They walked up to her apartment and Lola wondered if Quinn would be disappointed now that she was about to finally see Lola’s home. She’d read you could tell everything you needed to know about a person by being in their living space for ten seconds or something like that. She hoped Quinn liked what she saw.
When they got inside, Quinn circled the room taking in everything. She ran her hand idly along the back of the old wingback chair in the corner and glanced at the stack of textbooks by the bedside. There were books everywhere.
“This is more like it,” Quinn said. “This is the Lola I know.” Quinn turned and stared at the print hanging on the wall above Lola’s bed. “You have a neuron hanging on your wall.”
“I do,” Lola said. “I always thought it was both beautiful and captivating.”
“Given my career path, I’m not inclined to argue with you,” Quinn said.
“Do you think things are meant to be?” Lola asked. She pointed Quinn to the chair, sat on the bed herself, and then got back up immediately. She pulled out a couple of bags from the small closet and started shoving clothes inside.
“Like destiny?”
“Sure. Or like my buying a neuron to hang on my wall and blowing up the life of a beautiful neuroscientist so she’d have to come live with me for a while because she’s in danger? And none of it would have been possible if things had worked out the way I thought they would not that long ago. Maybe things really do work out for a reason.”
“Do the things that didn’t work out have anything to do with Dubs asking me if I was pregnant?”
Lola rubbed her face with both hands and then ran her hands through her hair in frustration. “Ugh, that kid. I do love her, but sometimes I think Holt had the right idea handcuffing her to things. Kept her out of a little trouble.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’ll explain that too, but it’s not really related to the other thing. Come on over here. That’s a chair for one,” Lola sat down on the bed and made room for Quinn to join her. “This might take a while. My place isn’t that big so you’ve already done the tour.”
“You’re supposed to be packing,” Quinn said.
“I don’t plan on bringing most of what’s here and it’s a studio apartment anyway,” Lola said. “Besides, I’m convalescing. I need frequent breaks.”
“Well, that’s the first you’ve noticed you’re in any way compromised since you ripped those IVs out back at the hospital,” Quinn said.
“I’m feeling much better. Close to one hundred percent,” Lola said. She flexed to prove her point.
“My God, Isabelle was right about you. She did warn me.”
Yesterday, Quinn had reacted angrily when Lola had spoken of keeping her safe and not having her own safety at the top of her mind. At least today she was willing to joke about it. In fact, unless Lola was reading things wrong, Quinn seemed to be finding the idea of Lola’s tough guy posturing a little bit appealing.
Lola settled on the bed and opened her arms for Quinn.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Quinn, sweetie, you could never hurt me. But I’ll tell you if I need to shift into a different position, okay?”
She slid between Lola’s legs and leaned back against her. She rested her head against Lola’s shoulder and relaxed fully into her embrace. As it was back in LA, Quinn fit perfectly and it felt right.
Even though Lola promised a story, she wasn’t in a hurry to get to it. She ran her fingers slowly up Quinn’s arms, making goose bumps erupt where her fingers passed. Lola kissed Quinn’s temple, and then once on her neck, just below her ear, but otherwise just held her. As had been the case on the night they met, Lola was content to let Quinn take the lead. She had no expectations, but after what they’d both been through recently, it felt nice to just hold Quinn for a few minutes, while they were awake and happy.
“You’re supposed to be telling me a story,” Quinn said.
“You want me to move my hands, just say the word.”
“Yes,” Quinn said.
Lola didn’t know exactly what that meant, but given that Quinn’s breathing hitched every time she moved up her arms or kissed her neck, she took a chance. She slid her hands down Quinn’s arms and across her stomach. She reached under her shirt and slowly flattened her palms across her abdomen and sides. Lola felt Quinn’s muscles contract under her palms.
“Higher.”
Lola moved higher but stopped her explorations just below her breasts and didn’t move any farther. Quinn must have gotten tired of waiting. She leaned back farther in Lola’s arms, reached one arm back over her head, and pulled Lola down to her. Lola didn’t protest as their mouths came together. They battled for supremacy for a moment before settling into a give-and-take.
It didn’t take long before Quinn pushed Lola’s hands away and turned to face her. She straddled her lap, pulled Lola’s face to her again, and held it close with both hands as she gently bit Lola’s bottom lip. Lola responded by grabbing her ass and pulling her closer still. She sucked her lip into her mouth before releasing it just as quickly and following it with a fierce kiss.
“You are so beautiful,” Lola said. “Every part of you. Your mind, your body, this amazing ass.”
“Keep talking and we’ll both get a chance to forget about the last few days,” Quinn said.
Lola moved her hands from Quinn’s ass under her shirt and up her back. She unhooked Quinn’s bra and started to pull her shirt over her head.
“Lola, do you think Holt expects us to move all of our stuff out of here? Or just enough to get us through—holy shit. I should have knocked. I forgot you have company. I’m used to you being my single neighbor. You should get a sock for your doorknob, or maybe use a lock?”
“Dubs, get out,” Lola said.
Lola wanted to get up and chase Dubs from the room since she seemed in no particular hurry to vacate, but she was pinned as Quinn was still straddling her.
