I approached them, my heart pounding in my chest. Marcus looked up at me with his big, innocent eyes, seemingly unaware of the chaos he had caused. “What did he say?” I asked, my voice a mixture of relief and anxiety.

The officer stood up, resting a reassuring hand on Marcus’s shoulder. “Your brother mentioned something about your plans today that concerned me. He said you were both supposed to meet someone here, but he didn’t know who.”

I furrowed my brow, puzzled. “We weren’t meeting anyone,” I replied, looking at Marcus for confirmation. He nodded, his face earnest.