Quinn
Santana handed the sketchbook back, a grim expression on her face. "I'm going to give it to you straight, Quinn. We can't offer you a loan."
Quinn's heart sank. "Oh. I see." With so much debt hanging over her, she'd be lucky if she ever got her store off the ground at all. Not only had her snake of an ex-roommate maxed out her credit cards, but she was also drowning in student loan debt. That exchange program to design school in Italy had perfected her skills, but it had cost a fortune she could no longer afford. "So, there's nothing I can do."
Quinn sighed and put her things back into her tote bag. It looked like her newfound luck was already running out. She'd never get to open her store, and she wouldn't have an excuse to see Santana again.
"There might be something." Santana chewed on the inside of her cheek. It was hard for Quinn not to melt when someone that gorgeous was looking at her with so much concern. Santana's mouth formed a line as she got lost in thought. She had the kind of harsh, delectable mouth that was made for commanding attention.
Unable to help herself, Quinn stared at those lips, wondering what it must be like to have them against her skin. Santana looked like she would be an excellent kisser.
Christ. Stop staring at her like that. Quinn chastised herself. Was she so starved for affection that she was lusting after her sworn enemy? Annoyed with her own thoughts, she tore her gaze away from Santana. She had to focus on the task at hand. To make the Lopezes pay and get her family back on top. Anything else was a distraction. Santana Lopez's good looks and her interest in her work were utterly irrelevant.
"I'll pull some strings for you," Santana offered. "If you can prove that your roommate is responsible for some of your debt, I'll vouch for you."
Hope gripped Quinn. "How can I prove she's responsible?"
"Do you have anything that was signed under both of your names? A joint rent receipt or utility bill would do it."
"Could a lease work? My roommate and I lived together up until a few months ago."
Santana nodded. "That would work. Get a letter from your landlord showing the names on the lease. It's not a guarantee, but I'll see what I can do when you bring me the relevant paperwork."
"Thank you." Quinn still suspected the kindness was a cover for something else, but this was her chance to see Santana again. "I really appreciate this."
Santana reached into her clutch. "This is my card," she said, holding her business card out to Quinn. "I don't give this out to just anyone, so use it wisely."
Quinn's ears warmed as she took the card. "I will." Now she had Santana's contact details. Having information this vital was a sign that turning her charm had paid off.
After dessert, Santana paid for their expensive meal with her black card. A stab of jealousy knifed its way through Quinn's heart. The ease with which Santana paid for their lunch was getting to her. Spurring her to want revenge more than she ever had. She had resented the Lopezes when she had seen them in glossy magazines or saw paparazzi videos of them leaving exclusive parties. In Santana's presence, that resentment only magnified.
"Where to?" Santana asked as they got back into her Mercedes.
"Uh… the nearest bus stop is fine."
"Nonsense. I'll drive you home. Or to work if that's where you're headed."
Panic made Quinn's throat go dry. She was actually going to see her father. At last. She couldn't risk Santana and her father accidentally meeting. "I have errands to run," she lied quickly. "Honestly, it would be easier for me to take the bus."
Santana didn't reply. Just turned left and brought the car to a halt near a bus stop.
Quinn reached to open the passenger door. "Thank you for all your help today."
Santana's eyes fell on her, her hard stare making Quinn's pulse quicken. "Call me as soon as you get home."
Arguing would be a waste of time right now. Quinn knew her type. Santana got exactly what she wanted.
What Santana didn't know was that, despite Quinn's name change, she was still a Fabray. And Fabrays got exactly what they wanted too. As she slipped out of the car, she knew that she had to go through Santana Lopez in her quest for revenge. Only one of them would be left standing.
Less than an hour later, Quinn got off the bus and made her way to the street address that her brother had given her. When she finally got to the halfway house and knocked on the door, a grizzled old man covered in faded tattoos let her in.
"Are Russell and Logan here?" she asked. "They should be expecting me."
The old man nodded. "Follow me." He led her to a private room at the back of the house, pointed at a bed on the far wall, and disappeared.
There were five beds in the room, with haggard-looking men lounging or milling around. Like her father, they had all done time in prison. Gathering her courage, Quinn took a deep breath and headed to the bed on the far wall.
Her brother, Logan, was unpacking things from a backpack while an older man sat on the bed. It took her a long moment to recognize this older man was her father. She had visited him in prison but he had always been in his prison uniform. Now he was dressed in hand-me-downs clothes that hung off his body, and his hair was astonishingly grey. Quinn's heart pounded as she approached him.
"Daddy?" A surge of grief and elation made tears well in her eyes.
"Quinnie!" Overjoyed, her father shot to his feet and pulled her into a tight embrace. His entire body heaved with sobs. "My baby girl. I've missed you so much."
For the entire day, Quinn had managed to focus on her mission without letting the prospect of finally seeing her father free distract her. The years with him had hardened her heart. Taught her to compartmentalize her emotions. But now that she was finally holding onto him, she started to sob right along with him.
When he finally released her, he sank back down onto the bed, wiping his eyes. "You're both finally here."
She glanced at her brother and exchanged a reluctant smile. As aimless as Logan was, at least he had helped get their father settled in at a halfway house. They both sat down on the bed, sandwiching their father between them.
"How are you?" Quinn asked her dad softly.
"Overwhelmed," he sighed out. "But there'll be plenty of time for me to readjust to life on the outside. Tell me, how did your day at the bank go?"
"Oh." In her happiness at being reunited with her father, she had forgotten about the good news she had to share. Lowering her voice so that only her father and brother could head, she said, "I met Santana Lopez."
