‘I doubt it,’ Charlie said, leaning back in the gaming chair now, hands interlocked over his skinny midriff. ‘He could probably get his pick out there. Big stedhead-looking dealer? There’s a load of sluts out there who love that kind of thing. See them all the time. Especially round here. Skanky bitches, you know what I mean? No idea what they did for all that time in her room, though.’

Mark stared at him for a few seconds, fighting the urge to slap him. ‘I don’t think that’s the best language to use, Charlie. Especially given what’s happened to your sister.’

Charlie rolled his eyes at him. ‘Honestly, are you one of those white knight idiots? Social justice warrior and all that? You need to wake up. Women are taking over the world and we’re just sitting back and letting them. They’ve changed the rules and we’re losing. We need to start winning, take back control. Get back to being alphas again. I’ve lived my whole life surrounded by women. I know them inside out. I can’t wait to get out of here and away from them. Find a proper woman. Am I sad Emily is dead? A bit. I suppose she was my sister. Thing is, I bet she wouldn’t have batted an eyelid if it was me. She barely even spoke to me in the last couple of years. Didn’t even know I existed. I can’t wait to get away from them all.’

‘You’re a teenager, Charlie,’ Mark said, choosing his words carefully. He’s just lost his sister. ‘Plenty of time to experience life a little more.’

‘Yeah, that’s what I plan on doing,’ Charlie replied, sniffing and standing up in one motion. ‘Is that it then? Are we done?’

Mark was too shocked to do anything other than watch as the boy walked to the doorway and turned, waiting for him to follow. He hadn’t been expecting Charlie to talk all that much, but it seemed he’d been waiting for someone to engage him in conversation. Although the situation wasn’t any clearer to Mark.

He walked out of the room, unable to decide on the worst thing he’d heard. The diatribe Charlie had given him, or the suspicions he had about his own uncle and sister.

It took him a second to realise it was definitely the latter.

Mark walked down the stairs ahead of Charlie, remembering the uniforms who were in the house. Wondering how they’d dealt with Rich. Whether two of them would have been enough to handle the big man.

He paused at the bottom of the stairs, looking back down the hallway towards the back garden. He could see a flash of fluorescent, so made a decision to take Charlie down to his mum and sister at the station himself.