Hello and welcome to part 3. I have been inspired by Bad Cop/Good Cop for this but have put my own spin on it. I hope you guys enjoy it.
Not getting a reply from Jim for a day or two wasn't what worried Molly. She knew that his job kept him busy, and sometimes life gets busy, but she started to get worried when the third day came around. Had the experience and realization she was friends with Ty and Kira, and his friendship with Chris caused a rift she hadn't noticed?
Molly shakes her head to rid herself of those thoughts. She knew she had to stop by SWAT HQ for work-related things today anyway, so she could maybe try and catch up with him there. Jim is just busy. She tries telling herself again before focusing on the file in front of her.
Later that day, Molly enters HQ and notices that some conversations just stop when she comes close, and at first, she doesn't think much of it. Maybe they were discussing an operation not meant for outside ears, but when she walks past a group that hasn't noticed her, she hears the words "Street quit," and her steps falter.
Technically she wasn't here to see her dad, but if that were true. Was that an explanation for Jim ignoring her? Was he actively distancing himself? A glance at her watch tells her she doesn't have the time now. She needs to meet with Rocker about the files and then hurry back to make her court appointment.
She dials Jim's number from her car anyway, hoping against all odds he will pick up, but she gets his voicemail. Again.
About a week later, with still no reply, Molly found herself at SWAT HQ again. She had tried not to, but it couldn't be helped the case demanded it. After her appointment, she walks across the quad when she spots Chris climbing out of a beaten-up van.
In a spur of a moment decision, she walks over.
Chris is running through the briefing she just got again. She is being loaned out to Vice to work a suspected brothel. The first introduction had already been made through a detective who needed a girlfriend for the job, and with her speaking Spanish fluently and apparently fitting the overall look of girls in the club, Chris had been chosen. She wasn't exactly thrilled, but what could she say.
She is climbing out of the prepared surveillance van after placing all her identifiable things in there when she hears an unexpected voice behind herself. "Chris? Do you have a minute? "
When she turns around, she is facing none other than Molly Hicks, who looks a little dejected and at the same time hopeful.
"Not really. I am getting ready for something," Chris answers in hopes that Molly will just go away because she has a feeling what this is about.
"Have you heard from Jim recently?" and there it was the most obvious question but the one that surprised her anyway. She had suspected, hoped even that Street had at least kept in touch with his girlfriend. Apparently not.
"Sorry, not since he quit. He hasn't returned any of our texts." Chris waves her hand around even though the two women stand there alone. Molly nods, and Chris is almost sure she has tears in her eyes. She is at a loss for words right now and really has no time to console the blonde either. She has no idea anymore. This is worse than the last time.
Thankfully for Chris, Molly's phone starts ringing. The lawyer has to leave, allowing Chris to get into character and change her clothes before meeting Rodriguez, the detective whose girlfriend she is playing.
Chris is putting on the last of the very heavy makeup and just has her zip-up hoodie hanging on her shoulders. The clothes vice has picked out are just barely clothes, in her opinion.
"Wow, Lola looks like she is working at 'Perla Dorada," Chris hears accompanied by a low whistle from Tan. She turns and shoots him an angry but curious glare. "How do you know that place?"
Tan shrinks back a few paces. "I worked vice. And seriously? They finally found a way in?"
Chris shrugs her shoulders while putting away the last of her makeup.
"We will see. Rodriguez seems to have their trust; otherwise, he couldn't have gotten me my job." She zips up her hoodie and shuts her locker with her foot.
Tan hugs her quickly and says, "Stay safe and kick some ass."
The work at La Perla is annoying Chris after the first night. The skirt is too short, the top too low cut, and the heels just … how the hell is one supposed to all but run around this place and not break an ankle while stumbling over bottles and stuff. But she manages to pull through with a smile and work her way to the VIP section. The bar owner and suspected head of the cartel in LA has taken a shine to her.
"Ah, there she is, my Lolita," Chris hears upon entering the secluded section and has to remember not to roll her eyes. She plasters on her best smile and suppresses the urge to put the guy in his place when his hand wanders from her back to her ass and lower.
Thankfully Rodriguez has worked his way into the inner circle too, and they are discussing some sort of expansion. That much she knows from their latest debrief. Chris strains her ears to catch some of the murmuring Paulo is doing, and she all but topples over when she hears Long Beach. She lands in Paulo's lap, who immediately takes the invitation to let his hands wander.
Rodriguez uses his wit in an instant and lifts her over to him and murmurs into her neck, "Everything okay?". Chris has to admit she has learned to trust the detective pretty quickly. From surveillance photos, she knows how they look, but he has been very respectful so far. "All good just lost my footing for a second. "
The rest of the week is just more of the same. Chris has worked the bar and Rodriguez the guys. The one thing that is clear by now is that the girls have some sort of side hustle, and from the looks of it, the cartel has found a new supplier for their drugs.
For whatever reason, vice is not sharing information, though, which irks Chris to no end.
Street is just on his way to Nate's place from his debrief with Hicks and Hondo when Nolan contacts him. Slightly angry, Street picks up his phone. "What do you want?"
"Now, that does not sound like someone that works for me and does my bidding. Remember, I can still send the video to your former bosses. You want that?"
Street takes a deep breath and repeats a little bit less angry. "What do you want?"
"I need you to come back here. Raul and Paulo are coming over to test some product, and since you broke Barber's arm, you get be my muscle tonight." Nolan's voice still has that menacing edge to it that just always manages to send a shiver down his spine, and he reluctantly agrees.
He already had heard a lot about the Mexicans Nolan had business dealings with, but so far, they hadn't shown up, so this was a great opportunity to pinpoint just another part of the distribution network the sleaze bar owner had.
The bar is dark when Street arrives, and he walks in through the back door. The men sit in a darker corner, but Barber has seen him. "You are late," he snarls. "And I told you, you have nothing to say to me."
"Stop!" booms Nolan's voice through the bar. "Paulo, Raul, may I introduce my newest addition. Jim Street, former LAPD, and LBPD. And now my private security."
Street tries not to flinch at that and keeps a straight face. He feels the stares of both new men and glares back at them. He recognized Paulo Salazar immediately, but the other one was new. He'd have to look through the database manually later, trying to put a name to the face and figure out who the new number two was for Salazar.
The next morning while Nate is already out running errands for Nolan and the bar, Street takes the time to go through every single picture they have of Salazar and his group, but there is none of the new guy. Too bad he hadn't been able to snap a picture to run through and figure this out quickly. Had he come over from Mexico? Was he pulling the strings?
Completely exhausted, he just stuffs the laptop back in its hiding spot and tries to sleep for a couple of hours. Nolan had agreed to another meeting with the Mexicans for tonight to celebrate their partnership. And he should be alert for that.
Street hated being treated like he was by Nolan, but it served his cover pretty well, and so he tried to hide his displeasure. Now they were in front of the club, and Raul met them at the door. There was something about the way the man mustered him the whole time that rubbed Street the wrong way. And not knowing who the guy was just made it that much worse.
Salazar was waiting in the VIP section, and after all of them had taken a seat, Street put himself in a place where he could snap a pic of Raul by just lifting his wrist and checking his watch.
He hears Salazar call over one of the girls, "Lolita here will get you all exactly what you want. Won't you, my darling?" Street didn't glance in her direction because he thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take said picture, but before he could press the button, he freezes.
The woman draping herself around Raul was none other than Chris, and he spots the moment she has noticed him. Her nails dig into Raul's shoulder, and she just drops into the other man's lap. Quickly turning her head away and into his neck.