“Medical leave, sick relative, personal time due to finding a dead body in your lab, you pick,” Holt said. “We’ll take care of the paperwork.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Quinn said. “Choose the one that’s going to screw me and my career the least, long-term.”
“I’ll let Max sort it out,” Holt said. “All right, final order of business. As you know, I ditched my phone and asked you to get rid of all of yours as well. I don’t know how sophisticated the CMC’s operation is, but I don’t like how quickly they knew I was in LA.”
Holt dumped a bag of phones on the counter. They were old school flip phones. Quinn hadn’t seen one of those in years.
“These are what we’ve got as replacements for now. Max will get us reequipped when we get home, but for now, no fancy software, no panic button, no GPS.”
Quinn noticed only Lola looked happy with the new technology. She’d noticed Lola’s discomfort with just about anything with an on/off button. When Holt indicated she grab a phone from the pile, she pulled out her smartphone and realized it was powered down. She tried to boot it back up but was unable. Guess I really am part of the crew. No turning back now.
Jessica and Moose returned in time to get their own new, old school phones. Jessica looked less angry than when she’d left.
“Looks like I’m getting you out of here after all,” Quinn said. She hoped Jessica was open to a joke.
“Next time I’ll be more clear what I’m looking for. Maybe put my specifications in writing,” Jessica said.
She was smiling. It didn’t reach all the way to her eyes, but Quinn had hope they would be okay.
“It’s too risky right now to return to either of your places to pack anything. I’ll make sure whatever you want is shipped. Until that happens, you can buy what you need when we arrive. You’ll probably need a slightly different wardrobe when we land anyway.”
“Why?” Jessica asked. Realization dawned on her, and she looked like she was reconsidering.
“It’s February. We’re going to Rhode Island. It’s probably buried in snow right now. This just keeps getting better and better.”
“All right, catch what sleep you can. I’m going to get an exit plan from Max. I’ll take first shift on the door. Moose, you’re next. Lola, Moose will wake you for your shift if we aren’t ready to move. Jessica, you have the couch. Isabelle, there’s a bedroom in the back for us. Quinn, Lola, take the second bedroom. Moose, buddy, bunk where you can.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Holt. Moose, come and sleep in the room with me until Holt gets you,” Isabelle said. “You won’t be getting that much sleep as it is. You might as well be comfortable.”
Moose looked like he was going to argue, but one look from Isabelle and he swallowed whatever he was going to say.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Holt pulled out her flip phone and dialed as the rest of them shuffled off to bed. The last thing Quinn heard as she walked down the hall for some much needed rest was Holt giving instructions to faceless crew members.
“Max, we need an exit plan for six. Assume airports and outgoing flights are being monitored. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m not taking chances. Book subsets of us on no fewer than eight flights leaving over the next three days at all the airports in the area. We’ll rent a car and head north. I need you to find me a private jet out of one of the airports north of Santa Barbara or west of the California border leaving tomorrow. I don’t care how. Just do it.”
It sounded like tomorrow was going to pick up right where today was leaving off. Quinn’s feelings were still a mess, but she was glad she and Lola were sharing a bed. She thought back to their date at the beach. It seemed like a different life and a different person who had experienced that beautiful day, but that felt like safety, peace, and happiness. Maybe she could find a little bit of it again sleeping next to Lola tonight. If she tried to sleep alone she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop her mind from reanalyzing the data she had collected, been presented, and force-fed since the awful things had started happening in rapid succession. She didn’t need any statistical modeling to conclude her life was a living nightmare. Hopefully, Lola could fight away all that haunted her in dreamland as well.
Chapter Nineteen
Lola stepped off the small private plane Holt had chartered for their cross-country flight and onto the tarmac. The frigid air filled her lung and burned.
Home.
Quinn had slept the entire flight, which was a relief. She’d been wound so tight, rightly terrified, that even when she’d caught a few hours of Holt-mandated sleep before the flight, it had been restless. Lola had shushed her back to sleep after she awoke whimpering and crying more than once.
