No honor among thieves. Lola ducked as debris showered the air around them.
“Let me know when you confirm Sam’s okay. Did I hear SWAT is almost here? I don’t want to be out here when they roll up. I don’t get the feeling these guys will go down without a fight and this rock doesn’t feel like enough cover,” Holt said.
Lola looked carefully around the rock to evaluate their situation. There was no sign of SWAT yet. The intensity of the shooting had lessened although there were still bullets careening off the back of their rock with sickening regularity.
“I think this is our chance, you two,” Dubs said. “You and Lola need to stick close and keep low. Lola, are you okay to run? Boss dumped you on your ass pretty good, and no offense, but you still look rough.”
“I’ll be fine,” Lola said. She hurt like hell, but she would fight through it since the alternative was being stuck out here when SWAT arrived and things had the potential to get really deadly.
“Move to your right on my mark.”
Dubs fired off three more shots and then gave the go signal. Holt grabbed Lola and the two of them sprang from behind the rock and ran crouched low to the ground for the next measure of cover they could find, in this case another car. The intensity of fire picked up again, shattering the concrete behind them as they ran.
“Moose is on ground level providing cover now too,” Dubs said. “He promised not to strafe you. Hold there for a minute. Our guests are moving.”
Holt and Lola held their position. Lola tried to keep her breathing even and steady, but adrenaline was threatening to overwhelm her system.
“They’re trying to outflank you,” Dubs said. “I can hold them off long enough to get you inside, but if SWAT doesn’t show up soon, you’re going to need more than Moose on the ground down there. Tuna’s reporting it’s the same around back.”
“Just get me inside,” Holt said.
“You got it. When I give you the go, you two run like hell.” Dubs fired again and another shooter went down. The rehabilitation from the shot to the kneecap would be unpleasant, but he would live.
When Dubs told them to go, they ran full-out for the office. They had to go between two parked trucks in single file. As they did the windshields and side windows burst into tiny shards as bullets flew through the glass. Lola could feel the glass hitting her face and arms, but she didn’t dare slow. Her damaged ribs were aching, making it hard to breathe. Once they were out from between the trucks it was less than ten feet to the door. Moose and one of the newbies were waiting with the door open, Moose holding an assault rifle, returning fire.
Holt burst into the office with Lola right behind her. They landed tangled together on the floor and Moose slammed the door shut behind them. Lola’s immediate concern was Quinn. She felt like she couldn’t see or hear clearly in the chaos. She knew people were shouting and the gunshots were still overwhelmingly loud, but it all seemed like background noise, muffled as she tried to pick out the one voice that mattered most.
“Finally,” she heard someone shout. She was aware of sirens, but even that couldn’t fully penetrate. She needed to get to Quinn.
“Where’s Quinn?” she asked Moose.
“Max has everyone barricaded in the conference room. She’s safe,” Moose said.
That was all Lola needed to hear for the time being. She wanted to see Quinn and confirm that for herself, but right now, the best thing she could do was fight.
* * *
“SWAT is on scene,” Dubs said. “I’m coming down from the roof now. I don’t want to get shot off of here for looking too much like an unfriendly sniper.”
After a very short gunfight, the shooters were subdued. The SWAT team swarmed the office and cleared the building. Everyone was led outside, checked for hostile intent, and then released. Holt felt disoriented standing back in the parking lot she’d run through just a short time ago desperately trying not to die.
She scanned the crowd as the last of her people were led out of the building. Quinn came first, then Jessica, and finally, Isabelle. Isabelle saw her and launched into her arms. Holt always found words lacking at times like this.
The feelings of fear, disorientation, anger, and terror melted away as she held Isabelle. Thank God. No matter what else was happening in the world, this was her home. This woman, who grounded her, calmed her, loved her, the mother of her child, was all she needed in the world.
“I love you,” Holt said.
“I love you too,” Isabelle said. “I thought I was going to lose you.”
She set Isabelle down and took a step back. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the ring she’d been carrying around for weeks. She dropped to one knee on the snow-covered ground, with shards of glass embedded in her jeans and stuck in her skin, and blood still dripping down her face. But life was precious, and sometimes tenuous. She wouldn’t wait another second.
“You can’t lose me,” Holt said. “Because I’m yours forever. I’ve been yours since the day I met you. Every day with you is the best day of my life, and I want those best days to continue for the rest of my life. Isabelle Rochat, will you marry me? Will you raise George with me as my wife?”
“You sure know how to pick your moments, Holt Lasher, but we met in a hail of gunfire, so I guess this is appropriate,” Isabelle said. She had tears in her eyes. She took Holt’s hand and pulled her to her feet. “Yes. I say yes. Of course I say yes.” Isabelle pulled Holt in for a kiss, but Holt held back.
“You’ll get blood on you.” She slipped the ring on Isabelle’s hand instead.
“Hey, you’re the one who picked the proposal time and didn’t wash your face. I get the ring, you get a kiss.”
“That, I can definitely live with.”
