Page 50 of Run to Me

“I’m staying.” The warning glare he levels me with leaves no room for argument. Sighing, I nod, aware his reprimand is far from over.

At the front door, Tatum says, “Come see me as soon as you get settled at Pam’s. I’ll let her know you’re coming.”

“She won’t mind?”

“Of course not. She loves you like a daughter.”

Judge motions for Tatum to raise her hood, then he escorts her out the door.

“Glad you’re okay, Maisy,” Jake says, tossing me a wave before he follows them.

As soon as they’re gone and Marcus shuts the door, he turns on me and loses all the poise he carries in front of the rest of our group. His shoulders drop six inches when the tension leaves him.

“You scared me to death.”

I circle my arms around his waist. He should be comforting me, but he’s the one shaking.

“Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve come to Philadelphia.”

“Honestly, I think I was in shock. I had to get out of there.”

He pulls back and has a closer look at my face. “Swear to me the guy didn’t try anything.”

“I swear. It was a mugging. That’s all.” With my cheek buried in his chest, I tease him. “Head of the family, huh?”

Chuckling, he says, “I don’t know where that came from.”

“Well, it’s true. You keep us in line.”

“Obviously not.” A long exhale flows out of him. “God, baby girl. Don’t ever do that to me again.”

“I’m sorry. I should’ve called you.”

Marcus and I share a special bond no one knows about. Early on, when the cousins first started working for Tatum, he and I stayed up late one night after watching a movie and everyone else had gone to bed. For whatever reason, we opened up to each other.

Something tragic happened to his sister, though he never shared the exact details, but she’s the reason he became overprotective, hyper-diligent, and closed off. After the night we talked about our siblings, I became the little sister he misses dearly, and he became the older brother I wanted Logan to be.

“Will Tatum hate me if I bury her baby’s daddy?”

“I think she will.” I laugh when he sags in defeat. “Give him a chance. I know he acts like a spoiled child most of the time, but he loves her more than anything. And he’s honestly a good guy.”

“Fine. He lives another day, but he owes you a life debt.”

Still locked in our embrace, I say, “This hug has gone on long enough.”

“It really has. But I was so worried about you. Promise me you’ll never put me through that again.”

“I promise.”

We let go of each other, and Marcus drops onto the couch like the weight of the world has become too burdensome to carry. He’s been our Atlas for so long, and we often take him for granted.

I curl up next to him and tuck my legs underneath me. “You should take a break. With Tate moving back to Texas, you can finally chill out and enjoy being with Roni,” I say, waggling my eyebrows at him.

Marcus and his girlfriend, Roni, have been together for a few months. He’s a different man around her—a softer man—and she offers him a slice of normalcy he couldn’t have as a celebrity’s head of security.

He kept Tatum in line for years, a challenging feat with everything she put herself through. Endless tours, endless fans, and endless self-destruction. It’s been a nightmare I’m more than happy to see come to an end. We all are.

“I might. The clubs and parties aren’t doing it for me. Feels like I’m taking ten steps backward. Going from high-risk security to a bouncer with a hand stamp.”