by Ana Night
Marco groaned. “I have to take this.”
Rome gave him a nod and watched as Marco made his way into the house. The stress was clearly taking a toll on Marco and Rome got it. He really did. The only time he’d allowed himself to relax the past few days was when he was with Juno.
He stayed outside with Dante for a long time, trying not to think about what came next and how it might affect Juno and him. They were going after Alvaro no matter what. No matter if the Kings decided to help. Though he hoped they would. Otherwise, he didn’t want to consider the grudge Marco would hold against the Kings and thereby, against Juno. It wouldn’t exactly make Rome want to mention their relationship to Marco. Not that it was a relationship. Or that he wanted it to be. Not at all.
Juno
He was sitting at the table in the room they used for church along with most of the others when King and Joker walked through the door. They sat down and Juno held his breath until King spoke.
“Marco Serrano has asked for our help,” King said.
People started talking. Loudly and with curse words. It was easy to understand why they were confused and possibly offended. First off, a mobster asking them for help? Especially Serrano? Had never happened before in all the time the club had been around. Second. He was sure most were confused as to why they were even holding a vote on the matter.
“Why would we help him?” Saint asked King.
King looked at Saint and said, “Normally, I wouldn’t even consider it.”
“But?” Saint pressed.
“But,” King said with a sigh. “We’re already involved. Maybe even more than we know.”
“The guys who shot at the Jackals outside Dara’s school were all cartel,” Joker said. “Serrano handled them and now one of them is looking to take him out.”
“What does that have to do with us?” Stiletto asked.
“In case you’ve forgotten, the Jackals were working for the Henchmen. How much you wanna bet the cartel doesn’t care what they call themselves nowadays?” Juno said.
The room fell silent for a few heartbeats before King cleared his throat.
“I already talked to Ares. They haven’t had much contact with the cartel since they split from the Henchmen, but that makes sense if the cartel has been focusing on Serrano.”
“Any reason Ares didn’t warn us about them?” Bones asked, irritation clear in his voice.
“He wanted to take care of it himself,” Saint said. “I’d wager he’d say we’ve already done enough for them.”
“We can’t afford another war,” Auggie said and looked over his shoulder at his partner. “We got lucky last time. But a cartel? We’ll lose more than just one man and you know it.”
As much as Juno hated to admit it, Auggie was right. They had gotten lucky. Real lucky.
“Everyone in favor of helping Serrano say aye,” Joker said.
Not a word was spoken and for some reason, Juno felt guilty for not standing behind Rome. He wanted to help Rome. He did. He just didn’t want to compromise his club doing it. Didn’t want to risk the lives of his family for a feud that wasn’t theirs.
Juno glanced around at his brothers and sisters. The last thing he wanted was to lose any of them. He didn’t want to lose Rome either. Right then he understood what it meant to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. Personally, he would help Rome with anything, no questions asked. But with the club? Normally, he wouldn’t even entertain the idea. Things were fucking weird. Crazy. Rome made him crazy. Crazier Rome would probably say. He wouldn’t exactly be wrong, either.
Rome
He walked into Marco’s office just as Marco cursed and threw his phone across the room. It hit the wall just a few feet from Rome and fell to the floor.
“Motherfucker,” Marco growled.
“I take it the Kings won’t be helping us, then?”
“Whatever gave you that impression,” Marco drawled.
Rome sighed and bent down to pick up Marco’s phone. He wasn’t surprised. Disappointed? Yes. But surprised? No. It was a lot to ask of them. They hadn’t started this.
Rome handed Marco his phone just as both their phones went off and Rome froze.
“Is that…?”
“The alarm,” Marco said.
Someone had breached the perimeter. Someone was coming for Marco. Fuck.
“Take Dante,” Marco said. “You know what to do.”
“My job is to protect you.”
“You’re the only one I trust with him.”
Fuck. He clenched his teeth hard, then gave Marco a sharp nod before turning on his heels. He ran out of the office and down the hallway. He made it up the stairs in record time and nearly slid across the floor when he turned into Dante’s room. Dante was sitting on the floor playing with his toy cars and looked up with huge eyes when he heard Rome.
