My Undercover Life

Episode 35

Thud.
That was the sound I heard when my cellphone slipped from my hand, and crashed against the checkered tiled floor. I gulped, backing away slowly from the note, eyeing every corner of the surrounding space before me.
H-how? This is the girl’s bathroom. There’s no way a boy could just walk in here without looking suspicious. Unless—
My eyes rounded when I saw the window cracked open a bit.That wasn’t open before I got here—oh s–t. My breath quickened when I saw the shadow of a body by the window. The air in the room suddenly dropped below freezing, as it pierced through my body like thousands of knives. A chill ran up my spine when I saw long flowing hair.

It couldn’t be.

My heartbeat kicked into overdrive, and before I could even let out an ear-piercing scream, the bathroom door kicked open. My breath hitched, turning my head slowly at the intruder. My breathing slowed down, when I saw that it was just my cousin armed with some kind of device shaped like a pen. When our eyes meet, the rage that clouded his eyes started to disappear before his body relaxed with relief when he saw that I was alone.

Walking into the room carefully, he studied the space with sheer accuracy—not missing the tiniest of cracks. When he deemed the room safe enough, he lowered his weapon.
“Are you alright?” Skylar asked worriedly. “We got a code red from the boys.”
“I-I’m fine,” I squeaked out. “B-but the window.”
He sighed. “We know.”
“W-was it a g-girl?” I swallowed nervously seeing Skylar nodding his head.
“We didn’t get a clear read on the face since she was wearing a hooded hat, but we did see strands of blonde.”

“D-d-do you think a girl could be the killer?”
Skylar shook his head, pulling me towards his chest. My body visibly relaxed having him close to me. I sighed deeply, clutching onto his back like my life depended on it. Breathing in his familiar scent, I could feel my heartbeat slowing down, before my choppy breaths came out evenly again. I smiled into his chest, thanking him quietly. It was like he could sense I needed a hug. “Now that you’re feeling a little less scared.” He chuckled, glancing down at me. “I doubt the killer is a girl. But, I wouldn’t rule out a second party being involved.”
“You think the killer is working with a girl?”
He nodded. “That or he disguised himself as a girl,” he answered me, before pulling out a plastic bag from his back pocket. “Can you hand me some gloves?”
I stared at him in puzzlement. “Um . . . I don’t have gloves.”
“It’s in your purse,” he told me as he gazed at the note. “We stashed some away in there when we were wiring some stuff earlier.”
I lowered my head in a nod, before I realized he couldn’t see me with his back turned towards me. “Right,” I told him before opening up my bag. Digging through the pile of s–t I had, I finally found a pair of gloves contained in a sealed plastic bag. “Here.”
He whispered a small thanks before he took the gloves out of the bag. Sliding them over his hands, he picked up the note and dropped the evidence in the other bag he was carrying. Pocketing the baggies in my purse, he bent down and picked up my discarded cell phone. “Luckily this didn’t break.” He laughed, giving me my phone back.
“Thanks,” I said before clutching the small object in my hands.
“No problem, now let’s get out of here before someone starts banging on the door. I don’t need some old lady attacking me,” he joked, trying to lighten up the mood.
I chuckled, thinking back to the lady from before. “For my sake, I hope that lady from earlier doesn’t come back. She’ll probably think I’m some s–t.”
Skylar frowned. “You’re not a s–t.”
“I know.” I smiled up at him. “But you may want to sneak out the window or something. If someone sees—”
“Don’t worry,” he said, cutting me off. “I was planning on doing that anyways.”
“You were?”
“I kind of have to.” He shrugged. “I need to check the area for clues anyway.”
“W-will Demitri be outside?” I chewed on my bottom lip nervously, hoping to God, he’ll say yes. I rather not be alone with that thing lurking around.
He gave me a soft smile as he sq££zed my shoulder lightly. “Don’t worry, Demitri is right outside the mall. We seriously won’t let anyone touch you.”
“I know.” I trusted them. “Just don’t get stuck trying to climb out the window.” I giggled at the mental image.