Despite having been under siege and in deadly peril, this was the best day of Holt’s life. She’d never understood how she’d gotten lucky enough to share a life with Isabelle, and now they would promise each other forever. Her heart already knew it was true; standing in front of family and friends to declare it to the world was something of a formality, but one she couldn’t wait to undertake.
Chapter Twenty-eight
“I can’t believe you proposed surrounded by the SWAT team,” Lola said. She and Holt were out for drinks, crammed into a booth at a local dive bar down the street from the loft.
“Hey, it did the job,” Holt said. “I think she understood the romance of the moment.”
Lola laughed. “You’re lucky you’ve found the one woman on this planet who understands you enough to put up with your bullshit. There was absolutely no romance to anything that happened that day.”
Holt scrubbed her face with her hands. “You’ve worked with me almost from the beginning. Am I getting older and settled, or was that the craziest case we’ve ever worked?”
“Sheer insanity. If another case comes along like that in my lifetime it will be too soon.”
Holt looked uncertain, something Lola almost never saw from her.
“Hey,” Lola said. “She agreed to marry you immediately after a gunfight. She wouldn’t have agreed to forever if she thought that kind of danger was going to be a regular thing.”
“Oh, so you’re a mind reader now?” Holt looked amused.
Lola shrugged. “It’s what I would be worried about. Look at the danger I brought to Quinn. I still have no idea why she stuck with me.”
“I can think of a few reasons,” Holt said. She took a pull on her beer and they were silent for a while, both staring at the TV in the corner of the bar playing sports highlights.
“You think I finally got this one right?” Lola asked. She cared deeply what Holt thought about Quinn.
“Doesn’t much matter what I think,” Holt said. “Can’t find out if you love someone from a third party, even one who cares as much as I do. But for what it’s worth, I think Quinn’s wonderful. You two light up when the other is around.”
“Oh, I’m not asking if I love her,” Lola said. “I’m crazy ab
out her. But if she tells me she’s going to Michigan, I’m going to pack my bags and follow her. Away from you. Away from Jose, and Moose, and everyone here. It sounds like the sort of stupid shit I’ve always done, but it feels different this time. You’d tell me if you thought I was making the same mistake again, right? Because I’ve let her all the way in. She could destroy me.”
“Do you trust her not to?”
Lola answered without hesitation. “Absolutely.” The truth of the statement was liberating. She realized she’d always held back part of herself in previous relationships, just waiting to get screwed over. Even though she’d tried to hold back with Quinn, it had been impossible. She’d given more of herself than she thought she had to give.
“Guess you have your answer,” Holt said. “But I’m going to miss you like hell if you end up in the Midwest. Who’s going to keep Jose in line for me?”
“I’m not giving that up no matter how far I move. Although Jessica said she’s staying here even if Quinn moves, so she’ll fill in when I’m unavailable,” Lola said. She thought about the other things she would miss if she left, like watching George grow. All she had to do was think about Quinn’s smile, her touch, and the life they wanted to build together, however, and everything else faded away. “Michigan’s not a sure thing yet,” Lola said. “She’s still waiting to hear back from UPVD. I’ve had everything crossed for so long, I feel like a pretzel.”
Holt made a funny face and then laughed. “I’m trying to picture it, but the best I can do is reliving you riding in the backseat of that tiny car Dubs stole to get us back from our run through the woods. Seems like you have a thing for Michigan.”
“I love Dubs, I do,” Lola said. She was laughing too. “But that car was almost enough for me to kill her.”
“She’s moving in with Max. Even if you stay, I’m assuming you and Quinn wouldn’t be staying in the attic. Mind if I offer your place to one of the newbies?”
Lola didn’t mind at all. The apartment she had occupied for so long was one of the things she loved most about Holt, or what it symbolized. If you were part of Holt’s family, she took care of you.
“Max and Dubs offered to host Sam when she comes out to recuperate, but the wise woman turned them down. She’s going to stay with us until she’s back on her feet,” Holt said.
It was a minor miracle that Sam had made it out of her house alive. Once the shooting had started at the shop, Lola had forgotten all about Sam in her single-minded drive to get to Quinn, but Holt and Max had multitasked.
“I still can’t believe Max convinced Malcolm to rescue Sam,” Lola said. She pushed aside her beer.
“I’m not sure Max believes it either. Showing him proof that the mayor intended him to be the fall guy for the entire scheme if things went sideways was key. She played masterfully to his ego and sense of self-preservation.”
“Who were the guys at Sam’s house?”
“Guns for hire,” Holt said. She looked disgusted. “They were paid to get the hard copy files Sam had hidden there and kill her. The mayor hired them to clean up. He was the one that was so scared of my involvement. I’m politically connected, even if it’s across the country. He had national aspirations, and my friends were people he would need to know. He didn’t want me digging deep and finding out about his involvement. His hired guns were wearing CMC colors and I think supposed to look like part of the gang, but they weren’t members. Same for the guys that came after us.”
“Thank God I’m good with a flare gun,” Lola said. “Someone could’ve gotten hurt.”
Holt glared at her. “Another round?” she asked.
Lola thought about it, and for the first time in her life was eager to get home. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’d like to call it a night.”
“No complaints,” Holt said. “I’ve got a fiancé and baby waiting for me.”
