Page 51 of Toxic Devotion

Marco

IT WAS hard to believe that this was what his life had become. He didn’t know who to trust anymore. Hell, there were only very few people he’d trusted to begin with and even some of those people had left him hurt and broken.

“You wanted to see me?”

Marco glanced up, seeing Rome standing in the doorway. He put down the pen he was holding and got out of his chair, then walked around his desk.

Rome straightened, a cautious look in his eyes as Marco leaned back against the front of his desk with a sigh.

“This is a fucking shit show,” he growled, gaze on the floor. He wished it would open up and swallow him whole so he wouldn’t have to deal with this shit.

“Boss?”

Marco’s head snapped up. “Guys I’ve worked with for years are turning on me. Stealing from me. I don’t know who to trust anymore.”

“You can trust me,” Rome said.

“Can I?”

Rome nodded and took a step closer. “You know there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

Marco arched a brow at him and said, “Then get on your knees.”

Rome answered exactly the way he expected him to.

“No,” Rome said and crossed his arms.

“Nothing you wouldn’t do, huh?”

“Except that.”

“Too bad.”

“Why? It’d only be to provoke that spook of yours,” Rome said.

Anger flashed through him.

The last thing he wanted to think about was Neil. He used the man for sex and that was it. He’d told himself for years that it was only because he felt safe fucking him compared to some stranger. Neil was a pro. They would never get caught. No one would ever find out and risk his life and livelihood.

It was true, but it wasn’t the whole truth.

He didn’twantanyone else. He couldn’t be with anyone else. He hadn’t even tried. Not even thinking of someone else could get him hard anymore. He’d known from early on that Neil was it for him. Too bad Neil had fucked that up.

“I need you to go secure the next shipment. Just you and two men of your choosing. I trust your judgment,” Marco said.

Rome bowed his head before turning on his heels and walking out the door.

He collapsed into his chair with a sigh. He had a distinct feeling that this whole thing was about to blow up in his face. He ran his hands down his face, whishing things were different.

He didn’t realize he’d dozed off until a buzzing sound had him jerking awake. He blinked rapidly, groaning when his neck smarted from him having slept in a bad position in his chair. The buzzing came from his phone. He wasn’t expecting Rome’s call so soon. Emptying the container usually took a little while and they must’ve barely just arrived at the container terminal.

He picked up his phone, a sour feeling settling in his gut.

“Rome.”

“They got to the shipment,” came Rome’s distraught voice over the phone. “They shot at us. They got away.”

Marco squeezed his eyes closed for a second.