Markus was questioning the customers at the last table near the back door and very close to Rodney. It wouldn't take much more for him to look over… the biggest question is whether or not he would see him. Or if he would choose to walk over and check the door.
Rodney was literally holding his breath, wondering if Markus could hear his heart pounding in his chest. Not like it mattered, he could still escape if he really needed to but for now, he was stuck here.
Charlotte barely refrained from slamming the tray in her hands onto the counter before she turned to face Markus again. “Alright! That's enough! Markus, you questioned everyone in here and obviously did not find the guy, so would you and the rest of the officers kindly leave?” she said, exasperatedly.
Rodney silently thanked Charlotte, hoping to any gods out there that they would spare him the last minute grief of being discovered before they left.
Markus raised a brow as he looked at her. “So testy today. You feeling a little more fire than normal?” he teased.
“You know damn well why. Now, get out.” she growled.
Markus chuckled and looked at his squad. “As it is, I think our investigation is done for now. And we have other locations to check. If anyone remembers seeing the man or come across him, please contact us immediately.” he added to the customers as the officers filed out.
Rodney waited a few minutes for things to come back to normal before poking his head out. "Are they gone?" He whispered, nervous that they'd come back if they heard him.
“Wha… What are you still doing here? I thought you left.” Charlotte exclaimed, keeping her voice down as she rubbed her shoulder slightly from where Markus bumped into her on the way out.
"Well I didn't want to just leave, I like it here. Plus, I don't really have anywhere else to go and it's nice and warm in here." He smiled shyly.
Charlotte raised a brow at his answer. Obviously, she tried to keep this place as welcoming and comfortable as possible but… “Rodney, it's more than a little risk for you to stay here now. Markus practically put a bounty on you just before he left.” she warned him.
"Yes I know, captain obvious. He was standing five feet away from me." He glanced around the inn with a sigh. "Will they be in danger if I stay here?"
Charlotte followed his gaze before shaking her head. “No. As long as they don't put themselves physically between you and Markus, they'll be fine. He normally doesn't bother those who live here, and I've seen him be polite to most travelers.”
"Okay, great. Think I can get a room for the night? I swear, in the morning I'll be out of your hair and keep you out of my business."
“Alright.” she nodded. “Just stay next to the wall and keep me in between you and the customers.” she told him before starting to lead him upstairs.
Rodney did exactly as told, staying quiet as they went upstairs. He let out a quiet sigh of relief when they got to the second floor landing.
Charlotte quickly lead him up to one of the vacant rooms and ushered him inside. “I hope this is good enough for the night. And I'm sorry about Markus ruining your visit.” she apologized.
"Oh, don't apologize Charlotte. It's not your fault that I attract trouble wherever I go. You've got an inn to run, don't worry about me."
“Maybe not but when you walked into this inn, you became my customer and therefore my responsibility.” Charlotte told him with a bit of a kind smirk. “So, yes, I am going to worry about you as long as you're under this roof.”
"You're far too kind to someone like me." Rodney chuckled as he entered his room. "Well, goodnight my friend. I'll see you in the morning."
“Alright. I’ll see you in the morning. Do you want me to wake you up?” she asked, glad that he already considered her a friend.
"No no, it's fine. I wake up pretty early regardless." He waved her off with a smile. "You need to get back downstairs. I'll be fine."
Charlotte smiled softly and nodded. “I am too. See you then.” she said, closing the door behind her as she left and headed back downstairs. “Dear guests. I want to apologize to you all for the interruption earlier and to make up for it, your next drink is on the house.”
Rodney smiled as he heard the cheers from downstairs. He settled into his room placing his small bag down by the bed and taking his shoes off before climbing into bed with a sigh of relief.
The rest of the night passed by peacefully and without major incident. Charlotte was admittedly relieved for that after all the chaos earlier. It seemed to bring back a sense of normalcy to the inn, and if it helped the others forget about Rodney in the morning… All the better.
Rodney settled in pretty quickly, turning out his light to get some sleep. He would definitely need it in order to hightail it out of here in the morning.
Charlotte waited until the last customer left the main room before finally turning in herself. She locked the main door, and the back as an afterthought, and went about the rest of her normal routine. It was obviously late by the time she took off her bracelet and laid down but she was used to that.
The night passed and Rodney slept almost fitfully, which wasn't exactly unusual since he was already a light sleeper and the constant looking over his shoulder had made him a little paranoid at this point.
Charlotte, on the other hand, slept fairly peacefully. She had nights where it was hard for her to sleep but the evening's events seemed to have tired her out.
She had her room, and her bed, positioned so that the first rays of morning light filtered across her face. It was a up very effective way for her to wake up and start her day. It didn't take her long before she was back to working.
Rodney came down about 15 minutes later, looking the same as yesterday but a little less frazzled. "Morning Charlotte." He hummed with a smile.
“Good morning, Rodney.” Charlotte smiled back. “I was just about to start the coffee. Would you like some?” she offered, glad that he had woken up so early.
"Ah, no thank you. I don't handle caffeine very well." He politely declined as he stood by the counter. "What brings you up so early?"