Broken Identity

by Ashley Williams

  “I doubt I’m going anywhere,” Andrew said.

  Drake left Andrew and locked the door on his way out.

  Chapter

  12

  THE DECESION

  Ivan had the contents of Andrew’s wallet spread out on a small table. All the men were gathered around it as Drake entered the room.

  “How much cash he have on him?” Drake said.

  “Not enough.” Ivan replied. “And he must be anti-credit cards, ’cause he ain’t carrying any.”

  “Nothing at all?”

  “Isn’t that what I just said?”

  Drake took the clue and shut up.

  “All I found were a bunch of dumb pictures, a gas card, and…” Ivan glared at Drake. “A gun permit. Little detail you forgot to mention to us.”

  The stares from all the men felt like heat to Drake’s body. “How could I have known he—”

  “Don’t let it happen again, Drake. Lucky for you, he wasn’t armed tonight. Otherwise, you would have taken the bullet.”

  Drake looked at the floor. It feels like I’ve already taken a bullet.

  Ivan smiled and said, “But that doesn’t really matter, considering what I have planned. I need you to do one more thing for me, Drake.”

  Drake knew the look on his face was one of shock, but this time, he didn’t try to hide it. “I thought you said that that was it,” he said, his voice on edge. “I already did my part of the deal, Ivan. You got your money.”

  “Two hundred and somethin’ odd dollars ain’t enough,” Ivan said, matching his stare.

  “I can’t control how much he decides to carry. Tough luck.”

  Ivan’s eyes turned evil. “You’re forgetting your place, Drake. I don’t like people who step out of line. Or haven’t I made that clear enough?”

  The others crowded around closer. Behind him, a man with a stained, white tank top stepped up and wrapped his bulging arm around Drake’s neck with lightning speed.

  Drake inhaled and gripped the man’s arm. It felt like steel.

  Lomas, the one Drake had met earlier at the door, stepped out from among the others and stood before Drake. Without warning, he gave a martial arts-style kick to Drake’s midsection.

  Drake clamped his mouth shut as burning waves of pain coursed through his body. No sound of broken bones, but his stomach would almost certainly go into permanent shutdown after that ruthless blow. But he wouldn’t scream. No way was he going to give Ivan the satisfaction of hearing him in pain.

  Another kick. Same place. Worse pain.

  It felt like his internal organs were exploding.

  Drake clawed and kicked in a desperate attempt to break free from the man’s unyielding grip around his neck, but his efforts were useless. For a fleeting moment during his turning and bucking, he thought he saw Ivan’s derisive grin. You snake.

  More pain was inflicted—this blow landed severely close to his ribs. His abdomen throbbed in incessant agony. He tried to move, to escape somehow, but his body felt feeble and numb, and the biting sting inside him remained a lingering sensation. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, expecting another attack. Instead, the man behind him loosened his hold. Drake crumpled to the ground, heaving up blood and vomit all over the floor. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, nearly throwing up again at the bitter stench the vomit left on his clothing.

  A hand clamped onto Drake’s shoulder and squeezed hard enough to make Drake’s pulse race. “You better do as Ivan tells you, boy, unless you want that mug of yours rearranged,” Lomas warned.

  Drake stopped breathing to keep from inhaling the man’s putrid breath. It was then he realized what breed of humans he was dealing with. “Just tell me what you want me to do,” he said weakly.

  Andrew’s eyes were fixed on the top shelf. Specifically on the gun. Drake had left it there without realizing, but it was too high for him to reach while strapped down to his chair. He struggled and tugged against his ropes, causing him to sweat more profusely. God, get me out of here. You can’t leave me here like this. He closed his eyes and thought of Ronnie smiling up at him. He thought of his mother and what she would do if something awful happened to him.

  Then he thought of Drake.

