Chapter 6

Chapter

Six

Trev woke up, bleary eyed and annoyed, and he really needed to piss.

It was dark except for a thin beam of light shining from underneath the door, and he had no idea what time it was. It felt disgustingly early, but he couldn't be sure. He tried to lift his head, and the weight of the collar reminded him that the nightmare he was currently trapped in was very real and not merely a bad dream.

Ugh.

Great.

He rolled over to find that the room was empty, and there was no sign of Jupiter.

Trev jumped to his feet and ran to the door. The chain caught him when he was only two feet from reaching the knob, and he growled in frustration.

Motherfucker.

He hurried back to the bed and climbed up. He braced himself on the edge of the frame and pulled on the chain with his entire weight, trying to wrench it free from the wall. "Come on… you… fucker !"

The chain didn't budge.

The door opened.

Trev turned his head, flashing a dazzling smile as Jupiter walked in. "Good morning."

"Morning." Jupiter smirked.

Trev batted his eyes. "Would you believe me if I told you I was stretching?"

"No."

Trev dropped the chain. "Fine." He hopped off the bed. "How about a bathroom break? Is that in my future? Because it's either that or I piss right here."

Jupiter snorted and beckoned Trev over with a finger. "Come here, baby doll."

Trev approached, watching Jupiter pull the key out of his jacket pocket.

Good to know he was still keeping it there.

Jupiter released the padlock and then removed the collar. He rubbed Trev's neck, saying, "Now, you're going to be a good boy and not try anything, aren't you?"

"I won't make a promise I can't keep," Trev said sweetly.

"Come on." Jupiter held the back of Trev's neck, leading him out into the hallway.

Judging by the light coming in from some of the windows, it was early morning.

Ugh, definitely too early to be up.

Jupiter brought Trev to a door two down from the room he was being kept in, and he opened it to reveal a small bathroom.

With no windows, naturally.

"Go on." Jupiter crossed his arms. "I'll be right here."

"You don't want to come hold it for me?"

Jupiter gave Trev a small push. "Now."

"Fine." Trev stalked inside, slamming the door behind him. He noted there was no way to lock it and sighed. He used the toilet, looking around for anything that might be useful. There was a sink, a bottle of soap, a mirror, some toilet paper, and that was it.

Great.

He finished up, making an effort to wash his hands and freshen up. He scrubbed his face to try and wash off his makeup, longing for his cleansers and moisturizer. He made a face in the mirror when he ended up looking like a raccoon and grabbed some toilet paper to finish cleaning up with.

Trev checked his reflection.

Good enough.

He opened the bathroom door and struck a provocative pose against the frame. "So. Whose dick do I have to suck to get some breakfast, hmm?"

Jupiter snorted, reaching for Trev's arm. "Let me get you chained back up and I'll see what I can do, hmm?"

"Mmm. If you're taking requests, I like pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries."

"Noted."

Jupiter's grip was too firm for Trev to consider making a break for it. He let Jupiter lead him back to the room and put the collar back on, being sure to pay attention to which pocket Jupiter put the key in.

He licked his lips once or twice, just to see how Jupiter's eyes drifted. He also noticed Jupiter was wearing the same suit from last night. "Are you mad at me, sweetie? You didn't come to bed last night."

"I slept in the chair just fine."

"That can't be good for your back. Want a massage?"

"No. Sal and Emil are?—"

A door opened somewhere, and Emil called out, "Knock knock! Anybody home?"

Jupiter sighed, and his brow creased—with what?

Frustration? Annoyance?

Trev could certainly see how Emil could cause either of those, but that was interesting.

"Emil, watch the fuckin' door," Sal's sterner voice snapped. "Jupiter!"

"Stay here and behave," Jupiter warned Trev.

"So, a rain check on that massage?" Trev teased. "That's fine. I'll be here waiting."

Jupiter rolled his eyes, but his smile had returned before he turned away to leave.

Sal and a man Trev hadn't seen before came up to Jupiter before he made it out of the room. Sal gestured to the man beside him, saying, "Hey, Jupiter. This is our out of town talent. Just gimme a minute and we're gonna go get you guys some food, all right? I gotta walk him through the operation real fast."

