Chapter 4

Chapter

Four

Trev would be lying if he said this was the first time he'd fled home almost naked, still full of another man's come, but it was definitely the first time he did so with a legitimate concern for his life.

First of all, fuck Jupiter Prospero.

In a bad way.

A terrible way.

Because he didn't care what that bastard thought about him, and all that mattered was escaping the city as quickly as possible.

Trev cut through the adjacent city park, staying on guard as he hurried to the next block. The park could be rough this time of night and there was always construction being done on the water lines here. The danger of being mugged was nearly as great as falling into a big, poorly marked hole.

He managed to make it out unscathed and then hailed a taxi. The last time he'd driven his own car to the Cannery, it had been broken into. He'd opted to take an Uber to the club instead, but he couldn't use the app with no phone.

The taxi driver cautioned he wouldn't take Trev to any hourly hotels, and Trev rolled his eyes in reply and gave him his home address.

He wasn't in the mood.

Luckily, the driver wasn't interested in small talk, and the quiet ride gave Trev time to plan.

First, ditch the cab driver.

Trev had a single twenty dollar bill hidden in his boot for emergencies, and he didn't want to part with it. He didn't care if he pissed off the driver. What was the guy going to do? Call the cops?

Considering there would likely be an armed and very unhappy gangster coming after him, Trev would love for the cops to show up—no, wait.

Shit.

Most of the cops were crooked, and even if they weren't, all Jupiter would have to do was show up and say that Trev tried to pick him up for a date of the solicitation kind. It would be his word against Jupiter's, and Trev did not like those odds one bit.

New plan.

First, pay the cab driver with the twenty.

Second, wake Camille up and threaten to strangle her with her bathrobe sash. He wasn't actually going to do it, but she wouldn't know that. There was a chance Camille was already clearing out his apartment since she probably hadn't thought Trev was going to come back. Knowing her, there was a high probability that the locks were already changed. Trev didn't care about anything in that apartment except his cash, and if that was missing, then he was definitely strangling her.

Maybe. Strong maybe on the strangling.

Pay driver, wake up Camille, get money, haul ass.

And go where?

He had no one.

Although his boss was nice enough, there was no way he could go to her with something this insane. Juicy was his only friend, but Trev cared too much about him to get him involved. Plus, he was crazy. Juicy probably wouldn't even understand what Trev was trying to tell him and then threaten to have Barkie bite the gangsters.

What about Boss Cold?

The thought was immediately dismissed.

Yeah, sure. Go running to the gangster who was supposedly his half-brother and didn't even know he existed because that would have such a happy ending. While there was a tiny chance that Cold would really care about him on the basis of blood relation alone, Trev wasn't going to gamble his life on it.

It was more likely Cold would not believe him, not care, or that he would believe him and assume he only wanted money.

No, Trev had to go somewhere else.

He needed to drive south. He would go as far south as he could and never look back. He'd run and run and somehow get over the damn border and keep on running. He was going to be fine.

He was going to survive.

Trev couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness for the loss of his bright future. It was all falling apart right before his eyes, and there was nothing he could do about it.

It was fine .

Wherever he ended up, he'd make a new future—an even better one.

Trev hit the sidewalk running, ignoring the cab driver's bitching about his crappy tip. Trev hurried inside and then raced up the stairs, his thighs screaming at him the whole way up. Once he arrived at his floor, he paused to give himself a moment to catch his breath.

He hadn't seen any of his belongings outside, so he hoped that meant Camille hadn't started to clean out his place yet.

Still, Trev wanted to be ready to raise hell if he saw her and doubling over panting from bolting up multiple flights of steps in stilettos wasn't going to be very helpful.

He strutted out into the hall once he wasn't about to keel over, and he was pleased to see it was clear. He hurried to his door, finding that the locks hadn't been touched.

Good.

Maybe Camille had smoked too many cigarettes and landed herself in the hospital again.

Maybe she'd been run over by a bus.

He could hope.

He stalked to Camille's apartment at the end of the hall and knocked furiously.

Nothing.

He knocked harder and even kicked the door.

Still nada.

Great.

Okay. Think, think, think— Juicy !

Trev had given Juicy a spare set a while back. He hated to wake him up at this hour, but he didn't have any other choice since Camille wouldn't answer. He hurried over to Juicy's door to knock, but it opened just as he raised his hand.