“Dante,” he yelled. “We have to go. Now.”
Dante got up without complaint and ran to Rome who picked him up. Dante held on tight and buried his face against Rome’s neck. He held Dante close as he ran to the corner of Dante’s room where there was a secret passage. He pushed the wall-door open and stepped inside, ducking down so neither of them would hit their heads on the low ceiling. He closed the door after them and dug his phone out of his back pocket to turn on the flashlight. With the light on, he hurried down the tiny staircase. Dante’s room was closest to the garage on purpose. When Marco’d had the escape route built, his sister had told him it was unnecessary. Rome had never thought so. Marco was smart. Always prepared. It was what had kept him alive all these years.
He got to the hidden door leading into the garage and put down Dante. He pulled his gun and leaned his ear against the door. When he didn’t hear anything, he turned and crouched down in front of Dante.
“Stay here and stay quiet, okay? I’ll be right back. I’m not leaving you, okay?”
Dante nodded even though he had tears in his eyes and fear written all over his face. The kid was smart enough to know they were in danger. He was also scared enough to do exactly as he was told.
Rome took a deep breath before pulling open the door. With his gun first, he stepped into the garage. He didn’t see nor hear anyone, so he grabbed the key to one of the cars parked there and went back for Dante. He picked up the boy and carried him to the car. He opened the back door and told Dante to get on the floor and stay down. The second he opened the garage door he would be giving away their position.
He got behind the wheel and with a deep breath, he pushed the button to the garage door and turned the key, starting the car. The second the door was up far enough for the car to fit under it, he slammed his foot on the speeder. He heard shouting but didn’t look as he jerked the wheel to the left. The car swerved on the way down the driveway, making him curse. He heard gunshots but they were too far away to be aimed at them, which didn’t exactly help because that meant they were aimed at Marco.
“It’s okay, kiddo,” Rome said when he heard whimpering from the backseat. “It’s gonna be okay.”
He tried not to drive too fast. The last thing he wanted was to get pulled over with not only a gun on him, but several in the trunk, and a kid that wasn’t his.
He talked to Dante the whole way into town, doing what he could to ensure the kid was all right. Not that he thought he was. Dante was usually an exuberant little boy, always ready with a cheeky comment. But being shot at and forced to run would probably make anyone go quiet.
He pulled the car into one of the parking spaces meant for cop cars in front of the entrance to the police station. He didn’t give a shit about the car getting towed and he knew Marco wouldn’t either. He pulled the handbrake and took his phone, sending everyone a text to lay low. There was no way of knowing who Alvaro would go after next.
He put his phone in the glove compartment, knowing the cartel had ways of tracking it, and grabbed one of the burners stashed in there. He got out of the car and went to close his door, then cursed when he remembered he w
as carrying and unholstered his gun. As much as he hated leaving it, he knew he had no choice. Dante was more important. He threw the gun under the driver’s seat before opening the backdoor. Dante was still on the floor, his tiny arms wrapped around his knees. He looked up at Rome with big, watery eyes.
“It’s alright, kiddo. You’re safe now,” Rome said and reached for him.
Dante took Rome’s hand and let him pull him to his feet. They hurried inside before someone noticed the car and decided to arrest Rome. Dante clung to Rome’s leg, so he picked up the boy and made his way to the front desk. He cut in front of a woman whose yelling he ignored.
“I need to see Detective Lawson. Right now,” he said.
The woman behind the desk looked up at him, a blank expression on her face as she arched a brow at him.
“Right the fuck now,” Rome growled. “Tell him it’s Serrano.”
That name evidently made all the difference. Her eyes went wide, and she kept them on Rome while she picked up her phone and made the call. Dante stayed quiet and kept his face pressed against Rome’s shoulder while they waited. It wasn’t long, even though it felt that way, before a certain blond-haired detective came walking out of an elevator. The guy behind him was tall with brown hair and observant green eyes. Lawson stopped in front of Rome and cocked his head to the side.
