Page 14 of Ready to Cash Out

Jupiter didn’t seem that upset Trev had gotten away from him. He seemed mildly annoyed at best. After all, there was nowhere for Trev to go.

“Be a good boy and come here.” Jupiter beckoned Trev over with a finger.

“So you can shoot me?” Trev scoffed. “Fat fuckin’ chance, asshole.”

Jupiter cleared his throat.

It was then Trev finally looked at what Jupiter had pulled out of his jacket, and it wasn’t a weapon.

It was a cotton swab in a sterile packet.

“Sorry, but I’m not into whatever it is you plan to do with that,” Trev said sweetly. “How about you bend over and we find a fun place for you to stick it?”

Jupiter chuckled. “Cute.”

“Enough,” the bearded man snapped again. “Get it already or I will.”

“Easy, Sal.” Jupiter kept his eyes on Trev. “I’ll get it.”

“Get what?” Trev demanded.

“We need proof that you’re Cold’s brother. Just need a little mouth swab, all right?”

Trev eyed the swab. “Ten seconds ago, you were so sure I was. Now you need my spit for some kinda test?”

“We are sure. But Cold will want it.” Jupiter smiled. “It won’t hurt. Unless you want it to.”

Trev didn’t like how that sounded like a threat, and he took a deep breath as he again weighed his options.

Limited, not great, and most of them certainly ending in his own demise if he didn’t cooperate.

There was only the one door and…

Wait.

The window!

There was a window hidden behind the fancy wallpaper beside the bed. It looked out into the dirty alley behind the club and had been such an unappealing view that the owners had pasted the wallpaper right over it during the last round of renovations.

The club had been flooded when a water pipe broke a few months ago—no, that didn’t matter.

All that mattered was now Trev had a way out.

His mind spun rapidly with various scenarios, and he tried to plan his next move. His cell phone and other personal items, including his keys, were in his locker in the club’s dressing room. He was going to consider those lost forever because it was too risky to try sneaking out to retrieve them and successfully make a getaway. His main goal had to be getting the hell out of here.

He could buy a new phone later and get the spare set of keys from Camille.

And then strangle her with her own bathrobe sash for setting him up. She had to have known Trev wasn’t supposed to come back from doing this little favor for her. It was why she’d been willing to give him such a great deal on his rent, that traitorous bitch?—

Plan.

Focus.

He needed a plan.

Trev could play nice for now. As long as he remained in this room, there was a chance for him to escape. He just had to figure out a way to get his captors to leave and hope they didn’t know about the old window. Once he was home, he was going to grab all his cash and flee the fucking state. Maybe even the country.

For now, though, he had to keep Jupiter happy.

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