Juicy was on the other side, an old man with papery white skin and a shock of gray hair that defied gravity. He had Barkie's leash in his hand and blinked at Trev in surprise. "Oh! Trevanion. You're here. I was about to take Barkie for a walk." He paused. "Are you bringing me my ointment?"

"No, I need my spare keys," Trev replied quickly.

"Why?"

"Because I lost mine."

"Why don't you just go into your apartment and find them? They'll be in the last place you look. Always are."

"Juicy, I need my keys to get inside my apartment. Camille isn't answering and I need to get in, like, now."

"I'd help you, but Barkie really needs to go?—"

"Juicy, please ." Trev usually enjoyed their strange chats, but he didn't have time right now. He turned his gaze to the empty carpet beside Juicy's feet. "Barkie, I'm sorry, but I really need my keys, boy."

Juicy frowned. "Well, if he has an accident, you're cleaning it up."

"Happily."

Juicy padded back inside his apartment, muttering to himself. He returned with the keys. "Now, don't forget to bring these back. They're very important."

"You got it! Thanks, Juicy! Bye, Barkie!" Trev was already at his door, unlocking it as fast as he could. He dashed inside and then locked the door back behind him. It was time for the next part of his plan.

Grab the money and get the fuck out of here.

Trev rushed to his bedroom, throwing on a pair of jean shorts, his pink hoodie, and a pair of combat boots. He grabbed a hot pink butterfly knife from his bedside table to shove down in his boot. He'd worry about cleaning himself up later when he was somewhere safe. The chances that Jupiter and his gangster buddies knew where he lived were extremely high. He got a duffel bag out of his closet, packed some clothes, and then he went for the lockbox that held his money.

Thank fuck it was a combination lock.

He got his spare car key out of a drawer in the kitchen and was headed to the door when the knob jiggled.

Shit .

No, no, no.

Trev looked through the peephole.

Jupiter was here.

Trev dropped his bag and looked around, flinching as Jupiter banged on the door.

New plan.

He had to hide.

He slid the lockbox under the couch, his mind racing. The apartment was not a big place. There were not exactly any good spots to hide where Jupiter wouldn't find him and then drag him right back.

Wait.

The coffin!

Trev opened it and then jumped right in. He slid down, grunting as he lay on top of his DVDs. It was extremely uncomfortable, but he was sure it was definitely not as uncomfortable as being shot would be. He had no idea if this would actually work, and he hoped it wasn't some sort of grim foreshadowing.

He closed the lid, instantly surrounded by darkness. He hated how cramped it was, and it was harder to breathe. He clenched his hands into fists and tried to stay calm. He had to stay calm. He could do this. He had to fucking do this.

The knocking stopped.

Trev didn't think that was a good sign.

He held his breath, straining to hear what Jupiter was doing.

There were some clicks, a thump , and then a gunshot. The door shook. Three more gunshots rang out in rapid succession, and the door crashed open.

Trev bit down on his lip to keep from screaming, his heart leaping into the back of his throat. It was pounding so hard that he was certain Jupiter could hear it, and he froze, terrified to make a single sound that might reveal his location. He didn't even want to breathe.

Jupiter's footsteps signaled his entry, and he stormed off, presumably toward Trev's bedroom.

There was more noise—no doubt it was Jupiter tearing everything apart looking for him.

Trev grimaced when he realized he had left his duffel bag out in the middle of the floor, and no doubt Jupiter would take that as a sign that he hadn't left the apartment yet.

Which meant he was probably going to keep looking for him.

And eventually check the fucking coffin.

Shit .

Trev stopped breathing when Jupiter's footsteps approached, and he regretted hiding inside the coffin. He had nowhere to run if Jupiter opened it, but it wasn't like he'd had any better options.

Where else could he have gone? Under the bed?

Trev's lungs burned as he fought not to inhale except for tiny, gasping breaths that he prayed were inaudible.

Jupiter walked by the coffin, around it, paused, and then…

He left.

Trev still didn't move, straining to listen to confirm that Jupiter was actually gone. Certainly someone would be calling the police because of the gunshots, even here in this crap part of town, and he could just stay here until they arrived. Jupiter probably wouldn't go very far, no doubt waiting around close by so he could snatch Trev up as soon as he saw him.

"Trevanion?" Juicy's voice called out worriedly.

"Shit," Trev hissed.