“D’Alessio,” Lawson said, his gaze going to Dante for a second before returning to Rome. “Not the Serrano I was expecting.”
“Marco sent me. I need—”
Lawson cut him off, saying, “This way.”
Rome followed the two cops into the elevator. Just being at the police station made his skin crawl and talking to two cops didn’t exactly make it better.
“Banks. My partner,” Lawson said while pointing at the man next to him. Then he motioned at Rome. “D’Alessio. Serrano’s right-hand man.”
Rome gave Banks a nod even if the guy looked like he’d much rather strangle Rome than say hello. When the elevator stopped moving and the doors opened, Rome followed the cops through a hallway and into a bullpen with several other cops seated at desks. He fought back a shudder.
Lawson led the way into an office and Banks held the door for Rome who glared at the man as he stepped inside. Banks closed the door after them and Rome put Dante, who still hadn’t said a word, down on his feet.
“Hey, Dante? Do you like to color?” Lawson asked as he crouched down in front of Dante.
Dante glanced up at Rome who smiled and nodded at him. Dante turned back to Lawson and nodded. Lawson set him up at one of the desks with plenty of paper and a mountain of crayons before crossing the room to stand next to Banks, facing Rome.
“Alright,” Lawson said. “What’s all this about?”
“I need you to take Dante. Make sure he gets somewhere safe,” Rome said.
“Whoa, hold up,” Banks said. “You want us to what?”
Rome growled. “Take the kid. He’s not safe.”
“Why? What’s Marco gotten himself into?” Lawson asked.
Rome didn’t say a word.
Banks sighed, then said, “If you don’t talk, we can’t help.”
“Then get me Neil’s number.”
Both cops looked surprised. He wasn’t sure if he liked that or not.
Lawson cleared his throat. “Uh, I kinda very intentionally lost Neil’s number. Sorry.”
Rome squeezed his eyes closed for a second and rubbed the bridge of his nose. The fuck was he supposed to do then?
Lawson opened his mouth but before he could say anything, Banks put a hand on his shoulder.
“We can take the kid, but he’ll go to social services. I don’t know if Marco would get him back and I do not want to even imagine what a man like him would do to get him back,” Banks said.
“Babe,” Lawson said and crossed his arms while glaring at Banks. “There’s no way in hell I’d ever hand him over to social services.”
Rome blinked at Lawson. Had he heard that right? They were together? Well, stranger things had happened, he supposed. The past week was a testament to that.
“Correction, there’s no way in hell we’d take home a Serrano,” Banks said, determination set on his face.
“But—”
“No,” Banks growled. “I’m not risking everything for someone like Serrano.”
“He’s just a kid.”
“Who’ll grow up to be just like his uncle.”
Lawson opened his mouth, but Banks cut him off, saying, “One mobster in the family is more than enough.”
They both went quiet for a while so Rome cleared his throat and asked, “I take it you won’t help, then?”
“I probably shouldn’t even be saying this but…” Lawson trailed off and glanced at Banks for a moment before looking back at Rome. “If you need someone to take Dante somewhere safe, I’d wager your best bet would be the Salvation Kings.”
“What?” Rome croaked out.
Lawson was biting his lip, his gaze shooting to Dante who was completely lost in his drawing.
“You show up with him and I can almost guarantee they’ll help you.”
“How do you know?”
“Look, it’s not… I can’t really explain. Just know that I owe Marco and I would never let anything happen to a kid. Please, just trust me?”
Rome looked into Lawson’s eyes and all he found there was sincerity and compassion. Marco trusted the man enough to make him a part of Dante’s emergency exit plan, so Rome would trust him as well.
He gave Lawson a nod, then walked over to the desk to get Dante. He gave the kid a minute to paint the part he claimed was vital to get done before they could leave and then he picked him up. Once in the elevator, he looked up the number to the tattoo shop and pressed the call button. He let out a relieved sigh when he heard the one voice he wanted to hear the most.
