Let's see how this unexpected complication works out... any guesses?
Chris tries to control the shaking of her hand. She and Rodriguez had established themselves as a very passionate couple and her sitting in his lap and nestled into his neck wasn't new for Salazar, but this bad feeling in her gut was new. What was going on here?
She feels Rodriguez's fingers wander down her spine and draw circles at the hem of her skirt close to her knee. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"
Chris hears in his voice that he noticed her discomfort. "That guy," she whispers, and she feels Rodriguez shift his head. Probably shooting Street a look. He pulls back and shares a look with her. Chris bats her eyelashes twice and leans forward to kiss Rodriguez. It's their code that they'll meet as soon as possible in the supply closet.
Salazar whistles, and when she walks past him, he slaps her butt per usual. "Send Carla with the drinks. Raul will be with you in a minute," Chris puts on a smoldering smile when she turns to Salazar and throws him a sultry "thank you" before walking away. She hated the way they had established Lola and Raul but right now, that gave them the perfect opportunity to debrief and maybe even get out of this bar.
The unthinkable runs through her brain the whole time while she is waiting for Rodriguez to knock on the door and shimmy through.
"Is the bug in place?" are her first words. She needs to know if Street blows her cover, and in the same moment, she feels bad for even thinking that he would
"Yes," her partner replies calmly. "And now tell me what you know about Street. Can he make you?"
Chris freezes. Somewhere in her brain, she had hoped to hear some made-up name.
"Chris?" Rodriguez tries again and grips her arm. "Can he make you?"
"Yes," she lets out in a low whisper. "He is, was a teammate,"
"He is right behind me. Nolan sent him after me to make sure…." Rodriguez whispers back and carefully opens the door before he can get it open to peek through though the door gets pulled open and Street faces them.
Now everything happens in a flash. Rodriguez pulls Street in and puts himself in between them. Shielding Chris from the look, she is sure Street is sending her way. She wants to scream and yell and ask a thousand questions, but everything gets stuck in her throat when Rodriguez asks his one and only question: "So those guys you shot. The video Nolan has, were those friends of ours?"
Street sees Chris freeze up behind Raul as the man poses his question. He only has a split second to answer that and really no time to waste if he wants Chris to know he is undercover too.
He pulls out a business card of the motel he has been using with Hondo and Hicks and puts the room number on it. "Be there tonight around 2 am, and we can talk about our friends". No sooner than Raul has taken possession of the card, Chris pushes past the man. She glares at him, and the fire in her eyes scares Street for a second. "Are you insane?" she presses out through gritted teeth. "You killed people?"
Street gulps, but before he can explain himself, Raul says something that makes him sure that the man is Chris's partner here. "Chris, calm down. I am sure he has an explanation. I know the place, and we will be there. Now you should leave and let us have some fun… or were you planning to watch?"
Street can't help the shocked look on his face, but he bows out of the room anyway and makes his way back to the VIP section.
His beer is already waiting for him, and he reports to Nolan that the twosome is having fun. Just a few moments later, Salazar announces their return. "Ah, Lolita. You know you can give us a show one of these days," and Chris sends the sleazy guy a sweet smile, but Street sees her fingers curl, and he knows if this weren't a job, Salazar would have a broken nose for sure.
He has to shake his head and concentrate on his role. He had so far resisted the urge to text Hondo immediately, but he knew he had done the right thing in inviting Chris and her partner to debrief. They needed to talk this out. And clear up any confusion.
He leaves La Perla with Nolan, who dismisses him pretty quickly, and Street makes his way straight to the motel.
Hondo and Hicks are already waiting, and to his surprise, Lynch made the meeting too. She is pacing in a corner and listening to someone on the phone.
"That is unexpected. Yes, we will explain this to the commissioner. But not right now. I know I bet my career on this operation. I'll be in first thing." Lynch sounds angry, but her face changes to a weird encouraging smile when she turns to face Street.
"I heard you had an interesting evening Mr. Street," Lynch comments and leans against the wall, arms crossed. Hondo and Hicks both share a confused look first before looking between Lynch and Street.
"Street?" Hondo asks with a worried undertone. But before he can answer, there is a knock on the door. Hondo pulls out his gun but Street motions for him to keep it lowered and walks to the door himself.
Peeking through the hole, he sees Chris and the man he knows as Raul and slowly opens the door.
Chris has barely set foot into the room when she stops walking, and Rodriguez has to push her forward. "What is going on here?" asks Hicks, clearly agitated while Chris just looks incredulous from one person to the next.
"Nolan took me with him to a meeting at La Perla tonight. It was slightly awkward when we figured out, we are both cops." Street explains and points to Rodriguez, who in turn steps forward. "I guess I should introduce myself, Detective Rodriguez." And holds out his hand to Street.
By now, Chris has found her voice again. "You quitting was theater? You're undercover? How? The video?"
Hondo steps forward and puts a hand on Chris's shoulder. "I am sorry. But we had to be sure his cover holds up. He didn't kill anyone. Everything was arranged."
"You could've trusted the team. This was unnecessarily dangerous." She whispers and steps away.
Hondo turns to Hicks, "I guess it is time to bring in the team. And we definitely need to bring in vice so we don't mess up their operation and can achieve our goal anyway."
They all set a new meet for the next night, and when everyone is set to leave, Street reaches out and puts a hand on Chris's shoulder. "Can we, do you have a minute?" his eyes plead with her to give him a chance to explain. To his surprise, Chris looks at Rodriguez first, and the two share a nod. "I'll wait in the car," the man says and then leaves with a nod and a wave for Street.
After the door has closed behind Rodriguez, Chris leans against it and crosses her arms. Street gets the distinct feeling she isn't thrilled to be here alone with him, but she looks like she needs an explanation, but she keeps silent, so Street takes a slow breath to steady himself and gather his thoughts.
"Why?" Chris finally asks all her questions rolled into one.
"I had to help Nate. Make sure he gets out of this mess safe," he lets out with a low voice and searches for Chris' eyes. He can see her connecting the dots in her head.
"He works for Nolan and asked for help. That's what you were on the phone with him for when we were looking for Abdi and his friends." Chris looks up and levels him with angry eyes. „Was that part of the plan?"
Street shakes his head. He only went to Hondo and Hicks after that incident. "No, but the scene after shift, that was Hondo and I already setting this up. I went to them after we had wrapped the case. We had to act quickly. There was no time to bring anyone in, and I guess I had hoped it would be over a lot sooner."
"I get that. But I don't understand; why would you risk everything for him?" Chris's voice is but a whisper in the end. She is keeping something from him, but Chris's phone gets a message before Street can ask.
"I got to go. Salazar will for sure check if we're home in a little while. I guess I'll see you around," she tells him with sad eyes before pulling open the door and walking outside.
next up I hope to solve this mess... any wishes/guesses? Feel free to PM me.