A/N: Things are definitely gonna be slow on the whole update front (like they weren't already) cos I'm back at uni and everything's tits up atm. So bear with me
----
"Don't you get bored of this whole routine?" Lauren sighed, kicking her feet up on the table and leaning back on her chair.
"This is only the second day Jauregui." Camila muttered, flipping through an open file.
"And you are yet to ask me anything." Lauren said with a stretch. "So come on, maybe I'll entertain you."
"Why were Hansen and Kordei heading over to Manhattan this morning?" Camila said suddenly, looking up from her file with a blank face.
"Probably visiting Lucy."
"She's here." Camila replied, tilting her head with a small smile playing at her lips. "Saw her on my way in."
"Luce is here?" Lauren felt her heart jump as her chair wobbled and she fell forward into the table.
"Mhmm. So where were your friends off to?
"I don't know."
"You're a Jauregui." Camila mused. "You guys run the tightest ship this side of the country. I find it hard to believe you've not got a single guard on your payroll already. In fact all I probably have to do is ask around."
"Okay maybe you're not that far off but as far as I know, my orders were to hold down the fort in Brooklyn." Lauren said, folding her arms across her chest. Camila narrowed her eyes at Lauren, tapping her finger against the table before folding up her file and standing up.
"I'll see you tomorrow Jauregui. Maybe you'll have more to tell me by then."
"Unlikely sweetheart." Lauren mumbled as Camila was let out by Beckett; Lauren nodded at her guard.
----
Lauren was about to knock on the glass for Beckett when the door opened.
"Lucy. What're you doing here?" Lauren asked with a smile. "Not that I'm complaining."
"I was up here for another case, figured I'd come say hi." Lucy replied, sitting across from her with a small smile. "That cop bothering you?"
"Oh no, she's a PI now." Lauren said with a shrug.
"A PI? And she's still investigating?"
"Someone probably hired her, doesn't matter for now." Lauren waved it off easily and watched Lucy as she relaxed again. "How's my family doing?"
"They're good. I think Tay's coming to visit you after school lets out." Lucy hummed. "Chris has surprisingly stayed out of trouble."
"That's a first." Lauren snorted. They fell into a comfortable silence, Lucy's hands reaching for Lauren's across the table.
"Laur-"
"We have to talk about it Luce." Lauren mumbled. "It's been driving me crazy."
"It was my fault. I- I shouldn't have kissed you." Lucy sighed, her eyebrows furrowing.
"I'm not saying it was a bad thing-"
"I shouldn't have. We've been here before Laur."
"We were kids." Lauren argued.
"I was in law school Laur."
"And I was busy breaking the law, what's your point? We've grown up Luce." Lauren huffed.
"Look, I shouldn't have kissed you." Lucy said firmly.
"And why not?" Lauren asked with a scowl.
"Because I have a girlfriend." Lucy snapped, her eyes widening the second after it left her lips.
Lauren felt her face fall slack, her hands instantly moving off the table and into her lap.
"What?"
"I... I have a girlfriend. Who I love. But you- I- it was a moment of weakness." Lucy stammered.
"Then why did you kiss me?" Lauren asked, her jaw clenched.
"I don't know. You were going to prison and I couldn't stop it. I just... I got emotional." Lucy muttered with a sigh.
"Luce... it's okay." Lauren said with a soft smile.
"But-"
"I get it. I really do. And you're right; me and you, we didn't work out. And I will forever be grateful for your friendship. Nothing's gonna ruin that." Lauren said firmly.
"I.. me too Laur." Lucy said with a smile.
"But you do need to tell your girlfriend." Lauren said, raising an eyebrow and pursing her lips. "Or I'll find out her number and tell her myself."
"I know." Lucy whispered.
The room fell silent before there was a knock on the door and Beckett walked in.
"Visitation's over Jauregui. Let's go." Lauren nodded and stood up.
"Good luck Luce." She said brightly, dragging her hand over Lucy's shoulder as she passed her.
-----
"They're up to something. I can feel it." Camila said as she got into her car. Ally looked up from her phone at the slam of the door.
