Chapter Seven
Marco
HE WAS sitting with his chin in his hand, eyes tracking Neil as he moved across the room. He had Rome at his side as they talked, probably about Marco’s safety. Those two always had a bit of a pissing contest going on where security was concerned. Rome was damned good at his job, but Neil had gadgets and tools that would help make everything easier for Rome and the men.
Rome didn’t see it that way, though. He didn’t appreciate the competition. It had nothing to do with his and Rome’s shared past. They’d barely been more than kids with no one else to trust in. They’d also quickly discovered that they weren’t good together. Rome was his second. His consigliere. They would never be equal and that fucked with any relationship. They’d gone back to being friends and it was the best thing they had ever done for their relationship.
He liked protective Neil. He was pretty fucking hot when his wild side showed. Pushing Neil out of that safety cocoon he usually wrapped himself in had proved a favorite pastime of his. He was a big fan of Neil claiming him as his man. As his love.
Fuck, but he loved that man. He’d never felt anything like it before and he didn’t think he would ever feel like that for anyone else. His gut and his heart were telling him that Neil was it. Neil was his once-in-a-lifetime love.
It had almost been two years since he’d walked into that hotel bar and things certainly hadn’t turned out the way he’d expected. Even after the mind-blowing sex, he hadn’t exactly expected to watch Neil kill two men. Neil still hadn’t found out who they were or why they’d tried to kill him, and it worried him. Not any more than whenever he had to watch Neil walk out the door because he never knew if he’d be coming back.
Of course, he knew if Neil had a choice in the matter, he would always come back to him, but despite the man’s skillset, he was often on his own, and sometimes you just needed someone to have your back. He had Rome but who did Neil have? When Marco wasn’t there, who had Neil’s back? A part of him knew the answer was probably no one and that terrified him.
The second Neil headed toward Marco, Rome left the room, which was probably for the best. Marco stood from the couch, a teasing smile on his lips as he met Neil in the middle of the room.
“You guys done?”
“I could keep going for hours but I’m pretty sure I would end up at the bottom of a lake if I did,” Neil said, the gleam in his eyes letting Marco know he found it amusing.
Neil leaned close, lips brushing Marco’s, hands sliding up his waist. A buzzing sound had Neil pulled back with a curse. Marco watched with hooded eyes as Neil grabbed his phone off the table and checked his messages.
“Shit,” Neil muttered. He shoved his phone back into his pocket and looked up at Marco, an apology in his eyes. “Sorry. I’ve gotta take care of this.”
Marco nodded, avoiding Neil’s gaze.
“Marco?”
When he kept his eyes on the floor, Neil tilted his head back with a finger under his chin.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
The lie came out easily, but he wasn’t surprised when Neil gave him a knowing look. The man knew him too well. Knew all his tells. As infuriating as that should’ve been, instead, it made his heart happy.
He sighed, then said, “I just… I don’t keep secrets from you.”
Neil’s hand fell to his side, and he nodded slowly, making Marco prepare for the man to shut him down. Shut him out. Yet again.
“There’s a lot I can’t tell you,” Neil said. “But this isn’t work. Technically.”
He frowned at Neil, uneasy settling in his chest.
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s sit down,” Neil said, motioning toward the couch. He let Neil tug him toward it and sat down next to him, watching him with a mix of apprehension and curiosity.
“Eight years ago, I put together a black ops Marine team. They were exceptional. Until two of them got taken prisoner.”
Marco’s mouth fell open.
Okay. Not what he expected, that was for sure.
He cleared his throat, then asked, “What happened?”
“I was chasing after a terrorist. Richard Hughes. He knew how to keep himself just clean enough that we couldn’t pin anything on him. He had operatives all over the world. He was planning something big, but we had nothing. I had my team tracking down his suppliers and taking them out of the game. He found out about my team and the only way he could’ve known was if he had someone on the inside and… one of my men, Derek Stanton, I believe he overheard or saw something he shouldn’t have and that’s why he and one of the other Marines were taken.”
Neil took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut. Marco reached for Neil’s hand, holding on tight as he waited for him to continue.
“Derek was killed.”
He could feel the guilt covering Neil like a thick blanket, and he wished he could take on some of it so he wouldn’t have to suffer through it alone.
“My black ops team was told to stand down. To leave their brothers behind. They refused,” Neil said, sounding almost proud. “I had to smooth a whole lot of shit out because they went off books and stole a damn plane. They rescued the other Marine but Derek’s death? It did irreparable damage. Their team leader, Derek’s brother, went awol. Most of the team stuck together. Became FBI agents together, and once the director realized what he had on his hands, he made them a specialized unit at the Bureau. They’re still functioning the way I created them to, just on US soil now.”
“What happened to the rest of them?”
Neil’s lips twitched though he doubted it was a smile trying to peek through.
“There was one―the pilot―who went off on his own. Became a cop. A homicide detective now. He wasn’t doing well after they returned from their rescue. Neither was their plane. When the team was dissolved, the boys discharged, the Corps wanted the plane scrapped. Before they could do that, my guy put on his uniform and walked right into that hangar, and flew that plane out of there. I knew at that time that that plane was all he had left, so I ended up owing a lot of people to let him take it home.”
“You take care of them,” Marco said, smiling softly at Neil.
Neil nodded. “When I can.”
