1
CHRIS
Now...
He must have drunk too much wine or simply fell and banged his head. There was no way in hell that both Trevor and Andy were standing on his porch.
Trevor waved his hand in front of Chris’s eyes. “Earth to Daniel.”
He shook his head and stepped outside, closing the door behind him. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Yo, relax. You’re making me think you’re not happy to see us.”
Andy waved. “Hello, Daniel.” He had gained even more weight since Chris had last seen him years ago. His glasses were still thick, making his eyes seem like dark beans. His short hair was thinning.
“I’m asking again, what are you doing here?”
“How about you invite us inside so we can talk?”
Chris watched Trevor closely, noticing he didn’t seem all that hot under the entryway light. Though still handsome, dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and his cheeks appeared sunken. He’s doing drugs again. Or maybe “again” wasn’t the right word, since Trevor had been using different substances ever since Chris first met him.
“You’re not getting into my house.” He crossed his arms and straightened, more composed than a minute ago. “Say what you want and leave.”
Trevor turned to Andy. “You hear that? We took him out of that shithole, and this is how he treats us.”
“It wasn’t a shithole, and nobody asked you to take me in. You...” Chris stopped himself from pointlessly getting into this fight. “Go away, or I’m calling the cops.”
“Don’t push it, Danny boy. We need to talk.”
“The hell we do.”
“Mom and Dad are dead,” Andy said, his voice still sounding like a child’s. “In a car accident. I put pretty flowers on their graves.”
The pieces of the puzzle fell into place as Chris remembered the conversation he had had with the Mitchells’ lawyer, Benji, at Central Park. “Is this about their will?”
Trevor nodded, his smile crooked. “Bingo.”
“I don’t want that money; I told the lawyer that.”
“Yeah, he said that you didn’t bother hearing him out.” Trevor glanced around. “How loaded are you to not care about an inheritance?”
“I don’t want anything from those two assholes, and—”
Trevor slammed him against the door and blocked his mouth with his cold hand. “I understand it’s been a while since we last saw each other, so you must’ve forgotten how to behave. Do you really think I’m going to let you speak about my dead parents like that?”
All he could see were Trevor’s bloodshot iris crypts, then the entryway light turned off, swallowing them in darkness. The street was quiet at this hour, with no neighbors walking by.
Trevor chuckled. “Spooky.”
Chris could barely see him, but he felt the warmth of his breath.
Andy came closer and grabbed Chris’s hand in the dark, pinning it against the door.
For a long time, they stood without speaking, three hidden shadows clustered together. Chris sweated underneath his clothes, barely able to breathe. He had made a mistake by forgetting who he was dealing with—he should have known better.
He tried to bite down on Trevor’s palm but couldn’t open his mouth wide enough.
“How about you let us into your nice house so we can have a family conversation?”
He couldn't bear the thought of Trevor possibly seeing his children. That was worse than any nightmare. He shook his head as much as he could.
“There you go again, being a shitty host. You know, we drove a long way to get here, and it wasn’t just to see your pretty eyes again. I’m going to remove my hand, and then I’m going to ask you some questions, okay?”
Chris nodded, debating whether to try and scream. But no, this was just a conversation, albeit against his will. Escalating things could come back to haunt him later.
Trevor moved his hand but kept it firmly on Chris’s chest.
“I’m listening,” Chris said, breathing deeply to compose himself. The most important thing was keeping Trevor and Andy out of his house. “Can you step back?”
“I like being close to you. Andy?”
“I like holding Daniel’s hand. It’s soft.”
“Seems that we’re staying where we are. Tell me, what do you remember from what Benji told you?”
That conversation happened before Fire Island, which made it feel like ages ago. “He said that your parents died in a car accident and left almost all of their money to me.”
“Yep, they sure did.”
“Why would they do that?”
“Kim probably didn’t know about that. She and you would’ve split the money evenly if she were still alive, but since she isn’t, you’re hitting the whole jackpot.”
“How could Robert decide those things on his own?”
“He kept everything in his name. I don’t think even Kim knew how broke she was because he gave her everything she wanted.”
Chris had been fighting hard for years not to think about those people, and now he was being pulled once more into their twisted life.
“Robert had no reason to leave me anything,” Chris said firmly. “You were there the last time we spoke.”
“Yeah, I remember that day, but Robert and I haven't quite seen eye to eye in the last few years.”
It was clear there was more to the story. “He could have left the money to Andy,” Chris said.
“Andy would have given it to me.”
True. Andy would have given half his organs to Trevor if he asked him to.
“I’ll speak with the lawyer,” Chris said. His hand was getting numb with the way Andy held it against the door.
“And what will you say to him?”
“That I don’t want the money, that it can all go to you. I’ll sign the papers, and—”
“That won’t work.”
“Why the hell not?”
“Shh, don’t raise your voice unless you want your pretty wife to come check on you. I’d be happy to introduce myself to the missus. Maybe we can compare notes. Does she finger you? I bet she does.”
Chris forced himself to remain composed, although he was anything but calm. “Why can’t I sign a waiver for the will?”
“Because Robert knew I’d come after you for the money, and he prepared.”
The burning dread in the pit of his stomach grew. “What did he do?”
“He added three fun conditions. The first one was that waving the will would automatically give all the money to charity. The second one was that you wouldn’t get that money for the first two years after his passing. The third condition, and the cherry on top...” Trevor leaned closer, breathing into Chris’s face. “...the money would only go to Andy and me if you were to die during the first two years.”
The words circled in Chris’s head, their meaning shockingly clear. Even from the grave, Robert sought revenge against him for leaving.
“I’ll speak with the lawyer,” Chris said through the drumming of his heart. “There are always loopholes.”
Trevor nodded. “You do that, Danny boy. Give old Benji a call and figure out a solution to our little predicament.” He cleared his throat. “I really need that money.”
“For your dealer?”
“My dealer is the least of my worries. I made some bad investments in the last few years and got into risky adventures that didn’t pan out.”
“How much do you owe? I can get you some money before I sort out the will.” He hated the thought of giving anything to Trevor, but he needed the man to be content and—even more importantly—as far away as possible from his home and family.
“I owe around a million dollars.”
Chris couldn’t find the words to respond. This had to be a joke.
Trevor chuckled. “You have that kind of money lying around?”
“No.”
“Thought so.”
“Can you sell the house?”
“You own that fucking house. Well, at least you will in two years.” Trevor stepped back and tapped the side of his head. “Robert thought of everything. Andy, let him go.”
Once Andy did, Chris shook his numb hand. The movement turned on the entryway light, momentarily blinding him.
“We’ll be in touch,” Trevor said.
“I’ll need some time to figure this out.”
“Are you already starting with excuses?”
Chris remained quiet. He was seconds away from getting safely back inside.
“It was good seeing you, little brother. Too bad it couldn’t be under happier circumstances.” Trevor ran a hand through his jet-black hair. “I’ll call for an update soon. Don’t do anything foolish, you hear? I’d hate to do something foolish, too.”
“Good night, Daniel,” Andy said. “I enjoyed holding your hand.”
They left him there and walked down the street, two shapes disappearing into the night. Chris watched them with cold numbness, realizing that once more, his entire world had come tumbling down.