“I’ll try not to.” He laughed. “Also don’t unlock the bathroom door until I’m gone.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
He held his arms up in defense. “Just making sure,” he said before he headed over to the window. Lifting the panel up, he took a quick look at his surroundings, before hauling his body upwards. He disappeared for a moment before he reappeared. He grinned widely at me, giving me a thumbs up.
I took that as my cue to leave, before unlocking the bathroom door. Coming face to face with a ‘Please Keep Out, Cleaning in Process’ sign, I laughed slightly to myself. FBI agents really do come prepare.

Taking the sign down, I closed the door before I rushed towards the front entrance of the mall. Seeing Demitri standing there with his hands shoved inside his pockets, I let out a sigh of relief when I saw him.
“Did Skylar buy you the present?” he softly whispered, once I got close enough to hear.
My eyebrows dipped down in confusion as I stared up at him. But as I saw his eyes pointing directly at my purse, realization dawned on me.
“Yup! Of course.” I chuckled under my breath. Was that really the best code phrase they could come up with? “Do you have the present I gave you?” I asked, referring to Bradlee.
He rolled his eyes at me when I decided to play along with his antics. “Of course. The present is in the van.”
“Great.” I smiled before Demitri took the rolled up sign from me.
We fell into a comfortable silence as we walked side by side to the van together. Once Demitri unlocked the car’s door, he motioned his hand for me to sit in the front, before he slammed the door shut behind me.
Looking at the rear-view mirror I saw Bradlee sitting behind me with his headphones in. When his eyes meet mine, his smile widened.
“Your cousin—” Bradlee started to say before Demitri ripped open his side door, and jumped in.
“Lily, please refrain from talking to the suspect into we get back home,” Demitri instructed, turning on the engine.
“But—”
“No buts,” he warned me. When he saw me opening my mouth to comment back, his eyes narrowed down, daring me to disobey.
I sighed, shutting my mouth. What crawled up his butt and died?

---

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Demitri said as soon as were all sitting around the living room. Tapping some buttons on what looks like a voice recorder, he took out a small notebook and a pen from his shirt’s pocket. Glancing directly across from him, he looked at Bradlee square in the eye.
“What’s your name?” When those words left my cousin’s mouth, I turned my attention back on Bradlee, wondering if he’ll actually answer his question. Even though Bradlee hasn’t exactly been reluctant to talk to people since he’d spoken to me, he hasn’t exactly shown his like either. Maybe he really doesn’t like pity after all.
“Are you seriously asking me that question right now?” he suddenly asked, giving Demitri a ‘what-the-f–k’ look.
Demitri just merely nodded in response. “Just answer the d–n question.”
He let out an exasperated sigh. “Bradlee Le Feuvre.”
“Place of origin?” Demitri asked in a monotone voice, scribbling down Bradlee’s previous answer.
“United Kingdom.”
“Age?”
“Eighteen—what does that have to do—”
“—Were you at the party of Allie and Alyce Bryant on the night they died?” Demitri asked suddenly, silencing Bradlee.
“Yes.” Bradlee nodded without missing a beat.
Demitri’s eyes flicked to Bradlee for a split second before he went back to his notebook. “And why were you there?”
“From what I know, they were hosting a party,” he explained, getting himself comfortable on the couch. He probably already knew this interview wasn’t going to take three seconds to finish. “My sister was invited since she was their friend. My brother and I tagged along when she needed a driver.”