  Oh, God, what’s happened to Drake? I was so sure this was what You wanted. Was I wrong? Did I slip up somewhere? Was church the trigger to all his resentment and anger? God, You have to help him. Help me too. If I make even the slightest noise, they’ll come charging through here and do who knows what. I have to reach that gun before Drake or one of the others comes back. Please help me. If I could just somehow get free…

  Ivan laughed and broke a smile that sent shivers down Drake’s spine. “I figured you would reconsider. Know where the bank’s at?”

  Drake nodded. Words didn’t seem possible at the moment.

  “Ever use one before?”

  “No,” Drake said, having trouble pronouncing a one-syllable word.

  “Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

  There sure is, Drake thought. Like now.

  “I want you to drive to the bank I pointed out to you on the way back here.”

  Drake wanted to argue, but his bruised insides begged him to keep his trap shut. “How do you know that’s the one he uses?”

  “Says so on his ATM card,” Ivan said, shoving Andrew’s wallet into Drake’s hand.

  Drake swallowed and tried to force the lump down his throat.

  “Take Andrew there and have him withdraw twenty grand.”

  Drake’s mouth fell open. “Twenty?” he said, trying to catch his breath. “What if he don’t have that much?”

  “I’m goin’ by what you told me, Drake,” Ivan said, his voice thin and detached. “He’s a rich man. Twenty thousand won’t break him.”

  Drake’s mind was spinning. “Why do I have to take him there? Can’t you do it? I mean, you’re the one who’s pulled off an armed robbery before, not me.”

  Ivan stared at him dumbly. “Do I look stupid to you? There’s cameras out there, genius. My face is already broadcasted all over the cops’ wanted list, but not yours. ’Sides, you wouldn’t back out on us now, would you? Not after you’ve already tasted a dose of our treatment.”

  Treatment. He had tasted it all right—blood, acid, and anything that happened to be in the middle of digestion when he had puked it up. Thanks, but no thanks. “I didn’t say that,” Drake mumbled, hating every minute he was forced to endure this humiliation.

  “I thought not. Now remember, keep the Glock in your pocket at all times, even when you enter the bank. Trust me, the old man won’t try anything if he’s convinced you’ll really use it.”

  “But I won’t have to use it, right?” Drake said it as more of a statement than a question.

  Ivan chuckled and said coldly, “Wouldn’t you?”

  Drake took a step back and collapsed in a chair. “The way you say it makes it sound so evil.”

  “That’s my language.”

  “I don’t wanna kill him.”

  “Aw, the murderer has a heart. You’ll get over it.”

  Get over it? He couldn’t get over an accidental murder. How could he possibly go through with intentionally firing a gun on someone like Andrew? He pressed his hands against the sides of his head. “This is crazy. What if we get caught, Ivan? What if it doesn’t work? This plan isn’t foolproof, ya know. If something goes wrong—”

  “Nothing will go wrong, will it?”

  Drake didn’t know why everything had to be a question with Ivan. Ivan felt safe—and for a good reason. He wasn’t the one about to risk his neck. What kind of a deal was that?

  “You’d be safer if you crouched down in the backseat most of the ride. Can’t twist the gun out of your hand that way while he’s driving. Just have your gun on him at all times and he won’t budge.”

  No, duh. Give yourself a pat on the back, Ivan. Really had to brainstorm that one, didn’t you? Drake could feel the anger heating up inside him. “And
after that?”

  “Make him get the money and slide over to the passenger seat, then you take the wheel. Drive him a good distance away from any pay phones or stores…a nice quiet area. Then drop him off.”

  Drake wasn’t about to ask what “drop him off” really meant in Ivan’s so-called language. He knew the man standing before him was the type who would put someone to death without the slightest hesitation.

  “Is that clear?” Ivan pressed.

  Drake looked up. “Sounds like you’ve got everything figured out, huh? Completely foolproof. At least, from your standpoint it is.”

  Ivan smiled thinly. “It’s only what you make it, Drake. Do it right, and you won’t ever have to worry about those cops following you again.”