The man was tall with thick eyebrows, and his mouth was far too big when he smiled. His gaze immediately settled on Trev, and his weird smile grew impossibly bigger. "Hey, how ya' doin'?"

"I'm currently chained to a wall," Trev drawled. "How the fuck do you think I'm doing, asshole?"

"Oh! Got a mouth on him, don't he?" The man laughed.

"Ignore him," Sal said. "He's just here for a little side project."

"I can dig it." The man eyed Trev and then turned back to Sal. "Needs any help with it? I gots some experience watchin' over real valuable property, high-class stuff, just like this. I'd be real happy to offer my services."

Jupiter scowled.

"That won't be necessary," Sal replied, "but thank you. Jupiter is taking care of it until it's time to finish up."

"Aw, I hopes you don't mean, you know, finish up, like— ugh ." The man stuck out his tongue and drew a line over his throat. "Because that would be just an awful fuckin' waste?—"

"I can assure you that—" Sal tried to interrupt him, but his phone rang. "Just a moment. My apologies." He stepped away to answer the phone, and judging by the door opening and shutting, had walked outside.

Which left the man alone here with Trev and Jupiter.

"Hi. Howell Hodges." The man grinned at Trev. He hadn't looked at Jupiter once. "What's your name, babycakes?"

"My name is fuck you in the eye?—"

"None of your business," Jupiter smoothly interjected.

Trev hadn't been expecting that, and he blinked at Jupiter in surprise. He quickly recovered, adding, "Yeah, what he said."

"Oh, sorry! Didn't mean to hitta fuckin' nerve." Howell grinned. "Chains? Nice. Yous guys are into that real freaky shit, huh?"

The way Howell was looking at Trev made his skin crawl. He'd definitely felt his share of lustful stares, but there was something about this one that unsettled him to his bones.

It flat out gave Trev the creeps.

"It's business," Jupiter replied, his eyes narrowing, "and as I already said?—"

"Yeah, yeah, it's none of mine, right?" Howell stalked the short distance toward Jupiter, his big grin still in place. "Tell ya' what, bastard ." He flicked Jupiter's tie. "When I wants some of your lip, I'll march my happy ass on over there and pick it off that lil' twink's zipper. Until then, hows 'bout you keep them pretty teeth of yours nice and tight before I makes 'em not so pretty?"

Jupiter remained very still, but his eyes were practically sparking with his rage.

Howell was about the same height as Jupiter, but Jupiter was easily twice his size. He could probably crush Howell with one quick punch, and Trev was really, really wondering why Jupiter hadn't blown up on this asshole yet.

"Understood, sir," Jupiter said with an eerie calm. "I apologize. Please understand that I was given explicit instructions to care for this particular twink and to keep him safe from any harm."

"Yeah, I gets it. You was just doin' your job?—"

"I'd hate to think what I would have to do if I was suddenly given the impression that you might be a threat."

Trev froze.

That sounded like a warning.

Howell's grin somehow grew even more, and he stepped right into Jupiter's space until they were nose to nose. "Oh? It's like that, huh?"

Jupiter didn't flinch. "It's very much like that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Trust me, bastard ." Howell chuckled, and he roughly adjusted Jupiter's suit jacket, sliding his hands over the lapels. "If I wanna be a fuckin' threat, you'll fuckin' know it. Won't even need a neon sign or nothin'. You'll be able to see this from the fuckin' moon, okay? Astronauts up in fuckin' space pissin' in their lil' space toilets are gonna have a front row view of ya' fixin' to shit yourself when and if I decide to be threatenin'."

Jupiter frowned. He didn't seem afraid, but perhaps a bit confused by the off-kilter rambling.

"The fuck?" Trev whispered.

Who the hell was this guy?

Sal came back then, and he scowled. "Is there a problem here, Mr. Hodges?"

"Nope. No problem." Howell smiled brightly and patted Jupiter's chest. "Just gettin' to know this big guy right here." He smirked at Sal. "Always fun to meet local celebrities, ya' know?"

"I'm sure." Sal grimaced. "Are you ready?"

"Oh, sure. Let's go see this shit." Howell followed Sal back into the hallway.

