Drake Short: Undercover Part Twelve
I felt a slight twinge of nervousness at the pit of my stomach as I stood in my bedroom, getting ready to go confront Tucker and Chris at their meeting tonight. I knew things could very easily go wrong and I could possibly get hurt. Or even arrested since Tucker was in the FBI. But I knew this was what I needed to do. I needed to figure out what they hell they were doing so we could finally put a stop to all this. I wanted Miracle to feel safe in her own home again, I wanted her to go back to living her normal life. The thought of Miracle didn’t fill my heart with the same kind of love it usually did in that moment. Of course I still loved her, but I was frustrated and disappointed that she had the audacity to think I was purposely trying to put her through more hell with this. Did she really think that little of me? Could she possibly think I was that low of a man? I sighed deeply as a quiet knock on the door came. It opened and Marshall stepped into the room, carrying what I easily recognized as a bulletproof vest in his hand.
“I think you should wear this. Just to be on the safe side,” He said. I nodded, figuring I should minimize my risk in any way I could. I slipped it over my head and clipped it on each side, making sure it fit my body snugly over my shirt.
“Thanks,” I muttered, my mind still somewhere else.
“Miracle told me you’re upset with her,” He mentioned. I sighed again. I felt like that was the only sound I could make lately.
“I am. I know that probably doesn't make you happy but I am,” I said as I walked over to the closet and stepped inside to grab some shoes.
“I know what she said to you and I know it had to hurt. I don’t blame you for being angry at her. You’re doing this to try to protect her and she lashed out with something really unfair,” His voice carried from the bedroom into the closet where I was standing. I grabbed a pair of boots off the shelf and turned back around.
“With all due respect sir, I really don't feel like talking about it right now. I think I need to focus on the task at hand and worry about the rest later,” I explained somberly as I walked back into the room and over to the bed. I sat down on the edge, unlacing my boots so I could put them on.
“That’s smart. I see you’re almost ready so let’s load up in five,” He said before he left the room, letting the door click shut behind him. What I had said was true, I needed to focus on getting through confronting Tucker in that moment. Getting into my feelings about his daughter was only going to distract me and cloud my judgement, which could be deadly to all of us in a situation like were in. I stood up, ready to get it over with and finally put all this bullshit behind us. I walked out of my room, saying a silent prayer that everything would be okay and I would return back to it safely in a few hours. I was never a super religious person but I hoped if there was some higher power out there, that he was listening in that moment. I walked down the hallway, my heavy footsteps echoing through the mostly quiet house. I got to the entryway and saw Marshall standing there waiting for me.
“Good to go,” He asked. I nodded.
“Yes sir. Let’s do this,” I said, my voice sounding as sure as I felt. I heard small footsteps and Miracle appeared from around the corner. Marshall looked at her and back to me, like he was unsure of what he should do.
“I’ll give you guys a moment but we do need to get going soon,” He said hesitantly as he reached for the door. I shook my head.
“We don't need a moment,” I assured him, trying to follow behind him to the door.
“Yes we do,” Miracle countered. I turned back to her and raised an eyebrow.
“For what Miracle? So you can have more time to accuse me of being such a shitty person that I’m just doing this to spite you? We need to go and the last thing I need right now is to go into that situation worrying about this. Because you know what happens then? I’m off my game and I might actually die. We can talk later but I’m not doing this right now. You’ve spent days making me feeling like garbage about myself and I took it because I deserved it. But that shit you said earlier, I didn't deserve that. That wasn’t fair and you know it. I’m upset and disappointed and every other emotion I can feel knowing you think that about me and I don't want to take it out on you right now. I really don't want to get into a screaming match with you when I have work to get to so let’s just table it until later,” I said, my jaw clenched tightly as I spoke through my gritted teeth. I had no desire to talk this through with her at that moment. Nothing was going to be solved when I was mad and in a hurry. Marshall had already went outside to the car while I was speaking, obviously wanting no part of this tense situation.
“So this is how you want to leave things? You want to leave mad knowing damn well something could happen to you while you’re out there,” She asked, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. I tried not to let that soften me but it was easier said than done.
