A/N: Heyyyooo, sorry for the slower updates, got uni work to deal with atm and assignments due basically every week until middle of december. but i'm gonna try and keep this flowing vaguely decently
----
Camila was pulled from sleep by the ringing of her phone.
She'd gone home after Blackbear had insisted; apparently not taking any days off for nearly ten months wasn't too good. He'd sent her home shortly after Lauren's appearance at the office.
Naturally she collapsed in her bed and was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.
She flailed for the offending device, noting the darkness now surrounding her room. She swiped the call and groaned.
"Hello?"
"Camz? I need you to know that I'm not gonna lay a hand on the guy. But this has to happen."
"Lauren?" Camila yawned, a deep frown settling on her features as she sat up. "What're you on about?"
"Mahone, he's gonna disappear. And trust me I don't like doing this. But I also want you to know... I'm not breaking my promise to you. I'm not going to lay a finger on him."
"What? Lauren, wait, what?" Camila rubbed her hands into her eyes and focused on the voice coming through the phone.
"I have to do this Camz. And if you believe me, and don't try and fuck me over the next time we meet, I'll give you the details of one of my uncles."
Camila paused at that before sighing.
"I believe you Lauren."
"Alright, I've gotta go. See you around Camz." The phone buzzed as Lauren hung up and Camila stared at the screen until it faded to black.
Finally. A new lead. But at the cost of a small moral.
Camila shrugged.
She could handle losing a couple morals when it came to Mahone.
----
Lauren pulled up the curb, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.
"You and the PI seem close." Madison said quietly. Lauren nodded, eyes watching the office building across the street.
"She was the one who put me away." Lauren muttered. Madison laughed at that, shaking her head when Lauren glanced over at her.
"Of course she was."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lauren asked with a frown. Madison chuckled and leaned her head on the window.
"You don't strike me as the kind to go the easy route." Madison replied smoothly, bringing Lauren's attention around to her; eyes narrowed and lips pursed.
"And who exactly is the easy route here? You?" Lauren's eyes widened when Madison looked over at her, eyes roaming over her tight fitted suit before making eye contact again.
"If you want me to be."
Lauren's mouth dried the longer Madison watched her. There was movement from the corner of her eye and Lauren was glad for the distraction.
"You ready to fuck up Mahone?" Lauren asked after clearing her throat. Madison didn't reply for a second, instead regarding Lauren carefully.
"You positive your insurance will cover this?" Madison shot back as she rolled her neck and cracked her knuckles.
"Nope." Lauren grinned before throwing the car into gear and trailing behind Austin's own flashy Bentley.
Madison hummed and gripped the handle above the window.
"Ever been in a car crash?" Madison asked as Lauren flexed her hands against the wheel.
"This is a minor incident." Lauren scoffed, pulling up alongside Austin's car.
He glanced over and his eyes went wide. Lauren grinned at him before turning the steering wheel roughly. Madison squeaked as the two cars went spinning around, Austin's Bently smashing up onto the pavement and into the side of a building.
Lauren had managed to brake just before too much damage could be done. Madison leaped out of the car and hurried over Austin; hauling him out of his smoking car and dragging him to Lauren's.
Lauren watched in the mirrors as Madison smashed his head against the trunk of the car before popping it open and bundling him inside.
All of it was over in a matter of minutes.
Lauren's sleek Ferrari disappeared into the rapidly darkening night, only a few scrapes and scratches in the paint work.
----
Austin's head was pounding when he woke up. Lights were off, the room dark. Something was stuck on his face. His hands moved to wipe it away but he found he couldn't move.
"What the..." Austin blinked and tried to make his eyes adjust.
"Madison here, is adept at tying people up. And unfortunately for you, it's not in a kinky way." Lauren mused, sat on a chair a few feet in front of Austin. The lights flickered on and Austin felt the colour leave his face.
Behind Lauren was Madison, gone was the formal suit, instead she wore a ripped and stained jumpsuit.
"What-"
"Unfortunately, the Jauregui policy on snitches just got updated." Lauren winced and shrugged. Austin started struggling against the rope.
"I didn't snitch." He snapped before deciding keeping his mouth shut would be better.
"Mads." Lauren said quietly. "Teach him some manners."
Lauren pulled out her phone, scrolling her Instagram and ignoring the groans and grunts from Austin having the shit beat out of him. She even managed to find a new gun runner through Dinah and Normani.
Some dude named MGK. She wasn't gonna ask what it stood for and honestly she didn't care.
Apparently BB Investigations had helped set them up.
Lauren made a mental note to thank Camila.
"Lauren?" She looked up and scrunched her nose up at the sight before her.
"I'd say he's had enough." Lauren said, standing up and straightening her jacket sleeves. "Dump him and the car in the river. Keep it weighted." Madison nodded, grabbing a pistol from the back of her jeans and facing Austin.
Lauren sighed and started typing out a number in her phone. She'd just hit call when a gunshot sounded out.
Finally someone picked up.
"Joey, my man, so I'm in need of a new car..."
----
Camila had spent the last 24 hours trying to forget Lauren's cryptic call.
She hadn't heard anything. Not from Lauren, not from her informants, not from the 99.
Nothing.
She almost put it down to a strange hallucination brought about from overworking, sexual frustration and being half asleep.
Yet when Lauren pulled up in a black Lamborghini, Camila felt her stomach pull. She was on desk duty until Blackbear said otherwise.
Again, something about overworking.
"Hey Camz."
"New car?" Camila said, ignoring the sudden silence in the room.