She’d spent the flight chatting with Moose and Holt, playing cards, and debating the pros and cons of staying engaged in the CMC investigation. Isabelle and Jessica had either slept or stayed out of their arguments.
They hadn’t solved anything, but Lola knew where Holt stood. She would continue to take Sam’s calls, and as long as there was no ongoing threat, she would provide information and assistance, nothing further. Holt had wanted to wash her hands of the entire investigation after she found out about the pictures left for Quinn and Jessica, but Lola and Moose had convinced her that was probably impossible. Sam wasn’t going to stop investigating and the CMCs already knew Holt had been working with her. It seemed unlikely the CMCs would believe Holt had cut Sam loose no matter how good their LAPD spies were.
Lola wanted Holt to take a more active role. Even though she’d been most directly impacted by the CMC’s violence, she wanted Quinn and Jessica to be able to return home, not that she was in a rush for Quinn to settle back into life in LA without her, but it didn’t seem possible until the CMCs were neutralized. Holt had vetoed Lola’s plan as too dangerous. Lola understood, but she was still frustrated.
“What happened to my sixty-five degrees and sunny?” Quinn asked. “Do I even want to know how cold it is right now?”
“Here,” Lola said. She pulled off the light jacket she was wearing and draped it over Quinn’s shoulders. “Max and Dubs will have a warmer jacket for you in the car.”
“I can’t take your jacket. Now you’ve only got a T-shirt.”
Quinn looked like she appreciated the extra layer despite her protests.
“Don’t worry about it. It’s not that cold,” Lola said. “Not to me. I’m used to this.”
She quickly backpedaled when Quinn shot her a look.
“So, how cold is it?”
“I don’t know. Probably twenty-five, thirty. No wind though and the sun’s out. It’s actually a beautiful day.”
“See, I knew you were too good to be true,” Quinn said. “Turns out you’re insane.”
“We all have our faults.”
“So how is this going to work?” Quinn asked.
“Uh, Max or Dubs is going to have a jacket and warmer clothes for you. They’ll be waiting for us in the terminal, I think. We’ll get you more clothes as soon as we can.”
“That’s not what she means, sweetie,” Isabelle said. “I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but if you’re anything like me, you’re trying to figure out why this person you care about has been acting like two different people, one the normal version you know and the other Batman, and to top it all off, we just uprooted you and moved you across the country without so much as an extra pair of underwear. And if Lola is anything like Holt, she has no idea why any of that’s a problem.”
“That about sums it up,” Quinn said.
Lola saw how much Quinn liked Isabelle. They’d both been thrust into Holt’s crew during a crisis so they had that in common and Isabelle just seemed to know the question underneath the question. Or maybe everyone did and Lola was just a little thickheaded.
“Ask better questions and give better answers, Lola,” Isabelle said before moving off to join Holt at the front of their pack.
“Yes, ma’am,” Lola said. “Perhaps you could ex
plain what I can clarify for you.”
“Where am I going to be staying? I packed up and left without getting any information about logistics. Will I have my own transportation? Can I use my credit cards or is that too risky? Not having information is leaving my scientist brain a little off balance.”
“Just your brain?” Lola asked. “My whole world feels turned upside down, and I’m coming home. I don’t know the answers to all of your questions. Max and Holt can answer the money one. Transportation too. Dubs can always get you a car if you ask nicely. I was hoping you’d stay with me, but if you want something else, I’ll make it happen. This may surprise you, but I love to shop so we’ll have you wardrobed in no time. I’m a passable chef, although my apartment doesn’t really lend itself to master classes in culinary excellence.”
Quinn pulled out her cell phone so she could start making a list of the questions she had and the things she needed. She looked disgusted when the ancient flip phone appeared instead of her shiny smartphone they’d left in LA.
“Do you have a pen and a piece of paper?” Quinn asked Lola.
“Sure. I’ll get them for you as soon as we’re inside. I always keep them in case I need to take notes on a case.” Lola didn’t understand how anyone could take notes on a phone.
