Marcus

8

THE DANCE FLOOR WAS crowded, lights flashing in time with the music and the noise deafening. Marcus held Eden around her waist as they moved. He felt people’s eyes on them, but he took his cue from Eden and pretended he didn’t care.

It was an odd feeling, being the center of attention. Thankfully no one had come up to bother them or ask for Eden’s autograph. The club catered to the wealthy summer crowd in Newport, and the manager had been more than happy to usher Marcus and Eden inside ahead of the rest of the line and provide them with a table in a quiet corner.

A waitress had appeared just moments after they’d sat down with a bottle of Cristal and two champagne flutes. Marcus had reached for his wallet, but the waitress had assured him that the bottle was on the house.

Once he got used to the fact that he was drinking two-hundred-dollar champagne as if it was water, Marcus began to enjoy himself. There was an infectious energy in the club that wasn’t present in the establishments he usually visited. Pool and darts were the main activities at his local pub, and that usually involved drunk men and not scores of beautiful gyrating females.

The music began to wind down, and Marcus bent his head and gave Eden a slow kiss. She smiled up at him, slightly tipsy from the champagne they’d drunk. “Isn’t this fun?”

“It is,” Marcus admitted. “Are you getting tired?”

She nodded. “Take me home. I want to tear off your clothes and make crazy love to you for the rest of the night.”

He glanced around. “Let’s go then.” Marcus laced his fingers through hers and led the way to the door, Eden walking behind him as he pushed through the crowd. When they reached the bar, he flagged down their waitress and gave her a generous tip, then continued toward the exit.

Outside, the air was cool, a breeze coming off the ocean. Marcus wove through the small group still waiting to get inside, and Eden held on to his arm, leaning into him. Everyone stared, but Marcus pasted a smile on his face and nodded at people as he passed.

“Hey, Eden Ross! It’s Eden Ross!”

The guy came out of nowhere, his video camera clutched in his hand. At first, Marcus didn’t understand what he was saying. But then Eden’s fingers tightened on his arm, digging into his biceps. She stepped behind him again, hiding from the curious looks of the crowd.

Marcus held out his hand to warn the guy off, but he continued to approach, staggering as though he’d had too much to drink.

The video camera focused on Marcus now, and Marcus quickly moved his hand in front of the lens. “Hey, buddy, just turn that thing off. We don’t want our picture taken, all right?”

“Jus’ lemme get a picture of her. Who gives a rat’s ass about you?”

Marcus cursed as the man tried to muscle his way past him. He grabbed his arm and gave it a yank, but the guy turned on him, swinging with his free hand. Eden screamed and scampered back, but Marcus had no intention of running from this fight.

“Hey, Eden, is this your new man?” the drunk asked. “Why don’t you both just do it right here on the sidewalk and I’ll tape it? We can all make a million.”

Marcus wasn’t sure what happened next, only that it involved pure instinct and no reasoning at all. His fist came up and connected with the drunk’s nose, and the guy staggered, then fell backward onto the pavement. Marcus bent down and grabbed the video camera, searching for a way to extract the tape.

The drunk’s wife started screaming for someone to call an ambulance and the police, and an instant later the bouncer stepped into the fight, grabbing Marcus from behind. The bouncer had at least fifty pounds on him, but Marcus had been schooled in street fighting from an early age. He brought his heel down on the bouncer’s instep, and the moment his grip loosened Marcus spun on him.

In one sure movement, he tossed the video camera to Eden, then gave the bouncer a swift uppercut to the chin. The punch had little effect beyond a momentary stun, and the bouncer returned with a cross that grazed Marcus’s eye.

Marcus noticed the drunk stumbling to his feet and decided that retreat was in order. He wasn’t about to fight them both. He held up his hands as if to surrender, and when the bouncer lowered his fists, Marcus took off. He grabbed Eden’s hand and pulled her across the street. “We have to get out of here,” he shouted. “Right now.”

The crowd surged toward them as if to get a better look at Eden. But Marcus knew the streets of Newport well enough to make a quick escape. They ducked down a side street, then cut back through an alley. Eden was slowed by the sexy shoes she’d decided to wear, but they managed to reach Marcus’s truck in less than a minute. Marcus helped Eden inside, then grabbed a baseball cap from behind the seat and put it on his head. He hopped in the driver’s side and placed his hand on Eden’s shoulder. “Get down,” he ordered.