“So, maybe this is payback for the time you rolled up on Max and me after we snatched that gorgeous ride downtown? Are we even now?”
“Not even close,” Lola said. She was more growling than anything. “And if you don’t leave now, there’s no car you could steal that would be fast enough for you to run from me.”
“Understood. Nice seeing you both. Catch you later.”
“I’m starting to understand your handcuff comment,” Quinn said.
Both Quinn and Lola dissolved in laughter. Quinn kissed Lola and rolled off her. Lola followed and pinned Quinn to the bed, her arms over her head. She kissed her gently on the lips, then the tip of her nose.
“God, she sure does know how to kill a moment, doesn’t she?” Lola rolled onto her back on the bed and let out a frustrated sigh.
Quinn curled on her side and rested her head on Lola’s chest. Lola snaked an arm around Quinn and held her.
“You were supposed to be telling me a story about why it’s a good thing I’m not pregnant. We’ll have to let the anticipation build.”
“All right. Well, I have this ex named Tiffany,” Lola said.
“Doesn’t everyone,” Quinn said.
Lola was nervous. This was one hell of a story, and Lola had a few in her past. So far Quinn had heard about her murdered brother, her getting shot in the head, and a pregnant ex-girlfriend. That was quite a list for one woman. At what point was Quinn going to decide she wasn’t worth the risk? Why hadn’t she already?
“Probably not like this one,” Lola said. “She was a pretty lousy girlfriend actually, but at the time I wasn’t really willing to see that. We were on and off, and I’m not sure we both agreed on the timing of those intervals. She cheated on me a couple of times I’m sure of, but I don’t know how many, or if she would define it that way. Regardless, about a year and a half ago, maybe a little more, she left a positive pregnancy test taped to my door and said the baby was mine if I wanted it, because she didn’t.”
“That’s…life-changing.” Quinn loo
ked like she didn’t know what to say. “What about the father? I mean the baby couldn’t have been yours biologically, so there must have been someone else involved. I’m assuming you didn’t plan on having a child with her?”
“No. That was the biggest shock of my life. So I ran straight to Holt and Isabelle and bawled my eyes out on their couch in the middle of the night. Then I decided I’d keep the baby. I couldn’t imagine sending an innocent kid off to a home I knew nothing about. I felt responsible for her kid even though I know that’s dumb. Logically, I know wherever the kid ended up would likely have been a wonderful home, there are so many people who want to adopt, but I wouldn’t have been able to screen them. As soon as I knew this baby existed and she offered him to me, I felt like I had to make sure I did what was best for him.”
“Seems like how you move through the world,” Quinn said. “You protect the ones you care about.”
“Everyone around here does,” Lola said. “But as you’ve probably deduced, no baby here. Dubs and Max were helping me figure out what I’d need for the little guy, and I realized I couldn’t do it. So I asked Holt and Isabelle if they would adopt him. They did. That’s how George came into their life.”
“And you get to be part of his life. That’s wonderful,” Quinn said.
“Well, it would have been a perfect happy ending except Tiffany and George almost died and Dubs got shot.”
Quinn was quiet. She looked shocked.
“Yeah, there’s not really anything to say,” Lola said. “I didn’t know what to say at the time to make it right either. So I haven’t said anything. That’s one of the things Holt and I were arguing about at the hospital.”
“Just because I didn’t say anything right away, doesn’t mean I don’t have anything to say. I just needed a minute because that wasn’t where I expected the story to go,” Quinn said. “But I guess I can see why there was some concern about the status of my uterus. Why do you feel so much guilt about what happened?”
“Because it’s my fault.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“It’s true. I was so caught up in getting George the best home and having the adoption go through, I didn’t pay attention to what was happening in front of me. I was also working this crazy case we had at the time but didn’t see that the big bad scary dude had been sitting across from me signing adoption papers and lurking in the shadows keeping an eye on Tiffany every time I met with her. Turns out George’s father was also the one behind this car theft ring we were trying to crack. He freaked out when we moved in to take him down. He said Tiffany brought us all down on him and was going to kill her. Stupid, wonderful Dubs jumped in front of her and got shot instead. Luckily, her ego is too big to be really damaged by something as puny as a bullet. I think that saved her life.” Lola ran a hand through her hair, trying to relieve some of the anxiety that always came when she thought about that day.
“I don’t know her that well, but I can see it. She’s like Supergirl. Impervious to just about anything,” Quinn said.
“Except Max. That’s her kryptonite. And if they weren’t so freakin’ cute, it would be annoying as hell.”
“I’m still not seeing how Dubs getting shot was your fault. Sounds like all the guilt rests with the man who pulled the trigger, right? And Dubs is part of this team? You just said everyone around here protects those they care about. Doesn’t Dubs care about you and Holt and Isabelle?”
“Well, technically all of that’s true,” Lola said. She felt like she was being outmaneuvered.
“I sense a ‘but’ in there. Let me recap what you’ve said, just so I understand. You found out a baby needed a home. You considered turning your whole world upside down to take the baby but decided you wouldn’t be the best parent for him, so you found the best parents. You and your team tracked and captured a very mean man and put him in jail. As part of your takedown someone on your team did what you all seem to do, which is look out for each other. Then, once Dubs was injured, someone, or a whole host of someones, provided aid until she could get to the hospital. Does that about cover it?”
