50 Shades of Drake 5 and 6

More Life: Chapter 6ixty-Seven

    The FBI had more than one safehouse in the D.C. area. Several of them were currently occupied, and Darius wouldn't advise whether or not that was because of the pending trial of Harold Palmer. 

    Destiny didn't know what she expected a safehouse to look like. All she had was island safe houses as reference. 

    The safehouse that was prepared for them looked like any run-of-the-mill upper middle class two-story house, at least from the street view. Only once you ventured up the drive and either walked or pull your car to the side garage, could you see that the house stretched back much further than the front view let on. Located on the outskirts of D.C., the property sat on a hefty amount of acres, boasting a carriage house hiding towards the back of the lot.

    Upon viewing the house from the front, she'd had concerns as to whether or not everyone would be able to sleep comfortably in the place. Once she saw the side view, space was no longer a worry. They'd have space to spare. 

    The three vehicles carrying passengers parked in the garage, and the garage door lowered before they piled out of the SUVs.

    Darius gathered everyone in a circle near the door leading into the residence. "I put in a request for this safehouse specifically, because of its short distance from the city, and the amount of people we have with us," he said, his voice catching in his throat towards the end of that statement. He brought a balled fist up to his mouth and paused before continuing. "There are a lot of rooms in this place, and I'm not sure how you want to select rooms. I'd suggest room close together. That could be a huge help, in the event security is breach. Everyone would know something is amiss right away, as opposed to some of you being tucked away at one end of the house without anyone to assist." 

    "Des and I need privacy tonight," Aubrey stated.

    Carlos cocked an eyebrow at him, but for once remained quiet.

    Darius frowned. "I understand that you two have been through a lot, but our focus should be the trial."

    "I wasn't asking, actually," Aubrey said firmly. "Destiny and I can take a room at one end of the house. It would be in everyone else's best interests if they were grouped at the other end."

    The Richards swapped "we're choosing to mind grown folks' business" looks. 

    Destiny nervously tucked strands of hair behind one ear. Her cheeks flushed deep red.

    Noticing that, Aubrey reached out and grabbed her hand. 

    Darius exhaled. "Okay. We'll have a pair of agents stationed near your room."

    "I'm not sure-"

    "I wasn't asking, actually," Darius remarked flippantly.

    Carlos's eyebrows shot up. "Damn, Darius with the Uno Reverse card."

    Darius rolled his eyes. "It's been a long day. Let's head inside and choose rooms."

    The interior of the house resembled a model home. It came supplied with furniture, food, and decor. Everyone spread out, inspecting the layout of the ground floor. There was a blanket thrown over the back of the couch at an angle, giving the impression that a family who owned this house could walk in at any minute. 

    "Wow," Carlos murmured, looking out the back patio windows. "The government has a bunch of houses like this that no one even lives in for real? Houses that just sit empty waiting for some endangered witness and a fucked up situation?" He backed away from the patio windows and started looking around the kitchen.

    "Pretty much," Darius responded. "Are you going to become an advocate now, and tell me how we should allow the homeless to live in them?"

    "Close...I was going to advocate for my fucking self and ask why I can't live in one of these bitches." Carlos's voice became muffled as his head disappeared inside of the pantry. "The food in here isn't even the generic brands. It's the real shit!"

    "We need to focus," Darius said, clapping his hands to bring everyone at attention. "We're up early tomorrow, because local law enforcement wants to interview us. Because it's highly likely that Palmer has contacts in the Metropolitan Police Department, we'll all be leaving this house. That will require us to make the trip back to D.C., while keeping an eye out for anyone who might be tailing us. We'll have to ensure no one is tailing us on the way back. This is vital and it will be everyone's responsibility, not just the agents. There are other safehouses we can transfer to if necessary, but I guarantee it would be a major headache - and those houses are nowhere near as nice as this one. Understood?"

     Everyone nodded their heads solemnly. 

    "Choose your rooms. Agents, follow them. I want a diagram showing who's claimed which room, and which rooms you're selecting so that you can monitor that section of the house. Once rooms are selected, all agents are to report in the downstairs living room."

    The room selection went off without a hitch. The parents were too exhausted to squabble over such a minor detail, anyway. Carlos was the only one who gave serious consideration to which room he wanted. Ultimately, even he tossed his hands into the air and just picked one. After Destiny and Aubrey hugged their parents goodnight, they were quick to disappear down the other end of the hall, with a pair of agents close at their heels.

    Once room selections were made and drawn out, the FBI agents returned back to the downstairs living room as requested.

    Darius patiently awaited them, standing in the center of the spacious room.

     "Before calling it a night, we need to go over the evidence that was collected and how we're choosing to take it into our lab. We also want to just take a breath and have a moment for our two great comrades who lost their lives tonight." Darius looked into the faces of each of his agents as he spoke. "What we all survived tonight was still a tragedy and as such, you have a choice. If you feel you are capable, you can still working this case. Help protect our charges. Ride this out until the end of this trial. Or if you feel that your mental health has been jeopardized to the point that you can no longer work this case, you can be excused and replaced with other agents. If we are being direct and real, I'll sum up the pros and cons for you right now. Stick with this case and you're nearly guaranteed accolades, along with a commendation for promotion. The cost of sticking with the cause could be even more strain on your mental health with the continued risk of being injured or worse. Ask to be excused from this case, and of course it won't be held against you. You've already done exemplary work in protecting the trial witnesses. You are literally putting your lives on the line. Your advancement won't happen quite as quickly as those who stayed on, but you will most likely save your sanity. Those are your choices. It would be silly of me to drop that on you and expect an answer right now, so you can sleep on it."