----

For once Camila was not the one ranting.

Their routine had, up until this point, been: Camila working and/or complaining about the stupidity of some people with Lauren patiently listening and watching her work.

But today was different. Today Lauren had started ranting the second she'd entered the room.

"Can you fucking believe them?" She exploded. Camila froze and looked up sharply from her case file.

"Um."

"Hiring you to help me? Like what! Did they not even think to consider that you might be working for Healy? And what's that dick's deal? Messing with me while I'm in prison. That's just fucking low. Not to mention they didn't even tell me they were dating for six months, six whole months!"

Camila was getting whiplash in this rant. She folded her arms on the table and smiled in amusement as Lauren paced back and forth.

"And my God they've got no idea how fucking stir crazy I'm going from being in here! I've still got another year of this shit! Can't even visit my dad and see how he's doing, sure we talk every other day but it's not the same, ya know? Chris is out there doing who knows what and Tay, well Tay is fine as usual but she's hiding something, I can feel it."

Lauren finally paused to take a deep breath and she looked over at Camila.

"What's that look for?"

"What look?" Camila asked, her eyebrows twitching into a frown for a second. Lauren gestured towards her face.

"That... smile. It's weird. I've never seen it before."

"I find this very amusing." Camila said. "I've never seen you rant before. It's kinda funny."

Lauren rolled her eyes and huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

"Of course you find this funny." Lauren grumbled. "You're not off the hook by the way."

"What? What'd I do?" Camila's smile dipped into a frown. Lauren finally sat down and stared her down.

"Taking a job from my friends. What are you nuts? Helping me now?" Lauren said as though it was obvious.

"Uh, I have helped you before." Camila pointed out with a blink. "Back when I looked into Healy for you. Which I'd like to point out is not something someone working for him would do."

"But-"

"Nope. This place is making you paranoid." Camila interrupted with a grin. Lauren sighed and rested her forehead on the palms of her hands.

"Can you blame me?" She mumbled. "I got Eilish up my dick about everything. Not to mention now I'm worried about y-" Lauren cut herself off and looked up at Camila with a slightly confused smile.

That was new.

"She try anything last night?" Camila asked, looking down at her file to avoid Lauren noticing the clench in her jaw.

"Nah. Her shipments came in yesterday so she was preoccupied." Lauren replied absentmindedly.

Since when has she cared so much about Camila?

"Are you sure I can't do anything?" Camila asked quietly. Lauren shook her head and sighed.

"Nope. Nothing. It'll just make things worse." Lauren replied as softly. "I just wish I could do something, anything. I feel like everything's coming apart and I can't stop it."

"For starters nothing is falling apart, not for lack of trying on my part though." Camila mused making Lauren grin. "Dinah and Normani have got things handled on the outside, trust me. If anyone was going to know how your empire's doing, it's me."

"Didn't know you cared so much Camz." Lauren said sweetly, making Camila roll her eyes and shake her head.

"I care about justice and cleaning up the streets from your illegal happenings." Camila said with a smirk.

They fell into a comfortable silence as Camila read her file. Lauren watched her eyebrows furrow as she shook her head; obviously another idiot cheater case.

"So," Lauren started, Camila looking up at her expectantly, "if you don't work for Healy, who do you work for?"

"No one of importance." Camila replied. "I guess your little ways of finding out have failed?"

"Maybe." Lauren hummed. "Although they did mention you seeing my little sister every now and then. A little bit more regularly in the last few months."

"That girl can yell that's for sure." Camila grumbled. "She cares about you and comes to remind me of that."

"Really?"

"She keeps hearing about my arrests and well, I think she's worried Chris is gonna be one of them soon." Camila chuckled. "And well.. She knows I come to see you so she checks up on you through me when school's keeping her too busy to come up here herself."

Lauren smiled and shook her head fondly. Sounded like her sister; so passionate yet so academically driven. Definitely something she took after their mum rather than their dad.

"Sounds like Tay." Lauren whispered.

Camila felt her shoulders relax but a small churning in her stomach. Fuck off I am not guilty about lying to her Camila thought to herself, her eye twitching slightly as she looked down at the table.

----

Two Weeks Later

Camila was hunched down in her drivers seat. A camera in her lap and a sandwich in her hand, she watched a small jewelry store across the street.

Dinah had messaged her saying their diamond guy was picking up some merch later that day, but had also heard that Healy was going to try something.

So when Chris Jauregui and Valentina Carvajal rocked up to the store, Camila was shocked enough to drop her sandwich onto her dashboard.

She fumbled for her camera and took some pictures before waiting. Luckily, she didn't have to wait long before Chris emerged now with a black briefcase.

Camila waited for them to pull away in an old town car and started to follow after them. She fumbled with her phone at a stoplight, shoved it on speaker and chucked it on seat next to her.

"Hello?"

"Jauregui Jr. is your diamond guy?" Camila said. She rolled her eyes at Dinah's long sigh.

"Yeah, what of it?"

"Does Lauren know?"

"Probably. Wouldn't be surprised. She told Chris to dip from the family business."

Camila hummed as she watched the other car come to a stop outside a fancy block of flats. She snapped some more pictures as Chris and Valentina headed inside.

"I think your info was wrong. Healy hasn't tried anything." Camila said with a frown. There was some muttering from the phone before Normani's voice came through.

"We definitely heard Healy was getting involved."

Camila watched Chris waiting at the front door, clearly waiting to be buzzed in. Her eyes widened when Matt Healy himself opened the door, grinned widely at Chris and ushered both him and Valentina inside.

