A/N: This chapter is less filler, more bridge.
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Chapter 69
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Santana's POV
Santana hadn't turned her phone back on after the show because, well, she was with everyone who would try to contact her for anything important. Brittany had left her phone at the apartment to charge.
Quinn pulled her phone out of her purse and turned it on to check the time. She frowned at the screen. "Um, San? You may want to check your phone … I've got five missed calls from your mom."
Santana turned on her own phone and saw she had seven missed calls.
She pressed the return call button and her mother answered immediately. "Mami? What's wrong?"
"Ah, mija! Thank goodness I finally reached one of you. None of you were answering, I've been so frightened."
"Brittany had her Spring Showcase this weekend; Quinn and I were at the show with our phones off. What's going on?" Santana was confused at her mother's urgency.
"That man. He left this morning and hasn't come home. I really didn't think anything of it until I heard the she-devil on the phone. I think she was talking to him; she said to not do anything stupid, 'we need her alive'. I was so afraid; her voice was so cold, so evil. They could only be talking about you. I think he may be headed to you. I'm so sorry, mija. He didn't say anything before he left."
"When did he leave? What time? Is he driving the Lincoln?" Santana started getting nervous. Julio was on his way here? Fuck.
"He left a little after ten this morning. Yes. He took the Lincoln,"
Shit. "Okay, mami, thank you for the warning. I'll call you back when I know something."
"Be careful, mi corazon.He has been agitated, angry, ever since those packets started arriving. He is under scrutiny everywhere. The hospital put him on administrative leave. The press hound him and the news outlets call constantly; we had to turn off the house phone."
"I will, mami. You be careful, too. Maybe you should think about getting out of there."
"Soon, mija, very soon. You call me as soon as you know anything. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Santana hung up and did some mental calculations; with no stops it was seven-and-a-half hours from Lima to University City. He'd have had to stop for gas at least three times. That's another hour, twenty minutes per stop, minimum. Eight-and-a-half … puts him here at …
"San?"
Santana was snapped from her thoughts. "Huh?"
"Honey, what's going on?" Brittany's face was wreathed in concern.
"Apparently Julio is on his way here. He left around ten this morning. I was just doing the math to figure out when he could have gotten here."
Brittany and Quinn paled at the news. Mike and Lily looked confused while Daniel just looked furious.
Santana sighed. "Mike, the day you helped me? Those two guys? My 'father' sent them to bring me back 'home'." She snorted derisively, then sighed again. "They work for a pray away the gay organization. When I was sixteen they took me away for six weeks. I guess the she-devil sent her spawn to finish the job they failed to do. There's a lot of money involved. Money I just found out about." She shook her head. Fuckers. Why the hell couldn't they just leave her the fuck alone?
Lily and Mike gaped at her.
"Yeah. And that's pretty much the cherry on the top of the sundae that was my childhood. He left at ten this morning. With minimal stops, he got here at six-thirty." She glanced at Quinn. "He may have even seen us leave for the show."
"Fuck." The shorter blonde swore, her jaw clenched.
Santana nodded and checked the time. Nine-thirty. "I would guess, if this was his destination and I'm sure it was, he's here by now and probably waiting for me." She nibbled her lower lip. What the fuck was she going to do? Fuck. Fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck fuck.
Quinn opened her phone and typed into it. "Well, he's not at the door." She turned her phone around so they could all see the Ring feed.
They sat in silence, food forgotten, the easy camaraderie replaced by a shared concern.
Mike cleared his throat. "Um, I have an idea?"
Santana's eyes shifted warily to the Asian dancer. She knew him, of course, but he and Lily weren't really her "friends".
"Okay, so, say he's here. He's probably down the street from your building, keeping an eye on the lower door. He's not going to approach the six of us. No matter how fit he is, Daniel and I are fit as fuck." Lily scowled at him and he smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry. We're younger and more fit. Then there are the four of you. No matter how much disdain he has for women, he's not going to take on six people." He nodded in thought. "So, all six of us head back to your place and go in, hang out for a bit. He sees us all, sees the lights on so he knows Santana is up there. He's still not going to do anything."
"Yeah, but you all can't stay forever." Santana pointed out.
"No, but, we don't actually have to leave, either."
The group looked at him in confusion.
"After about an hour Lily and I will leave. Walk down the street and around the corner and wait for Daniel and Quinn. They leave, maybe twenty minutes later, and join us. Quinn opens the Ring feed. Ten, fifteen minutes after Daniel and Quinn, Brittany follows. Santana locks the door and turns out the light; like she's alone and going to bed."
"Wait. I don't like the idea of leaving Santana alone." Brittany piped in.
"Door's locked. You're on the phone with Santana so she's not really alone and she's got you grounding her. I've gotta assume that," his eyes were apologetic as his gaze met Santana's, "you were somehow abused and that it might cause you a flashback or something." Santana just nodded her agreement. "We're watching the Ring feed. As soon as he shows up, Daniel and I are on our way back to the apartment while Lily calls the police. Brittany can keep Santana 'company' on the phone while we deal with Dr. Lopez. The cops show up and Santana is safe."
Daniel was nodding thoughtfully. "Or, I could just throw him down the backstairs, beat him unconscious, and toss him in the dumpster." He shrugged and winked at her as Santana giggled.
"Or that." Mike grinned.
"Honey, I'd rather you didn't go to jail."
"Well, you're no fun." He sounded so disappointed. Then brightened. "Buuuut … if he takes a swing at me, I can hit him in self defense. The Ring will prove he started it." He smiled brightly causing the rest of the table to laugh, breaking a little of the tension.
Santana couldn't believe what she was hearing; Quinn and Brittany standing up for her she could have predicted, even Daniel to an extent. But, Mike and Lily? She barely knew Mike and had just met Lily.
"I think that's actually the best plan we have." Quinn broke through Santana's thoughts.
"Mike, Lily … are you sure you want to get involved?" Santana's voice was small and unsure.
"Absolutely. Santana," Mike answered for the two of them, meeting her eyes again. "I'm guessing that for most of your life it's just been Quinn who had your back. You're not alone anymore. We've got you. And I'm betting I could make one phone call and we could double our numbers if we needed to."
"Yeah, Mike's right. No way we'd leave you hanging." Lily nodded.
"Okay." Santana nodded her acquiescence, unbelievably grateful in this moment that, for the first time ever, she actually had friends.
