Page 71 of Toxic Devotion

How comforting. He shook his head with a low curse he doubted Rome heard when he exited the car. He watched Rome walk toward Alvaro, yelling, “Where’s Juno?”

“Serrano first,” Alvaro yelled back.

Rome turned and walked back to the car, his expression thunderous.

Marco tucked his gun into the back of his pants and waited for Rome to open his door. Rome helped him out while he kept his hands together behind his back, pretending that they were tied. Rome walked him toward Alvaro and Marco had to hold onto his hands tight to keep from jumping at the fucker.

There was some back and forth between Alvaro and Rome though Marco mostly focused on taking in his surroundings and the men around them. He needed to be ready because he knew Rome wouldn’t be.

He clenched his jaw as Rome pulled out his phone, having received a video from Alvaro. A video of Juno. The man was, unfortunately, smart enough to not have brought him.

“What the fuck have you done?” Rome yelled.

When Rome moved toward Alvaro, Marco dug his heels in to try and prevent the man from getting them both killed.

“Oh, don’t worry. He’ll be fine. If you get to him in time,” Alvaro said, smiling at Rome.

Rome yelled at Alvaro who seemed only too pleased with himself and when his men drew their guns, Marco felt Rome freeze behind him for a second.

“You don’t wanna do that,” Rome said.

Alvaro’s sigh had Marco wrapping his fingers around the handle of his gun.

“And why is that?”

“Because it’s gonna be the last fucking thing you do,” Marco growled, pulling his gun and shooting the man closest to Alvaro.

Alvaro’s men started shooting but so did King’s. The man had a sniper who was busy keeping them all alive while they took out Alvaro’s men. Alvaro was hiding behind one of his cars. By not bringing Juno, Alvaro had ensured that they didn’t have a problem shooting at him.

Marco made his way toward Alvaro, but Rome got there faster. Alvaro narrowly escaped him by crawling through his car, and then they both took off running.

He had to shoot his way through two guys before he got to them and by then Alvaro was on the ground next to Rome who was fighting off one of Alvaro’s men with a knife and he managed to stab the man in the gut.

Alvaro got up, a gun in hand and just as Rome turned back toward Alvaro, the man said, “Goodbye, Romeo.”

Marco shot first, his bullet tearing through the man’s skull.

The last thing he expected after that was Rome coming at him, grabbing him by the shirt as he croaked out, “What have you done?”

“He would’ve killed you.”

“He was the only one who knew where Juno is. I can’t…” Rome looked utterly destroyed as he shook his head. “I can’t lose him.”

That was when he knew for sure. Rome was in love with Juno. The kind of love Marco knew well. The kind that could break you.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Marco

GETTING JUNO back had been a shitshow. Well, Alvaro was dead, and they were all alive, so perhaps shitshow wasn’t the right word. Learning just what Juno meant to Rome, though? He hated that it had surprised him. Alvaro had almost killed Rome. That was why the man was dead now instead of tied up for him to torture. He wasn’t sure if he’d truly expected gratitude from Rome but what he’d gotten instead? Fuck. He’d never thought he’d hear Rome say he’d rather be dead so that Alvaro was alive to tell them where he’d put Juno.

He’d always known Rome would sacrifice himself for him. That was their lot in life. That was why he trusted the man explicitly. Knowing that Juno meant more to Rome? As happy as he was for Rome, he was also pissed. Mostly at himself for not seeing it earlier.

He’d been alone for three days. As alone as he could be with Dante running around and his staff and security having returned after being cleared by Neil. Rome had sent him a text to tell him he’d be staying with Juno. A fucking text.

Neil had disappeared, too. Back to work. They’d barely had any contact, and he was going out of his god damned mind and not just because the two men he cared the most about weren’t around but because they hadn’t heard a fucking peep from the cartel either. No one was saying a word and not because they were keeping secrets but because they hadn’t heard anything.

He liked that even less than an obvious threat to his life. Then he’d at least know what to expect. It didn’t make it any better that he didn’t feel safe without Rome and Neil around.