Chapter Twenty-Eight
Marco
HE WASN’T sure why he’d accepted King’s invitation, but he was there, nevertheless. Dante was in bed and Neil was off doing whatever the fuck the CIA told him to do, so he would’ve just been home alone anyway.
He walked into the Kings’ clubhouse and looked around. The place was big and filled with people. Some dancing. Some drinking. Some doing both.
He caught sight of Rome sitting at the bar. Juno was behind it and Bones was next to Rome. He nodded at the Kings he passed on his way to the bar and sidestepped a dancing couple who seemed to be in their own little world.
Bones got onto the bar stool next to Rome and Marco heard him say, “Would you still save Serrano over Juno? ‘Cause, man, Juno deserves more than that.”
Rome straightened, turning to look at Bones. “I would kill Marco to save Juno.”
“I hope the fuck not,” was past Marco’s lips before he could swallow back the words.
Rome grinned at him and with a shrug he said, “Sorry, Boss.”
He snorted at Rome, then pushed forward to grab the man’s drink off the bar top, mumbling, “I get it. Fuck, do I get it,” which he regretted instantly when the next words out of Rome was, “Where’s Neil?”
“Fuck knows,” Marco grumbled and downed what was left of Rome’s drink. Gin. Not his favorite but he’d known what to expect. He’d known the man his whole life, after all.
“Ah. Touchy much?” Bones asked.
He turned to glare at Bones, more annoyed when the man smiled at him.
“Man, nice try but my girlfriend scares me more than you.”
“She should,” Juno said as he leaned across the bar from the other side, putting a new glass in front of Rome. “She’s Saint’s sister, after all.”
Marco choked back a laugh and shook his head, then pushed his glass toward Juno for a refill. He had a strong feeling he was going to need it.
“You have a death wish or something?” he asked Bones.
“No more than Joker.”
Marco snorted, then said, “Yeah. I heard. The guy must have balls of steel.”
The man was dating King’s son after all.
He dreaded the time when Dante would start dating. He had a feeling he was going to need Rome when that happened. Someone needed to keep him out of jail.
“Something like that,” someone said from behind them.
Marco turned to find that it was Joker and Gabe. Gabe was the one who’d spoken, a grin on his face while Joker only huffed.
“Serrano,” Joker said, grasping Marco’s hand to shake it. “Glad you decided to come.”
“Thank you for inviting me.”
“I hate to say it, but you’re always welcome,” Joker said.
Confusion made him hesitate for a second too long to ask what he meant because Gabe was dragging Joker away before he could say a word.
“What he meant is that Rome is family now, thanks to Juno’s less-than-ideal taste in men,” Bones said with a teasing gleam in his eyes. “You’re both more than welcome here. As you probably know, we don’t discriminate and we’re also good at keeping secrets.”
“Excuse me?”
He tensed harder than a bow string. He wasn’t sure what he liked less; Bones calling Rome family or Bones suggesting he knew his secrets.
Juno’s snort had him snapping his gaze toward him. The man was completely relaxed, a smile on his lips.
“Babe. You’re surrounded by people with great gaydars. Trust me, they know. Besides, we,” he said, motioning between him and Bones, “have seen you with your man. You’d have to be blind not to notice.”
They’d seen him with his man, had they? They knew nothing.
A hand on his shoulder had him tensing harder until he realized it was Rome’s. The man was trying to show him some support and while he appreciated it, he would’ve preferred his secrets had remained secret.
Juno smiled warmly at him. “No one here cares, and, as Bones said, we’re good at keeping secrets. Obviously. You and King may have some issues, but you were willing to put your life on the line for one of us, so trust me, you’re good enough in his book to be called a friend.”
He felt himself relax a bit at that. Not too much though. He could never truly relax. Not unless he was with Neil.
“I would like that. Friend. I don’t have too many of those.”
A wide smile spread on Juno’s lips and there was a gleam in his eyes as he said, “Lucky I fell in love with Rome, huh?”
“I doubt luck had anything to do with it.”