“You’ve been mad at me for how long? What’s the difference Miracle? Me being mad doesn't mean I don't love you, it doesn't change that you know that. Is that what you need me to say to you? I love you more than life itself and I’m going to whatever I can to come back to you even if I’m mad as hell. Now I need to go. Your dad is waiting,” I said as I turned back toward the door. I opened it and stepped outside into the cool night air, it felt good on my skin that was overheating from being angry. I pulled the door shut behind me and made my way towards the SUV that was idling in the driveway. I listened to the gravel crunch under my shoes as I walked, trying to distract myself from the fact that Miracle was probably crying right then. I opened the door to the backseat and slid in. Marshall was sitting on the other side and Reggie was driving. We had limited the amount of people who were going to be in on this, just because after everything with Chris I knew both of us were a bit paranoid about who we could trust. I didn't want to risk anyone possibly being cool enough with Chris to tip him off that we were coming. Marshall looked at me for a long second after I got into the car.
“Are we good to go,” He asked. I nodded. Reggie looked back in the rearview mirror and Marshall gave him a quick nod telling him to go. I was happy that Marshall was silent most of the ride, not asking questions about what I had said to his daughter or vice versa. I didn't really wanna talk about it, I just needed to focus. The drive downtown was quick and painless, it was a bit of a blur because I spent most of the time wondering if I had been too harsh on Miracle. She had admittedly really hurt my feelings with what she said but I wondered if I was being too high and mighty about this whole thing. I knew I had done a lot wrong recently and I was asking her to forgive me for my wrongdoings but being this tough on her. But I wished she had apologized. I wished she had told me she didn't believe what she said because I think that’s the part I was having the roughest time with, wondering if she really believed I had ever purposely tried to hurt her. I wished I could have been sure that she didn’t believe that, sure that she still thought I was a good man. The car came to a slow stop and I looked out the window. We were in front of an apartment building and I instantly recognized it. I knew it all too well and I felt sick to my stomach if I was being honest.
“Drake? Are you alright,” Marshall asked. I didn't look at him.
“This is the building I lived in,” I said quietly, still wondering why the fuck they would be coming here.
“What,” He asked in disbelief. Sometimes I felt like we all forgot that I had a whole life that they knew very little about. I had a whole world before I moved into his home. A world that barely even existed anymore.
“Why would they be here,” Reggie asked, breaking the silence in the car. Then it clicked in my head.
“They need somewhere to link up where they don't have to risk people seeing them. If someone recognizes Tucker, they’re going to start asking questions about him hanging out with some dude who's got felonies on his record and a neck tattoo. He’s a straight laced FBI director. He can't just hang out with dudes like that,” I said, still staring up at the building. I felt like I was looking at a ghost.
“I still don’t get it,” Reggie said.
“I still own my apartment here. It’s just been sitting here untouched since I came to the stay at the house. No one would ever come here so it makes perfect sense,” I explained. I looked towards the fifth floor, two apartments over and sure enough, the light was on in the living room. It rubbed me the wrong way that they were sitting in an apartment I paid for, conspiring to hurt my girlfriend and her father. Of all the places they could go.
“Are you sure you’re good to do this,” Marshall asked. I nodded.
“Yeah of course. It’s just really weird being here,” I said. I felt like I was visiting a past life or something, I couldn’t explain the feeling. I shook my head, hoping to shake this feeling all together.
“Let’s just get this over with. I’m gonna head up there,” I said as I reached for the door.
“I’m gonna go with you but I’ll hang back outside the apartment until you need me,” Marshall said before he stepped out of the car. I sucked in a deep breath as I stood on the sidewalk, hoping the fresh air would help the uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I felt like I could throw up.
“You know it’s alright to be nervous? It’s normal,” Marshall said as we walked toward the entrance to the building. I just gave him a nod, knowing he meant well but not wanting to think about it. I just wanted to get this over with. I opened the door to the building, holding it open for Marshall to come inside behind me. This lobby even smelled familiar and it was an odd feeling. I decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator, trying to stay as low-key as possible. I wasn't sure what I was gonna do when I got inside, wasn't sure what I was going to say to them. I was nervous about how this would play out but we were about to find out. We climbed to the fifth floor in silence and stepped out of the stairwell and stepped quietly down the carpeted floor to my apartment. Marshall was close behind me but Reggie had stayed downstairs to keep the car running just in case we needed to make a quick exit.