Neil fell silent after that, but Marco had a feeling there was something more the man needed to say. He didn’t pressure him, though. He just rested his head against Neil’s shoulder and soaked in the man’s warmth.
“They’re still looking for him,” Neil said in a near-whisper.
“The team leader?”
“No.”
Marco lifted his head and sat back to meet Neil’s gaze.
“The terrorist,” Neil said, a bite to his voice.
“He got away?”
Neil shook his head. “I got him. My agent got him. He’s been in a black site for five years. They keep trying to get information out of him. To use him. But the man is certifiable. He believes in his cause so deeply that he would rather suffer or die than let anything slip.”
“But your Marines are still looking for him? You didn’t tell them you caught him?”
“I can’t,” Neil said, giving Marco a distraught look.
“The Agency won’t let you.”
“They don’t know the truth about Derek’s death and as much as I hate keeping it from them, it’s what’s best for everyone. They got the people who took and killed Derek. I can’t give them the guy behind it, and I know the second they learn his name, they’ll go rogue again. I can’t have them throw away their careers, their lives, the families they’ve built. I can’t―” Neil’s voice broke and he dropped his head into his hands.
“You’re just keeping them safe. He can’t hurt them. He can’t hurt anyone.”
Neil nodded and stood, back turned to Marco who got up and put a hand on his shoulder. A ragged breath had Neil’s body trembling, and he slowly turned around to face Marco.
“They’re getting close to something I need them to steer clear of,” Neil said, a pained expression on his face. “I have to go make sure they back off.”
Marco nodded.
“Thank you.” Neil’s brows creased and he looked confused, so Marco added, “For telling me.”
Despite Neil keeping the information vague, he knew how much it meant that he’d shared it. How much he appreciated the man opening up to him.
“I love you,” he said, reaching up to cup Neil’s face.
“I love you,” Neil said and leaned in to press their lips together.
The kiss was short but oh so sweet and he wished they could stay in that moment forever.
“I’m here,” he said, smiling softly at Neil. “If you need help carrying your burdens, I’m here.”
“I don’t need that.” Neil wrapped his arms around Marco and tugged him closer until their noses brushed and their chest touched. “I just need you to love me.”
“Guess you’re in luck, then.”
Neil grinned before lowering his head and Marco met him halfway, lips brushing softly against Neil’s.
“I need to go,” Neil said against Marco’s lips, then gave him another quick peck before moving back.
“Call when you can?”
Neil nodded, hesitating for a second before he turned and walked away. That heartbeat of hesitance to leave did things to his heart he wasn’t sure he could even describe.
He left the room and walked to his bedroom. Hed closed the door behind him and leaned back against it with a wide smile on his lips.
Neil loved him. He loved Neil. All the pieces seemed to have fallen together perfectly. He couldn’t believe this was his life now. Neil sharing so much with him made him so damn happy. He didn’t like keeping secrets. Not from the people he loved. He knew it took more for Neil to share because of who and what he was, but he was floating on the trust the man had just shown him.
Movement had him snapping his head up. His sister was sitting on his bed, legs folded under her and her head down.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, stepping closer.
Alicia looked up slowly, her eyes red and her cheeks tearstained.
“Who do I need to kill?” he growled.
Alicia shook her head and showed him a blue pen, except it wasn’t a pen at all. It was a pregnancy test.
His heart skipped a painful beat. Confusion. Anger. Fear. A whole bunch of emotions hit him at once and he found it hard to breathe.
He raised his gaze from the pregnancy test.
“Who’s the father?”
“Really?” she snapped at him. “That’s what you ask?”
“I know you,” he said, walking to the bed to grab her hand, holding on when she tried to pull away. “I don’t have to ask to know you’re not okay. I also don’t have to tell you that you will be okay because you already know damn well I’ll make sure you will be.”
“No one can know,” she said with a shake of her head.
He closed his eyes for a second, then opened them and looked at his sister. Really looked. Behind that terror in her eyes, he saw something more. Something deeper and more vulnerable.
“We’ll figure it out. I can kill anyone who asks questions, or we can claim the father ran off.”
“How did you know?”
He arched a brow at her. “That you want to keep it? Like I said; I know you.”
A small wobbly smile spread on Alicia’s lips, and she nodded, sniffing and using her sleeve to dry a wayward tear.
“You might have to kill a lot of people,” she muttered.
Marco felt his jaw tick and tried to release at least some of the tension by taking a deep breath.
“And I’ll do it, Alicia. You know I will.”
She shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do that.”
He opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off saying, “I won’t ask you to do that.”
He took a deep breath, then nodded slowly. He understood where she was coming from. She wanted to protect him as much as he wanted to protect her. She didn’t want him putting himself in more danger than absolutely necessary.
“What about Rome? He’d make a convincing baby daddy, and we can trust him,” Alicia said, a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes.
Marco shook his head. “We can’t put him through that.”
“Let’s at least ask him,” she said, lips trembling. “Maybe he wants a beard?”
“You’re not gonna be anyone’s beard,” he snapped.
His sister was too damned good for that bullshit.
“Maybe…” Alicia trailed off, eyes going unseeing for a moment. “Maybe we can just imply that Rome is the father. That way we’re both safe?”
“I’ll ask him.”
“Thank you,” she said, squeezing his hands.
She didn’t have to thank him. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for her. He would do whatever it took to keep his little family safe.