Page 54 of Toxic Devotion

Neil nodded, relieved that Marco was willing to reach out to the Kings. They had no guarantees but if there was even a chance of the Kings helping, they needed to take it.

“Rome?” Marco said. “Give us a minute.”

Rome’s jaw ticked but he walked out of there, though not without giving Neil a deadly glare on the way.

“Are you sure about this?”

He turned toward Marco who looked more exhausted than he’d seen in years. The last time had to have been when his sister was murdered.

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Marco nodded and dropped his head forward, his shoulders moving with the sigh he released.

“Marco,” he said and walked closer. Marco snapped his head up to glare at him, but if he thought that would stop him, he was sorely mistaken. He pulled Marco against his chest and wrapped his arms tight around him. Marco was tense for a few seconds before he sighed and dropped his head against Neil’s shoulder.

“It’ll be okay.”

“I thought you knew better than to make promises you can’t keep,” Marco mumbled into Neil’s shirt.

Neil felt his lips quirk. “I do. This is one I intend to keep.”

He would always keep Marco safe. Always.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Marco

THE MEETING with the Kings had gone about as well as he’d expected. They weren’t exactly friends. It was more of an enemy of my enemy situation. At least King was considering it. He didn’t have high hopes, though.

He looked up from his desk, a frown forming between his brows. Rome was fidgeting, which wasn’t normal for him. He didn’t have to guess why. Rome was seeing someone. Or, at least fucking someone. He’d fucked plenty of guys over the years. Usually, he was extremely subtle about it, knowing full-well that that information couldn’t get out, but not this time. Oh, Rome was still subtle, just not to him.

He wasn’t sure he liked it. At all. Not that he didn’t wish love for Rome, but it fucking hurt to see. He would never have that. He’d had it once and it had shattered him. It had broken him into so many pieces he would never be able to put them all back together again.

He still fucked Neil when the urge hit but he guarded his heart. Not that he really needed to. It had turned to stone when Alicia died. His compassion somehow hadn’t suffered though he’d never had that much of it to begin with, but a certain detective always knew how to pull on it. Neil’s detective, or at least he had been. Cade was his own man, now, having quit Neil and the CIA for good. He liked that for him. He liked throwing it in Neil’s face even more.

He turned his gaze back to Rome and couldn’t help his glare. The man was shifting his weight, gaze clouded.

“Have somewhere to be, Rome?”

Rome grunted. “No.”

He straightened in his chair and narrowed his eyes at Rome. “Don’t lie to me.”

Rome let out a sigh and said, “Thought you didn’t want to know about my love life.”

Love life. Not sex life. Interesting.

Marco pushed his chair back and stood, then walked up in front of Rome who raised his chin to meet his gaze.

“Is that why you didn’t want to get on your knees for me?” Marco asked.

“No,” Rome said through clenched teeth, “and you know that.”

He did know. He was just… tired. Tired of feeling like he was alone in this whole fucking world. Not knowing who he could trust. Being with Rome would’ve been easy. They’d been each other’s first for a reason. They’d always only had each other. But he didn’t feel that way for Rome. Never had. They’d just been horny teenagers with no other options back then.

“You know it’s wrong for us,” Rome said firmly.

Marco stared at him for a moment before releasing a sigh. “I know.”