As soon as they were gone, Jupiter furiously wiped off his jacket as if Howell had left some sort of residue behind. He mumbled something in Italian, and it definitely did not sound kind.

"You okay?" Trev asked.

"Fine," Jupiter replied shortly.

"That guy really must be somebody special to let him walk all over you."

"Don't worry about it."

"Are you really a local celebrity? What are you famous for? Being a giant sack of dicks?"

Jupiter snorted.

"Why did he keep calling you a bastard ? Really seemed to get under your skin." Trev shrugged. "At least until all the weird space toilet talk. Methinks your daddy issues are starting to show, and you know?—"

Jupiter shook his head, leaving the room in a huff.

"Fine! Fuck you!" Trev shouted after him. "I didn't want to talk to you anyway!" He scowled when he heard the side door open and slam shut. "Asshole."

With nothing better to do, Trev lay back down in bed. He stretched out on his side, hoping to look enticing for whenever Jupiter decided to get over himself and come back.

Several minutes passed before he heard another door open, but this sounded like the doors at the other end of the hall that led out to the factory floor. He could hear Howell and Sal talking, and having nothing better to do, he decided to listen in.

"…is cut, okay?" Howell was saying. "Before you even move it. Ya' don't wanna get busted with nothin' that pure, all right? 'Cause then ya' lose it all."

"Understood, sir," Sal said.

"Who's controllin' the pipeline? I wanna know where this shit is comin' from."

"I can assure you it's a legit source."

"I'll decide what the fuck is legit or not. I don't want no fuckin' trouble with anybody either south of the fuckin' border or certain small islands, ya' fuckin' feel me?"

"Of course. Look, we got a federal dog on a leash. He's the source."

Howell laughed. "That's how you motherfuckers managed to float all this, huh? Not bad, not bad. Make sure that leash stays nice and tight though, huh? Don't wanna get bit."

"Never."

"So." Howell cleared his throat. "You wanna tell me more 'bout this lil' side project ya' got goin' on?"

"It's really nothing to concern yourself with," Sal replied. "Just hammering out some old family business."

"And ya' let the bastard be the man on point?" Howell chuckled. "Must not be that important then."

"We're giving him a chance to prove himself."

"Which means he's already fucked up." Howell clicked his tongue. "He's a real piece of shit, huh?"

Sal chuckled. "Trust me, if he wasn't family…"

Trev leaned forward, straining to hear more. He figured Sal must have made a gesture of some kind or perhaps whispered something because there was a pause and then Howell laughed.

"Hey. Do what you gotta do." Howell sounded like he was smiling that big stupid smile of his. "Speak of the devil."

The door opened, no doubt Jupiter returning.

"We're wrappin' up here," Sal said. "Takin' Mr. Hodges out for breakfast. We'll get somethin' to go and bring it back."

"Any requests from you or your lil' pet?" Howell teased.

"Pancakes," Jupiter replied. "With strawberries and whipped cream." He snorted. "Just coffee for me."

"Yous got it." Howell walked by the open doorway, and he flashed Trev a sly smile. "Be seein' ya'."

Trev flipped him off.

Sal was only a few steps behind Howell, and he didn't notice or didn't care. "Keep it quiet here, all right?"

"Yes, sir," Jupiter said, hovering by the doorway as he watched them leave. His expression was tense, but Trev didn't think he'd be in the mood to be offered another massage.

What Trev had overheard Howell and Sal talking about had some potential though. Maybe it would even be enough to unsettle Jupiter so he'd let his guard down and Trev could get his hands on that damn key.

Then again, it might only piss Jupiter off and accomplish nothing.

He had to use this information carefully, and chances were high that Jupiter already knew what his little mafia friends really thought of him.

"So." Trev clapped his hands. "What now?"

"We wait," Jupiter replied simply.

"Wow. Fucking awesome."

"I'm stepping out." Jupiter grabbed the doorknob. "I trust you won't find any clever ways to escape while I'm gone?"

"Stepping out?" Trev narrowed his eyes. "Stepping out where?"

"Don't worry, baby doll. I'll be right back."

"Right." Trev scowled as the door shut.

He immediately got to his feet, trying again to brace himself on the bed and pull the chain free from the wall. When that didn't work, he hopped down to search the room. There had to be something here he could use.