  It was three thirty-nine P.M. when Drake led Andrew outside blindfolded. Because he followed the path Ivan had instructed him to take to the car, they were seen by no one. Even the buildings they walked between had no windows facing their direction. Drake didn’t know why that really mattered, though. He assumed that most of the people living here were probably tied in with Ivan and his gang in some way, so it wasn’t as if they would report any suspicious activity to the police. Still, Ivan had planned their exit strategically so there would be no problems.

  The temperature steadily plunged as the wind picked up speed and the clouds formed into one large, saturated mass of gray across the sky. An occasional raindrop hit Drake on the nose or cheek, sending a rushing chill through his body. It felt more like fall instead of summer. He listened as chimes played an unbroken melody across the street and shot a glimpse at a white-breasted nuthatch scurrying vertically up a black walnut tree. So much excitement, so little time. He cleared his mind and focused only on Ivan’s instructions: Get to the car, get the money, get out, and…well, the last part he could figure out later.

  The wind broke out into a gust, rocking the trees and sending a whooshing sound through the leaves. Andrew stopped and tilted his head up, as if wishing to see.

  “It’s just the wind,” Drake told him. “Keep moving.”

  Andrew walked stiffly beside Drake, keeping a tight clutch on his arm to guide his steps. Once Drake reached the road where Andrew’s car was parked, he helped Andrew lie down in the backseat. He gripped the semiautomatic with a shaky hand, aware that he didn’t need it, but it made him feel safer nevertheless.

  “Where are we going?” Andrew said, his throat tight and constricted.

  “Tell you later, but don’t worry. You’ll get to see again soon and even get a chance to drive. Just don’t want you to see where you are right now.”

  Andrew thought of a thousand things he could try to do to get out of this, yet for some reason he resolved not to take any action. This wasn’t just about him anymore. Something was drastically wrong with Drake. “Have you found what you’re looking for, Drake?”

  Drake took a quick glance toward the backseat before averting his eyes back to the road. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I’m simply asking a question. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

  Four miles down the road, Drake found a secluded parking lot behind a convenience store and parked the car. “I’m happy here,” he answered finally.

  “Are you?”

  Drake reached behind him and cut Andrew’s hands free before untying the blindfold over his eyes. “Your turn to drive.” He took the keys from the ignition and stepped out of the car before making Andrew climb to the front. Drake found a comfortable position on the floor and held his gun up just high enough to let Andrew know he was ready if he tried anything. Then he tossed him the keys. “Drive.”

  Andrew placed his shaky hands on the steering wheel. It was streaked with sweat. Hmm…so Drake was more afraid than he admitted.

  “What are you waiting for? I said drive!”

  Andrew tried to balance his thoughts. “Where am I going?”

  “The bank,” Drake said, feeling the car slowly lurch forward as Andrew pulled out onto the road. He had never remembered feeling more nervous in all his life.

  “The bank,” Andrew repeated to himself. “You don’t have to explain the rest. I think I know.”

  “Ivan told me to tell you to take out twenty thousand and put the money in the bag beside you.”

  “Old Western style, huh?”

  Drake rolled his eyes. “You should know with all those old black-and-white movies you call thrilling.”

  “Touché.”

  Drake stared at the side of Andrew’s face. “Why are you even talking to me?”

  “Well, despite your being armed to the teeth, I don’t feel scared of you in the slightest. Therefore, I talk.”

  Drake glanced at the 9mm. “One gun doesn’t qualify for being armed to the teeth.”

  Andrew shrugged. “One’s enough for me.”

  “You sure are making light of your situation.”

  Andrew pursed his lips. “What else am I supposed to do? Get angry and hold an innocent person at gunpoint?”

  Drake started to say something, but closed his mouth instead.

  Touché.

  Andrew arrived at the bank in less than five minutes, but instead of pulling up near the entrance, he drove a little further and parked in a separate parking lot.

  Drake sat up higher and lifted his gun. “Hello? You know the orders. The bank closes in less than an hour, so we don’t have much time.”

  Andrew checked the time. “We got fifty-two minutes.”

