The body crashed into the hole in the ground, the impact muffled by the damp soil.
Trevor waved the gunpowder smell away and stepped closer to see. Blood oozed from the bullet hole in his throat, splashing every time he tried to breathe or speak. It sounded like drowning. Trevor had aimed for the head, but he apparently wasn’t great at shooting. Another thing made to look easy in the movies.
“I’m debating whether to leave him like this for the crows or bury him. What do you think?”
Jay didn’t answer, his eyes almost comically wide.
“Oh, right.” Trevor pulled the piece of clothing out of his mouth, surprised by how much was tucked inside.
Jay coughed, looking down at Dima’s body. The Russian’s eyes watched them without seeing, his chest no longer moving.
“Bury him.” Jay cleared his throat. “You can never know who might pass around here.”
Trevor smiled in delight. As he had hoped, Jay’s voice sounded rugged and manly like an old Western cowboy. “Lie on your stomach.”
Fear flashed in Jay’s eyes.
“I need to cover his body, and you might try to escape. I also don’t trust you with a shovel. Lie down so I know you’re being a good boy.”
Jay sank to his knees without further protest and lay with his front on the ground. “Is Chris okay?”
“Daniel’s fine, and one more question without permission, and I’ll kick the teeth out of your mouth.”
Trevor jumped into the hole and pulled out Dima’s wallet. As the man had said, a nice sum of money lay inside. He shoved the bills into his pocket and climbed out.
He hadn’t planned on taking out the Russian instead of Jay, but it became clear that Dima had served his purpose and had turned himself into a liability. Jay was a liability too, but Trevor could use him to keep Daniel in check—and for other activities.
Since he always hated labor, he settled for the bare minimum, covering Dima’s body with dirt but not bothering to level the ground.
With the gun in one hand and the shovel in the other, he told Jay to get up. “If you take one step too far, I’ll shoot you. Hell, I might shoot you if you sneeze. Don’t think you’ll get away with giving me the same attitude you gave Dima—may he watch over us from heaven.”
“You mean hell.” Jay struggled to rise with his cuffed hands, but Trevor waited for him to figure it out. When he did, dirt stuck to his sweaty chest and coverall.
“You rednecks just love rolling around in the mud, don’t you? Start walking before we get lost.” Dusk had come quicker than expected, which left Trevor a bit agitated. He may have been the one holding the gun, but one wrong move and he might trip, resulting in Jay stomping on his face and smashing his skull. He had no doubt Jay would do so given the chance.
It had been the first time Trevor ever killed a person in cold blood. He knew he had it in him, but he still expected to feel more than what he was currently feeling, which was nothing at all. It used to bother him from time to time; how differently he was wired. And not just him, but the rest of his family as well. But what was he to do—pretend? Since when did that ever work?
He only allowed himself to relax once they crossed the line of trees separating the woods from the clearing surrounding the house. The small structure shone like a golden beacon through the fog due to the burning fireplace.
Jay glanced around sneakily, and Trevor allowed it since what was there to see other than a whole lot of nothing? When they reached the stairs leading to the house, he told Jay to stop, then wiped the dirt from the man's chest and coverall. He held out the piece of clothing that had been stuffed in his mouth earlier. “Open up.”
“Is it necessary?”
Trevor calmly responded with a knee to Jay’s crotch. The man doubled over, hissing in pain. Trevor pulled him up by the hair and shoved the piece of clothing deep into his mouth.
“Once we’re inside, your actions will directly affect Daniel, so think hard before trying anything.” He pressed the barrel of the gun underneath Jay’s chin. “You’ve proved yourself to be a cold motherfucker, so I’ll keep it frank. We both know how this is going to end, but as I said before, there are many ways to kill a man. Understand?”
Jay nodded, his eyes hard and unblinking.
I should shoot you now and be done with it.But another part of Trevor’s body disagreed. That part was known to get him in trouble.
He pushed Jay forward and opened the door. The fireplace enveloped the house with cozy warmth, reaching as far as the hallway. Trevor propped the shovel against the wall and locked the door behind him. Inside the living room, Andy watched Jay in shock. On his lap, naked and bound Daniel was still sleeping like a lovely princess.
“Relax,” Trevor told Andy. “This is Jay. He’s going to stay with us for a bit.”
“He’s scary,” Andy said quietly.
“I’m scarier.”