“I’m going to make a list of things I need. After we do whatever it is Holt has on our travel agenda for the rest of today, can we take care of my list?” Quinn asked.
“If you want to make the list and give it to me, I don’t mind getting anything for you. I’ll take care of you as long as you’re here,” Lola said.
“Lola,” Quinn said. Her voice was stern and she looked like she meant business. “I don’t under any circumstances want you to start looking at me as someone you have to take care of. If that’s how you view me, I’ll go and stay with some of your other friends until this business is over.”
Lola was stunned. Quinn was scared and overwhelmed right now, as she was pretty sure just about anyone would be, and she wanted to care for her. She thought about what Isabelle said.
Ask better questions. “What do you need from me?”
“I don’t need you to treat me like I am incapable of enacting any control over my own life. Don’t take that control away from me. I can still feed and clothe myself, if you give me directions to the grocery store and a car. I don’t want you to do everything for me. I’m still an active player in my own life. I have to be, or this will be too much to bear.”
“I never meant to imply that you weren’t,” Lola said. “You’re the most capable woman I know, and I know Holt. Speaking of, she told me Isabelle had to give her a similar dressing down when they first started dating. I guess she and I share well-meaning, but ultimately less than stellar, traits.”
“I hope you take that to heart,” Quinn said, getting on her tiptoes to whisper in Lola’s ear, “because I’d hate to have to share a bed with any of your friends. I’d much rather be in yours.”
“Better only be mine,” Lola said. She felt a flare of jealousy at the thought of Quinn sleeping with anyone else. Even amidst all the chaos and gruesomeness, it was hard to ignore the spark between them.
They entered the terminal and Lola saw Max and Dubs waiting for them, winter coats in hand for Jessica and Quinn.
“Hey, boss, Isabelle,” Max said. “Welcome home. Eventful trip.”
Jessica slid next to her and said, “Do you have ugly friends? Where are the normal looking people? Even Moose is gorgeous and it takes a lot to tip my eye in that direction. Too many beautiful women to keep me busy.”
“Behave yourself,” Quinn said.
“I’m stuck out here,” Jessica said. “Might as well make the most of it.”
“Let’s move,” Holt said. “We’ll do intros at the office.”
Lola told Quinn the drive from the airport to the office wouldn’t take more than twenty minutes, but she didn’t look like she really believed her. LA traffic and urban sprawl were so different from compact Rhode Island. Fifteen minutes later, they were parked and inside the office. It felt nice to be back even if Lola would have preferred a much different exit plan.
“I expected something different. I think a little more Hall of Justice,” Quinn said.
“Rather than League of Accountants?” Lola asked. “We get that a lot. But there are a few magic tricks hidden around here that may surprise you.”
“On your feet, everyone,” Dubs said. “The boss is back and we’ve got out of town company. Shall I do the introductions?”
“Could anyone stop you?” Holt asked.
“Absolutely not. Nor should they. Lola’s got a new lady friend visiting from the West Coast. Isabelle has met her and, my Queen, thumbs up or down?”
Isabelle gave two thumbs up. Quinn relaxed her shoulders. Lola figured she was nervous about meeting everyone.
“Oh, one second.” Dubs came over and asked Quinn, too quietly for anyone but Lola, who was standing right next to her, to hear, “You’re not pregnant are you? I know it’s kind of a delicate question, but we had a bit of a problem with that in the past.”
“What? No,” Quinn said.
She looked so confused Lola would have found it funny, except she was pissed. “What the fuck, Dubs?”
Dubs ignored her and carried on in her announcer voice. “So, I present to you all, Dr. Quinn Golden and,” Dubs turned her attention to Jessica, “friend. Who do we have here?”
“Jessica Serrano. And just who might you be?”
“I’m Dubs, a car thief and a felon,” Dubs said. “And this is my whole world, Max, our very own computer dominatrix. You’ve met Moose, terrible motorcycle driver and threat to large mammals the world over.” She pointed to Holt and Isabelle. “Holt, boss. Isabelle, Queen.”
