Page 11 of Against the Clock

Once she was settled on the couch, I went back to the kitchen to talk to Quinn.It was an open layout, with the kitchen and living room blending into one large room, which allowed us to keep an eye on Rosie.

“Is everything okay?”I asked, arms folded across my chest and my voice barely above a whisper.

“I don’t know,” she admitted and let out a shaky breath.“I keep trying to tell myself that all of this is in my head and that I’m freaking out for no reason.”

“But?”

“But I don’t think that it’s nothing.I think someone is actively watching Rosie, and I’m afraid that they’re going to take her.”

She swallowed the last few words as silence fell between us.I looked over my shoulder at the little girl sitting on my couch with hair as dark as her momma’s and a smile that could light up the dimmest room.

“You have to trust your gut,” I agreed.“What happened?”

“My mom had to pick her up today because my boss called a mandatory meeting last minute, and I couldn’t go get her.I think that my mom knew how stressed out I’ve been since her teacher showed me that video on Friday, so she sent me a picture of them sitting together on her couch once they got home.”

She stopped talking and looked past me to Rosie.Her eyes filled with tears that she tried to blink away before they fell.

“When I zoomed in on the photo, I saw the same black van from Friday parked across the street.”

“Fuck,” I exhaled and ran a hand over my face.“Have you told anyone about this?”

She shook her head.

“I don’t want them to think I’m crazy if I’m wrong about this.”

“And what if you’re right?”

“That’s what I fear the most.I can’t be with her 24/7, and if someone is watching her, they will know my schedule and when I’m not around.They’ll know exactly when to take her.”

She chewed her bottom lip, popping it free when she caught me watching.

“So, what’s the plan?”I asked, desperate for a distraction from her mouth.“How can I help?”

“I really hate to ask,” she hesitated.“But do you think we can stay here tonight while I try to figure out what to do?I haven’t slept since I found out on Friday, and I don’t think I’ll get any sleep tonight knowing that they followed her to my mom’s house.”

I wanted to sayabsolutely, you can take my bed, and I’ll sleep on the couch—but I knew I couldn’t.It wasn’t that I didn’t want to help Quinn—I would give my life to protect her and Rosie.Hell, I would give a vital organ or two to protect Mike, but this was different.I needed to know that he would be okay with me helping and letting them stay with me because if he found out on his own, it wouldn’t go over well.

“You know that I don’t mind helping you, Quinn, but why not go to Mike?”

She sighed and let her shoulders fall.

“I knew you would ask that,” she laughed.

“He’s my best friend,” I replied lightly.“I can’t imagine that I would be so easygoing if he went behind my back to help my sister and niece if they were in trouble and he didn’t tell me.”

“That’s not fair; you don’t even have siblings.”

“True,” I said, raising a brow.“ButifI did, I would want to know what was going on.”

We stood there silently for a few minutes while Rosie laughed at something on TV.

“It’s not that I don’t trust my brother to protect us, but I feel like I need space to think about things.I know that once he really knows what’s going on, he’ll be obsessive and trying to take over to where I can’t think straight.You guys are two totally different people.Yes, he’s strong and had training, but not the same as you had in the marines.You both have a different skill set, and if someone’s coming for my daughter, I know that you can put a bullet between their eyes before they even see you.”

“I’m not a sniper anymore,” I countered, feeling my shoulders tighten.

“It’s not something that you lose.You and I both know that.I’ve seen you play darts with Mike, and you don’t miss a single one.”

I rolled my neck, trying to alleviate some of the tension.

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