickering, "I have information for you. Information I'd like to trade for Trev."

"Oh my God, I'm not being held prisoner." Trev groaned. "I mean, okay, I sort of am but?—"

Jupiter squeezed Trev's shoulder.

"Did you just try to shush me?" Trev smacked at Jupiter's hand. "Come on! You don't have to do this!"

"He might," Jules teased, and there was something dark in his eyes that Trev didn't trust at all.

Mickey had his hand on his chest, as if he was about to pull something from under his jacket, and Jules looked ready to pounce and tear Jupiter apart with his bare hands.

For the first time, Trev realized the danger Jupiter was in.

The Luchesi family and the Gentlemen had been sworn enemies for decades, and Jupiter, the bastard heir of Rafaello Luchesi, had strolled willingly right into Cold's very home.

Wow, Jupiter was really fucking stupid.

It would have been romantic but Trev couldn't get over just how stupid it was…

And yet, he probably would have done the same thing.

"You really should be bargaining for protection," Cold drawled. "There is absolutely no reason to let you leave here alive."

"Uh, yeah. There's a lot of fucking reasons," Trev snapped. "You're not touching him. And hey, didn't you hear him? He has information."

Cold regarded Trev with the same disdain of a cat picking at the upholstery of a brand-new sofa. "I sincerely doubt that it is anything useful."

"But it is," Jupiter said firmly. "Life and death, in fact."

"Is that so?"

"The Luchesis are planning a hit," Jupiter replied. "You want the rest, you'll let Trev go."

Cold smirked.

"Well?"

"I'm wondering which hit you're referring to. The one they put out on me , thinking they were clever by setting it for the same time as a meeting I have downtown with the mayor? As if I wouldn't hear about it or not plan to have extra security with such a public appointment. Or maybe you mean the one they put out on you ?"

Jupiter tensed.

"Hmm, no, can't be that one because I don't actually care." Cold hummed. "So, yes, let's go with the first one. Which I already know about, but thanks for trying. The effort is cute ."

Jupiter stared. "How the fuck ?"

"You and your family should really stop underestimating me. It's bad for your health."