All in Time by Ciana Stone Page A

mind was focused on only one thought. Staying safe until Morgan’s plan could be set into action—stopping any more attempts.
    “Sara, look!” Morgan exclaimed, “Please. Look at the clock!”
    She snapped to, hearing only the word clock. She looked at it. Stared at it. Counted to one hundred. Time did not change.
    “You did that!” Morgan exclaimed. “You stopped time.”
    She shook her head. “That’s impossible. If time was stopped then wouldn’t we be stopped too?”
    “Who knows,” Morgan replied and went to look out of the window. “But this much I can tell you. Nothing is moving out there.”
    “What should I do? How do I make it start back?” She paced back and forth, hugging her arms tight around herself.
    “Maybe we don’t want it to start. Sara, if you can keep time frozen then this might be our chance to get away. We’ll have to travel on foot but in just an hour we could be miles from here.”
    “You’re right!” She started gathering up things but he stopped her. “Just get your purse.”
    “But my computer—”
    “It can all be replaced. Come on, let’s go.”
    They hurried through the apartment and into the hall. Morgan punched the elevator button. Nothing happened. No lights, no sound. Nothing. He punched it a few more times and they waited. Still nothing.
    “I guess it’s like the clocks—stopping time stopped the elevator,” she suggested.
    “Then we take the stairs.”
    When they reached the lobby level they stopped and gawked. The man at the front reception desk was frozen, his mouth open as he held the telephone receiver to his ear. A woman was halted in mid-stride, looking over her shoulder at the man on the phone.
    “This is a little creepy.” Sara reached for Morgan’s hand and they hurried to the glass doors.
    And found them immovable. The automatic opening function had frozen. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t open them. “Let’s try the stairs to the parking garage,” Morgan said and pulled her along as he raced for the rear exit.
    Like the front entrance, the door wouldn’t budge.
    “Now what?” she asked.
    Morgan frowned and shook his head. “I don’t know. It appears we’re stuck. If you unfreeze time then we’re in danger and can’t leave.”
    “Doesn’t look like we can leave anyway,” she said.
    He blew out his breath and headed for the stairs again. “Where are we going?” she asked as he pulled her along.
    “To the apartment. We need to figure out how to use this to our advantage.”
    Once back in the apartment, he flopped down on the sofa, frowning tightly. Sara went to the bathroom then sat down on the bed. “Maybe I should try to unfreeze things,” she called out to him.
    A moment later he entered the bedroom. “Or not.”
    “Huh?”
    “Don’t,” Morgan said softly.
    “What?” She stopped and stared at him in shock.
    “Don’t make it start back. Not yet.”
    “Morgan, I don’t even know that it’s me who did this. And if it is I sure don’t know how I did it or how to undo it.”
    “Then see if you can.”
    She concentrated as hard as she could. He went to the window and looked out. “Still frozen.”
    They had no idea how long she tried, over and over. And each time she failed.
    “Oh god, what are we going to do, Morgan?”
    “Stop trying.” He took her hand. “Look, I know it’s crazy but if this is real then let it last—at least for a little while.”
    “You’re out of your mind,” she whispered. “There’s a man out there…”
    “Frozen,” he interrupted and suddenly laughed. “You’re right. This is so unbelievable maybe I am out of my mind. But if that’s the case, then at least let me have my fantasies.”
    She resisted when he tugged on her hand. “Morgan, this isn’t a game.”
    He laughed, earning a frown from her. “Come on, Sara. We’ve been handed something…incredible. A moment in time that’s for us alone. Don’t waste it.”
    His words struck home. Maybe it was crazy.