Chapter 14

Chapter

Fourteen

"Then again…" Cold smirked. "A lot more of you would still be alive."

"Ha ha, very threatening and creepy. Great. Wonderful. Thanks, bro ." Trev stood as tall as he could. "You're not touching him."

"Oh?"

"He's worth more alive, right?" Trev insisted.

Cold pressed his lips into a thin line. "Potentially."

"Then I'm claiming him as my first official prisoner." Trev grabbed Jupiter's tie. "Look at that. First day in the family and I'm already being so very helpful."

"Be careful," Juicy whispered loudly. "He looks like he might try to make a run for it."

"Roddy." Rowena tapped her foot with a scowl. "You can't kill his boyfriend. That's fucked up. Even for you."

"Not my boyfriend," Trev corrected. "My prisoner."

Although the depth of his affection was already obvious because he hadn't been able to keep his damn hands to himself, Trev reasoned that Cold might appreciate this approach more. If nothing else, to save face in front of the rest of his family. After all, sparing Trev's boyfriend might make him look too soft, but allowing Trev to take custody of a prisoner might be an easier sell.

He just had to determine exactly how valuable Jupiter was to Cold. He had no idea what it would take to be able to walk out of here with him, and Trev doubted that even all the money in his lockbox would be enough to pay for Jupiter's release.

The very fact that Cold hadn't killed Jupiter on sight was a positive sign at least, and Trev had to hope it was a reason that didn't end in Jupiter's eventual death.

Maybe Cold needed information from Jupiter?

Perhaps he wanted to use him as leverage the same way the Luchesi family had used Trev?

Trev's mind spun with all the possibilities, trying to find one that would somehow result in him and Jupiter being able to run off into the sunset and—God, that was stupid. That was the least likely outcome, especially given Cold's penchant for murdering multiple members of Jupiter's family.

Which he just had to throw right in Jupiter's face.

Okay, wait.

That was a good thing.

Cold wanted Jupiter to be rattled, to be on edge, maybe even afraid—because it would be easier to get whatever it was Cold wanted out of him and certainly Jupiter would have to be alive for whatever that was.

Hopefully.

"Fine," Cold said, snapping Trev out of his mind's whirlwind. "Bring the prisoner to the parlor." He eyed Rowena. "Why don't you get Mr. Cusack something to eat?"

"You are not putting me on crazy old man duty!" Rowena warned.

"Jules." Cold nodded his head toward them. "Please escort Rowena to the kitchen with Mr. Cusack."

"My pleasure." Jules reached out his hand to Juicy. "Hey, you like popcorn?"

"Popcorn?" Juicy stared at Jules's hand as if it might bite him. "Is this a trick?"

"I dunno. Might be." Jules shrugged, gently touching Juicy's shoulder and herding him toward the kitchen. "Let's go find out, huh?"

Rowena growled. "This isn't over, Roddy."

Cold waved.

Rowena flipped him off and then stalked after Jules and Juicy.

"You too," Cold said firmly, his icy gaze falling on Trev. "This doesn't concern you."

Trev cackled and then promptly sneered, "Yeah, fuck you ." He strolled right up to Cold, pushing Jupiter's hands away when he tried to stop him. "You said it yourself! You don't trust me. I'm not family. Blah fucking blah. Message received." He pointed at Jupiter. "He's more fucking family to me right now than you are. We would have been fine without you."

Mickey twitched.

"And fuck you too!" Trev spat.

Mickey smiled and it was extremely unsettling.

"I appreciate your honesty but not your tone," Cold said. "You're free to go whenever you'd like, but Mr. Prospero is staying here."

"You used me as bait," Trev realized out loud. "You asshole . You knew Jupiter would come for me."

"I knew the chances of him strolling right to my front door were much greater if you were here, yes. And now that he is, you no longer need to be."

"I'm not going anywhere without him."

"Ah, yes." Cold looked amused. "Because you claimed him as your prisoner."

"Damn skippy."

"It's all right, Trev," Jupiter said. "We'll talk and figure this out."

Cold walked into the parlor, taking the same chair as before. Mickey remained posed at the doorway, his eyes on Jupiter as he followed Cold to take the chair opposite him.

"There's nothing to talk about," Trev bit out as he stomped over to stand beside Jupiter. There was another chair, but he was too wound up to sit. "I have claimed you and boom, that's it. So, we can go."

"If only you had the actual resources to protect your claim." Cold smiled. "I think it's safe to say that Mr. Prospero will be staying here as my guest for the foreseeable future. You, of course, are welcome to remain or free to go if you so choose."

