“Now you can talk as much as you like, Daniel!”
“Great.”
“Hey, grab a broom and start swiping before we get asthma,” Trevor told Andy.
Andy disappeared into one of the rooms. Chris watched silently as Trevor got the fire working, hisprofile glowing in the dancing flames. The room warmed up quickly, but the old burning wood smelled bad. Trevor came over to open the only living room window behind Chris.
A possible escape route. The cold evening’s air danced on the back of his head while the fire warmed his face. He was going to get sick like that, but catching a cold was the least of his worries.
“Trevor.”
“Yeah?” He sat next to him. “Damn, this couch is disgusting. We’ll be cleaning all night by the looks of it.”
Hearing that brought a small dose of comfort. If Trevor planned on staying here for a while, perhaps Chris was safe for now—at least from death.
“Why are you doing this?”
Trevor cocked his head. “Are you thick or something?”
He needed to collect all pieces of information. The more he learned about Trevor’s plan, the greater his chances of sabotaging it would be. “Can you please just tell me?”
“Sure, I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. Come here.” He wrapped his arm around Chris’s shoulders. “Romantic, huh? The two of us next to the fireplace. Makes me feel all fuzzy inside.” He kissed the side of Chris’s head. “Ask whatever you want.”
Before he got the chance, Andy entered the room. “Found the broom!”
“Great. Start cleaning the bedrooms.”
“Aren’t you helping?”
Trevor sighed. “I think I did enough for one day.”
Andy made a face before walking out into the narrow hallway.
“Lazy bastard,” Trevor said fondly. He turned to Chris. “Shoot.”
“You know I’m trying to solve the issue with the will.”
“Yeah, but time is ticking, and you have nothing.”
“You don’t know what I have.” Unless Dima had told Trevor how bad things were going. Chris should never have spoken with him about it, but he never imagined something like this happening.
Trevor placed his hand on Chris’s leg. “I know you’re smart, but even you have limits. Whichever trick you might pull out of your ass will take too long. I have people breathing down my neck, and they aren’t patient.”
“The police will come after you. I know you’ve been working on an alibi, but I haven’t been quiet about what’s going on. People know about your threats.”
“My threats?” He moved his hand higher, his thumb brushing against Chris’s crotch. “I never threatened you. You think I have time to do that while I’m out there vacationing in Florida? The death of my parents wasn’t easy on Andy and me, so we needed to get away for a while. And there are people in Florida, who I may or may not have paid with the last of my money, who have seenAndy and me over there. Hell, they’re seeing us right now!”
“You’re counting on everyone being stupid and buying your shit.”
Anger flashed in Trevor’s eyes.Good. Angry Trevor was more prone to make mistakes. “Watch it, Danny. We’re either having a nice conversation, or we’re not talking at all.” He began unbuttoning Chris’s shirt. “I know that people will be looking for you, and maybe I am playing with fire, but you know what? The alternative is even worse.”
“I can give you enough money to leave and settle down far away with Andy.”
“I’m not the type to go undercover, and I’m used to a certain lifestyle that your handout won’t cover.”
“Fuck your lifestyle.”
“Damn, what got you so upset? A respectable lawyer like you should have better manners.”