"Trev? Are you in there?" Juicy called again. "There was a big man here and I think he had a gun. Either that or he had really big jawbreakers."

Trev pushed up the coffin lid. "Juicy, look, it's?—"

Juicy was standing at Trev's doorway and screamed. " Zombie !"

"I'm not a zombie!" Trev groaned as he climbed out.

"That's exactly what a zombie would say." Juicy shook Barkie's leash at him and barked ferociously. "That's a good boy, Barkie! That's a good boy! Remember your training! Ugo always said two shots! Heart and head! Final shot! In the head!"

"I'm not a fucking zombie, I swear." Trev grunted, rubbing his aching back as he surveyed his trashed apartment. "No head shots, okay? I just needed a place to hide for a second. That guy was here looking for me and I gotta leave for a little while, okay?"

"Leave?" Juicy frowned. "You're coming back, aren't you?"

Trev's heart sank, and he lied. "Of course! It'll just be a few days."

"Oh, okay." Juicy sighed in obvious relief.

Trev grabbed his lockbox and the duffel bag, offering a confident smile. "I'll let you know as soon as I get back, okay?"

"Okay." Juicy smiled warmly. "I was so worried?—"

"It's fine, really. But I gotta get going." Trev glanced back at his apartment, and his gaze fell on his kitchen counter. He'd been so focused on the money that he'd forgotten about the only other thing in this dump that really mattered—the photograph of his mother.

He had others stashed away in his lockbox, but this one was his favorite.

"You should let Camille know about the rodent problem," Juicy said.

"Sorry, Mama," Trev whispered to the picture as he shoved it into his duffel bag. He hadn't heard Juicy clearly, asking, "What was that?"

"You need to tell Camille about the rodent problem." Juicy gestured to the mess.

"Right. Yes." Trev patted Juicy's shoulder. "Because this was clearly the work of rats."

"Of course."

"It was a really, really big one." Trev snorted as he poked his head out to look up and down the hallway to make sure the coast was clear. He breezed by Juicy and then ushered him out of the way so he could lock back up.

Right.

Jupiter shot the lock to break in.

Trev growled, adding bitterly, "A big, stupid one named Jupiter."

"Ouch," Jupiter purred. "Name calling? And after everything we've shared together."

Trev froze, slowly turning to see Jupiter walking around the corner at the far end of the hallway.

Well, fuck.

Jupiter smirked. "Hi, baby doll. Miss me?"

"Oh, terribly. I was just about to come see you because I missed you so much." Trev forced a smile, letting the duffel bag drop from his hand. He needed to run, and the lockbox was the most important thing. He'd pay Juicy to mail him the rest of his stuff as soon as he was safely out of the country.

"Are you dating the rat?" Juicy asked from the side of his mouth, trying and failing to be covert.

"No, I am not," Trev replied in the same dramatic whisper. "He says I'm the brother of some fucker named Boss Cold?—"

"Oh! I know that guy." Juicy beamed. "He's a?—"

"Come on now," Jupiter cut in. "That was a cute little stunt you pulled at the club, but now?—"

Trev bolted, snatching Barkie's leash from Juicy. "Sorry! Gotta go!"

Juicy gasped. "Barkie!"

Trev wiggled the leash as he ran down the hall toward the stairs. "There! He's free! Free as a bird!"

"Oh, thank God."

"Dammit! Get back here!" Jupiter shouted.

"Fuck you!" Trev shouted back as he dashed into the stairwell.

"Barkie! Attack!" Juicy screamed, launching into a fierce barking tirade.

Trev prayed Juicy would stay out of harm's way as he slammed the door shut and looped the leash through the handle. He thanked everything that was holy that Juicy had a long leash and he was able to hook the other end to the railing of the stairs. He knew it wouldn't hold long, but hopefully it would be enough time to give him a good head start.

Jupiter tried to open the door, and the leash prevented it from opening more than a few inches. " Trevanion . You really do not need to make this so difficult!"

"Bye, sweetie! Miss you already!" Trev shouted, already halfway down the first set of stairs. He flew as fast as he could, cringing as the door slammed open above him once he hit the ground floor. The leash must have given out, but it didn't matter. He just had to make it out to his car.

He ran outside, clutching the lockbox to his chest. There was a black SUV parked out front that he didn't recognize.

Had to be Jupiter's.

