to hurt me?” It had never even occurred to me before that my safety would still be in jeopardy when I got home.
“Not if I can help it.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at a point on the wall. I reached out and laid my hand against the crook of his elbow. His flesh was rosy warmth compared to my icicle fingers, and I had the strongest urge to coil my entire body around his, to smother out the fire that burned him inside.
With Charlie’s temper enflamed, I knew he could cause considerable pain to himself and others. And while I wasn’t going to be an advocate for a person who had tried to kill me, someone who would hurt Charlie if given the opportunity, I didn’t want Charlie to reveal himself either. If he gave in to that darkest piece of him and let his anger take over, he might make a move that would result in his undoing. The idea was like a fuzzy kind of terror, itching at my insides and willing me to tear it apart. I didn’t want to imagine what sort of trouble Charlie could get into if his rage had a mission, a target.
“Charlie, please—”
The sound of my voice seemed to bring him back to me. He turned and smiled sadly. It wasn’t a Charlie smile, but it would have to do.
“You have to keep your promise,” I whispered. “No matter what happens, you can’t let yourself get hurt, especially on my account.”
In the swiftest of motions, he scooped me in his arms and enclosed me there; the same strength that once held me captive was now keeping me safe.
“Listen, I don’t want to be without you.” He whispered the words in my ear, a secret just for us. “As long as I got a breath in me, I ain’t ever gonna let anybody hurt you.”
I laughed into his shoulder. “That’s very sweet, Charlie, but not very practical.”
He started untangling the ends of my hair. “Not everything in life is sensible. ‘Sides, ain’t nothing practical ‘bout being alive if you ain’t alive, too.”
“Please don’t say things like that.” I pressed my face into his chest. I didn’t want to see his expression while he said that. I was too afraid he could mean it.
A knock at the door interrupted. I could feel Charlie tense against me, his body rising to shield mine. A part of me wanted to smile at the gesture, while the remaining part of me worried at his natural response.
“What are we up to in here, kids?”
Ben Walden stood in the doorway of the cabin and cleaned his glasses with the end of shirt. It was the first time I had ever seen him dressed down. And although he still wore a collared shirt, I couldn’t help but notice it was slightly wrinkled and untucked.
Charlie only pulled away from me enough to consider Ben in the door. I shielded myself from his intentional affection though, and huddled myself back in the blankets.
“Anything?” Charlie asked him.
Ben placed his glasses back on. Every movement was slow, strategic even. “The captain has been gracious enough to lend us some stewards who are re-searching the cabins, the bow, and stern storage, but there hasn’t been anything so far, I’m afraid.”
Charlie swore under his breath and tried to clench his broken fist. He winced at the pain and I reached for him. I cradled the broken hand in mine and looked it over.
“You need to ice this.” From the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Ben Walden smiling.
Charlie brushed a piece of hair back from my eye. Though I adored his touch, I also felt self-conscious as Ben observed.
“You do know what this probably means?”
“Yeah.” Charlie never took his gaze from mine. “Yeah, I know.”
I pulled away, then, and looked directly at Ben Walden. There was still something that hadn’t been shared with me, a piece of the puzzle that I hadn’t been privy to. “Um, what does this mean?”
Ben smiled at me with a certain sort of sadness and certainty in his expression. I felt a twinge of fear. What was it that I didn’t know?
“If our dear friend stowed away on a container and we can’t find him onboard, and if he is in fact onboard, which is looking more and more likely, then he’s probably biding his time.”
“I’m gonna find him.” Charlie finally looked at Ben as he acknowledged the solution out loud. There was once again something unspoken