Eden did as she was told and they wound through the back streets until they were well away from downtown. “That was a mess,” Marcus muttered, steering the car toward the Newport Bridge.

Eden sat up and stared out the rear window. “I’m sorry.”

He glanced in the rearview mirror. “I don’t think they’re following us.”

“Who?”

“The photographers,” he said. “The guy with the video camera.”

“He wasn’t a photographer,” she said. “I think he was just a tourist. Usually the tabloid photographers wear credentials. That way, they don’t get beat up.”

Marcus cursed beneath his breath. “Great. I just assaulted some poor git from upstate New Hampshire just to protect your honor.”

“You really hit him hard,” she said. Eden held up the video camera he’d tossed to her during the fight. “And you stole his camera.”

“Me? You stole it. I just wanted you to get the tape out. This is why I didn’t want to go to that club. I warned you.”

“Why are you so upset? I go through this all the time. Everywhere I go there are people taking my picture and shouting questions at me. You just have to ignore them.”

“I don’t need my picture taken,” he said.

“Why? Are you ashamed to be seen with me?” Eden asked.

Marcus stared out the windshield at the late-night traffic over the bridge. “Don’t be ridiculous. We went out, didn’t we?”

“Then what’s the problem? I thought we were having fun. Don’t let some tourist with a camera ruin our whole night.”

“I just can’t stand by while some idiot insults you. Did you hear what he said?”

Eden sank back down in the seat, her arms crossed over her chest. “Of course I did. But I didn’t let it get to me. He was drunk, and a lot of people think celebrities are fair game. I’ve just learned to let it roll off my back, Marcus. He doesn’t make a difference to me.”

“Then who does?”

“You do,” Eden snapped. “My mother and father do, to some extent, although that can be hit-and-miss at times. Some of my friends-but not many. And Sarah, my father’s housekeeper, and Maria. And that’s about it. Oh, and your mother. I hope that she has a good opinion of me.”

Marcus glanced over his shoulder as they turned onto the bridge. “I don’t want to provide amusement for some lady waiting on line at the grocery store.”

They drove the rest of the way to Marcus’s place in silence. He wasn’t angry, just frustrated. He and Eden were like a runaway train, heading for the end of their relationship at top speed, and there was nothing he could do about it. At this rate, there was destined to be a huge crash with at least one casualty-him.

In the past, he’d never given a second thought to breakups. In most cases, he was glad to be free of the responsibility for some woman’s happiness. But with Eden, he was loath to face the inevitable.

He craved the feel of her naked body against his, the sensation of sinking into her moist heat and the act of bringing them both to a mindless ecstasy. It wasn’t just the sex. He loved spending time with her. He loved falling asleep with her in his arms and waking up to her sweet smile. He loved her.

He glanced over at her and fought the urge to reach out and touch her. Maybe it was better this way. This incident just proved that he couldn’t live in her world, and she wasn’t willing to give up her world to live in his.

“You’re all right?” he asked.

Eden nodded. “I’m fine.” She glanced over at him and forced a smile. “Thanks for standing up for me. Nobody’s ever done that before.”

“No problem.”

EDEN STOOD IN FRONT of the kitchen sink and filled a glass with water. Marcus watched her from his spot on the sofa. Since they’d returned home, she’d been curiously silent.

He shouldn’t have reacted the way he had, blaming her for what had happened. But how could she expect him to understand or to tolerate behavior that she’d grown immune to? From the start Marcus had protected her, and he wasn’t about to stop now.

She had no more control over the situation than he had. Well, maybe a little control. If she hadn’t made that video, then the drunk with the camera probably would have had to find some other insult to hurl at her. And perhaps Marcus could have tolerated a different one.

Eden sat down at the end of the counter and picked up the camera, fiddling with the buttons until she’d managed to rewind the tape. She walked out of the kitchen, her gaze on the view screen, filming her surroundings as she went.

When she reached the sofa, she turned the camera on Marcus. “Smile,” she said.

He held his hand up in front of the lens. “Stop.”

“Why?”

“You got in enough trouble the last time you appeared on video. And I’ve had enough of cameras for one night.”

“Come on, don’t be so depressing,” Eden said with a pout. “I don’t want to spend our last night together all gloomy and doomy. Smile.”

Marcus shook his head and covered his face with his hands. “Go away, Eden.”