“Wait here,” I said quietly when we were a couple doors down from my old front door. It felt weird to be giving Marshall orders since it had always been the other way around but I went with it anyway. He gave me a nod and stood still while I kept going. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears as I reached for the doorknob, sucking in a deep breath. I turned it and was partially surprised to find it unlocked. But I also knew how little they expected anyone to find them here. I pushed the door open almost silently and stepped into the apartment. I didn't close the door all the way behind me, I left it cracked so it wouldn't make any noise when it clicked shut. It was also a chance for Marshall to be able to hear what was going on. I stepped slowly down the short hallway, purposely trying to keep my steps as light as physically possible. I could hear talking coming from the living room and by the time I was at the end of the hallway, I was able to make out what they were saying.
“It shouldn't be much longer now,” I recognized Chris’s voice from around the corner.
“You said that a week ago Chris. We need to speed this up. You told me he would have been out of the house by now. Why is Graham still with Watts? Why didn't he kick him out,” Tucker asked and I could tell he was frustrated.
“I don’t see how Marshall hasn't made him go yet. I completely outed him before he left. No way he could’ve talked his way out of that. I don’t get it,” Chris said.
“Maybe Marshall realizes he still needs Graham’s help to protect his daughter. Whether he likes him or not,” Tucker speculated. That wasn't too far off from the truth.
“I can’t picture Miracle would want much to do with Drake after finding all this out. She’s gotta be feeling like he used her,” Chris explained. I didn't like her name in his mouth at all. Even though he hadn't said anything disrespectful yet, just the fact that they were discussing her didn’t sit well with me.
“Wasn't he using her,” Tucker asked. I crouched down slightly so I could peek my head around the corner enough to see them but still be mostly hidden by the bookshelf next to the doorway. I watched Chris shrug at Tucker’s question.
“I don’t know man. I really thought he was at first, using her to get her dad to trust him. But now I’m not sure. He acted like he genuinely loved her. Took a bullet for her and all that,” He said. Tucker shook his head.
“Fucking idiot. He had to go and fall in love and ruin my entire mission. I have a promotion waiting for me at the headquarters in Washington DC if I can get Marshall and his guys put away for life and Drake is really fucking that up.” Tucker’s voice was full of hate for me, and I could clearly see how furious he was at me for ruining his mission.
“Now we just have to do things differently. Marshall will still go to prison, but now we can send Drake with him. Once we take Miracle out of the picture, they both have nothing to lose. They’re going to be sloppy because they’ll both be emotional. They won't be able to be as careful and smart as they always are. Marshall has a thousand enemies and it’ll be easy to pin it on any of them. Him and Drake will go after them and it’s that simple. There’s gonna be a bloodbath. It’ll be the easiest case you've ever made,” Chris said with a small chuckle. Everything clicked in my head in that second. This is why they were working together, this was why they needed each other. Chris was street smart, he was helping Tucker plan to kill Miracle so he could send both Marshall and I to jail. Tucker would get his promotion and I’m sure he was going to give Chris a generous payout for it. I stood up. I had heard more than enough to make me ready to end this here and now. All the nervousness I had felt before was dead and gone now, it had been replaced by a kind of rage I had never felt before. I stepped out from behind the bookshelf, my gun already in my hand just in case. Tucker saw me first and I could tell I was the last person he expected to see here.
“Graham,” He said, the shock in his voice obvious. Chris had been sitting on the chair across from where he was sitting on the couch and he turned around the second he heard my name. His expression matched Tucker’s and he started to reach behind his back for his gun.
“Don’t even try it,” I said sternly as I raised my gun to him. He stopped putting both of his hands in front of him.
“What the hell are you doing here,” Chris asked me.
“Did you guys really think you could sneak around forever and no one was going to catch on? You’ve got this guy helping you Tuck, but he can't even tell when someone’s fucking following him for weeks at a time. Maybe you should’ve picked a different partner,” I said with a humorless laugh. They both still looked completely dumbfounded.
“Aubrey come on. Put the gun down and we can talk,” Tucker said calmly. I was so disgusted with him.
“Don’t fucking call me Aubrey like you’re my friend. You’re so mad at me for being a sell out and ruining your mission but look at yourself. You’re going to work with the kind of guy you took an oath against, to kill an innocent person all for a fucking promotion? You’re no better than me,” I said, the disgust I had for him clear in my voice.
“Get off your high horse. Look who you’re rolling with now,” He countered.
“At least he's not killing people who have nothing to do with this business so he can feel good about himself. That’s really all this is for you. A fucking power trip so you can feel important in an office in DC because without a shiny name plate on an office door you’re a fucking pathetic excuse for a man,” I tore into him. Chris just sat there, watching us argue without a word. I saw a flash of anger in Tucker’s eyes when I called him pathetic and I knew I had hit a nerve. He stood up.