"I had Becky tail them. They stopped outside some fancy high rise; too many businesses to pick from." Ally ran her hand through her hair as Camila started the car.
"Looks like a day trip to Manhattan then." Camila groaned and pulled out of the prison parking lot.
"Are you really going to visit her everyday?" Ally asked. They'd been driving in silence for the past twenty minutes and the traffic was playing havoc on Camila's patience.
"Yep. Until she gives me her main suppliers or slips up enough to reveal how she's fucking doing it all." Camila growled quietly. Ally nodded, staring out her window for a second.
"And if she doesn't? And you've wasted 18 months on her?" Ally asked cautiously.
"Then I'll know her better than anyone and I'll go tell the 99 everything I know." Camila replied with a grimace.
"So you'll drop the case? Taylor won't pay, and the Jauregui's have got some serious cash. You know blackbear would go batshit right?"
"Then he'll either fire me or get over it." Camila huffed. "It's not like I'm only taking this one case in the entire 18 months. It's more like a background project."
"Well Becky said we've got a meeting tomorrow with some woman; thinks her boyfriend's cheating."
"She say that?"
"Becky said she had that look. And I trust her instincts, she's been a PI's secretary for too long to not recognise the people." Ally laughed. She pointed to a building and Camila pulled to a stop outside it.
"I'll go poke around. You keep the car running here."
"Oh no missy." Ally said, scrambling out the car before Camila could. She leaned down and grinned. "I'm going to ask the questions. You sit here and do nothing."
Camila protested but Ally ignored her and closed the door. She strolled into the building and checked out the business list at the back of the room.
There were a bunch of different law firms and financial specialists but one stood out; a private security firm.
Ally was about to walk up to the main reception desk when the elevator dinged and the two people she was after walked out, a third stunningly gorgeous woman with them.
"Fuck." Ally mumbled, spinning on her heel and heading back out the door. "Keep your head down." She hissed as she jumped back in the car.
"What did you do?" Camila squeaked.
"Nothing! They're just coming behind me." Ally rolled her eyes and gestured to the door as the three women walked out.
"Holy shit who is that?" Camila mumbled, her eyes wide.
"Oh you useless bisexual. I don't know. But I do know that all the companies here are run by men. All the names on the board were just... so white and pretentious." Ally shuddered.
"Well she is definitely not male, nor is she white and I'm really hoping she's not pretentious 'cause damn I wouldn't mind being-" Camila muttered as they watched the three women stop by a black SUV.
"Camila! Professionals!"
"Not right now. Fuck that." Camila whispered, reaching into the backseat for her camera and snapping a few shots of them.
Camila shoved the camera into Ally's hands as Dinah and Normani got into the SUV, leaving the mystery woman on the pavement, waving them off. Camila scrambled to get out the car ignoring Ally's parting comment.
"I swear to God if you hook up with a potential suspect..."
Camila wandered up to the building as the woman was walking back towards her. They collided at the doorway and Camila smiled.
"I am so sorry." She gushed. "I didn't see you."
"Quite alright, I guess we were both lost in our thoughts." The woman replied smoothly, her accent thoroughly leaving Camila speechless. "Were you here to see someone?"
Camila didn't even realise that they'd both walked into the building now.
"Yeah, yes." Camila glanced at the board above the reception desk. "I was hoping to get an audience with... Valentina Carvajal. Looking for some security, don't suppose you know what floor they're on?"
The woman chuckled and Camila felt herself swooning.
"I am Valentina and I have some free time now if you want to talk business?" Valentina replied with a smile as they reached the elevators.
"Sounds great, just let me text my partner." Camila mumbled, pulling out her phone.
[12:04] Mila: you can take the car back to bb's. I'll get a cab back
[12:04] Als: you just want to flirt with her
[12:05] Mila: she owns the security firm!! It's research
[12:05] Als: is that what the kids call it nowadays?
Camila rolled her eyes and shoved her phone back into her pocket, smiling at Valentina as the doors dinged open.
"I don't believe I caught your name." Valentina said as they walked.
"Shit, sorry. I'm Camila. Cabello." She replied with an awkward laugh. Valentina grinned at her and they stopped in front of an office.