"Not going anywhere without Jupiter," Trev said firmly. "Kinda weird I have to keep saying that."

"I think it's kind of weird you believe you have any say in it."

Trev wanted to strangle him.

Maybe this was what having an older sibling was like.

Or maybe it was simply Cold trying to flex his big gangster dick and shut him up. He could easily have any of his guys drag Trev out of here, but he'd allowed Trev to stay. That had to mean something , and Trev wasn't going to give up.

"Look." Jupiter cleared his throat. "If you already know about the hit, fine. But I can still help you, Boss Cold."

Cold did not appear interested. "Is that so?"

"The drugs. The pipeline with the FBI. Whatever you want to know."

"So quick to burn your bridges with your family," Cold noted. "You can see why I hesitate to trust you. After all, if it's so easy to throw away your own blood, I am wondering why I should form an alliance with you."

"Well, you've confirmed they want to kill me." Jupiter snorted. "I think that should tell you everything you need to know." He narrowed his eyes. "Besides, I don't imagine blood really means all that much to you."

"No." Cold smiled. "But it still has value."

"You want to ransom me back to my own family?" Jupiter frowned slightly. "Why? You already know they'll just kill me."

"Do you know anything about the park construction in Perry City?"

"Park? What park?"

"The park over by the Cannery?" Trev quirked his brows.

Cold eyed him expectantly.

"It's some big city park in a rough spot of town that they've been trying to spruce up for years." Trev glanced at Jupiter with a smirk. "It's how I knew that the club had been renovated, remember? Water damage from a pipe or something."

"A pipe?" Cold arched his brow.

"Yeah." Trev tried to remember. "They're always digging around and apparently busted a water pipe. Flooded out the whole club I used to work at and a couple of the other buildings." He paused. "The owners were screaming like crazy and oh! That's when that bakery burned down too."

"There was a flood and a fire?"

"Yup. The people at the bakery got into a fight with the crew that were digging. They were in the wrong spot or something, it turned into a big screaming match, and they were so busy arguing that they forgot about something in the oven. Started a huge fire. And the only reason it didn't spread was because of the damn water."

Cold looked thoughtful, but all he said was, "Huh."

Trev tried to study Cold's face as if it would yield more clues, but he felt like he'd given away something for free.

But what?

Shit .

"Why are you asking about the park?" Jupiter frowned. "You think the Luchesis are involved with it somehow?"

"I merely asked a question," Cold said. "Either you know something or you don't."

"Hey, boss!" Roger called out cheerfully as he strolled into the parlor. "Don't mean to interrupt, but I thought you might wanna see this."

Trev frowned and turned around to see what Roger had.

His lockbox!

"What the fuck?" Trev surged forward to grab it, but a firm hand curled around the front of his throat.

It was Mickey.

Jupiter was on his feet in a blink and scowling. "Let go of him."

"Sit back down," Mickey said flatly, squeezing Trev's throat.

Shit, shit, shit.

This was bad.

It was going to turn violent way too fast, and Trev needed to defuse the situation as quickly as possible. Although it was sweet that Jupiter wanted to defend him, he stood absolutely no chance here.

So, Trev did what he did best.

Act like a brat.

"Oh, harder, Daddy ." Trev rolled his eyes. "Mmm, yeah, come on. Is that all you got?"

Mickey chuckled. It was not a particularly friendly sound. "I'd break you."

Somehow, Trev didn't doubt it.

Still, he couldn't resist taunting back, "Come on, I might be into that shit."

"Hey, hey, everyone keep it in their pants." Roger handed the lockbox to Cold. "That's my line anyway." He grinned at Trev. " Bitch ."

"Whore," Trev automatically shot back.

"Huh." Mickey hummed. "It's like he knows you."

"Play nice," Cold scolded as if he were speaking to children, flipping the lid open.

"That's mine," Trev snapped, not caring when Mickey squeezed. "What the fuck? It was locked! How did you even get it open?"

Roger snorted. "With my dick."

"I know exactly how much money is in there," Trev warned. "I will know if even a single dollar is missing."

Cold didn't seem interested in the cash. He picked up the stack of photographs first. He flipped through them, his expression blank as he paused on one.

Trev couldn't tell which it was from where he was standing, and he pushed Mickey away. He was aware that Mickey likely only let go because Cold waved at him, but Trev brushed himself off with a huff anyway.

Jupiter finally took his seat but he looked up at Trev worriedly.