“You’re not going to speak to me like that. Look at you, some drug dealer’s slut of a daughter shows you some attention and you forget every single thing you stood for,” He raised his voice at me. I felt the same rage coursing through me that I had felt last time Chris had tried to talk about Miracle in a negative way. In a split second I had him pushed against the wall with my hand around his throat.
“I swear to God if you make another comment about her I will cut your fucking tongue out Tucker. Fucking try it,” I said through my gritted teeth. I meant it too. I would be more than happy to do it. I saw a genuine look of fear in his eyes for a moment and it confirmed everything I knew about Tucker. He was a coward. I pressed my fingers into his windpipe watching him squirm for a moment before I turned around, dragging him with me and used my grip on his throat to toss him back onto the couch. Chris was like a statue the entire time, not necessarily looking scared but he definitely seemed nervous. I tried to calm myself down a bit, taking a shaky breath. Something about him talking about Miracle caused me to see red and I needed to get my head on straight for a minute so I could think. I heard the front door shut and Marshall came into the room a few seconds after. The fear both the other men in the room had in their eyes when I came in was nothing compared to the way they were looking now.
“Tell me what you know,” He said. I knew he probably couldn’t hear the conversation they'd been having a few moments before all that well, he probably only came in when he heard the commotion.
“They’ve worked out some plan to try to kill Miracle and pin it on someone else so you and I will go after whoever they blame it on and end up in jail for it. If Tucker puts you away, he gets a cushy office in DC. And I’m assuming Chris gets a fat check,” I said, getting straight to the point. I watched his entire body tighten when mentioned killing Miracle. I figured he wouldn’t take that piece of news very well. He turned towards both of them, and if looks could kill, they would've been done for. But they were probably done for anyway and every single one of us knew it.
“You want to kill my daughter? You think I’m going to ever let anything happen to her? You dumbasses really think you’re going to outsmart and lay a hand on my baby girl’s head,” He asked, his voice booming through the apartment. Neither of them spoke.
“No one has anything to say now? Come on. You both wanted to be big men. Speak up for your fucking self,” I said, stepping out from behind Marshall. I knew I should have let him do the talking but I was too frustrated. The fact that Tucker and Chris were both acting like little bitches had me annoyed. If you wanna be man enough to conspire against someone like Marshall, you should keep that energy until he puts a bullet between your eyes. Chris rolled his eyes and I knew I had gotten to him.
“Drake shut up. Jesus Christ. Coming in here with all this energy use because you know Marshall’s got a goon squad big enough to back you up if we start shooting,” He said as he relaxed in his seat. I wondered if it was because he had just accepted that he probably wasn't going to make it out of this apartment alive and so he figured he might as well say what he wanted. We both knew Marshall wasn't big on forgiveness. That’s why he had expected me to be out of the picture by now.
“I dare you to reach for that gun. I fucking dare you,” I warned him. I knew he wouldn’t but I would love to speed this up and kill him in that moment.
“Let’s just sit down and discuss this like men. Maybe we can work something out,” Tucker spoke up, treating this like it was a business meeting. Marshall and I both looked at him like he was out of his damn mind.
“You’re fucking with me right? You think I would ever want to cut a deal with a guy who wanted to kill my daughter? Someone who’s completely innocent in all this? She knows nothing, she's done nothing at all. You came for the last fucking piece of my family I have left, my pride and joy. And you think I want to sit down and talk to you like men,” Marshall spat. Tucker’s eyes were still wide with concern.
“So what now then? If you don’t want to talk then what are you doing here,” Tucker asked. He had never been in that kind of situation before and I knew it. Everything he knew about the streets was completely based on stories he’d heard and cases he worked.
“For fuck’s sake Tucker, you know why he’s here. To get his revenge. To make sure neither of us is around to ever come for his family again,” Chris said with a shake of his head. He on the other hand knew how this went. I’m sure he’d been on the other side of it, standing right beside Marshall where I was.
“Aubrey you can’t kill me. Come on,” Tucker pleaded with me, trying to use the fact that we used to be cool to his advantage. I respected him a lot as a boss and as a man but that was dead and gone now. The fact that he was willing to cross a line and kill someone who had nothing to do with all this made me lose every ounce of my respect for him.
