Page 85 of Against the Clock

“I have to go but promise me that you’ll use what you showed me.Okay?”

“Okay.”

Before she left, I decided to ask her one more question.

“Why did you lie to me about losing your puppy?”

Her face fell into sadness as she thought about it.

“Because it was my job.I was told to do it.”She took a deep breath and then let it out.“I didn’t have a choice.”

“Why didn’t you just say no?”

“They don’t like it when you say no.That’s why I want you to promise me that you’ll fight with everything you have inside of you.”

“Did you have to fight them too?”

“No,” she said quietly as tears formed in her eyes.“No one ever taught me to.My mom wasn’t here to help me, and I didn’t know what to do.That’s how I got stuck here, in this life.”

“Do you think I’ll ever see my mommy again?”I asked, my lip trembling as I started to cry.

“I don’t know.I really hope so.”

She opened the door and left me alone in the room that still didn’t feel like home.

Forty-Six

Roman

Hearing Rosie’s voicewas enough to get both of us moving quickly as we circled to the other side of the house.I led the way with my AR15 and was ready to fire.

The trees were thick around the back of the house, allowing us plenty of room to hide if needed.While I knew that we were likely being watched on camera anyway, I knew that a bullet was more likely to be stopped by a thick tree trunk than thin air, so I took comfort in the resources around us.

Quinn followed closely behind me, her steps almost perfectly in time with mine.I pushed out the flashbacks of being a Marine and stayed focused on the present.I wasn’t in combat, and this wasn’t a team effort.This was me by myself, trying to save the woman I loved and her daughter.

About fifteen feet ahead of us, there was movement by a large, overgrown tree.I quickly raised my hand, signaling Quinn to stop.I held my breath as I listened for more.A twig snapped beneath their weight as they stepped over it, the loud thud of their boots echoing around us.

---