Her father's posture tensed at the mention of that name, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What? How?"
Quinn gave them as many details as she dared. Except for how captivating Santana was. And how her attention had made her feel all warm and tingly. That was a betrayal Quinn was going to rectify. Falling under Santana's spell could not happen. Not now that she had started to get close to her.
"What kind of information are you even trying to get?" her brother asked when she finished.
"Prison has taught me that no scrap of information is too insignificant," their father murmured. "You can use anything against someone if you pay attention. Right now, Quinn, do your best to get her to trust you. Get as close as you can to her and tell me everything she says. Leave nothing out."
Quinn's stomach tightened. Already she had left out how, despite their bad blood, she had been touched when Santana admired her work. The next time she saw Santana, Quinn vowed she wasn't going to let her get to her. She'd be in control. Reinforce the icy wall around her heart.
"Okay," she said finally.
The look on her father's face softened. "I hate asking you to do this, but I can't do much on my own." He lifted his pant leg to reveal a hefty ankle bracelet. "I'm not completely free yet. And without a job, I'm basically stuck in this place."
A weight of crushing sadness settled in Quinn's chest. She hated that he was stuck here but her dingy apartment was no better. Even with his freedom, he was still suffering. Still being monitored. Still broke and unemployed. The injustice made Quinn struggle to breathe through her bitterness.
Her father had been her hero. The strongest man she'd ever known. For her entire childhood, she believed there was nothing he couldn't do. Seeing him like this now was shattering her.
"We'll get you out of here, and then get everything back. I promise, Daddy." She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Once I get the right paperwork, I'll pay Santana another visit."
"My girl." Her father smiled, a glint in his eyes. "This is turning out better than we hoped. Getting access to Santana Lopez is a damn good bit of luck."
"When we get enough dirt on them, will we run them out of the company?" Logan asked. "Will we finally get the bank back?"
Their father's eyes narrowed. "We'll get more than that. If we play our cards right, not only will the Lopezes lose the bank but they'll be the ones getting arrested on national television."
"What?" Quinn asked, startled.
"That's right. I never told you my theory, did I?" He rubbed his gnarled hands together in a way that chilled her. "Obviously the charges that got leveled against me were bogus. I know I didn't defraud anyone. But someone at the bank definitely did. I'd bet my life the Lopezes are the real culprits. They framed me to save themselves. If we prove that, I'll be exonerated and the whole Lopez family will go exactly where they should have been all these years. Prison."
Santana
She thought two days would be enough to forget about her, but she'd been wrong. Quinn had been on Santana's mind since she dropped her off at the bus station. Now LIG headquarters was closing for the day and she was still going over their lunch together.
As Santana stepped off the elevator, she said goodbye to the employees and walked towards the bank entrance.
Thinking about Quinn so much shouldn't have been surprising. When Santana wanted something, she always got consumed by it. She tried to tell herself she'd invited Quinn out to lunch to let her down gently, but it had felt way too much like a date for that to be true.
For the first time in a long time, a woman managed to capture Santana's attention enough to distract her from work. Worse, though she wanted to get in with her, it wouldn't be right for her to initiate such personal contact with a bank customer. Other than a text Quinn had sent saying she got home safely, Santana hadn't heard from her. That only intensified her interest in her.
She walked out of the building and made her way to the executive parking lot. Until Quinn got in touch, she'd be left to wonder about her. For someone like Santana, not having something she wanted was an unusual experience.
When she spotted her G-Class, she stopped in her tracks.
She knew that beautiful crown of blonde hair anywhere. The woman was leaning against her car, arms folded, head lowered. As Santana approached her she noticed her heaving shoulders. The quiet sobs.
"Quinn?" Gently, Santana touched her shoulder. "What's wrong? What happened?"
When Quinn looked up, the expression on her face almost devastated Santana. Her heart-shaped face was streaked with tears. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me—"
Every protective instinct in Santana flared. Quinn had spoken bitterly about an ex-roommate. If someone had hurt her, she would make them pay. "Did someone hurt you? Talk to me."
"Nobody hurt me." Quinn's eyes shut for a moment, her body still trembling. "It's just… I tried getting a letter from my landlord like you said. But it was just my name on the lease. I thought my roommate's name would be on it too, but it wasn't. Then my landlord came into my apartment, realized that she had stolen some of the furniture, and kicked me out."
Santana's hold on her shoulder tightened. "That isn't legal. He can't kick you out for something you didn't do."
Quinn shook her head. "Santana, most of us don't have that luxury. Nobody cares about our guilt or innocence. They just want to take us down in whatever way they can."
There was an accusation in her tone that filled Santana with unease. No. It had to be in her head. The residual guilt of the newly rich. Shoving the useless guilt aside, she stared deep into the shining pools of Quinn's eyes. "Where are you staying?"
"That's just it…" Quinn's voice trailed off as she chewed her lip. She was stalling. Probably too embarrassed to come right out and ask for help. "I slept in my car last night because I have nowhere else to go."
"Your family can't help you?"
Quinn shook her head regretfully. "No. My family has been going through a tough time financially. They won't be able to help me. I don't know where else to turn. I was counting on the loan so that I could finally get my store up and running. All I need is for someone to finally give me a chance. Someone to believe in me, because I won't disappoint. If I got a chance to prove myself, I'd work so hard."
An idea occurred to Santana. Something so out there she knew she would have to convince Quinn to take it seriously. "I'll be that someone."
Quinn inhaled sharply, and Santana squeezed her shoulder gently, making sure Quinn kept those incredible eyes on her.
"I'll be that someone for you," she repeated. "If you need somewhere to stay then stay at my place."