Page 24 of Against the Clock

I squinted my eyes and held the phone closer.Sure enough, there was the missing chunk.Why hadn’t I seen that before?

“So someone stole your hat and is wearing it around town while they watch my daughter?”I asked, flinging my hands in the air.“Why?It doesn’t make any sense.”

“Someone is targeting her; we know that much for sure,” Roman said.

“But Quinn, you’re also missing the bigger picture here,” Mike added gently.“It’s not justsomeone.It’s someone who had access to my office and knows a lot about her already.”

My blood ran cold as a chill spread throughout me.

“You think it’s someone in the FBI?”I whispered.

Mike flinched but didn’t say anything.

Suddenly all of the pieces started falling around me.It wasn’t just that it was someone in the FBI; it was that it was someone who worked with my brother in the witness protection program—the same department my husband worked in before he was killed on the job.

“What was the last case that Justin was working on before he died?”I asked, forcing my voice to be stronger than I felt.

“Quinn—you know that I can’t—”

“Tell.Me.”

Mike’s shoulders fell, and he looked down at the floor.

“Ariel Wyland.She was a victim of sex trafficking.The only one who went to court and put her captor behind bars.”

“Where is she now?”I asked, knowing that he couldn’t tell me since she had gone into witness protection shortly after leaving the courtroom.

“The U.S.Marshal’s office confirmed they found her body yesterday.”

Twelve

Roman

9 Days Ago

“Idon’t think it’sa good idea for you to go home by yourself,” I said, gently holding Quinn’s arm so she couldn’t leave.

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