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Jupiter grunted and suddenly collapsed, the gauze scattering across the floor.

“Jupiter!” Trev shouted, staring in horror at a handsome man with wild eyes who had just struck Jupiter in the head with the butt of a pearl-handled gun. “What the fuck?”

The man smiled.

It was downright chilling.

“That there’s my good friend, Erasmus Argento,” Howell said with a grin. “Don’t worry. He’s real friendly once ya’ get to know ’im. Never really blinks though, but hey, ya’ get used to it after a while. Real crack shot, that one. And oh yeah! My name’s Maurice Martine Junior, but yous can just call me Junior.”

Chapter

Eleven

“Why the fuck did you knock him out?” Trev demanded haughtily. “How the hell are we going to move him now? Do you see how fucking huge he is?”

“We’re not bringing him with us,” Erasmus said coolly. “We’re leaving him.”

“What? No way.” Trev backed away. “The only reason I’m here is because of him! He?—”

“Spoiled a perfectly good plan, put your life in danger because of his arrogance, and chained you to a wall.” Erasmus quirked his brow.

He still hadn’t blinked.

“Fuck you.” Trev gave his best syrupy sweet smile. “I’m not going anywhere without him.”

Erasmus’s upper lip twitched.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Junior, formerly known as Howell, grabbed Erasmus’s shoulder. “Easy now. I know how much yous love shootin’ people, but let’s just get goin’, okay? Let the Luchesis worry ’bout him.”

Erasmus looked at the real Howell.

“Fine! Okay! Just this once. Have fun.” Junior held out his hand. “Gimme your keys, all right? Let’s get the fuck outta here.”

Erasmus handed Junior a set of keys.

“C’mon, kid.” Junior waved at Trev. “Get your shit. Let’s go.”

“I already told you I’m not going anywhere without Jupiter.” Trev batted his eyes. “And I’m pretty sure my half-brother gave explicit instructions to make sure I wasn’t harmed, right? To deliver me in one piece and all that?”

“Your point?”

“Either bring Jupiter or I’m going to make your life very, very difficult.”

Erasmus turned to stare at Trev.

“Stop it, creepy,” Junior warned Erasmus, waving his hand at him. “We ain’t takin’ him in the trunk or nothin’, all right?” He sighed and addressed Trev, saying firmly, “Look, we gots to come to an understandin’ here. He’s a Luchesi, okay? He’s one of them. We brings him with us, I can promise that Cold will send him back in a body bag.”

“But if we leave him here, he’s as good as dead anyway!” Trev pointed at Howell. “All that fucker has to do is open his big mouth and tell the Luchesis what happened and that Jupiter was helping me?—”

“Oh no, don’t worry ’bout that!” Junior patted Trev’s back. “We got this handled. Don’t we, Razz?”

Erasmus glared at Junior and without looking, he leveled his gun at Howell.

“No, don’t yous do it?—”

Erasmus fired.

“Ya’ crazy dumb fuck!” Junior rubbed his ears. “I’m standin’, like, right fuckin’ next to yous! You did that on fuckin’ purpose!”