“I’ve got an idea. We’ll just make a little video of our last night together and then you’ll have something to remember me by.”

“I’m not going to play this game with you.”

She pried his hands away from his eyes and trained the camera at his face, standing above him. “Tell me. What did you think the first time you saw Eden Ross?”

“Nice ass,” he muttered. “Naked girl. Big trouble.”

“And what about later?” she continued. “Did you want to touch me?”

The answer was obvious. From the moment he’d met her he’d thought of nothing else. “No,” he lied.

“I don’t believe you,” Eden said, peeking out from behind the camera. “Take your shirt off.”

Marcus refused, but Eden wasn’t about to be deterred. “Then you hold it,” she said, handing him the camera, “and I’ll take my clothes off.” She pointed to the miniature screen on the back. “Just watch me through that and try not to jiggle the camera.”

Marcus grudgingly pointed the camera at Eden. She reached down for the hem of her dress and slowly drew it up over her head. She wasn’t wearing a bra and had chosen a sexy black thong as her only underwear. She let her hands drift up her torso and over her breasts, then brushed her hair away from her face, playing to the camera and to the man behind it. She was deliberately tempting him, and Marcus was loath to admit that it was working.

Eden slowly walked up to him and took the camera, then pulled him to his feet. “Your turn,” she said, dragging him toward the bed.

“Why are we doing this?” Marcus asked as he unbuttoned his shirt.

“Have you ever seen yourself make love to a woman?” Eden asked. “Aren’t you curious? Come on, it’s liberating. It’s like having someone else in the room…but not really.”

He’d never refused Eden anything before, at least not sexually. And he was intrigued. She was right-they should spend their last night together doing something more interesting than arguing. But this was just a reminder of a big mistake she’d made in the past. He grabbed the camera and turned it off.

She stared at him, her mouth pressed into a tight line. “It doesn’t have to be awful like the last one,” she murmured. “It can be sexy and wonderful and real. I want you to remember that it was real.”

“Eden, I’m not going to forget you.”

She nodded. “I know. But I want to share this with you. I trust you, Marcus. I know you would never use this to hurt me.”

He drew a deep breath, then handed the camera back to her. “Just promise me we’re going to burn this tape after we watch it,” Marcus said, letting his shirt drop to the floor.

Eden smiled. “No, I’m going to leave it with you as a memento of our time together. Every now and then you can watch it and it will be like I’m here.”

Marcus kicked off his boat shoes, standing in his bare feet. “I don’t think so,” he said. He undid his belt and Eden let the camera drift lower. “It would be a sad substitute for the real thing.”

“Slower,” Eden ordered, kneeling in the center of the bed and tucking her feet beneath her. “Take your time.”

“Are you the director?” he asked.

“For tonight,” she replied.

As he lowered the zipper of his khakis, Marcus was forced to admit that Eden’s little game was a huge turn-on. Undressing had always been a necessary step, but now it was entertainment. His sexual liberation at Eden’s hands had had no limits, and he didn’t want to stop now. “Is that slow enough?”

“Run your hand over your chest,” she said.

Marcus watched her, but Eden wasn’t looking at him. She was looking intently at the screen. If he wanted to seduce her, then he’d be forced to do it through the lens of the video camera. Smiling, he did as she ordered, smoothing his palm over his chest and belly.

When he reached his pants, he slipped his fingertips beneath the waistband of his boxers. He heard Eden take a sharp breath and her eyes went wide. A tiny smile quirked at the corners of her mouth. “That’s very nice,” she said.

Marcus slid his hand downward and was surprised to find that he was already hard. Though he was familiar with the art of pleasuring himself, he’d never done it in front of anyone. But he wasn’t embarrassed to do it for Eden as long as she found it…arousing.

“Touch yourself,” she murmured. “The way that I touch you.”

He pushed his boxers down, freeing himself from the confines of his clothing. Marcus slowly began to stroke himself, tipping his head back and imagining that it was Eden’s touch on his body. He grew harder with each movement, the sensations coursing through his body more intense because of her presence.

Marcus kept his pace slow, knowing that he wouldn’t finish on his own. He opened his eyes and looked at Eden. She ran her tongue along her lower lip, and he smiled, imagining her tongue running along the length of his shaft.