Trev flashed him a tense smile, but he was more concerned with what Cold might do with the photographs. He approached so he could at least see what had captivated Cold so, and he froze.

It was a picture of Trev's mother with the woman he'd thought was his aunt, a beautiful Black woman with a gorgeous afro and…

Lilies .

She had lilies pinned in her hair.

The very same lilies that were all over the house.

"That's your mother," Trev said quietly. He'd almost phrased it as a question, but he was certain by how Cold was staring at the photograph.

"Yes." Cold's voice was strained. "Suzanne."

"We can make a copy, you know." Trev offered a small smile.

This was finally something he could use.

While Cold certainly didn't view Trev as family of any kind, he definitely had a lot of love for his mother.

"There's more." Trev thought of the poster in his apartment. "More pictures. And I actually have a big poster from one of her shows too. It's back at my apartment back in Perry City though. It's yours if you want it."

Cold quietly continued to flip through the rest of the pictures without responding, pausing whenever he found any of Suzanne.

There were more than Trev realized, and Cold was captivated by every image. Even Mickey and Roger appeared interested, as if they too were somehow drawn in by these previously unseen photos. Trev tried to add commentary when he could, noting that Cold always paused to listen.

"That was at the club they worked at," Trev said of one. "My mom said Suzanne always took a few minutes before each show to, like, prepare? And they snagged that pic right before she was about to go on." And then another. "Oh! Yeah, that one. See that big red thing in the background? It's a hot dog. A giant, hideous hot dog statue they saw here in Strassen somewhere and thought it was funny. My mom actually found one just like it in Perry City and took a picture of it. Maybe it was like a mascot or something."

When they reached the end of the stack, Cold reverently placed them back inside the lockbox and then closed the lid. He handed it to Trev, saying quietly, "I would very much appreciate copies. Thank you."

"No problem." Trev retreated a few steps and hugged the lockbox to his chest.

This had to carry some sort of weight.

The photos, Trev's stories—Cold was clearly affected.

"So." Trev smiled. "Does, uh, this mean my prisoner and I can go?"

"No."

Trev scowled. "Why the fuck not?"

"I am still deciding what to do with him," Cold replied simply. "He doesn't seem to have any vital information?—"

"Boss Cold." Jupiter stood, even as the action drew Roger's and Mickey's disdain. "Sir, please. I am confident that I have something of value that would be helpful to you."

"Assuming you know anything I don't already is quite bold," Cold said icily. "Your family is sloppy, weak, and stupid. I have spent literal decades crushing them and this time, same as all the others before it, will end with more of them dead. Whether or not that includes you remains to be seen."

"Doesn't him trying to help me count for anything?" Trev demanded. "Come on."

Cold stared. "He's alive right now, isn't he?"

"Oh, yes, so generous." Trev glowered. "You are just Mother fucking Theresa."

Cold tilted his head, silently considering something for a few moments. His eyes flicked up to Roger and Mickey. "Please see Mr. Prospero to the guest quarters. Make sure he's comfortable. Feel free to be… creative."

Roger grinned. "You got it, boss."

"Hey!" Trev watched helplessly as Roger and Mickey escorted Jupiter away. This wasn't ending at all like he'd hoped except for maybe that Jupiter was still alive, but he didn't have any other cards left to play. He turned back to snap at Cold, but was too startled when he found him standing right behind him instead of sitting. "F-fuck, you're sneaky."

Cold hummed. "You are truly free to leave whenever you'd like, Mr. Usher. I can provide you with a new car, additional cash, and?—"

"And Jupiter."

"The car will be much more valuable."

"Nope." Trev popped his tongue. "Jupiter, please."

"He's worth that much to you?"

"Yes. And so is what he did for me. Maybe it's not a big deal to you, but I don't have a great history of people actually showing up when it comes to giving a shit about me." Trev gestured to the room, startling even himself with his honesty and perhaps a side of bitterness. "Not all of us have big, fancy houses and a big ol' mobster family to kiss our ass, okay?"

"Mr. Usher, I?—"

"What?" Trev barked, fearless as ever as he let his genuine rage take over. "You gonna try to tell me that you understand what it's like growing up with fucking nothing? That you had to work so fucking hard to get where you are? Maybe we can even bond over our moms being such great friends?"

"Mr. Usher?—"

"Nope. Not done! Because you don't know me. You don't know shit about me! And if you think I'm gonna side with you just because you're throwing your money around and trying to push some fancy crap at me, you've got?—"

" Mr. Usher ."

" What ?"