Lola used to be jealous of the look that flittered across Holt’s face anytime she thought of Isabelle. It was like a billboard advertising how damned happy and in love they were, and it used to annoy her. Now she was pretty sure it was another thing she and Holt had in common. They were probably sitting in their tiny booth dreamily staring off into space thinking about their ladies, looking like complete fools. Fools in love. Which was exactly what she was.
Chapter Twenty-nine
Quinn waited on the bed for Lola to finish her shower. She was nervous, even though she didn’t think she had any reason to be. Lola had said she would go anywhere Quinn needed to for her next job, no matter the destination. Tonight was the big reveal.
“So,” Lola said. “Are you not wearing any clothes because you’re worried I’ll be upset, or are we going to be celebrating?”
“You’re only wearing a towel,” Quinn said. “I didn’t want to feel left out.”
“We’ll just have to be quiet,” Lola said. “Because George is still next door and Holt and Isabelle are still down the hall.”
Quinn dropped her head dramatically on the pillow. “We really need our own place. Remind me why we couldn’t move back into the attic after the LA business was over?”
“Because it’s the size of a closet.”
“And the loft?”
“No bed.”
“Wasn’t a problem that I recall,” Quinn said. Quinn found it endearing that Lola blushed. “But that is still your place, right? You didn’t give it away without telling me?”
“The loft? No, you asked me not to. But I’m sure Holt will find someone else to take over the lease once we move.”
“But it’s yours now? So you could have a say in the next tenants?”
“I’m sure Holt would be happy to turn that job over to me,” Lola said. “Did you have someone in mind? Does Jessica want it? I thought she was moving in with Jose? They’re oddly perfect roommates.”
Quinn pulled Lola down on the bed and rolled on top of her. They were face-to-face. She could still see the faintest signs of Lola’s beating at the hands of the CMCs if she looked closely, and now she had new cuts, bruises, and scratches from her adventures with the hit squad.
“Is it always so insane around you? Am I going to be worried about every bump in the night for the rest of my life?” Quinn asked.
“Me?” Lola asked. “I had nothing to do with any of that. Innocent bystander. Go talk to Holt. She’s the one who causes all the trouble around here.”
“I’m serious. Even if you go back to school, I don’t see you giving up working with Holt completely. Not for a while.” Quinn needed a real answer.
Lola nodded and looked like she was taking the question seriously. “No, it’s not nearly this crazy all the time. I think even Holt was contemplating a career change with this case. Most of what we do is boring and very tame. Is there danger, yes, but it almost never spills over into our personal lives. There have been some recent and very graphic examples, but those are unusual. You’ve met all of us, seen the way we work. We look out for each other and we’re good at what we do. We don’t take stupid risks.”
Quinn had heard Lola say all of that, or a version of all of that before, but she needed to hear it again. Especially after she’d been in her second shootout. Gun battles weren’t part of the daily lives of neuroscientists. It helped knowing that the mayor of LA had been indicted; Sam, remarkably, was okay; and despite Max’s promise on the phone, Malcolm wasn’t going to walk away a free man, but the last few weeks had been an action movie. She preferred something with far fewer explosions and bullets, especially if she and Lola were going to have a starring role.
“That’s good. What good are those beautiful windows in the loft if I’m too scared to take advantage of the view, or if they’re destined to get blown away?”
Lola sat up so quickly she knocked Quinn off of her into an unceremonious jumble on the bed.
“Does this mean…”
“Looks like you just solved your last big case. Good detective work.”
Lola pounced on Quinn and pinned her down.
Lola’s weight pressing into her made Quinn instantly wet. She wrapped her lower leg around Lola’s calf.
“How long have you known?” Lola asked.
“I was on the phone with Dr. Castellano when you had to rescue me and whisk me off to the loft,” Quinn said. “I wanted to wait for the official offer in writing so I could look it over and make sure there wasn’t any poison pill in the contract. Then everything else happened and I wanted to wait for a good moment, when we could really talk. Are you happy?”
“I should be asking you that,” Lola said. “I was going to be happy no matter what. Being with you makes me happy.”
Quinn wanted more from her and her disapproval of Lola’s answer must have shown on her face.
“Fine,” Lola said. “I’m thrilled. I really would have been happy anywhere, but I’m not going to lie and say being close to my family isn’t perfect. What better way for them to really get to know you? Actually…” Lola hopped off the bed and started putting clothes on.
“What are you doing?” This wasn’t what Quinn had in mind for the rest of their evening. “Get naked and get back here.”
“We have to tell Holt and Isabelle,” Lola said. “And then we have to go see our new home.”
“There’s no furniture there,” Quinn said. She got up and started dressing too. Lola was clearly not to be deterred. “Tomorrow we’re buying a bed.”
“There’s a chair,” Lola said. “Besides, we’re celebrating. I don’t think there will be much reason for sleep.”
“I like that chair,” Quinn said. “I think I’m going to steal it from you.”
“I told you the first time I met you I was saving you a seat,” Lola said. “It felt that way at the time, even if I didn’t know what I meant. Now I know.”
Data Capture Page 30