As if she could read his mind, Eden crawled off the bed and handed him the camera. She knelt down in front of him and tugged his boxers and khakis to the floor. Marcus kicked them aside, and a heartbeat later she took him into her mouth, her tongue caressing the tip of his penis with every stroke.

Marcus held up the camera and watched her through the view screen, his attention completely focused on Eden’s lips and his cock. He’d watched the occasional porno, but this was something much more tantalizing. It was happening to him.

Eden glanced up and smiled. “Tell me what you want,” she said. She ran her tongue along the length of his shaft. “You’re the director now.”

“Take your underwear off and lie down on the bed,” Marcus ordered. He walked over to the dresser and set the camera on top, focusing the lens on the bed. When he returned, Eden was lying across the sheets, her hands skimming over her body.

Marcus watched her for a long time as she touched herself, his fingers clenching with the urge to take over. But she was still performing for him, bringing his desire to a fever pitch. He’d never wanted a woman this badly, and when he finally spread her legs and pushed inside of her, Marcus was almost mindless with need.

The camera recorded every sigh, every stroke, but Marcus wasn’t aware of any of it. The moment he entered her, he was lost in a whirlwind of pleasure, Eden’s body responding to his every movement. He was rough and then gentle. She came twice without his touch, and it was only then that Marcus allowed himself to join her.

His orgasm sent uncontrollable tremors through his body, as if every nerve and muscle had been waiting for release. When he was spent, Marcus lay down beside her, his leg thrown across her hips, his fingers tangled in her hair. Though his mind was void of rational thought, one thing broke through the haze.

How was he supposed to live without this? Without her?

THEY HADN’T SLEPT AT all. They’d spent the night making love and then talking and then making love all over again, caught in an intimate cocoon. Eden curled into Marcus’s body and closed her eyes against the early dawn’s light at the windows.

“Promise me something,” she said.

He turned and pressed a kiss to her temple. “What?”

“Don’t bring another woman into this bed for a while. I don’t want to have to imagine that. If you promise me, then I won’t.”

“I promise.”

Eden knew he’d keep his word, at least for a little while. She trusted him completely. She pressed her lips against his chest and smiled. They’d watched their home movie, giggling over it at first but then allowing themselves to enjoy what they’d done.

Eden wasn’t sure what had possessed her to do it, but in the end she was glad that she had. Now this night would come to memory when she thought about a sex tape. This night full of unbridled passion and complete satisfaction with a man she loved.

She didn’t know how long it would be before they saw each other again-or even if they would-but perhaps when he needed her he might watch the tape again and remember how good it had been between them.

Eden pushed up on her elbow and looked down into his eyes. “Do you ever wonder what it would have been like? If I hadn’t been Eden Ross and…you know. How do you think it would have ended? Would we have been different together?”

Marcus picked up her hand from his chest and studied her fingertips, twisting her fingers between his. “I don’t know. You are Eden Ross and things are exactly as they are. We can’t change that.”

“When we began, it was all about sex. It was very uncomplicated and I thought that’s what I wanted.”

“But?” Marcus asked.

Eden sighed. “Do you ever think it might have been better if we’d believed there could be more between us?” She reached out and slowly ran her hand along the ridge of his collarbone, then traced a line down the center of his chest. Pressing her palm to his warm skin, Eden felt the slow, steady beat of his heart. What would it take to possess Marcus’s heart? Did she have it already or had he just lent it to her for the time they’d been together?

Marcus kissed the top of her head. “I don’t know.”

He grew silent and Eden cursed herself for bringing up the subject. He didn’t answer because he didn’t want to hurt her. It was obvious he had resigned himself to her leaving.

He slowly pulled his arm out from beneath her head, then sat up. “I’m going to get us some breakfast. There’s a bakery in town that opens in a little while. If I get there when they open, the cinnamon rolls are still warm.”

Eden drew the sheet up to her chin. “All right,” she said. “Do you want me to come with you?”

Marcus ran his hand along her arm, his gaze following his fingers. He shook his head. “I won’t be long. You could make some coffee.”

Eden smiled sleepily. “I know how to do that,” she said with a trace of pride. Of all the things she’d attempted so far, coffee had been a success.

She watched him get dressed, admiring the masculine beauty of his body, the long legs and well-formed arms, the wide back and flat belly. She’d touched him so many times, in so many places, that she’d lost sight of how the pieces fit together. Eden took a mental picture of him, then closed her eyes and tried to imprint it on her memory.

