complicit | sam drake

Chapter One: Beginning of the End

I gripped the edges of the countertop, the cold from the granite rushing through my fingertips. I definitely wasn't fully awake yet; having just gotten back from halfway across the world last night. I stared into the mirror. My brown eyes surrounded by bloodshot veins, my tan skin slightly pink with a sunburn. A small cut pierced my bottom lip. I looked at my disheveled hair sitting just above my shoulder, brown like a bird's nest of sticks. I needed a shower, desperately.

I hadn't been in a place to call mine in a while. I was sleeping in motels, cars, or even the outdoors somewhere in the world. Always looking for the next big treasure. Sadly, I'm no Nathan Drake. I'm not entirely sure how he's managed what he has over the years. Finding El Dorado, crumbling Shamballa, and sinking Iram. He's done it all and subsequently destroyed it. I, however, have a few trinkets to my name.

I got out of the shower and glanced at myself once more in the mirror. I sighed as I took in my own reflection, "Don't you look like shit."

My phone began ringing as I dug through my small amount of clothing for something decent to wear. I checked the caller I.D. and believed that I was definitely reading wrong. I mean, why the hell would Sully be calling me? Especially this early in the morning. I contemplated letting it ring to voicemail until my thumb pressed the green button.

"Hey, Sullivan, been a minute." I breathed into the phone. Why was I so nervous for this call? It has been a few years since we've spoken. I saw Nathan and Sully at the wedding, and things got a little sour when I refused a job for Sully at the end of the night.

"Mara! How you been?" He chirped. A lot happier sounding than I thought he'd be.

"Fine, you know how it goes..." I trailed for a second before pushing forward. "I gotta know why you're calling me after all this time though. Am I invited to a funeral this time?" I half-joked. Nate was known for getting in a lot of trouble.

"No no, not yet at least." He chuckled. "Listen, I'm doing a job with Nathan and his brother Sam. The whole Avery deal. We could really use your help and knowledge. It's really important."

I gulped at the sound of him saying Avery. That treasure cost me a relationship and almost ruined my life. It's all bullshit anyway. Dead end after dead end. And Sam. Sam's supposed to be dead, at least that's what I was told, not to mention how Nate acted back in the day.

I was silent so Sully carried on, "There's an auction in Italy. I'll send you details of course, but it's a real fancy schmooze fest. We need to, obtain, a cross from there. Sam's life depends on this. Are you in?"

I gave it a solid minute of thinking as he's telling me this. I could run into some people I never wanted to see again. On the other hand I get to work with old friends and I get back out into the world of real treasure hunting. I sighed before answering, "I'm in."

*****

In my hotel room getting ready for the auction felt more nerve-wrecking than I thought it would. The emerald green dress fit a little more snug than I'd hope for. The heels were already killing my feet and I just put them on. Luckily the dress is short enough that I have enough movement to run just in case. I put together the finishing touches as the driver arrived to take me to the auction.

Sully had me reserved as his plus one, while Nathan and Sam have to sneak in. I'll be seeing them both for the first time when they meet with Sully and I. The thought of seeing Nathan again gave me butterflies. Not in a high school crush kind of way, but in a "wow I haven't seen this guy in ages" kind of way. And Sam. I have no idea what to expect from him.

Soon enough I was being dropped off at the front of a huge mansion. Well, I think castle is a more accurate description. Sully greeted me with open arms; the smell of cigars quickly filled the space between us. We locked arms as he guided me to the room where we'd wait for the boys. We made talk along the way, just enough to keep the air from getting awkward.

Once we reached the room, Sully put out a signal for the boys before crashing onto a sofa. I walked over to a window and stared at the ocean just beyond us.

"You do clean up nicely. Even at the wedding you weren't this dolled up." Sully commented as he lit a cigar. I chuckled lightly and glanced at the floor.

"Well this seems a bit more formal than a beach wedding with a bunch of thieves."

"That is true. But then again, still around a bunch of thieves." He countered with a puff of smoke in the air.

I kept my glance on the ocean, taking in the view. I constantly fidgeted with my dress, never getting comfortable in it. Not before long Sully and I heard a loud thud and I jumped in defense. Sully waved me off before opening the French doors leading to a balcony. In came Nathan Drake. He looked the exact same he did years ago. Our eyes locked and we both smiled from ear to ear. I ran up to him, the best I could in heels, and hugged him tightly. He returned the hug with a laugh against my chest.

"Holy shit it's been a while hasn't it! And look at you." He pulled away giving me a quick glance over. "You know you still haven't aged a day."

I laughed lightly, my cheeks now turning pink from blushing slightly. "Well last I checked I am younger than you, in case you forgot. But you still look great yourself! And you're still in shape, that's impressive."

"Alright, alright. Can you two quit jerking each other off?" A rough voice called from behind Nate, with a humorous tone.

"Oh Mara, this is my brother Sam." Nate stepped aside and I finally got a look at the man the voice belongs to. He's tall, scruffy, with a trail of birds creeping out from his collar. The moment he stepped towards me I could smell the cigarettes off of him. His eyes raked my body as I glanced him over.

I gently extended my hand towards Sam, keeping my gaze on his face. "Nice to meet you." I said shyly.

Sam surprised me by taking my hand in his and turning it to leave a kiss atop it. He looked at me with a sly grin and doughy eyes. "It's a pleasure, Mara."

Nate sighed with disgust and pulled Sam back away from me. "Alright you two, quit eye-fucking each other. We have a cross to steal."