"Holy shit, you weren't wrong." Camila hurriedly snapped pictures before they were out of sight.

"What's happened? What's Healy done to Chris?"

"Nothing, but you definitely heard right. Healy is one hundred percent involved... and buying off Chris apparently."

The silence that followed filled the car spectacularly well.

----

Dinah and Normani had refused to believe Camila until they'd all arrived at BB Investigations and Camila had printed off her pictures.

The pair of them had collapsed into chairs, staring at the evidence with pained expressions.

"Someone's gonna have to tell Laur." Normani muttered, eyeing Dinah expectantly.

"Oh fuck no. She's still low-key pissed that we got Cabello here involved." Dinah blanched before shuddering. "She really would murder us."

"Well I'm not fucking doing it." Normani shot back. "And it's not like Tay's up for the task. Hell even Chris wouldn't want to tell her himself."

"Then we're fucked. I mean who else-" Dinah cut herself off and raised an eyebrow. Normani narrowed her eyes before pursing her lips.

"She'd kill us."

"No she wouldn't. She'd fucking love us. Look it's been seven months today, it'd be the best 'thinking of you' gift ever." Dinah said with a quiet cackle.

"You're expecting she'll agree?"

"A chance to drool over Ralph? Oh she'll agree." Dinah said with a smirk. Normani sighed before nodding.

The pair of them turned to look at Camila with matching grins.

"So-" Normani barely got the word out before Camila snorted.

"No way."

"Wha- but..." Dinah pouted.

"I am not telling Lauren that her brother is possibly working with her rival." Camila said with an amused smile.

"Oh come on." Dinah whined. "You're the only person she won't throttle when she hears."

"And what makes you so sure of that?" Camila asked, folding her arms over her chest and leaning back in her chair, her amused smile not wavering once.

"She wants in your pants one day, she's not gonna jeopardise that." Dinah scoffed.

Camila froze, her cheeks heating up and suddenly unable to make eye contact with anyone else in the room.

"...fine." Camila muttered, fixing her gaze on her desk. "I'll tell her."

Dinah and Normani smirked before standing up.

"Good luck Cabello. You're gonna need it."

----

Lauren was eagerly looking forward to the day of her release.

Sure it'd only been seven months but God did it feel longer.

She was positive Eilish was actively trying to break bones now. Although she had been more preoccupied with her business, since Lauren had admittedly backed off a little bit.

She'd also had a couple weeks to realise she suddenly cared about what happened to Camila. Sure she'd always known she was attracted to her, Lauren wouldn't have made out with her if she didn't like her.

But actual feelings? That was a new one.

Lauren couldn't exactly say they were unexpected. She'd never liked to take the easy road before, so why start now?

Due to this new development, Lauren had found herself giving up more low level people in her organisation. Nothing vital, nothing that would scream insider knowledge, just little bits and pieces every few days.

Unfortunately, with another 11 months still to go on her sentence, Lauren was starting to daydream. Mostly about how much worse her flirting can get once she's free.

There wasn't exactly much she could do with cameras and guards always watching. But once she was on the outside world again? Oh Camila wouldn't know what hit her.

It was in the middle of one of these daydreams that Beckett appeared to take her to her visitation room.

The moment Lauren walked in she could tell something was bothering Camila.

"What's wrong?" Lauren asked with a frown as she sat down. Camila scratched at her neck and smiled sheepishly.

"I... have some news... that you probably won't like." Camila mumbled. Lauren let out a sigh and tilted her head.

"I assume D and Mani were too scared to come and tell me themselves?" Camila's wince made Lauren roll her eyes. "Alright, hit me with it."

"Chris is selling diamonds to Matt Healy." Camila said quickly. Lauren froze and stared at her blankly.

"So he got in then?" Lauren asked after the silence dragged on.

"Yeah Healy greeted him personally and- wait what?" Camila shook her head before leaning closer.

"I asked Chris to try and get a line on Healy a couple months ago." Lauren shrugged. "I got him away from the family business for a reason Camz, and it wasn't to keep him on the straight and narrow."

"You... why didn't you tell anyone?" Camila asked, her shoulder slumping slightly.

"Couldn't risk it. It had to seem legit." Lauren cleared her throat and looked away. "You... also can't tell anyone outside this room... for now."

Camila smirked.

"First asking me for help, now asking for my secrecy?" Camila teased. Lauren pursed her lips and looked back at her.

"Well I know you can keep a secret, unless you actually told anybody that you almost fucked me." Lauren said bluntly, taking great pride in watching the red rapidly spread across Camila's face.

"Excuse you? You were the one trying to jump me!" Camila defended quickly, trying not to splutter over her words.

"I'm not the one who lost their bra and wallet in my sofa." Lauren said easily, smiling sweetly. Camila gaped at her.

"So that's what happened to that bra." Camila muttered before shaking her head and shooting a glare at Lauren. "Shut up."

"Seriously though, you can't tell anyone. Mani will believe you if you mention me getting angry." Lauren said with a grin.

"Alright." Camila agreed quietly. She cleared her throat and opened up her file. "I want that bra back by the way."

"I'm sure my family would be happy to hand it over." Lauren said brightly. Camila raised her eyebrow at her.

"I am not doing that."

"Then I guess you'll just have to wait until I'm out of here." Lauren sighed dramatically.

"Looks that way." Camila murmured.

"Maybe we can pick up where we left off." Lauren suggested. Camila bit her lip and focused back on her file.

"If you're lucky."