Trev paused to grab the knife out of his boot, flipping it open and stabbing the tire as he hurried by. He twisted it and left it there. "Fuck you, Jupiter."

His lungs felt like they were on fire, but he was almost to his car. The door of the apartment opened behind him, but it didn't matter. He was getting in his car and pulling the key out of his pocket. He could see Jupiter in his rearview mirror, and the bastard must have been really out of shape because he wasn't even running now.

Trev cranked his window down, sticking his hand out the window as he put the key in the ignition. He flipped Jupiter off as he turned the key, ready to burn rubber and…

Nothing.

Trev's stomach twisted, and he tried to turn the key again.

There was no clicking, no clanking, no nothing.

Trev pulled out the key and stared at it to make sure he'd grabbed the right one. It was definitely his spare car key, and he didn't understand why it wasn't working.

What the fuck?

"Car trouble?" Jupiter asked as he approached the open window, smiling smugly. "Don't you hate when that happens?"

Trev glared furiously. "What the fuck did you do to my car?"

"Well, after your little escape, I figured I should make sure you couldn't leave if you managed to get away from me again." Jupiter chuckled. "Disconnected the battery."

" Fucker ."

"What? You didn't think I'd considered that you'd try and give me the slip again?"

"Nope. Definitely didn't give you enough credit. How'd you know this was my car?"

"The same way I know where you live. I even know your shoe size."

"Yeah?"

"Eleven and a half."

"I usually wear a twelve." Trev didn't take his eyes off Jupiter, and he slid his car key into his pants pocket. He kept his hand by his side, subtly reaching over into the seat beside him to look for something he could use as a weapon.

"This has been a lot of fun, baby doll, but now it's time to go." Jupiter glanced back at his SUV. "Looks like we'll be taking your car since you were sweet enough to slash one of my tires."

"I should have slashed them all." Trev smiled sweetly, and his hand closed around—shit, a bottle of glitter body spray.

"You really are quite something," Jupiter said as he crouched beside the car. "I've seen guys twice your size crack under half the pressure."

"It's not the size that counts. It's how you use it." Trev batted his lashes.

"Easy for you to say when you got balls the size of Godzilla's. I really wouldn't mind?—"

"Eat shit and die, motherfucker!" Trev snarled as he squirted the body spray right in Jupiter's face.

"The fuck?" Jupiter instantly recoiled, clutching his eyes.

"Bye, bitch!" Trev slid over the seat to escape through the passenger-side door, snatching the lockbox and running back toward the apartment building. He could probably lose Jupiter on the stairs and then?—

Jupiter tackled him to the ground.

"Fuck!" Trev wheezed as the air was knocked out of his lungs and the lockbox went flying. He couldn't believe Jupiter had managed to catch up to him, and he groaned, trying to wiggle out from beneath him. "You… big… bitch!"

"All right. I'm done now." Jupiter growled. "No more running. No more bullshit tricks. We're leaving. Right fucking now."

"You smell amazing," Trev croaked. "Champagne Toast is totally your scent."

"Get the fuck up. We're going." Jupiter dragged Trev up to his feet.

"I need my lockbox." Trev tried to pull away, but Jupiter wouldn't budge. "Hey!"

"What's in it? A bomb? Nunchucks?"

"My fucking dildos." Trev rolled his eyes. "None of your fucking business is what's in it, but I need it. I'm not going anywhere without it."

Jupiter kept his iron grip on Trev's arm. "Give me your key."

"You mean this key?" Trev pulled it out of his pocket.

"Yes, and don't you dare?—"

Trev flung it out into the pitch-black street.

Jupiter glared.

Trev stood up as tall as he could and smiled.

Jupiter dragged Trev toward the SUV.

"Hey, hey! My fucking lockbox!" Trev flailed furiously. "I need it!"

"We're fucking leaving. You can either come quietly or I'll put you in the trunk."

Trev glanced at Jupiter's jacket where he knew the gun was. This was not a fight he was going to win, not right now, and he had to be smart. "Let me grab the damn box and I'll behave, okay?"

Jupiter didn't say anything, but he turned back around. He still didn't release Trev, choosing to bend down and grab the box himself. He shoved it at Trev, grunting. "Let's go."

Trev let Jupiter take him to the SUV, and he obediently sat in the passenger seat. He thought about running again, but he was pretty sure Jupiter might shoot him. Perhaps not anywhere lethal, but at least in the leg or something.