Cold looked over Trev's shoulder. "I thought you might want to know that Mr. Cusack just went by with what looked to be a bag of potatoes and a knife." He clicked his tongue, mocking how Trev had done it earlier. "Might want to go see what that's all about."

"Fuck. Okay! And I will! But first—" Trev held up his finger and gave the lockbox a shake. "You want copies of these absolutely one of a kind photographs?"

"You already know I do. And you said no problem ."

"I am retracting that. There is a problem." Trev's brain spun. "Tell me why Juicy is here."

"I can't say."

Trev scowled. "Can't say or won't? Because he said he was working a case for you."

Cold just smirked.

The smirkiest smirk.

"Hey!" Jules popped in. "Did you guys see where that old geezer went?"

Cold pointed.

"Old fucker is fast," Jules grumbled as he hurried down the hall.

"Me and my little box of photos are gonna go see what Juicy is doing." Trev held up the lockbox. "But me and you are not done yet."

"No, we are not." Cold's lips pressed into a thin line. "Good luck with the potatoes."

Trev snorted and then abruptly left, heading into the hallway to find Jules and Juicy.

Cold was an asshole.

A frustrating, know-it-all, smug asshole.

While Trev could appreciate the family resemblance, it only pissed him off at the moment, as it was not currently doing him any favors. The information about the club and the park had meant something, as did the photographs. Trev reasoned Cold knew that he would never destroy them, so threatening to would carry no weight.

Fine. Whatever. He'd figure out some other way to get him and Jupiter out of here.

He followed the sound of Jules yelling and Juicy screeching back and forth, finding them in a formal den. There wasn't a television in here, but there were several electrical outlets, and Juicy was rubbing potato slices over one of the sockets.

"The fuck!" Jules bellowed. "Listen, old man, I ain't above smackin' you if you don't quit that shit."

"I'm almost done!" Juicy argued. "This is for your protection!"

"Hey, Juicy!" Trev said, keeping his tone light. "Whatcha doin'?"

"Oh! Hello, Trev." Juicy grinned. "I am neutralizing the listening devices that have been hidden inside these outlets." He looked around suspiciously. "They're always listening, you know."

"Yes, they are." Trev nodded and eyed Jules, hoping to prompt him to agree.

"Yeah, them bastards," Jules said with a little frown.

"But you know Boss Cold is a really powerful gangster, so I bet they already potatoed all these sockets." Trev cleared his throat and gave Jules another meaningful look.

"Yup. Sure did." Jules nodded. "Used them Yukon gold ones."

Juicy held the potato as if he might throw it, his eyes narrowed. He perked up suddenly and said, "Oh! Yes. Yukon gold. Those are excellent." He dropped the potato, leaving it with the bag and the knife. "I used to grow those when I lived in Idaho."

"Uh-huh." Trev nodded along. "So, uh, did you ever get that popcorn Jules promised you?"

"Ah, that's right! I forgot about that." Juicy let Trev lead him out of the den. "We were going to watch a movie. I said anything Clint Eastwood. But then Miss Rowena was asking me about where I'm from, what I do for a living, and I realized she might be one of them. And if she's not, she was given those questions to ask me because they are listening."

"And that's why you have to rub potatoes everywhere?"

"Yes. Exactly."

Trev took a few turns to find his way back to the living room, wishing Jules would fuck off for two seconds so he could talk to Juicy. He was sure Cold knew Juicy or that Juicy's presence here was not a surprise.

Brick greeted them with a wave. Jimmy had fallen asleep in his chair.

"Hey," Brick said softly. "Was wondering what happened to you guys. You went for snacks and then poof."

"Sorry. Ran into an old friend." Trev patted Juicy's shoulder. "Juicy, this is Brick. Brick, this is Juicy."

"Brick is not a name," Juicy said. "It's a small block of dried clay."

"That it is."

Brick laughed. "It's a nickname. My name is actually Cho, but my last name is Brixton. So, Brixton , Brick."

"Plus, my baby boy is built like an absolute brick shithouse." Jules lumbered over to sit with Brick on the couch, and he murmured something that was definitely filthy and not in English.

Brick grinned and replied in the same language. He laughed, adding, "That was very good. Gross, but very good." He noticed Trev looking their way, and he said, "I'm half Korean. Remember how I said I'm a translator? So I speak German."

"Really?" Trev blinked.

"No!" Brick laughed. "Korean." He snuggled into Jules. "I've been teaching Jules. But he only wants to learn how to talk dirty."

"What?" Jules grinned. "That's the fun stuff."