The fridge was full of cheap beer, and Trev didn't think he could use the tab from a can to pick the padlock. He grabbed the chair and tried whacking it against the wall, hoping to catch where the chain was bolted into the concrete.

All that did was make a bunch of noise, scuff up the wall, and hurt his shoulder.

Fuck .

Trev froze when he heard the side door opening, and he quickly returned the chair. He dashed back into bed to pretend he hadn't been trying to escape again, and he listened intently.

Someone had walked into one of the other rooms, perhaps the bathroom.

There was a pause, the door shut, and then someone went back outside.

Huh.

Trev listened for a bit longer, but he didn't hear anything else of note.

Being kidnapped and held hostage was fucking boring.

He figured he should be grateful that it wasn't more exciting, but he had no idea what to do with himself. He rolled over to hug the lockbox to his chest. What remained of his future was inside here, and he'd be damned if he let anything happen to it.

He dozed for a little while, waking again when Jupiter brought him breakfast.

As promised, it was pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. He was too hungry to worry about the food being tampered with and dove right in. He did take his time licking cream off his fingers, but Jupiter was back on his phone and ignoring him.

"You know, they say sixty percent of men are losing their eyesight faster because of excessive screen time," Trev said.

"Is that so?" Jupiter didn't look up.

"No, I just made that up so you'd pay attention to me." Trev slurped whipped cream off his fingers. "Come on."

"I'm busy."

"Doing what?"

Jupiter sighed, glancing up at Trev. "What do you want?"

"If you're taking requests, getting the fucking collar off would be top of the list."

"Next."

"How about some dick?"

"Next." Jupiter smiled.

"You're killing all my options here." Trev picked at his food. "I guess you don't have any updates for me. About when I might be getting out of here."

"Not yet. In that much of a hurry to get away from me?"

"What? After all the fun we've had?" Trev snorted. "No way."

"My favorite part was the look on your face when your car wouldn't start."

"Mine was spraying you in the face with glitter body spray."

Jupiter snorted out a laugh. "I think there's still some in my shirt."

"Good. You'll have something to remember me by."

"As if I could ever forget you, baby doll."

Trev hated how his heart thumped when Jupiter smiled at him. They really did seem to have nice chemistry, and the sex had been incredible.

Too bad Jupiter was a giant douche nozzle.

"Look." Jupiter dropped his phone to his lap, giving Trev his full attention. "I can tell you that Boss Cold's men received our message with our offer, plus the results of your DNA test. All right?"

"And?"

"And what?"

Trev wanted to stab Jupiter with his plastic fork. "And what did they say?"

"We'll have an answer soon."

Trev's stomach twisted. "So… Wow. Cold really doesn't give a fuck about me, does he?"

"It wasn't a no," Jupiter said. He almost sounded soothing. "These things take time, baby doll. Cold isn't going to overplay his hand and appear too eager. That's not his style. They call him Cold for a reason."

"It's so very cute you're trying to make me feel better, but what the fuck happens if he doesn't want to make the deal?" Trev pressed. "What happens to me?"

"That's not up to me."

"Right, it's up to your stupid fuckin' boss, right? Sal?" Trev set his fork down. He wasn't hungry now. "You know they talk shit about you, right?"

Jupiter's expression remained passive.

Fuck it.

No time like the present.

"Yeah, while you were doing what the fuck ever, I heard Howell and Sal talking about you. They think you're a joke and a fuckup. They care so little about you they didn't seem to give a fuck if I heard them or not. They were laughing . Did you know they think you're a piece of shit? Huh? Or do you just roll over the second they say hey, bastard ?"

"My relationship with my family is none of your concern," Jupiter said smoothly.

"I'd say it's a big concern since it's you and your stupid family who thought it was great idea to fucking kidnap me. So, what's the deal? Did you get assigned to bitch duty because you're the bitch ?"

"I know what you're doing, baby doll, and it's not going to work."

"What?"

"Trying to get a rise out of me." Jupiter narrowed his eyes. "Pretty cheap move, to be honest. You must be desperate."

"Maybe I'm just worried about you."

Jupiter laughed. "I doubt it."

