Page 60 of Against the Clock

Twenty-Nine

Quinn

2 Days Ago

“If I never have topack again, I’ll be forever grateful,” I muttered as I tossed a duffle bag of clothes onto the guest bed at Mike’s apartment.

“It’s only for a little while,” he said gently, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded over his chest.We both knew it was true, given that neither my apartment nor Roman’s was safe anymore; he was the last resort on such short notice.But we also knew it wasn’t safe for long; whoever it was would find us here too.That was why we didn’t go to my mom’s house.I wanted to keep her safe, which meant that we needed to avoid her and Sonia at this point.It was too dangerous to get them involved by staying with them.

“That was supposed to be true about Roman too.I was only supposed to stay there for a few nights, and almost two weeks later, we were still there.I just want to go back to my own apartment and go back to normal.”

“I know,” he sighed.“But unfortunately, that’s not an option right now.We have to keep you and Rosie safe.”

“Safe?”I snorted, tossing my phone on the bed.“Do you really think that we’re going to be safe anywhere?Whoever it is keeps finding us wherever we go, so I don’t see why we can’t just go back to my apartment and be comfortable.I’m so tired,” I said, rubbing my eyes.“I don’t want to keep running and looking over my shoulder.”

“The only way around that is to relocate you guys.”

“Like through witness protection?”

He shrugged.

“The department that my husband worked for and died on the job?The same department that you work for that seems to have a mole?”

“Technically, it wouldn’t need to go through us at all.US Marshals handle witness protection.I have a friend who I trust that I could ask for a favor.”

“Mike, you and I both know that neither of us can ask for any favors right now without someone getting wind of it.We don’t know who we can or can’t trust.There’s too much at stake right now to risk it.”

“So then you’re stuck with me for a while?”

“It looks that way,” I said with a soft laugh.

We stayed quiet for a few minutes before he pushed off the wall and ran a hand through his hair.

“I’m going to do everything I can to keep her safe, Quinn.I promise you that.No one is leaving you alone in the apartment again.”

“So we’re all just quitting our jobs and living here together?”My brows rose high on my head.

“It’s not forever.Whoever it is, is getting restless.They’re making more attempts.We just need to catch them and end this.”

I tried to smile, but it disappeared before it hit my lips.Mike’s phone rang, pulling him into the hallway to answer it.We were still waiting for an update on Saul—who had been seen at a food truck a few blocks away from the office when he was shot, which ruled him out from being the same person who broke into Roman’s apartment.

“Yeah, okay.I’m on my way.”Mike hung up and shoved his phone back into his pocket as he came back into the guest room.“I need to go meet Max to discuss a few things.Roman is in the kitchen with Rosie.I’ll grab some groceries on my way back, but Mom is headed over with a few casseroles in the meantime.”

“Okay,” I nodded.“Thank you.”

He smiled, then turned and left.I fell back on the bed and laid there for a few minutes, pretending that my life wasn’t currently one big dumpster fire.

An hour later, my mom had shown up with my sister Sonia and a week’s worth of meals to go in the freezer.On top of that, she had a pan of chicken enchiladas, beans, and rice that were hot and ready to eat.We sat down at the small table in Mike’s kitchen and ate dinner together as a family.

Once we were done, my mom took Rosie to give her a bath while I helped Roman clean up.Sonia was helping blow up the air mattress that they brought for Roman to sleep on.It was amazing how much help and support we had, though I hated the reason why we needed it.

“How are you holding up?”Roman asked, gently bumping my shoulder with his as I rinsed the plate and set it in the dishwasher.

“I’ve been better, and I’ve been worse,” I said with a shrug.“So, I guess I’m somewhere in between?”

Yesterday had been a long day dealing with multiple agencies over the shooting.While we didn’t have to worry about proof that someone had tried to break in and that I fired my gun in self-defense—it sucked that we didn’t have anyone in custody nor a suspect to go after.

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