Then he stepped into the room, and I caught sight of a long white scar along his forearm. Thin, clearly old – but the shape of it made my brain itch.
I remembered a busted bike chain. A stupid teenage dare. Blood smeared on the pavement and way too much laughing for how bad it actually was.
My breath caught. "Charlie?"
His mouth tugged into a crooked grin. "There it is. Knew you weren't that thick."
"You're with the police now?"
“Don’t sound so shocked. I turned out alright.” He kept his voice low as his gaze drifted briefly toward Rowan, then back to me. “Didn’t think I’d run into you two likethis, though.”
I didn't, either.
“I caught the call by chance. Figured I’d just be taking another random domestic. When I walked in and saw you passed out in the waiting room, I thought I'd had one too many late nights.”
I swallowed hard and sat back down slowly.
There was a brief pause before he asked, more serious now, "So what the hell happened?"
I didn't know how much to tell him. I had no real proof – just bruises, gut instinct, and the way Rowan flinched at me earlier today. I couldn't exactly pin this on Marcus. Not yet.
Finally, I just said, "I went around to check on him and found him like this in his flat."
Charlie studied me for a second. "You didn't see who did it?"
I shook my head. "No one else was there. Just him."
He watched me for a beat longer with an oddly careful look. Then his voice dropped even quieter. “You’re leaving something out.”
My jaw tightened.
“I get it if you don’t want to accuse anyone. But off the record, what’s your gut telling you?”
I hesitated. It would’ve been easier to lie or just say I didn't know. But Charlie wasn’t a stranger, and right now, I needed to tell someone who wouldn't think I was imagining things.
So I met his eyes and said, “I think his boyfriend got his hands on him.”
He exhaled through his nose, quiet but not surprised. “You know his name?”
“Marcus Carter.”
He glanced toward the bed, then pulled out a small notebook to jot something down. “Alright. That gives me something to use, at least. I need to file a report to cover protocol, but I can't do much more than that.”
I looked at him sharply. “So that’s it?”
“That’s notit,” he said, calmly. “It’s just all I can doright now. I can't arrest someone based on a hunch. Unless he does something else or Rowan talks, my hands are tied."
My throat tightened, but I gave a nod. “Yeah... Okay.”
He tucked the pen and notebook away. “In the meantime, I’ll make sure the staff flags the file. Marcus won't get past the front desk."
“Alright. Thanks.”
Charlie lingered for a moment, then his voice dropped, more thoughtful this time. "You've always looked out for him. Glad to see that hasn't changed."
That caught me off guard more than I wanted to admit. But I didn't say anything.
After a beat, he added, "If things get out of hand, or Rowan decides he's ready to talk, you know where to find me." Then he let himself out without another word.