“I can. I will,” I assured him simply.
“People are going to look for me. With Chris they’re gonna write it off as another kid who ran with the wrong crowd turning up dead. But the bureau will look for me,” He said. I nodded.
“I’m sure they will. But if they never find you it doesn't really matter. Even if they did find whatever’s left of you when we’re done with you, we both know that means nothing for me. Nothing connects us anymore. No one has any reason to suspect me. I know this process as well as you do, there’s no evidence that can be used against me even if someone did think I had something to do with it. But don't stress about it. To be honest with what I’ve got in mind, I doubt they’ll even be able to identify your worthless body,” I said with a shrug. Marshall let out a small chuckle at the look of pure terror that crossed Tucker’s face. He gulped loudly. Marshall looked at me.
“Ready,” He asked. I nodded.
“Yes sir,” I said, and I was confident that I was. Before I came to the Watt’s house, I always thought taking a life would be a hard thing for me to live with mentally. But I knew I would sleep easy tonight when we were done here. And I would peacefully dream of the look in Tucker’s eyes when I killed him.
Five hours later, Marshall and I walked through the front door of the mansion. We had taken our time doing what we needed to do, making sure both of them felt every single moment of it. I was true to my promise to Tucker and was sure his body wouldn’t be able to be identified. Then Marshall, Reggie and I cleaned up the mess, making sure there was no sign of any wrongdoings in my old apartment. It was probably cleaner than it had ever been, like nothing ever happened. Then we had gotten rid of all the evidence. Everything except the bodies had been burned, just like we would do with our bloody clothes later once we got out of them and got showered. The bodies were out on a boat with Reggie so he could dump them somewhere they would become shark bait. As soon as we walked in, I heard Miracle running towards us. I had figured there was no chance in hell she was going to be asleep, not until we got home. As soon as she saw me she stopped in her tracks. I was completely covered in blood, it had soaked through my grey t-shirt and my jeans. Marshall had worn all black so it was harder to tell how messy he had gotten. Her eyes widened and I knew what she was thinking.
“It’s not mine baby, I’m fine. We’re both fine,” I assured her sleepily. It had been a long ass night and I was ready to go to bed. Her body relaxed a bit but she still seemed concerned.
“What happened? Are things good,” She asked. Marshall nodded.
“Everything’s back to normal sweetheart. The threat is gone and we’re all safe again. I’m gonna head to bed. I’m getting too old to be putting in these long nights,” He said, leaning down and kissing his daughter’s forehead.
“Good night Daddy. I love you,” She said. He smiled.
“I love you too. And Drake, thank you. I couldn’t have done this without you,” He said. I nodded.
“Of course. I’ve always got your back,” I told him. And I meant it. He had my full loyalty. He gave me a small smile and walked towards the stairs. Miracle was still keeping her distance from me, like she was scared to come near me. I knew she was wondering if I was still upset but I had decided that I wanted to let it go. The people who had been trying to hurt her were finally gone and I wanted to relax and celebrate that, not argue with her. I hoped she felt the same way because we had both had our fair share of being mad lately.
“Don’t look so scared of me,” I said.
“I’m sorry. For what I said earlier. You know I didn't mean it. I was just...I was scared something was going to happen to you tonight so I lashed out but that’s not an excuse,” She rambled, words flying out of her mouth like she was trying to get them all out before I could interrupt her. I just laughed at how cute she was being.
“It’s okay. I’m not mad anymore baby. I know I came down hard on you and that wasn't fair either considering what I’ve put you through,” I said. She shook her head.
“No you were right. What I said was bullshit. Even with everything that’s happened, I know you never tried to hurt me. I know how much you’ve done for me Drake. Look at you right now, you’re covered in someone else’s blood for me. You took a bullet for me. I know you love me. I was just upset,” She said, her eyes tearing up just like they did earlier before I left. I grabbed her and pulled her into my arms for the first time since she found out the truth about what brought me here and I had never felt better about just holding her.
“Hey, don't cry. It’s fine. Everything is fine. I promise you it is. We’re good baby. Everything is going to be so good from here on out,” I promised her. She nodded against my chest before she pulled away from me.
“I love you,” She said with a small smile.
“I swear I love you more. I need to get out of these clothes baby girl,” I said. I took a few steps towards my bedroom and turned around when I didn't hear her behind me.
“You coming,” I asked. She gave me a smirk and followed right behind me.
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