"Well then Ms. Cabello-"
"Please, just Camila." Camila interrupted quietly.
"Camila, let's see if Carvajal Security can help you."
-----
Ally looked up as the door swung open, putting down her pen and watching Camila intently as she entered.
"So," Camila looked up startled, "you get her number?"
"For the case." Camila rolled her eyes. "And let me tell you, that girl is fine as fuck."
"I feel like she could kick your ass." Ally mused. Camila shrugged and sat down at her desk.
"I'd let her." Camila opened up her computer and sighed. "Anyway I think she's working with the Jauregui's; I asked her about her other clients and she mentioned Hansen."
"Why would they need private security?"
"I don't know. Maybe they need some extra muscle protecting a new haul? Valentina didn't strike me as the kind to be okay with illegal activity though." Camila mused, twirling a pencil between her fingers.
"Maybe they didn't tell her?" Ally frowned.
"You don't lie to security. They can fuck you up more than the gangs." Camila shook her head and sighed.
"If you're talking Jauregui, I hear a bunch of her people keep getting caught up in the protests." Blackbear appeared from the break room with a cup of coffee.
"Really?"
"I mean yeah, as much as I hate it the cops see a person of colour out near any of the protests and they're written up instantly." Blackbear curled his lip.
"Dicks." Ally mumbled.
"And word on the street is that quite a few of them have been part of Jauregui's crew."
"Anyone high ranking?" Camila asked.
"Kordei keeps popping up on the radar but I don't think they've managed to put the cuffs on her yet." Blackbear rolled his neck and pointed to his office. "I'm taking a nap before my 4 o'clock gets here. Becks should be back soon so just come kick me if I oversleep."
Camila bit her lip to stifle a laugh as Blackbear wandered into his office.
"That man is something unique." Ally muttered.
"Thank you!"
-----
"Laur, your girl is here." Halsey drawled from her bed. Lauren looked away from the ceiling and towards the open door, where Beckett was indeed standing. Lauren leaned against the wall next to her.
"What's up?"
"Dinah called. Said that Carvajal was in."
"She have any problems with it?" Lauren asked, her eyebrows rising in surprise.
"As long as her boys weren't asked to be a part of or guard anything illegal, she's good with helping you out." Beckett glanced down the hallway before handing a small cloth package to Lauren. "Finally got a phone for you. It's got Dinah, Normani and your brother on there."
"Nice. Thanks, I assume Mani's already sent you your payment?" Lauren said, fishing the phone out of the cloth and tucking it in the band of her pants, covering it quickly.
"Obviously. You run a tight ship Jauregui. Just make sure you don't go down with it." Beckett mumbled. Lauren scoffed.
"Please. I'm not going down anytime soon." Lauren paused as Beckett grinned at her. "That came out wrong."
It wasn't until later, during her yard time that Lauren felt her phone vibrate. Halsey casually slid in front of her and kept watch.
"Yes?"
"It's D."
"What's up?"
"Mani got busted."
"For?" Lauren sighed and rubbed her temple.
"Protesting apparently. Vives is already on her way to the 87th." Dinah grumbled.
"Go back to see Valentina. I want her keeping an eye on my family... including you and Mani." Lauren said quietly. "Her personally."
"I can handle it boss."
"I want extra security. This shit is about keeping you safe. Not just out of prison but alive." Lauren snapped. "So call Valentina. I want her on the payroll personally. And if she objects send her over to me."
"Understood." Dinah muttered before hanging up.
Lauren tucked her phone away before glaring at the wall in front of her. She growled and lashed out, her knuckles connecting with the brick harshly.
"Laur..." Halsey muttered, pulling Lauren away from the wall and looking at her hand. "Take it easy."
"I'm stuck in here Ash. Jack all I can do to help my family from in here." Lauren grumbled.
"And you getting angry isn't going to fix that. If anything Eilish is gonna rile you up easier and get you in trouble." Halsey pointed out.
"I know. I know." Lauren sighed, shaking out her hand and ignoring the scraps on her skin. "Only 17 months left."
"Speak for yourself."
"...sorry."