Jupiter got behind the wheel, cranking the engine and then peeling out away from the apartment. He made a face at the thump - thump - thump of the flat tire.

Trev smiled. "That's going to absolutely ruin your rim."

"Don't worry, baby doll. We're not going far." Jupiter snorted as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He tapped a few buttons, clearly texting.

"You know that's really dangerous."

Jupiter finished the message. "There. Happy?"

"Overjoyed." Trev smirked as he saw the sparkle of glitter on Jupiter's face when they passed a streetlight. "You should wear glitter more often. Really makes your eyes pop."

"Quiet now."

Trev tried to map out where they were headed, but he couldn't even hazard a guess. It wasn't back to the club, and all he could tell was that Jupiter was taking them out of the city. With as slow as Jupiter was driving because of the flat tire, Trev considered jumping out. He'd get scuffed up for sure, but he could try to run again.

He snuck his hand over to the door handle, keeping his eyes on the road and looking for what could be a potentially safe spot to land. His mind clicked away as he struggled to come up with a better idea than jumping out of a moving vehicle, and he came up with nothing.

Adrenaline flooded his guts and nauseated him, and he took a few quiet breaths to ready himself. This was going to hurt, but probably not as much as whatever Jupiter and his stupid mobster buddies were going to do with him.

Fuck it.

He unbuckled his seat belt and pulled on the handle, heaving all of his weight against the door.

It didn't open.

"Child locks are on." Jupiter didn't even look his way. "Gotta love 'em."

"Shit," Trev mumbled.

"Put your seat belt back on."

"Fuck off." Trev thought about hitting Jupiter with the lockbox, but he didn't have long to think on it.

Jupiter pulled over on a dark side street, and Trev couldn't see enough of the buildings to get his bearings. He thought it might be the storage facility near the highway, but he wasn't sure.

Headlights flashed at them from a vehicle parked a few yards down the street.

"Your chariot awaits." Jupiter got out of the car and then came around to let Trev out. "Best behavior, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Trev said sarcastically, though he didn't miss how it made Jupiter smile.

"Good boy." Jupiter took Trev's arm and led him to the other car.

Trev dragged his feet so Jupiter would have to pull him along, and he grimaced when he saw Sal and Emiliano stepping out of another black SUV. "Do gangsters get package deals on big, stupid SUVs? Is that why you all drive them?"

"Sure do." Jupiter snorted. "Family discount."

"Ha," Trev drawled. "You're hilarious."

"What the fuck happened?" Emil demanded as they approached.

"Nothing I couldn't handle," Jupiter replied smoothly. "Mr. Usher was being difficult, but?—"

"Wouldn't be too difficult with a broken leg," Sal warned.

"I handled it," Jupiter said with a scowl. "Are we ready or not?"

"Ready," Emil replied. He cut his eyes at Trev and then back to Jupiter. "You're gonna be…" He squinted. "What the fuck is all over your face?"

Jupiter sighed.

"I maced him with glitter body spray," Trev said proudly. "You guys should try some—hey!" He grunted as Jupiter pulled firmly on his arm. "Rude."

Emil glared at Jupiter, holding up his finger as he declared, "You're gonna be his new babysitter, do you understand? I don't want him taking a shit without you there ready to wipe his ass. If he sneezes, I wanna know if his snot was clear or fucking green. I'm not going to tolerate sorry ass bullshit of this fucking level again."

Jupiter bristled, but he nodded. "Understood."

"Ha, you just got your ass chewed," Trev taunted. He laughed until Jupiter tugged on his arm again. "Ow, asshole. That one kinda hurt."

"And you." Emil fixed his furious stare on Trev. "We need you alive, but trust me when I say that alive can be a very broad definition."

"Yeah! Alive can mean I maybe cut off some fucking pieces and you still got a pulse," Sal chimed in. "Alive can mean I peel off your fucking fingernails and?—"

"For fuck's sake, he gets it." Emil smacked the side of Sal's head. "Shut the fuck up. Let's fuckin' go." He gestured for them to get into the SUV.

Trev tensed. "Where are we going?"

Jupiter smiled, pulling Trev along. "Your home sweet home until this deal goes through, baby doll. Trust me. You're gonna love it. Just me, you, and a room I promise you won't be able to get out of."

"Oh goody ."