Demitri stopped writing when Bradlee mentioned his brother. “And why was your brother there?”
“He enjoys parties,” he said casually with a shrug.
“Why did you stay if you were just the driver?” Demitri questioned, zeroing his eyes on Bradlee.
Bradlee met his eyes dead on, his tone smooth and clear. “I was their designated driver.” I smiled at his answer. He didn’t even waver at all. Looks like Demitri finally found his match.
“What time did you go home that night?”
“A little before midnight,” Bradlee told Demitri as soon as his question left his mouth. “Both of my siblings were beyond wasted so I took them home before they got even more drunk.”
My cousin nodded at the information Bradlee presented before writing that down on his notebook. “So when you left, the Bryant sisters were still inside the building?”
“From what I know of—” Bradlee paused, before nodding, “yes.”
“Did you see anyone suspicious at all?” Demitri asked, going straight to his next question.
“No.” He shook his head. “I was too busy looking out for my siblings.”
My cousin only lowered his head in response, before he eyed Bradlee again. “Who else went to this party?”
“I don’t know. A lot of people?” he guessed, rolling his shoulders. “The Bryant sisters were pretty popular so I would imagine about four-hundred people showed up?”
“And you’re sure you weren’t involved in their deaths?”
“Would I be here if I was?” Bradlee countered back with. His once calm demeanor slowly changed as his features contorted up in anger. His icy blue eyes flashed irritably, closing into slits.
“Fair enough.” Demitri ignored Bradlee’s look of hatred, and concentrated on the task on hand. “So, you wouldn’t mind if we take some DNA samples?”
“Don’t you already have my fingerprints?” Bradlee asked coldly, biting back his laughter.
“Fingerprints and DNA samples aren’t the same thing. You and I both know, you’re smart enough to figure that out.”
“Whatever. You can take my blood for all I care.”
“No need,” Demitri said, before yelling Mr. Baker’s name.
Our chef for the past thirty years walked in from the near by kitchen, bowing respectfully at my cousin.
“Yes sir?”
“Get Bradlee here something to drink.”
Mr. Baker smiled, turning his attention to Bradlee. “Anything in particular you want?” Bradlee shrugged his shoulders, causing Demitri to step in, asking Mr. Baker to bring him a bottle of water.

Mr. Baker nodded, before he ran off towards the direction of the kitchen. A moment later he returned with a bottle of water, giving it to Bradlee himself.
“Hurry up and take a sip,” Demitri demanded, as his patience started to deteriorate.
Bradlee only grunted, before he took a quick drink from the water. Twisting the bottle cap back on, he tossed the bottle at Demitri, the later catching it with his hands.
“Alright,” Demitri announced standing up. Hitting the pause button, he stashed the listening device back inside his pockets before putting the water bottle in a sealed bag. “Until I get the results back for the voice analysis test, you’re staying here.”
“Wait, what?” My eyes bugged out, as I shot up from my seat next to Bradlee. He did not just say what I thought he said.
“As much as I don’t want to leave Bradlee under the same roof as you, I can’t exactly take him to the police station without evidence.”
“Why can’t he just stay in his own home?” I asked. There’s no reason for him to even stay here. It’s not like Bradlee will run away. Plus, at this point, it’s safe to say he isn’t the killer.
“And let him run away if he’s guilty?” Demitri barked. “Hell no.”
“Fine.” I groaned, knowing not to argue with him when he’s in one of his moods. It never ends well. “Then what about your apartment?”
“There’s no security there and I can’t risk him escaping when we’re not home.”
“We don’t exactly have security here . . .”
“And what do you call the guard, the alarm system, and the high-tech fence you have surrounding the property?” he shot back, motioning his hands around us.
“I meant FBI agents security—”
“Lily.” He sighed, pulling me closer towards him. “There’s always FBI agents hidden at least one hundred feet away from you,” he said, calming down. “And, I’m having Al look out for you and Bradlee while I’m not here.”
“Who’s Al?”
“A fellow FBI agent and friend,” he told me with a smile, before looking at his watch. “He should be here any minute now actually. I’ll go and check—” he started to say before we heard loud pounding coming from the doorway. Demitri muttered something under his breath that sounded like, that better be him, and took a step towards the front entrance.
But before Demitri could take another step further, the door opened slowly by itself. My body ran cold when I saw those familiar green eyes staring at me.
It was Dennis.
.
.