"What? I can't be worried about my captor?" Trev batted his eyes. "Maybe I'm developing Stockholm or something. You never know."

"Cute." Jupiter smirked. "Got any other startling revelations to share with me to try and gain my trust? Or are you gonna finish your pancakes and be quiet?"

"Just one," Trev said, popping a strawberry in his mouth. "Thanks for letting me know you already knew they hate your fucking guts. Are you really a bastard? Or is it because you're a gay bastard?"

Jupiter's gaze darkened.

Bingo.

"Struck a nerve, Daddy ?" Trev smirked.

"Eat your pancakes."

"Wow. I'm so sorry to hear that the mafia isn't a bunch of super open-minded people. Damn." Trev took a big bite of pancake. "Mm, mm. And you still work for them? Really?"

Jupiter headed to the door.

"What?" Trev grinned. "Did I hurt your feelings? Want me to kiss it and make it better?"

Jupiter slammed the door shut behind him.

"Is that a no?" Trev shouted.

After waiting a few minutes, it didn't seem like Jupiter was coming back anytime soon.

Trev hurried to the wall where the chain was attached to a small metal plate. He took his plastic knife and tried loosening the screws that bolted it to the brick.

The knife snapped, and Trev wasn't even sure if the screw had budged at all. He heard footsteps and shoved the broken knife in the pocket of his hoodie. He went back to eating like nothing had happened, and he put on his sweetest smile when Jupiter walked back in.

"Come on," Jupiter said briskly. "Finish eating."

"Why?" Trev frowned. "What's going on?"

"We're moving you. That's all I can tell you."

Trev's frown deepened. "Is it Cold? Did he accept the deal?"

Jupiter narrowed his eyes. "What part of that's all I can tell you do you not understand?"

"The that's , the all , the I , the can ?—"

Jupiter snatched Trev's pancakes away.

"Hey!" Trev snapped. "I was still eating that!"

"Later." Jupiter threw the platter on the floor.

Trev gritted his teeth and stood up from the bed, holding his head up defiantly. "Before we go anywhere, I need to use the bathroom."

"Hold it."

"No way!" Trev barked. "I have to piss right fucking now. Do you want me to pee in your car? Because I will. I have a very small bladder and?—"

" Fine ." Jupiter took the key out of his pocket. "Come here. We're going to make this quick. Emil is coming with a car."

Trev walked up to him, tilting his head back. "Should I be on my knees?"

Jupiter snorted and unlocked the padlock. He grabbed Trev's arm, wordlessly escorting him to the bathroom. "Hurry up."

"Sir, yes, sir." Trev scoffed, waiting for Jupiter to shut the door before using the toilet.

Shit .

Today was not going well.

He'd probably pushed Jupiter too far and his chances of getting close enough to steal that damn key were likely zilch now.

It did make him curious though—why was Jupiter working for people who hated him? Was that normal in organized crime? Trev had no idea, and he told himself he shouldn't really care. He was only interested because of how he could use that and any other information to manipulate Jupiter.

After all, he was running out of time.

If Trev was being moved, that might mean that Boss Cold had made a decision. God only knew what the Luchesi family had asked for, and Trev sincerely doubted Cold would be willing to make any deal for him.

He didn't know Trev from shit, so why would he?

Would family really mean that much to him?

Trev could be headed to a new location to be disposed of if Cold had refused to bargain for him. This might be the fucking end—a short trip to the quarry, to some sort of landfill, and that would be it.

Shit, shit, shit.

Trev sighed as he went to the sink to wash up.

As far as plans went, this one felt pretty stupid. It might be true that Cold especially valued family, but it still seemed like a strange concept to base an entire plot on. He hoped they were right though.

His entire fate hinged on whether or not some mafia boss wanted to have a reunion with a half-brother he'd never known even existed.

Or if Trev could still manage to escape.

Without that damn key though, he was fucked. There wasn't much he could do with a broken plastic knife, and Jupiter didn't seem to be a big fan of his right now.

Shit, shitty, shit, shit .

Trev glanced at the soap bottle, something catching his eye that hadn't been there before. It was tucked underneath the bottle, almost invisible except when he looked directly down through the translucent orange goop.

It was a key.