When he was dressed, he bent over the bed and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be back in a bit.” A few seconds later the door latched shut, and Eden rolled over, burying her face in the pillow.

Saying goodbye to him at the airport would be impossible. The moment he touched her, she’d lose herself in his embrace. And then it would be awkward and frustrating. He’d feel compelled to kiss her and make some promise that they’d see each other again. And she’d be forced to do the same. And then she’d cry and the tears wouldn’t stop.

Eden crawled out of bed and walked to the kitchen. She grabbed the coffee from the cupboard next to the sink and poured the ground beans into the filter. Then she added water and flipped the switch. Her eyes fixed on the stream of hot liquid as she tried to rid her mind of the worry.

But it was no use. Eden turned and grabbed the phone, then rummaged through the drawer for the directory. There had to be an airport shuttle. She flipped to the back and found a service listed under ‘Limousines,’ then dialed the number, hoping there would be someone in the office but content to listen to a schedule. To her surprise, someone answered.

“Good morning, Newport Shuttle.”

She cleared her throat. “Hello. I’m interested in getting a ride to the Providence airport today. I’m in Bonnett Harbor. When does your shuttle run?”

“We have a shuttle that leaves Newport in about ten minutes,” the woman said. “And then we have one every hour on the hour. And we do have a pickup in Bonnett Harbor this morning for our 5:00 a.m. shuttle. Are you interested in leaving right away?”

Eden hesitated for a moment, glancing around the loft. It would be better this way, she mused. No goodbyes, no promises and no regrets. “Yes, that would be fine.”

“And where will the pickup be?”

“There’s a diner right on the main street. It’s called the Harborview. I’ll be waiting there.”

“The shuttle will be there in about fifteen minutes. I’ll radio the driver and let him know.”

“Fine,” Eden said. “I’ll be ready.” She gave the dispatcher her name and Marcus’s number, and after she’d noted a confirmation number, Eden hung up the phone. She hurried over to the bed and began to gather her clothes from the floor. Most of her luggage was still on Victorious, along with some of the things she’d brought from Europe. But she had her tote and stuffed what she could inside it. What didn’t fit, she tossed into a shopping bag, and five minutes later she was dressed and ready to go.

Eden stood at the door for a long moment, gazing around Marcus’s loft. It was a cowardly way to leave and she knew he’d be hurt. But this way she wouldn’t have to face the very last instant before they parted. The moment when she’d hold her breath and wait for him to ask her to stay, and then he wouldn’t. It was better to believe that it could have happened than to know that it hadn’t.

She hurried down the stairs and out into the boatyard. The sun was already up and the town had begun to stir. Eden ran to the street, then glanced around to make sure Marcus wasn’t on his way home. The diner was five minutes away, and when she got there, the first customers were already seated at the counter.

Eden sat down on a bench outside, and a few minutes later a van pulled up with Airport Shuttle emblazoned on the door. Eden handed her bag to the driver and he opened the door for her. But she hesitated, knowing this was her last chance to change her mind.

Her thoughts wandered back to the previous evening, to the fight on the sidewalk. Marcus’s eye was black. She’d watched the bruise grow over the course of the night. It had been a reminder of the problems she still needed to face. And for now, Eden wanted to face them alone.

She smiled at the driver, then crawled inside the van and took a seat next to an elderly woman. As the van wound through the streets of Bonnett Harbor, Eden smiled. She’d come a long way from the silly party girl who had hidden out on board Victorious. The changes had come so quickly that she wasn’t sure who she was right now. But she knew she was ready to make something out of her life, to become the kind of woman who might deserve a life with a man like Marcus Quinn.

MARCUS TURNED OFF THE ignition to the truck and leaned back in the seat. He’d made the drive to the Providence airport in less than a half hour on empty highways not yet clogged with rush-hour traffic. But now that he was here, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do.

He’d come home to find Eden gone, a note left on his pillow scrawled in big letters. No regrets. Nothing more, except an E at the bottom with a little heart beneath it. At first, he’d been angry. Why would she sneak out? Had she planned this all along?

But then he realized that she had been dreading their goodbye as much as he had. It was so much easier just to avoid it. Yet Marcus couldn’t let it end there. He needed to see her one last time, just to look into her eyes.

