Page 49 of Against the Clock

Twenty-Four

Quinn

4 Days Ago

Imissed the days ofgetting up and starting my day in peace and quiet while Rosie slept and no one was out trying to kidnap her.Instead, I was at Roman’s apartment, waiting for my turn to take a shower while Mike finished his and Roman worked on making breakfast with the few groceries he had left.

It had only been a few days since he had gone grocery shopping, but I don’t think he was prepared for how much three people would eat compared to how much food he usually went through.I felt bad that he was spending so much money on things for Rosie and me, but I hated even more that I didn’t have any other options right now.My apartment had already been cleared to go back to, and a new door was installed to replace the one that had been kicked down, but it wasn’t safe to take Rosie back, so we were staying with Roman for the unforeseeable future.

Once Mike was done in the shower, I jumped in and didn’t bother to wash my hair since the water was already cold, and we were running out of time.Luckily I had taken the time at my mom’s house yesterday to wash my hair and give Rosie a bath, which saved us a lot of time today.I pulled my hair up into a sleek ponytail and skipped any makeup.One quick check in the mirror confirmed that I had matching shoes, and that was the most I could ask for today.

“But I really want one,” Rosie whined from the living room as I came down the hall.

“I don’t think your mom does,” Mike replied, sitting across from her as they ate their bowls of cereal.Roman was leaning against the counter, holding a cup of coffee with his ankles crossed and a smirk on his face.

“I could keep it at your place,” Rosie offered, wiggling her eyebrows excitedly, earning a frown from Mike as he took another bite.

“What are they talking about?”I asked Roman quietly, reaching for a cup and filling it with what was left in the pot.

“She’s trying to convince him to get a dog.”

I smiled and took a sip, holding the cup with both hands to keep from dropping it.

“Tired?”he questioned, tilting his head, and studying me.

“A little,” I lied.The truth was that I was exhausted and couldn’t remember the last time I had even an ounce of energy.The days felt like they were starting to blend together, and I was quickly losing track of how much time had passed by.

“Was I snoring?”he asked, wincing as he tucked his head down and took another sip.

“Not as bad as that one,” I joked, lifting my mug at Mike, who had stood up and was heading our way.

“You weren’t even in the same room,” he said, nudging me with his elbow.

“I still heard you,” I objected.

“Me too,” Roman added.

Mike opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut when Rosie got up and carried her empty cereal bowl into the kitchen and set it on the counter.

“You were so loud, I thought there was a bear in here,” she said dramatically, widening her eyes.

“Just when I thought you were my favorite niece,” he teased.

“I’m youronlyniece,” she giggled as he picked her up and tickled her sides.

I took a long drink of coffee then looked up at the clock on the wall.

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