Page 88 of Against the Clock

Silence lingered in the air for a few minutes as we stared at each other.Then he whispered something to her and nodded to me.

“Go on, tell her what happened.Explain why this child is owed to us.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, then glanced at Rosie to make sure she was still okay.Overall she appeared to be, but that didn’t mean anything.I wouldn’t trust it until I could hold her in my arms and see for myself.

“Rosie was our daughter.She died six years ago.A car accident.You might remember it, Quinn.”

My heart sank when I started putting the pieces together.

“You shouldn’t be driving when you’re this upset,” I scolded Justin as he got into the car.“Just stay and talk to me about it.Please.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Quinn.I love you.I love our life.But I don’t know if I can do this.I don’t know if I can be a good father.”

He pulled the car door shut as I jumped away.Then he reversed out of the driveway, leaving me in a puddle of tears.

I had sat at home that night, waiting for him to return.After I got a call from the hospital, I rushed over and paced anxiously in the emergency room waiting area for an update on Justin.

My mind constantly got the worse of me as I thought about the worst that could happen.I couldn’t imagine bringing a baby into this world without him by my side.He was my everything.I needed him.

When the doctors updated me a few hours later, I was relieved to hear he was conscious, stable, and expected to make a full recovery, though he would be going home with a few broken bones.He was going to be held overnight to make sure his vitals stayed stable, but overall, he was okay.

It wasn’t until the next morning that he told me the accident had been his fault.He was distracted and hadn’t noticed the light turning red.He went through the intersection, t-boning a minivan.He repeatedly apologized for leaving and promised he would never do it again.

When he asked me to get an update on the other people, I went searching for his nurse and asked if they were okay.

“Unfortunately, the mother is still in the ICU.We can’t give out more information than that right now.”

“The mother?”I asked as my heart beat wildly in my chest.

“Her daughter was in the backseat.She didn’t make it.”

When I shared the news with Justin, he cried and held his hand against my flat stomach, vowing to be the perfect father to our baby.I knew that he would never be the same after this and my heart shattered knowing that he would never forgive himself for taking an innocent child’s life.

I remembered the night very well, and to this day, it still haunted my nightmares.

“Justin wasn’t always a play-it-by-the-rules kind of guy,” Julia said once she saw the look on my face.“His recklessness took my baby from me.He took the only thing that I ever loved.The only person who mattered to me.”

“And now you’re trying to take mine.”

“No, Quinn.I’m taking back what was owed to me.Justin took my daughter, and now I’m taking his.”

“It’s not the same, Julia.You know that.”

“As a mother, you know what it feels like to see your child hurting.How do you think I felt being pinned in the car, listening as my baby fought for her life?Hearing her gasp as she took her last breath.Not being able to get the words out to say that I loved her because I couldn’t believe what was happening.Nothing can prepare you for that, Quinn.Nothing.Justin never had to pay for what happened.The police called it an accident.An unfortunate accident.But that doesn’t make it right, and it’s about time he paid.”

“He’s not here anymore.How do you expect him to pay?You’re not getting revenge on Justin; you’re taking your grief out on his innocent daughter.”

“I tried to make it right while he was here!”she yelled, startling me.“I did everything that I could.He was a stubborn ass, and nothing could get through to him.”

“Then accept that and move on.Taking his daughter won’t fix anything, Julia.You need to see someone and get help.”

“Now you sound like him,” she scoffed.“You need to go to therapy.This isn’t healthy.You’re crazy.”

Her eyes widened, and she actually looked crazy as she said it.

“You talked to Justin about what happened?”

“He knew who I was as soon as I started working for the FBI.I could tell that he remembered what happened—how could he not?It hadn’t been that long since it happened.He said he wished he could take everything back that night, and since he couldn’t, he would find a way to make it right.”

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