Rowena's heels signaled her impending arrival and she growled as she stalked into the room. "What the fuck? I turn my back for two seconds and that one—" She pointed at Juicy. "—ran off with a bunch of potatoes, while this one—" She pointed at Jules. "—just stands there, staring at me like a dumb puppy, and then bolts!"

"What?" Jules grunted. "I had to go get 'im."

"You left me all alone to finish making all this stupid fucking popcorn for everyone!"

Jules eyed her empty hands. "Well, where is it?"

Rowena smiled sweetly. "Back in the kitchen." She scowled, barking, "Where I left it after running around the house trying to find you!"

Jimmy stirred and blinked drowsily. "Mm, what's going on?"

"Go back to sleep, Jimmy," Rowena cooed. "Jules is going to get us some popcorn."

Jules made a face. "I am?"

Brick playfully swatted his thigh. "You are."

"Okay!" Jimmy yawned and put his head back. "Sounds good."

"They're all very noisy," Juicy said absently as he went to sit down on the couch.

Jules got up with a little growl. "Okay, fine." He poked Juicy's shoulder. "You stay put. I'm gettin' popcorn."

"Oh, awful stuff." Juicy waved his hand dismissively. "Gets all stuck in my teeth. Can't stand it."

Jules twitched.

"Go get the damn popcorn," Rowena grumbled. "Someone is going to eat it."

"Got any decent Chinese places around here?" Trev suggested. "Try that."

"I'll grab a menu," Jules muttered as he left the room.

Juicy had found the remote and was flipping channels, content for the moment to remain as he was. If he heard Trev say anything about Chinese food, he didn't acknowledge it.

"He is a delight," Rowena said, smiling at Juicy fondly. "Insane, but a delight ." She reached out to squeeze Trev's arm. "You okay, sweetie? How did the talk with Roddy go?"

"Ah, you know." Trev rolled his eyes. "Threats, bargaining, tried to buy me off with a car. Invaded my privacy by having one of his guys break into my lockbox and go through all my shit. I feel like that might be pretty typical."

Rowena's expression softened. "I'm sorry, sweetie. What was he trying to buy you off for?"

"To get me to leave." Trev scoffed. "And I'm not going anywhere without Jupiter."

"Well, hey! He's here now!" Rowena perked up. "I know you were worried about him. But at least he's here and… Oh." She blinked.

"What?"

"Well, I saw Roger headed upstairs with a bunch of chains…"

"Fuckin' Christ." Trev cringed, glancing back worriedly at Juicy.

"Hey. Go check on him." Rowena patted Trev's shoulder. "I'll keep an eye on our geriatric little friend, okay? And I promise to do a better job than Jules."

Trev hesitated, but he reasoned there wasn't that much more trouble Juicy could get into.

Hopefully.

"Are you sure?" Trev frowned.

"Very sure." Rowena smiled warmly. "Make sure your man piece is all right."

"Thank you." Trev hesitated, but then he pulled Rowena into a hug.

Rowena hugged him back, giving his shoulder a gentle rub. "I got you. Now go on!"

"Going!" Trev pulled back with a smile, surprised to find that he didn't immediately think of how to use Rowena's affection to manipulate his current situation. Well, he was thinking about it now, but she did really seem to actually care about Trev.

That was… strange.

Cold could still go suck on a cement cock, but Rowena was pretty all right.

Trev hurried upstairs, checking the various rooms to figure out where Jupiter was. A lot of the doors were locked, and he didn't see Mickey or Roger. Frustrated, he called out, "Jupiter? Where are you?"

"Hey!" Jupiter shouted back. "In here!"

"Where the fuck is here?" Trev followed the sound of Jupiter's voice until he walked into another guest room. "Fuck! How many fucking rooms does this place have?"

"A lot," Jupiter griped from where he was chained to the bed.

Trev stopped short and stared, unable to resist a laugh.

There was a length of chain padlocked around Jupiter's neck. It didn't appear too tight, but it wasn't a proper collar and probably was not comfortable.

Still, Trev grinned. "Well, well… Look at you, Daddy. Love this for you."

"Yeah, yeah. Very funny, right?" Jupiter tugged at the other end of the chain, where it was attached to the headboard with another big padlock. "Roger Lorre lives up to his reputation of being completely fucking insane. Who the hell just has a bunch of chains and locks lying around?"

"Asks the guy who did what now?" Trev arched his brow. "Oh yeah . Chained me to a fucking wall."

"You're loving this, aren't you?"

"More than a little bit."