Juno laughed and Marco caught Rome looking at the man with that something special in his eyes. Love. Adoration. Devotion. It almost hurt to see. Not because he didn’t want that for Rome. He liked Juno. Even if Rome would kill him to save his man. He wasn’t too fond of knowing that, but he understood. He would do that for Neil. He may have wanted the man dead for a while but there was a reason he hadn’t done it. He’d been left with an Alicia-sized hole in his heart and while he’d pushed Neil away, hard, a part of him had known that he wouldn’t survive if anything happened to the man he loved. He’d never loved anyone as deeply as he loved Neil. It had truly felt like the man had dug out Marco’s heart and taken it with him back when he’d sent the man away.
Despite the Kings’ good mood and the easy flow of booze, he didn’t stay long. Dante was at home with the nanny and a whole lot of security, but he still didn’t feel like he could relax away from him. Not after everything that had just gone down. He believed and trusted Neil when he said the cartel wasn’t coming after him, but they weren’t the only people who wanted to take down Marco Serrano.
He drove home and parked in the garage but didn’t head into the house. He headed toward the backyard and the path that wound around the property. The house was surrounded by mature trees, the closest neighbor about a mile away. He needed a moment to himself. He needed to think about this new friendship as Juno had called it. With Rome being ‘family’ to the Kings and Juno being, well, his best friend’s partner, it seemed he’d gotten a whole lot more allies.
He knew he and King had their differences, but he had a feeling they were a lot more alike than King would like to admit.
He came to a halt, staring into the woods. He’d seen movement and while he should be worried, his heart let him know exactly who was there. His heart was a bastard, but it was never wrong.
He started walking and he didn’t bother looking up when he heard footsteps behind him. He felt the man at his side and was too proud to turn his head and acknowledge him first. Neil didn’t seem to mind the silence though. He should’ve expected as much.
When it had annoyed him long enough, he stopped walking and glared at Neil, noticing instantly that he was wearing a suit he’d had made for him years ago, and cursed his treacherous heart when it skipped a beat. He remembered that suit in particular because it had been made specifically to match the exact shade of Neil’s gray eyes.
“I thought you had somewhere to be,” he said with a bite to his tone.
He didn’t word it as a question. He wanted it to sting like the man’s absence had stung his poor heart. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take, and he knew he’d started it, he’d pushed Neil away and then drawn him back in only to hold him at a distance for years.
“I did,” Neil said.
“Then why are you here?”
Neil stepped closer, one corner of his mouth quirking up.
“It’s gonna take at least six months to get everything in order,” Neil said, eyes alight with something that confused Marco.
“To get what in order?” he asked hesitantly.
A dangerous smile played on Neil’s lips as he reached for Marco’s hands.
“I quit.”
Marco’s heart stuttered in his chest.
“What?” he breathed, barely able to get the word out.
“I quit the agency.”
He couldn’t talk. Couldn’t move. Hell, he couldn’t think. It made no sense.
“My boss convinced me to put in for retirement. That’s why it’ll take a little while before I’m out. I need to cross my T’s, dot my I’s, and hand everything over slowly. As much as I want to leave, I don’t want to do it at the expense of my agents or officers.”
“But you’re leaving? You’re quitting?”
Neil nodded, and the sound that escaped Marco could’ve been described as a sob but, fortunately, there was no one but the two of them to hear it. There was no one to impede on their privacy as he wrapped his arms around Neil and buried his face in the man’s chest. Neil held onto him, and he had never felt more at home than he did right then. Nothing had ever felt as right as this moment.
He leaned back in Neil’s arms and looked into stormy gray eyes.
“I love you and we both know tomorrow isn’t guaranteed,” Neil said, Adam’s apple moving as he swallowed hard. “I want whatever time I have left to be with you. I’ve always wanted that.”
Marco nodded slowly, his words barely above a whisper as he said, “I’ve been stopping you from doing that.”
“You had your reasons,” Neil said, eyes shuddering for a moment, the memories stark for them both.
Marco took a deep breath.
“I want to spend that time with you, too.”
There was nothing he wanted more.
“These are gonna be the hardest months of our lives, aren’t they?” he muttered, gaze on his fingers running along the lapels of Neil’s suit jacket.
He knew he’d spend every second worrying about Neil getting hurt or worse. While he didn’t doubt the man’s skillset, he knew fate could be a bitch. She’d fucked them over enough times already. Perhaps she would let them have this? The hope spreading through him was terrifying.
“I’m coming home to you. No matter what it takes,” Neil said, lips brushing Marco’s temple. “No matter what.”