☆☆
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
“What are you doing here?”
Dennis flinched at my tone. He took a step back, positioning his body near the entrance way. Gulping loudly, he started tugging at the collar of his sweater, avoiding my eyes.
“Well, aren’t you going to answer me?!” I bellowed, causing him to jump slightly.
“Listen-babe—”
“—don’t you dare call me babe!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. Demitri looked at me strangely, before eyeing Dennis. Demitri face twisted up in concentration, before his eyes narrowed down into slits. Recognition crossed his face.
“Lily, is this that guy?” Demitri asked, referring to Dennis.
“You mean the scumbag that cheated on me? Then yes—”
“—I didn’t cheat on you!” Dennis cut in, turning my way. His eyes watered, pleading with me silently to believe him.
I rolled my eyes. How foolish does he think I am? I knew him better than anyone to know when he’s lying or not. “Please. Like I’ll believe you!”
“It’s true!” he cried, before taking a closer step towards me. In the corner of my eyes, I saw Bradlee inching forward on impulse. His face was a blank mask, but I could tell he was trying to hold back the urge to beat Dennis to a pulp if his fists were anything to go by. They were practically turning white from the way he was holding them, the muscles in his arms strangling. Dennis backed up like the coward he was, seeing this. He exhaled deeply, ignoring Bradlee, before glancing at me. “I didn’t cheat on you, Lily.”
“Yeah right—”
“—I didn’t! You know I didn’t! How could I, when I love you?!” Hearing a growl next to me, I didn’t even have time to blink before Bradlee launched forward, tackling Dennis towards the ground. Dennis let out a groan, as his head connected with the floor. His eyes flashed red, coming to his senses, before throwing a punch towards Bradlee’s face. A blank, emotionless expression swept over his face, before grabbing onto Dennis’ neck. Pulling him forward, Bradlee’s eyes narrowed down dangerously, getting ready to swing his arm at Dennis’ stomach.
My pulse quicken, seeing Dennis choking, as he struggled to breathe. Fear made its way towards my body, silencing me as I watched the scene unfold in front of me. Even when I wanted to call out to Bradlee to tell him to stop, I couldn’t. It was like I couldn’t find my voice; like it disappeared.
“Bradlee!” Demitri screamed, causing him to stop. “Let go of the boy!” Bradlee slowly looked up, before he looked back at Dennis. Guilt made its way up to Bradlee’s face, as he let go of Dennis. Dennis landed on the floor, breathing heavily.
Grasping his neck, he glared up at Bradlee, before his eyes met mine. “Lily, what the f–k is wrong with your friend?” he spluttered. “He almost killed me!”
Bradlee’s eyes widened at his words. He stared blankly at his hands, in clear shock. “I-I’m s-sorry,” he whispered quietly.

“Just get away from me, you freak!” Dennis shouted. Bradlee froze hearing those words. He lowered his head in shame, his bangs falling over his eyes. I didn’t miss the single tear rolling down his face before he ran past Dennis.
“Bradlee!” I yelled, coming to my senses. Running after him, I ignored my ex and Demitri calling my name, before slamming the door behind me. Seeing a FBI agent walking up the curved pathway, I politely waved hello to him.
“If you’re looking for that young man, he went that way,” the FBI agent said, pointing his pale finger towards the direction Bradlee ran off to.
I nodded my thanks, managing a small smile. Chasing after Bradlee, I noticed quickly the FBI agent from earlier was following me. If I had to guessed, he was Demitri’s friend-the one that was supposed to watch out for Bradlee and I.
Ignoring him, I focused on the task at hand: finding Bradlee.Where the hell would he run off to? School? No, that’s too far away. His house? I shook my head. That’s even farther. Think, Lily, think. If you were Bradlee, where would you go off to? I paused, scanning my surroundings. Seeing the park up ahead, my eyes widened, as they lit up-the park.
“Bradlee!” I shouted, picking up my speed. I ran as fast as I could, calling his name, over and over again. By the time I reached the park, I was able to breath normally seeing Bradlee sitting on the swings. My heart soon ached seeing his head buried in his hands, as his body shook violently. “Bradlee,” I whispered, slowly walking up to him.
Hearing his soft cries, I bent down, softly touching his knees. He paused, peeking up from his hands. When I saw his bloodshot eyes, I couldn’t help but jump into his arms. I heard a slight gasp, as I hooked my arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug.
“It’s okay,” I whispered into his ears. “It’s okay.” I rubbed his back, as I tried to comfort him.
“I-I’m a f-f-freak,” he choked out, his voice breaking. Warm tears prickled the corner of my eyes, hearing his broken voice.
I shook my head, pulling him tighter against me. “N-no, you’re not a freak.” He ignored me, letting out an inhuman cry. Feeling the warm dampness on my shoulder, he hiccuped, as he buried his face deep in the crook of my neck-almost like he wanted to disappear from this world.
I could feel the emotions welling up inside of me. I slowly lost my rhythm, as my face got tight. Seeing him in pain, my vision blurred. I clutched at his back, silently telling him that I wasn’t going to leave him-that I was there for him.
When he slowly pulled away, his glossy eyes stayed glue on my face. He slowly lifted his hand, gently touching my cheek. My eyes blinked close, the last of the salty substance escaping from my tear ducts.

