Page 21 of Emma's Element

“Bullshit,” Jude spat.

“Yeah, that’s pretty much how Emma had reacted as well. She brought up the importance of bringing attention to groups such as yours.”

The guys nodded. “So, she’s mad because you wanted to give up the screenplay?” wondered Logan.

“I don’t know. I think she was okay when I told her I’d think about it.”

“Then what else happened?” Finch asked.

Marcus reflected on that night and his conflicting thoughts when it came to Emma. He’d gone from worry about her safety, to fear, to overwhelming relief when she’d been safe. It had been a riot of emotions that troubled him. He’d attempted to put some space between them, worried about what would happen when he had to leave her. Perhaps he’d unintentionally pissed her off while trying to maintain a distance. He wasn’t ready to share his burgeoning feelings for her with the guys, so he kept his mouth shut.

“Well?” Tin Man prompted.

“I don’t know. I got a phone call, and she got ready to leave.”

“That’s it?” Logan asked.

“Who was the phone call from?”

“My publicist, but I don’t see why that matters.”

Logan rolled his eyes. “It must matter if she’s mad at you for some reason.”

Finch snickered. “You would know. Logan’s our expert fuck up when it comes to women. Especially since his epic fuck up lasted fifteen years.”

“Hey, I was eighteen. Too young and dumb to know better.”

“And what’s your excuse from a few months ago when you decided Annika’d be better off without you?” Finch asked.

“Yeah, well, you guys set me straight on that one. I realized the errors of my ways, reunited with my girl only to then get shot,” lamented Logan, rubbing his abdomen over the lingering scar.

“Pussy,” Jude muttered.

“Aw, poor baby,” crooned Finch.

“Fuck, I get no respect among this group.”

Marcus laughed. “Did you just channel Rodney Dangerfield?” Logan shrugged with a grin.

“You’ll get respect when you stop fucking up with your girl,” intoned Finch.

The guys erupted in laughter, and Logan flipped Finch the bird. “At least I got the girl in the end. Tell me, Finch, how’s Jolene?”

That shut Finch up as the others continued to howl with laughter. “I believe we were talking about Marcus’s problem, not mine,” Finch complained.

After they brought themselves back into a semblance of control, Logan noted, “She must have overheard something in your phone conversation that upset her.”

“I can’t imagine what? Colleen, my publicist, has been badgering me to get the story of what I’m doing with you Nighthawks out to the public. The woman won’t take no for an answer. We argued, but I refused to budge. Emma thanked me for attempting to protect you all from the media bullshit.”

“She thanked you?”

“Yeah, but she wouldn’t look me in the eye, and it was like she was trying to get away from me as quickly as possible.” Marcus didn’t know why he was sharing all this with them. For the first time in a long time, he felt comfortable enough with a group of men to share things he wouldn’t normally tell anyone.

“That’s it?” Tin Man echoed Logan’s earlier words.

“Well, Colleen wants me to attend a red carpet event in a few weeks. She asked me to arrange things with Donna who is going to accompany me.”

“Who’s Donna?” Logan asked.

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