Page 30 of Against the Clock

Another text message came through, but this time it was a picture of a seat belt lying on Quinn’s bed.

I was still staring at my phone when Quinn ended her call and was staring at me.

“Everything okay?”she asked.

“Yeah,” I lied, tucking my phone into my pocket.“You?”

“That was my mom asking if she can keep Rosie tomorrow after school for a sleepover since it’s Friday and we don’t have plans on Saturday.”

“That’s sweet of her; I’m sure she would enjoy that.”

“Do you think it’s okay to let her stay?”

“I don’t see why not,” I shrugged.“But if you’re uncomfortable about it, you can always say no.”

“I already told her yes, so I would feel bad backing out now.Besides, we don’t even know if anyone is still watching her.I haven’t noticed anything weird, have you?”

I wanted to tell her about the picture Max had just sent me but decided that it was better to wait until I could talk to him.I pulled my phone back out of my pocket and sent him a quick text, asking if anyone was going to call and tell Quinn about the break-in.

“I haven’t noticed anything,” I replied, putting my phone on the couch beside me.“But that doesn’t mean that we can stop being vigilant.We have to keep our guard up and make sure we know where Rosie is at all times.”

She chewed her nail and thought about it.Before she could say anything else, her phone rang again.

“Sorry, it’s Mike this time.”

She answered, and I knew he was calling to tell her about the apartment.

“Oh my God,” she whispered, holding her hand to her chest.“Okay, yeah, I understand.”

I hated the look of fear in her eyes right now.

“I’ll see if I can stay with Roman for a few more days,” she said as she caught me nodding my head.It wasn’t even a question of whether shecouldstay with me.I would make sure that they did, especially now that someone had been in their apartment.

Rosie came into the living room after getting her pajamas on and her teeth brushed.Quinn finished up with her phone call and seemed flustered.

“What’s wrong, Mama?”Rosie asked, curling up beside her on the couch.

“Nothing, sweet girl.”She gently brushed her fingers across Rosie’s forehead, making her eyes flutter as she tried to stay awake.

“I can go by your apartment to grab some clothes and stuff if you want?”I offered, knowing that it was another thing weighing heavily on her mind.

“It’s okay, I can try to go in the morning.”

“Quinn.”

She rolled her eyes and exhaled.

“You wouldn’t know what to pack,” she objected.

“You can tell me.I am pretty smart, you know.I ran some pretty intense operations in the Marines; I think I can handle packing up some stuff.”

“You really want to go through my personal belongings and pick the bras and panties that I’m going to wear for a few days?”

I knew that she was being sarcastic, but there was actually nothing that I wanted more.Although, the thought of her wearing them for me was even more thrilling.Heat spread quickly throughout my body, adding a touch of color to my naturally tanned cheeks.

“What if you had an escort?”I raised a brow, challenging her while also trying to steer the conversation in another direction.

“An escort?”

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