They made their way to the front door where Rome stopped to pull out a set of keys. He unlocked the door and glanced at Juno before opening it. Rome took a step inside, his gun raised.
“Marco?” Rome called out.
There was a bit of rustling and they all stilled.
“Romeo?”
Juno could see all the tension fleeing Rome’s body, so he let out a breath and holstered his gun. He moved inside and let Scar close the door after them. Serrano came walking into the hallway, his steps fast as he made his way to them.
“Dante? Where is—”
“He’s safe,” Scar said, stepping out from behind Juno.
Serrano’s gaze jumped from Juno to Scar, a scowl finding his face.
“So now you’ve decided to help?”
“Don’t,” Rome said, a growl in his voice.
Serrano’s jaw ticked, but he didn’t say another word about it. He looked reluctant as he motioned for them to follow. Serrano led the way into a dusty living room. The furniture looked old but well-used. Serrano sat down on the couch with a sigh.
“Is this place safe enough for you to lay low?” Scar asked.
“Oh, we’re not gonna lay low,” Serrano said.
“So. What? The two of you are gonna take on a whole cartel?” Juno asked.
Serrano shook his head. “Just one guy.”
“We know where he is,” Rome added.
“And you call me crazy,” Juno mumbled.
Serrano glanced between him and Rome, but Juno ignored him. He wasn’t sure if Serrano knew about them, but he sure as shit wasn’t going to be the one who told him.
“Juno…” Rome said with a sigh. “We can handle it.”
Juno shook his head. He sincerely doubted that. He didn’t want to discuss anything in front of Serrano, so he walked outside, annoyance filling him when he felt Scar’s eyes on him. He turned to glare at her only to find her smiling.
“What?” he snapped at her.
It didn’t stop her from grinning at him.
“His name is even Romeo,” she said.
He groaned and dropped his head into his hands. Why did she have to be so fucking right? What was wrong with him? He never went out of his way for a hookup. Didn’t even bother to learn their names. What was so different about Rome?
Rome
He watched Juno and Scar leave for a moment before turning his gaze on Marco.
“You okay?” Rome asked.
Marco glanced up at him, then gave him a sharp nod.
“Is Dante?”
“Yeah,” Rome said.
“Why didn’t you go to Lawson?”
Rome sighed. “I did. He sent me to the Kings. Apparently, he knew something about them we didn’t.”
“Apparently,” Marco mumbled. He arched a brow at Rome. “You sure they’ll keep him safe?”
“Yes. Everything King told me made me confident enough to leave Dante with them.”
“Good,” Marco nodded. “We should get moving.”
Marco walked past Rome and, with a sigh, Rome followed him. He stepped outside where he found Juno flipping off Scar who was laughing at him. Rome walked up to them and, figuring since the woman was willing to help them out, he should at least know her full name.
“So, is Scar short for Scarlett?”
Scar glanced up at him, a blank expression on her face. “No.”
She walked off and he watched her with confusion. He felt Juno shift next to him.
“Was it something I said?” Rome drawled.
Juno snorted. “She named herself that. Embracing your faults and all that shit.”
“Faults?”
Juno shrugged and said, “She got blown up overseas.”
“What? Are you serious?”
He had to shake his head. He did not expect that. Not at all.
“Yeah. She was an Explosives Ordnance Disposal Technician. EOD Tech. Navy. She got it wrong one time and it ended her career. It also left her with a huge burn scar across her back and down her leg.”
“Shit,” Rome breathed.
Juno nodded, a somber look on his face. They stood there in silence for a few seconds and he wasn’t surprised when Juno’s thoughts returned to their current problem.
“What happens when we take out this one guy?” Juno asked.
Rome shrugged. “No idea. That could just be it. He was told to leave Marco alone. But they may just want to retaliate.”
“And you’re just willing to risk that?”
“Or do what? Roll over and let that little shit ruin our livelihood?”
Juno arched a brow at him. “Yeah, ‘cause it’s just the best job in the world, isn’t it?”
Anger flared in Rome, but he held it back, his jaw clenched tight as he glared at Juno.
“Tell me, if you came out, would you still have a livelihood? A family?” Juno asked and when Rome didn’t answer, he said, “That’s what I thought.”
“Fuck you. You don’t get to judge me,” Rome hissed.
Juno opened his mouth but before he could say anything, he was cut off by Scar’s shout.
“Are you two coming or what?”
Rome cursed under his breath, then turned and walked to the car.
Chapter Nine
Juno
HE WAS glaring at Rome and he didn’t care. Rome was being a dumbass. Serrano, too. Clearly it wasn’t just the one guy if several had attacked them at Serrano’s house. They had no fucking plan and Serrano was acting purely on emotion. He wasn’t thinking straight, and neither was Rome.
“You’re gonna get yourselves killed,” Juno said.
“Thought you were gonna help?” Rome said with a cocked brow.
Juno shook his head. “I’m not here to watch you die. This is suicide.”
“I agree,” Scar said and crossed her arms.
“If you don’t like it, you’re more than welcome to leave,” Serrano growled.
Juno glared at Serrano. They were in an empty house across the street from the one Jose Alvaro was supposedly in. When they’d gotten there, Serrano had told them what had happened at his place. How they’d been attacked