"Old one got busted up last night." Lauren shrugged. "Wasn't paying attention to where I was going."
"Did you call me yesterday?" Camila asked, her brow furrowing. Lauren paused and moved to get a coffee.
"Yeah, late afternoon."
Camila hummed and went back to work. She only looked up when a coffee cup was placed on the desk, and Lauren had sat down across from her.
"Can I help you?"
"I wanted to say thanks." Camila frowned at Lauren.
"For what?"
"For the new gun runner." Lauren grinned at her and Camila blinked at her.
"Not me you should be thanking. Bear knows people around here." Camila replied slowly. Lauren raised an eyebrow before nodding.
"Trying to keep me on his good side?" Lauren teased. Becky's snort and subsequent nod had Lauren chuckling. "Well, I've got community service to get to. So I'll catch you later."
"More like I'll catch you later." Camila shot back almost absentmindedly.
"In your dreams Camzi." Lauren laughed before waving a bye to Ally and heading out to her car.
"God can you two just fucking date already?"
"Fuck off."
----
Lauren had barely been doing an hour of her service when a familiar Pontiac pulled up near them. There was about ten of them all scrubbing at the walls, graffiti covering almost every inch. Apparently the best community service was wiping art off the walls... although Lauren will admit none of it was exactly the next Banksy.
She tried to ignore the smile that crossed her face when Camila strolled up to her, flashing her credentials at the guard that kept an eye on them.
"Couldn't stay away Cabello?" Lauren said with a grin when Camila finally stopped next to her.
"More like I've been hired to find Austin Mahone." Camila sighed. Lauren scrubbed at the wall harder.
"Well I hate to tell you, but last I heard the guy skipped town. Something about both me and Healy being on his bad side." Lauren shrugged. Camila hummed and folded her arms over her chest. Lauren paused and glanced at her.
"I only came to ask if you'd seen him recently." Camila raised an eyebrow. "And after your phone call... well if you know where he might be... I can at least tell his parents."
"Why you?"
"What?"
"Why did they come to you?" Lauren asked, scrubbing at the wall again.
"I do have a certain reputation. As being one of the main reasons two top Jauregui's spent time in prison." Camila mused with a smile. Lauren rolled her eyes and pointed her sponge towards Camila.
"That was a fluke."
"Uh huh. Right. So you really don't know anything about his whereabouts?" Camila asked, her eyes narrowing briefly.
"Nope. Couldn't even find him last night." Lauren ignored the bitter taste in her mouth and put it down to spray paint fumes coming off the wall.
Camila hummed and glanced around, Lauren went back to scrubbing.
"Where's your new bodyguard?"
"Jealous Camz?"
"In your dreams." Camila scoffed.
"Actually in my dreams you're not jealous, you just join-" Lauren smirked at the wall when Camila choked on a cough and smacked her shoulder.
"Shut up!"
"I gave her the afternoon off. Figured no one would try and whack me during community service." Lauren shrugged, glancing at Camila out the corner of her eye.
"I think you're underestimating how much you piss off Healy." Camila said quietly.
"Careful, I might think you actually care about me." Lauren laughed nervously as Camila stepped closer.
"I think we both know that I do Lauren." Camila placed a soft kiss to her cheek before spinning on her heel and walking away.
Lauren felt her cheeks flushing and her brain melt.
So much for letting Madison stroke her ego.
No way was she letting the day end without asking Camila out.
----
Camila on the other hand was freaking out.
She'd just told a city crime boss that she cared about her.
"Holy fuck." Camila groaned as she stared at her computer screen. She'd been muttering that for the past three hours.
This may have complicated things.
"What the hell is up with you?" Ally asked, finally snapping after Camila's millionth groan.
"I told Lauren I care about her." Camila whined, running her hands through her hair.
"And?"
Camila opened her mouth before closing it slowly. That was a good question.
Now what? Would Lauren act like it didn't happen and keep flirting with her? Would she ask her out? Make out with her on her desk? Woah, no not something to think about right now.
The door rattled open and Camila felt her eyes widen.
Lauren did not just walk in.
"Hey guys." Lauren grinned at Ally and Becky before zeroing in on Camila, her grin turning softer. "I've got that information for you Camz."
Camila frowned at her before noticing the file being given to her. She took it and flipped it open. Inside was enough information to get a Jauregui Senior into prison.
"I... thank you." Camila cleared her throat and placed it gently on her desk.
"Oh Tay called earlier." Becky said without looking up. If she had, maybe she'd have seen Ally wildly gesturing behind Lauren's back. "She wanted to know if there were any new developments on her case."
Camila felt the blood leave her face. Her heart kicked into overdrive and- oh yeah, this was what an anxiety attack felt like.
"No. Not yet." Camila replied, ignoring the wobble of her voice. Lauren picked up on the sudden tension and frowned, glancing between the three women in the office.
"Tay... as in my Tay?"
Becky finally looked up and froze like a deer in headlights, giving Lauren all the answers she needed.
"Why is my sister asking you about a case?"
Camila clenched her jaw and forced herself to look up at Lauren.
"She asked me for some help." Camila replied vaguely. Lauren took a deep breath and looked at Camila firmly.
Camila, for the first time, saw crime boss Jauregui staring back at her.
"When?"
"About... eight months ago." Camila admitted quietly. Lauren closed her eyes and took a slow breath in.
"She was the one who hired you about me... wasn't she?" Camila gulped and stood up from her desk, her hands wringing together.
"She just wanted to keep you safe."
Lauren shook her head and stormed out of the office. Camila winced as the door slammed shut.
"Fuck sake."