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The minute he'd seen the hotel number on his screen, a cold spear of anxiety had thrust through Thomas' chest, tightened in his stomach. Why would Josh call him at this time of night, unless it was about Marcus?
He listened, his brow drawing down, his mouth settling in a straight line. "How long? Since after lunch? Is she okay? Good. He wouldn't have forgiven himself if he'd really hurt her. Yeah. I'm worried too. I'll call him. Maybe he'll answer for me. " He cut the call, responded to his mother's worried look. "It's Marcus. He. . . " He shook his head, ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I think I stirred stuff up from his past, Mom. Bad stuff. I don't think he really believes I'm coming back to him. "
"And you're here, where you can't help him. "
"No. " On that point, Thomas held firm, despite the fear in his gut. "This is the way to prove to him I'm serious, that he doesn't have to manipulate or use force to keep me.
That I'm choosing to be with him. I think this has more to do with him, with the demons of his past. "
His mother digested that, an odd look on her face. "Call him, honey. Right now. " Thomas was already dialing. Six rings and he knew it would go to voice mail on seven. Four. . . five. . .
C'mon, you stubborn bastard. Pick up.
"Yeah. "
"Where the hell are you?"
Marcus blinked at the explosive tone. "In New York, last time I checked. "
"I know that. Where? Exactly. And if you say it's none of my business, I will point out that the person you ask to marry you does have a right to know where you are.
Basically forever. All the time. "
"You haven't agreed, but I can assure you I'm not off somewhere sticking my dick into an inappropriate orifice. "
"Marcus, cut it out. Where are you?"
"Where I grew up. "
"You're on foot?"
"If I drove the Maserati down here, I'd have to be selling a crate of crack out of the trunk or drive it to a chop shop myself and collect the take for the parts. I took the subway. "
"Okay, why are you in the part of New York City most likely to get you killed, at nearly three in the morning?"
Marcus studied the dark alley in front of him. He could hear the subtle sounds of the street people burrowing down, trying to make themselves invisible to the nocturnal predators.
He'd passed a few of those early on, and given them as threatening a look as they could hope to deliver. The streets never left a man, and it showed. They'd been keeping their distance, but he was an oddity and eventually one would be stupid. Some dark part of him had been looking forward to it.
"Josh really should have been a woman. You too, maybe. Even though I wouldn't have paid the slightest attention to either one of you. "
"Marcus, I swear to God, you are really pissing me off. "
"Why? Because I'm taking a stroll down memory lane?"
"Because - " There was a murmur of conversation, some type of low level argument, then another voice came on the line. One he didn't expect.
"Marcus, this is Elaine. I don't know what you're doing, or why. But I told you something that day, a long time ago. You remember it?"
"I might. You said a lot of things that day I ignored. "
"Stop being a wiseass. I told you not to sacrifice my son on the altar of your past demons. He's here tonight, telling me he loves you with all that he is. He's one of the best men I know, so if he tells me that, it must mean there's more to you than the arrogant smartass that has darkened our door before. " Marcus stopped in place, his hand clutching the phone. "I doubt that's true," he said, grasping for something to say, his mind scrambling.
"You promised to love him, and be with him forever. Is that true?"
"Yes. "
"Then you don't do that by deliberately putting yourself in harm's way for no good reason. That's spitting on the love he's offering, that you offered to him. You have to take care of each other if you're going to spend a lifetime together.