“Well, yes,” Lola said. “But when you say it like that, there’s not as much room for me to fit in the bits where I screwed up.”
“Of course not,” Quinn said. “Because you didn’t, sweetie.”
Quinn looked so sure Lola hadn’t screwed up, it gave Lola a sense of hope. Please help me find that much faith that I did nothing wrong.
“You just might make me believe that,” Lola said. “Some protector I am. I’m supposed to be making sure you’re safe and don’t feel scared and you’re the one reassuring me.”
Quinn reminded Lola how she felt about being seen as someone who needed protecting and was incapable of being an equal player in her own life. It wasn’t easy for Lola to wrap her head around. She’d either been on her own, or been with women who were happy to have someone take care of all their needs and problems.
While she packed, Lola snuck glances of Quinn working on revising her list of logistical needs while curled up on her bed. Her hair was pulled back loosely, but strands had pulled free and were falling down around her face. Lola knew she’d never seen anyone more beautiful. Lola would do anything to make sure she stayed safe.
Chapter Twenty
Quinn felt at loose ends. Lola was engaged in a long meeting with Holt and Moose, and Isabelle and Max were doing something related to money tracking. Jessica had left a while ago to settle in with Jose, her roommate for the foreseeable future. Everyone else around the office looked quite busy. Everyone except Dubs, who Quinn noticed was watching her across the room.
She’d never really been shy so she headed over to Dubs. She wanted to get to know the people in her orbit now.
“How is it being the new kid?” Dubs asked.
“Is that all I am? I seem to recall getting a grander title in my introduction. What was it you said? Lola’s ‘out of town lady friend’? Or something like that?”
“Not even close,” Dubs said. “It took me a little while to understand how protective everyone is of everyone else around here. Especially the boss. But I learned through personal experience. Now I guess I’m just as guilty as anyone else, so I was staring, and it takes a lot for me to admit guilt about anything.”
“Part of the felon and a thief thing?”
“Exactly. You don’t get out of prison years early by admitting to anything.”
“You also don’t make new friends by lying your ass off,” Quinn said. Lola had told her how Dubs came to be in Holt’s employ.
“I knew I was going to like you,” Dubs said. “It’s execrable trying to break into this group in the middle of a crisis. Do you need anything? Looks like you and I are the only ones with nothing to do.”
“Oh, you must be the one with the crazy Scrabble words. Lola warned me about you. Is there a place I can check my email? I’m allowed to do that, right?” Quinn hadn’t had a chance to talk to her mentor at CLA or confirm her research was secure since she’d abruptly left LA. She might not be able to really work out here, but she could do some familiar things to help her sense of normality. It was on her list.
Dubs set her up on one of the computers and she spent thirty minutes making herself feel better that her affairs were indeed in order. Lola hadn’t oversold Max’s abilities to safeguard her research. Even she hadn’t been able to access it.
“You know what’s been bugging me?” Dubs asked.
She must have noticed Quinn close out of the browser and turn off the computer. Quinn couldn’t even begin to guess. “Can you give me a hint on topic area? Are we talking global warming or that it took so long for Marvel to have one of their female characters headline a movie?”
“What? No, nothing like that. Although both are problems worthy of discussion. I’m thinking a little closer to home. Why is it that the CMCs, who according to Lola have a pretty good racket going laundering a shit ton of money, went to so much trouble to wave off some bounty hunter from
Rhode Island? I get that they don’t really want the cops taking too close a look at their operation, but didn’t Lola say Malcolm was bragging about his eyes and ears at LAPD? If his business is as big as he says, he should have been able to let his dirty cops handle the investigation. They should have killed Garvey quietly and been done with it. Why risk pissing in Holt’s cheerios? She didn’t have any power out there. What’s up with that?”
“Are you expecting me to have an answer? This isn’t really my area of expertise.”
“Purely hypothetical. And sure, you’re a scientist, but you’re brilliant. And I’m a criminal at heart. We can figure this out.”
“You want the two of us to do it? Right now?”
“Why not? You have anything better to do?”
“Not really,” Quinn said. She didn’t have anything else to do. Although she wasn’t sure she wanted to be involved in the crime fighting aspect of her new life, it would feel good to be useful. If only Dubs would stop talking about murder so she could forget what Kevin Garvey looked like lying in her lab with his throat slashed.
“So, were do we start?” Dubs popped her gum and looked at Quinn expectantly.
“How am I supposed to know? Scientist, remember.” Quinn shrugged. She wasn’t leading the charge on this one. Dubs was going to have to help her out.
“Isn’t science just problem solving? You find a question you want to answer and figure out how to answer it, right? Isn’t that the basic idea? That’s what I did when I stole cars too. So, how do you answer your questions? I bet our methods weren’t that different.” Dubs kicked her feet up on the desk and again looked at Quinn, waiting for her to jump in.
“God, I hope that’s the last time science and stealing cars are equated. All right, we need somewhere we can write. Do you have a big board or a wall where we can hang a lot of paper?”
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