Page 5 of Against the Clock

“Saul, he works with me.So does Satan’s mistress.”

“I’ve heard a lot about Anastasia,” I laughed.“But you never mentioned that she’s fucking hot.”

“She’s not hot,” he scoffed and furrowed his brow.“She’s an annoying pain in the ass who gets in my way instead of helping.”

“Sounds like you like her,” I teased.“Maybe you should ask her out?”

“Over your dead body,” he grunted.

“Isn’t it supposed to be over your own dead body?”I asked.

“Not with her.She’s like a fucking cat, and there's no escaping once she digs her claws in.I’d have to use your dead body as a barrier first.”

Three

Quinn

14 Days Ago

Isat on the bed, gentlyrubbing Rosie’s head even though she had already fallen asleep.Tonight had been unnerving—to say the least—but then I had to deal with her massive meltdown on the way home from my brother’s birthday party because she wasn’t ready to leave.

I was used to always being the bad guy; it came with the territory of being a single mother.But it was hard, and some days it wore on me more than others.Today was one of those days.

My head laid against the pillow I had tucked behind me an hour ago when we first came in here, and I got her settled in for the night.She had stopped crying and didn’t bother to tell me what a terrible parent she thought I was for making her leave tonight.She didn’t have to, I could see it in the sadness in her eyes long after the tears dried.

Mike had texted me shortly after we left to make sure we were okay, and I wondered if Roman had said something to him.They were best friends, so I never knew where I stood in the equation.While Mike was my older brother and would do anything to protect me, Roman was also like a brother to me, and I trusted that he wouldn’t say anything to him if he didn’t know what was going on.He never struck me as the kind of person to gossip or discuss something he didn’t have all of the facts about.It was probably from his time in the Marines, but Roman was one of those people who sat silently until they decided it was time to take action.

I had replayed the night over and over in my head the entire train ride home, and long after Rosie fell asleep.I knew that it would be hard to see some of Mike’s coworkers at the party tonight.I hadn’t seen most of them since Justin’s funeral four years ago.Even though I worked for the FBI, we never crossed paths, and I loved to believe that fate played an important role in that.That maybe after everything life had given me over the years, I was finally going to be one of those people that nice things happened to.

I picked up my phone and found another text message from Mike and one from my mom.Neither of them seemed as worried as Roman, so I felt comfortable knowing that he hadn’t said anything to them.

I replied quickly, pretended that I was tired, and lied that I was calling it a night soon.Instead, I kissed Rosie’s head and quietly crawled out of her bed, making sure the nightlight was on.

I crept down the hallway, praying that the squeaky floorboards wouldn’t wake her up.I ventured into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of wine, stopping halfway when I remembered that I could no longer afford the luxury of being buzzed.I needed to be alert and aware at all times from now on.

With my small glass of wine, I headed into the living room and sat down, tucking my feet beneath me.I grabbed my laptop and got settled in, not sure what I was even looking for.

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