Page 67 of Against the Clock

“Did you have a fun bath?”I asked, smiling at how happy she looked.

She nodded.

“Mama said I look like a raisin,” she giggled.

I laughed and smiled up at Quinn as she sat down on the couch and pulled Rosie over to her.She rubbed the towel around her hair before she took it off and set it to the side.

“You are the cutest raisin I’ve ever seen,” she said before leaning in and kissing Rosie’s cheek, making her laugh again.

I watched as Quinn combed through her hair, getting the tangles out before braiding it.

“Thankfully, it’s hot enough that her hair will dry quickly, even in a braid.At least this way, we won’t have a mess of tangles to comb through in the morning.”

I wasn’t sure what was going through her mind, but I could hear the hint of uncertainty in her voice about not knowing what to expect.It sucked, always having to be on the lookout and ready to run at any moment.

Rosie curled up on the couch and watched another movie while Quinn hung the towel in the bathroom.As she was heading back, I heard a ding, and my eyes darted to the cabinet with the monitor.I had closed it, so Rosie didn’t get curious about it, but the alert meant something had set off one of the cameras.Or better yet—someone.

Thirty-Three

Quinn

11 Hours Ago

Ihad been restlessand fidgety since the alert for the camera went off earlier.Roman and I watched the video over and over, making sure we didn’t miss anything as a raccoon scampered by, trotting right in front of the door.While I had hoped to see someone, I knew that we wouldn’t.That would be too easy, and my life right now was anything but easy.

There wasn’t anything on the video that indicated that someone was out there, but deep down inside, I knew that they were close.I could feel it in my bones.

By three, I still hadn’t been able to fall asleep but was glad that Roman was finally getting some rest.Rosie was tucked into the bed with him on one side and me on the other.Thankfully, it was a king-sized bed, and there was plenty of room without us literally being on top of each other.

His soft snores still filled the room as I stayed awake until five.By then, I was exhausted and felt my eyes start to flutter shut when Rosie rolled over and tugged on my hand.

“Hey, baby girl,” I said, sounding more tired than I wanted to.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” she whispered.

“Okay, let’s go.”I tried to stifle my groan as I rolled off the bed and waited for her to get up.Roman shuffled and turned over, checking to see what was happening.

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