“I’m a monster, aren’t I?” he asked, his voice low.

I shook my head in protest. “No, Bradlee.” I grasped his hand on my face, tightening my hold on him. “You’re not a monster. You’re not a freak. You’re a human being. And human beings make mistakes.”
“B-but he’s not the only one.”

My brows narrowed down in confusion. “Huh?”
“He’s not the only one to call me that . . . there were others. Many others,” he confessed, as his eyes filled with water. “They all blamed me.”

I smiled sadly when I remembered what Demitri had told me about Bradlee. He’d gotten in trouble with the police before, doing stupid idiotic things.Fighting, stealing, and punching a police officer. “Don’t listen to them,” I told him. “I trust you.”
“Y-you trust me?”
I nodded at his shocked expression. “Of course.” I smiled happily at him. “I know you Bradlee, and I know you wouldn’t do something without a reason.”
His blue eyes stared intensely at me—almost like he was trying to see if I was lying to him. His facial features turned soft, before the edges of his lips curved up to a small smile. “You’re the first person to say that to me.” He pulled me into his arms, as I la!d my head on his chest, hearing his steady heartbeat. “Thank you, Lily.”
“Of course, Bradlee.”
A comfortable silence soon filled the space around us. The only sounds in the air was the quiet, rhythmic breathing of our own breaths. I smiled contently, when I felt his arm wrapping themselves around my waist. I did the same, enjoying his presence, and the immediate comfort I felt being around him.
“You know, somehow whenever I try playing the hero, I always end up to be the bad guy,” he said a moment later.
I leaned away a bit, cranking my face up so he could see me. “What do you mean?”
“One time, I saw this officer manhandling this girl for no apparent reason. She was screaming for him to stop, but he didn’t. So, I did the only thing I could think of to help the girl. But, by the time the police got there, the girl escaped, and the officer was unconscious on the floor. I was charged for beating up the cop shortly after,” he said blankly, staring up at the sky. His eyes shone sadly, probably thinking about that day.
“Oh Bradlee—”
“—It’s always the same, you know.” He sighed, as he ran his hands through his hair a few times. “Either they treat me like scum for the way I chose to dress, or pity me because of my hearing loss. Freak, is very fitting, don’t you think?” He bitterly laughed.

“Bradlee, what did I tell you?” I held onto his hands, determined to get him to understand. “You’re definitely not either of those things.”

I frowned when the smile he had on didn’t reach his eyes. “Thanks, but your ex . . . h-he’s right.” He pushed my hands away, before gazing away from me. “What I did was inexcusable just because I was jealous. I shouldn’t have attacked him.”
“Bradlee, you didn’t mean it—”
“—even if I didn’t mean to, I still did it. I almost choked him, Lily!” he ended his sentence with broken sob. “I-I know you still care about him. You did love him after all.”

“You’re right.” He dropped his head, looking defeated. “Bradlee, I—”
“—you don’t have to say anymore. I get it.”
“No, you don’t!” I yelled, turning his head to look at me. I leaned forward, not breaking eye contact. His eyes widened when he saw how close we were. I breathed deeply, gathering as much courage as I had. “Listen Bradlee.” He gulped, swallowing hard. “You’re right in the sense that I did love him. But here’s the thing, Bradlee. He’s my past, and he always will be my past. Nothing can change that, but, Bradlee, you’re my future.” I smiled, leaning against his forehead when I saw the love sparkling in those of eyes of his that I love so much.”I really like you, you—” I started saying, before he silenced the rest of my sentence by gently touching his lips against mine.