  “Don’t try me.”

  Andrew stared at the gun and smiled slightly. “Why did you bring that?”

  “Safety. Now let’s get going.”

  “So you’d be willing to shoot me if I refused?”

  “Just get the money and no one gets hurt.” That was strange. For a second there, Drake thought his voice sounded almost identical to Ivan’s.

  “You’re wrong, Drake. I’d be hurting you if I did what you told me.”

  Drake called him a foul name and swore. “Look, don’t press your luck. I know you don’t think I’d use this thing.”

  “Would you?”

  “In a heartbeat.”

  “Then do it,” Andrew said, unblinking. “There’s no one here to stop you. No one watching.”

  Drake didn’t know what to make of this man. He gripped his gun firmly and stared directly into Andrew’s eyes.

  “You won’t, will you?” Andrew said after a long moment of silence between them.

  “Not until I have what I came to get. I can’t afford getting rid of you yet.”

  “It’s all about the money, isn’t it?”

  “Yup.”

  “And you expect to get a cut of this money?”

  “That’s what they told me,” Drake responded, his face as solid as stone.

  “And you believe them?”

  “I trust them.”

  “Trust them? You just met them today.”

  “I trust them with my life. That’s more than I can say of most people. Namely, you.”

  Andrew drew out a long breath. “Would it be too much if I asked again for an explanation to all this? Am I missing something? I looked for you for hours upon hours yesterday. Then, out of the blue, I get this call from you saying to come down here because you were hurt. Where has all this anger and hatred toward me suddenly come from?”

  “I know what you’re trying to do,” Drake said with a smirk. “You’re trying to buy time, but it’s not gonna work. Get the money now, or else.”

  “Or else what?”

  “I told you what this gun is for.”

  “And I already told you, Drake. I’m not giving you the money.” Andrew swept the bag beside him to the ground with his hand as a way of showing him that his decision was final. “So I guess that leaves you with a decision, doesn’t it?”

  Drake’s blood was boiling now. How would he explain losing the money to the others and still expect them to hide him? “Are you mad? Don’t think I won’t shoot you.”
<
br />   “Sorry, but that’s exactly what I think.”

  “Then you’re signing your own death sentence.”

  “And you’re gonna sit there and pretend like you’re not signing yours?”

  “I’m not signing away anything.”

  “You signed me and Ronnie away. And for what? To live like this? To shove other people around in the daytime and hide like scared animals at night? Because that’s what you’re joining, I hope you know. A pack of wolves that eventually gets so starved they rip at each other’s throats.”

  “And what were you supposed to be? Anything different?”

  Andrew shook his head. “If you can’t see the difference…I don’t know what got into your head, Drake, but I’m still willing to offer you my help if you’re willing to accept it. You ought to know that by now.”

  Drake stared at him for the longest time, clenching his gun securely with one finger curled back on the trigger. What’re you doin’, Drake? Have you become nothing more than a murderer now every time you run into a problem? He may have set you up, but you don’t have to kill him. He gritted his teeth and thrust the gun away furiously. “Just leave me alone,” he said, turning away.

  “Drake, what’s wrong?”

  “I said leave me alone! Go! Do anything! Just get outta here before I change my mind.” Drake covered his face in his hands, struggling to hold back tears. What a lowlife he had become. Had he stooped so low that he would be willing to kill someone just because he was afraid of getting caught? Andrew may have betrayed him, but he had to remind himself that he deserved it. He had killed his father, and now he felt like a caged lion lashing out at anyone and everyone who threatened his freedom.

  “What are you going to do?” Andrew said gently. “Just stay here like this until they come find you?”

  “What does it matter?!” Drake screamed, picking up the gun again. He turned it on himself and pressed it against his heart. “My life is over! I’m tired of fighting it!”

  Andrew unbuckled and crawled between the front seats into the backseat beside Drake. He laid a hand softly on his back. “Your life is far from over. Don’t fight yourself like this.”