Everyone in the room seemed highly amused by Dubs’s introductions. Even Holt was laughing. Dubs motioned Quinn and Jessica to follow her.
“These five are newbies. We know nothing important about them yet. Keep working, newbies; you’ll make an impression soon. Tuna and most of the night shift is at home. This is Jose, mechanic.”
“And what is that a euphemism for?” Jessica asked.
“Surprisingly, nothing,” Jose said. “I work next door at the auto shop. But I heard lug-head was home and had picked up strays. No offense. Beautiful women usually just follow Holt around so I had to come see for myself. I’m not disappointed.”
“Oh please, you wanted to welcome Moose back,” Max said.
“And now we have Tomato Face Moose. Do I have to do all the work around here?” Dubs asked. She dragged Jose by one hand toward Holt’s office. On the way, she grabbed Moose. She kicked the door open and shoved them both in. She pulled the door closed, shouted, “Welcome home from all of us, Moose. Holt keeps condoms in the bottom drawer of her desk. Just a friendly FYI,” and returned to the group. “Did I miss anyone?”
“Just Lola,” Holt said. “And why do you know what’s in my desk drawer?”
“Isn’t the better question why you have condoms in your desk?” Dubs asked.
“I have everything I could need to talk to someone on the streets. Sometimes people need condoms and they’ll trade information. That drawer also has Starburst, winter gloves, hypodermic needles, and tampons.”
“I know. It’s like the Mad Hatter’s Quickie Mart. Lola hardly needs an introduction. They both already know who she is. My bet is Quinn already knows where Lola’s morning breath ranks on a one to ten scale, but Lola is the office Doberman. Loyal, protective, fierce, strong, and just the right amount of scary.”
“I would add sexy, kind, and brilliant as well,” Quinn whispered to Lola.
Now Lola was pretty sure she was blushing. She liked hearing Quinn’s assessment though. She liked it a lot.
“Remind me to never leave Dubs in charge of public relations,” Holt said.
“I’d be amazing,” Dubs said. “And since you won’t let me steal anything anymore, I’ve got to do something to be useful.”<
br />
“You want to be useful, go upstairs and pack.”
“You’re kicking me out of the attic?” Dubs looked crestfallen.
Lola’s heart rate kicked up a notch. If Dubs is getting the boot, what does that mean for me? Where are Quinn and I going to stay?
“No. Well, yes. All of you, actually. Until I’m sure the CMC threat is neutralized, I don’t want anyone living in the attic. I don’t like the safety risk. We’ve seen in the past what a target this place is. It would send a message to hit me at my command center. I would be annoyed if I lost my office. I would be devastated if I lost any of you. You have until this time tomorrow. If you need help finding another place, let me know.”
Dubs looked like she had something she wanted to say, but Max was trying to get her to stay quiet.
“Yes, Dubs, I’d be devastated to lose you too. I’m pretty sure you know that.”
“Looks like you aren’t going to get to spend any time at my place after all,” Lola said. “The mystery continues.”
She thought about the options for housing. She knew Quinn would want to know where they would be staying. Holt had offered her a place in the lofts where she used to live. If that was still an option there wouldn’t be any furniture. They could always stay with Jose or Moose. Not ideal, but better than a hotel.
“I’ll still get to see it, right?” Quinn asked, pulling her from her thoughts.
“Well, it does sound like I need some help packing,” Lola said. “Know anyone who could help?”
“I don’t know. I’ll have to think about it. Is there compensation?”
“Depends what kind you had in mind,” Lola said. She licked her lips.
Quinn looked like she got the message. “I think I’m just the woman for the job.”
As they teased each other and flirted, Lola was almost able to forget that she’d been kidnapped and forced Quinn to run for her life across the country. It felt like they should be getting ready to walk across campus to breakfast or like they were back on the beach. She’d missed this feeling of connection and possibility with Quinn and didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize it.
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