He didn’t know what he was going to say or if he’d say anything at all. But he wanted to kiss her and let that be the last thing between them, not some letter on his pillow. He glanced at his watch. Her plane didn’t leave for hours, but there was always a chance that she planned to catch an earlier flight. Hell, he wasn’t even sure she was at the airport.

Marcus clutched the steering wheel and drew a deep breath. This was it. If he had any intention of asking her to stay, now was the time to make that known. Every ounce of his being told him that it was the right thing to do. No matter what she was going through, she was better off with him. And she had to see there was more to what they shared than just sex. There was trust and affection and honesty and a friendship that had been growing since the first day they’d met. And though they’d spent less than two weeks together, it had been enough for Marcus to see that he was in love with Eden Ross.

These feelings were so strange and confusing, how could they be anything else? Marcus glanced at his watch, then closed his eyes. He’d wait ten minutes, and if he still felt the same way, then he’d walk into the airport and find her and ask her to stay.

He stared at the clock on the dash, watching as it ticked through the time. Each minute seemed to drag by, yet it only confirmed that asking her to stay was the right thing to do. They needed time to talk about a future, to consider all the pitfalls and the possibilities.

When the ten minutes were up, Marcus drew another deep breath, then smiled. There was no doubt in his mind. He needed Eden in his life. He didn’t want to think about what he’d do if she refused him. That wasn’t a possibility, for he’d thought of every argument to convince her not to go.

He jumped out of the truck, then ran across the parking ramp to the stairwell. When he reached the ground floor, he headed to the terminal, watching the signs for the airline he was looking for. He got on line behind several people, and when he reached the ticket clerk, Marcus gave her a charming smile. “I’d like to know if a passenger has checked in yet. Her name is Eden Ross.”

“I’m sorry, sir, we’re not allowed to give out information on our passengers.”

“I just need to know if she’s here in the airport.”

“You could have her paged.”

Marcus shook his head. “No, I don’t want to do that. Then the whole airport will know she’s here. She has a flight out at two to Los Angeles. How do I know this? Because I know her and I know when she’s traveling. Did she check in yet?”

“Are you a friend of hers? Or a reporter?” the woman asked, sending him a suspicious look.

“A friend, I swear,” Marcus said. “Actually, more than a friend.”

She studied him shrewdly. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t do any harm. She did check in, but she’s already gone. She switched her ticket to an earlier flight, and it left about ten minutes ago.”

Marcus shook his head. “You’re sure?”

The ticket agent nodded. “I exchanged the ticket myself. She was anxious to get back home. And to avoid spending any time waiting in the airport.”

“Thanks.”

“Sorry,” she said.

“So am I.”

As Marcus walked back out of the airport, he wondered if maybe this was what was meant to be. If he was supposed to have stopped her, then he wouldn’t have wasted ten minutes screwing up his courage to stop her. He would have left earlier and driven faster and parked in the tow-away zone and run into the airport and gotten to her on time. But instead he’d dragged his feet the entire way.

It would be a long drive back to Bonnett Harbor if he planned to beat himself up about this. Eden was gone and there was nothing he could do about it now. If these feelings continued, then he’d have to deal with them. But for now, he’d try to get back to his life as it had been before he’d met Eden.

As he walked out to the car, Marcus’s cell phone rang. He yanked it out of his pocket, saying a silent prayer that Eden had decided to say goodbye after all. He frowned as he saw his home number on the caller ID. Marcus flipped open the phone. “Hello?”

“Marcus. It’s Ian. I’m at your place and I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to borrow your video camera.”

“No problem,” Marcus said. “It’s in the-”

“I’ve got it,” Ian interrupted. “Hey, I didn’t realize you bought a new one.”

“A new-” Marcus’s words died in his throat. “No, you can’t use that one.”

“Why not? It looks much nicer than your old one. Hey, thanks, bro. I’ve got to go. I have to tape a meeting for the town board. I’ll talk to you later.”

“No,” Marcus said. He heard the phone click on the other end. With a curse, he punched his home number. The phone rang ten times before he hung up. “Bloody hell,” he muttered. “I knew we shouldn’t have made that video.”

Either Ian or the town board was about to get an eyeful. Marcus crossed back to the parking ramp. On the way home, he’d stop at the police department and talk his brother into giving him the tape. If he was lucky, there wouldn’t be any questions. Otherwise, he’d have an awful lot of explaining to do.