Page 93 of Against the Clock

“Maybe we should get a logo and start a team of bad-ass old people?”I suggested.“Make it a cool thing.”

“Whatever your heart desires,” he laughed and kissed my forehead.

Fifty

Roman

“Come on, it can’t bethat bad,” I laughed, watching the scowl etch deeper on Mike’s face as he watched Anastasia from across the room.

“She’s here ALL.THE.TIME.”

“Where else is she supposed to go?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t see why we have to be stuck in the same room constantly,” he growled, shifting his gaze to where she was sitting in the kitchen by the window.“There are multiple rooms in this damn cabin, they could at least put her in another one at night so I don’t have to hear her snore.”

“Well, given that you both got shot by someone in your own department who tried to take out your entire team, it makes sense that you are both being protected in the same cabin.And since you both need medical attention and there’s only one doctor, I imagine that it’s a whole lot easier for him to focus when you’re both in the same room at night, so he doesn’t have to go back and forth throughout the house all night.”

“It’s not like the wounds are that bad.Her forehead was barely grazed, and the bullet went right through my shoulder.I’ll be up and going again in no time.”

“Either way, until all agencies have a chance to do their part of the investigation, you guys are stuck here together for a while.”

He glared at me and then turned away to watch Rosie play outside.

“How’s she doing?”he asked, nodding at her, and effectively changing the subject.

“She seems to be fine,” I replied with a shrug.“I don’t know that she’s really processed what happened.Either that, or she’s too young to know what it all means.Quinn’s keeping an eye on her, though.”

“And how is Quinn doing?She looks tired.Run down.”

“She is.She’s been through a lot and hearing the things Julia said is going to sit heavily on her mind for a while.But she’ll be okay.I’ll make sure of it.”

He turned and studied me.

“So, this thing with my sister is the real deal?”

I exhaled heavily, my elbows resting on my knees as I thought about the answer.I’d never been a committed relationship kind of guy, and Mike knew that.It wasn’t that I didn’t want to be that for Quinn, but I didn’t know how to talk about it.Mike had been my best friend for as long as I could remember, and this was his sister.It would forever be a line that I would cross as long as Quinn and I were together.

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