“Juno? I need a favor.”
Chapter Eight
Juno
HE PULLED up in front of the police station with a frown covering his forehead. If Rome had been arrested, Juno would think he’d be the last person the man would call. It was weird. Rome hadn’t given him any details, just asked him to get in a car and go to the police station and like an idiot, he hadn’t questioned it, he’d just done it. He had no idea what to expect, but to see Rome come out of the door to the police station with a kid in his arms, certainly hadn’t been at the top of his list.
Rome glanced around before jogging across the street. He opened the door to the backseat and buckled in the kid. Then Rome got into the passenger seat.
“Uh, hi?” Juno shook his head at himself, then glanced at the kid on the backseat. “Is he your…?”
“Dante.”
“Dan—oh.” Juno’s eyes went wide. Dante. Marco Serrano’s nephew. “Why were you—”
“I just need you to take us to King,” Rome said.
Juno blinked at him. “Uh, sure.”
The drive was awkward as fuck. Dante was as quiet as Rome, and Juno didn’t seem to be able to make his thoughts go silent. He had no idea what was going on and his brain trying to fill in the blanks only made it worse.
He drove into the courtyard and almost let out a sigh of relief as he turned off the car. He watched as Rome helped the kid out, still not sure what the hell was going on. Just as he was going to tell Rome to follow him into the clubhouse, King and Joker came walking out. King was frowning the whole way up to them.
“D’Alessio?”
“King. I was told you could help,” Rome said. “That you could make sure Dante was safe.”
“Who told you that?” Joker asked, his gaze going to Juno.
Juno shook his head. He hadn’t said a damned word.
“A mutual friend,” Rome said. “Serrano was attacked. I have to go back for him, and I can’t do that while towing around a kid. That’s not fair to him.”
King stared at Rome for a moment before motioning for him to follow. Rome glanced at Juno, then down at Dante, and Juno
cursed himself silently when he got the hint.
“Go with Juno, Kiddo,” Rome said and pushed the boy toward Juno.
Juno tried for a warm smile as he crouched down in front of Dante.
“I don’t bite. Scouts honor,” he said and held his little finger out toward Dante.
Dante narrowed his eyes at him, the serious look on his face reminding Juno of his uncle.
“That’s a pinky promise,” Dante said, making Juno chuckle.
A small smile found Dante’s lips, so Juno held out his hand and said, “Come on. I’m sure we have soda and candy somewhere inside.”
Dante grinned, then glanced at Rome who gave him a nod. Dante took Juno’s hand and Juno straightened, his gaze on Rome as he followed King and Joker to King’s office.
He shook his head and walked into the clubhouse with Dante in hand. Gabe seemed more than happy to take over babysitting duty, so Juno let him and walked behind the bar to grab a beer. It was definitely that kind of day.
Waiting was the worst. He kept looking at the clock on his phone even though he had no idea how long it would take them. Fifteen minutes later, he was still nursing his beer, his attention divided between the kid and the door. Luckily, Gabe was great with kids, so he didn’t have to worry about Dante. Gabe had it under control.
The door opened, Joker and King walking through it. Juno straightened and tried to see behind them, but it was only the two of them. He frowned and stood. He watched King walk up to Dante and get down in front of him. Juno waited a bit but when Rome still hadn’t shown up, he decided to go find him.
He walked out into the courtyard but didn’t see Rome anywhere. He headed into the garage and when he found the door to King’s office open, he peeked inside. Rome was leaned against King’s desk, his head down.
“Hey,” Juno said and stepped into the room.
Rome glanced up, his expression softening when he saw Juno.
“You okay?” Juno asked.
Rome nodded but that didn’t fool Juno. He walked across the room to stand in front of Rome and put a hand against Rome’s cheek. He leaned in to brush his lips to Rome’s. Rome wrapped his arms around Juno and pulled him close, tilting his head and deepening the kiss. Rome turned them around and pushed Juno against the desk, then lifted him up on it and stepped between his legs. Their tongues tangled, the kiss hungry. Desperate.