Radio silence.
Radio silence was all Tucker got from Callum since the night he walked out the door without any clue of where he was going. Tucker reached out to everyone, Callum's assistant, CeCe, he even asked CeCe for Logan's number since he knew the step brother was in America for Christopher Kaufman's funeral.
No one had any idea about where Callum could've gone. Tucker even went as far as calling one of his friends at the police station to ask if there was anything he could do. But since Callum left on his own accord, and he hadn't even been gone for 24 hours, there was nothing the officer could do, but he did promise to keep an eye out.
Tucker spent the rest of the day looking into the known associates of Christopher Kaufman. He tried to shortlist who could've wanted the man dead the most, but the truth was that it didn't matter. There were so many suspects that it would be impossible to try and shortlist simply based on speculation. Plus, Tucker barely had any information to go with. The files weren't public, and there was no way he could get the FBI to let him in on this.
Tucker still kept going. He wanted to do something, anything to help Callum. Maybe if he was able to find a tiny bit of clue then that could help the investigation. Tucker sighed as he thought about his boyfriend and how dejected he has been looking ever since his father got arrested. Tucker didn't blame him, even though he was a piece of shit, Christopher Kaufman was still Callum's father.
It's must've been around two in the night when there was a knock on Tucker's front door. He knew, he just knew that it had to be Callum as he rushed to let him in. When he opened the door, he was caught off guard with Callum standing there with two other men. Tucker looked at them from head to toe, they were dressed neatly in black suits, and had matching stoic expressions.
Tucker knew who they were, and that comfised him even more. What was Callum doing at his door with two FBI agents?
"It'll only take a few minutes." Callum muttered to the agents that nodded. Callum stepped inside, and closed the door leaving the agents outside.
"What is.. What is going on? Why are their FBI agents outside my apartment?" Tucker asked.
"I went to the FBI," Callum answered, and Tucker couldn't help but give a look that said 'no shit', "I turned myself in."
"What?" It felt like Tucker's world came crashing down, "Turned yourself in? What's that supposed to mean?"
"They needed a witness and now they've got it." Callum said and Tucker just couldn't contemplate what Callum was implying.
"What is it? What are you not telling me?" Tucker asked, there was something wrong with the way Callum wasn't meeting his eyes.
"I.. I don't.." Callum stuttered, another first.
"Callum what the hell is go-"
"I knew!" Callum exclaimed, raising his voice, "I knew what my father was doing. All of his money laundering and frauds and.. being involved with illegal weapons sales. I knew it all."
"But you.. you said that.. you said that you didn't have a clue.." Tucker was more confused now than ever.
"I lied," Callum admitted, still not looking Tucker in the eyes, "The only thing I didn't know was that the FBI was going to arrest him. I was so.. so suprised when that happened. I just thought.."
"That he'll get away with it?" Tucker spat, making Callum shrug.
"He always did."
"Were you involved in all of this? Joe said-"
"I wasn't involved, well, not directly. I just knew everything that was going on and I.." Callum paused, "I did nothing. I knew what he was doing was wrong but I did nothing."
"Why?" Tucker couldn't help but feel betrayed.
"Because I didn't care," Callum was done lying, "I didn't care about what my father was doing and that it was wrong. I did nothing and I just watched. I thought.. I thought he'd take care of everything like he always does. I never.. I never even imagined something like this would happen."
"Why didn't you tell me any of this?" Tucker asked. He didn't know how to process any of this, he was hurt, confused, and most of all angry.
"I couldn't exactly admit to a public prosecutor that I knew about multi million fraud," Callum said, "And even though I didn't sign the deals but I stood by my father and stayed quiet."
"Then why are you telling me now?" Tucker questioned.
"Because," Callum paused to take a deep breath, "I went to the FBI. I'm going to expose everything and everyone that I know."
"What?" Tucker was shocked, "This just got your father killed!"
"I know.." Callum began, "I never stopped my father from doing what he did and I'm as much to blame. I just watched and let it all happen. I need to make up for his sins, Tucker, I need to."
"At the risk of your own life?"
"They're going to put CeCe and I in witness protection," Callum said, "I'm going to step down as CEO and.."
"Leave?" Tucker asked, and Callum nodded in response, "You're going to leave? Just like that?"
"I need to do this," Callum sighed, "I thought.. I thought you'd understand."
"What I can't understand is how you've been lying to me all this while. And how.. how I trusted you and you just," Tucker ran his fingers through his hair, "You were just lying this entire time."
"I never lied about how I felt for you," Callum finally looked into Tucker's eyes, "When I told you to leave that day.. it wasn't because I was angry at you. I was angry at myself for letting all this happen."
"Yeah," Tucker scoffed, "You had no right to be angry at me when you have been doing is so much worse."
"I know," Callum agreed, "I can't tell you how sorry I am, Tuck, but I want to make all of this right. And it starts with correcting my and my father's wrongdoings."
"You do what you have to," Tucker took a step back, making Callum walk towards him to hold his arm, "But know that these aren't just your father's crimes but yours too."
Tucker felt like his heart would beat right out of his chest, Callum made him feel like this a lot, but for the first time it wasn't in a good way. Tucker tried to process everything that was happened, but he just couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Callum was nothing but a liar and a criminal.
Tucker was so blinded in his feelings for Callum, that he decided to put aside his beliefs and principles just in the hope that they could make things work and be together. And now Tucker was feeling like a fool, that maybe the walls he had up were there for a reason.
"I'll make it right with us, too." Callum said sincerely, but Tucker couldn't bring himself to believe the billionaire.
"Fuck you, Kaufman." Tucker said as he snatched his arm away from Callum's hold.
"Tucker-" Callum was cut off by Tucker.
"No!" Tucker's anger was finally coming out as he spoke with venom in his voice, "I don't want to hear any other bullshit that you have to say. I trusted you, more than I should've and you left me in the dark all this while. The biggest lie you ever told me was that you're not an entitled asshole that thinks the world revolves around them, because that's exactly what you are. You didn't stop your father because you didn't care? How can you not care that he was scamming innocent people and stealing their money? That the guns he was selling were killing so many? What kind of a man are you?"
"I..I.."
"No words now, huh?" Tucker let out a bitter chuckle, "Of course, not. I hope you're able to right your other wrongs but this one.. the one with us.. you can never fix this."
"I'm sorry—"
"You think a sorry will make up for all this?" Tucker looked at Callum in disbelief, "Did you ever feel guilty about any of this? Before it got your father arrested and then killed?"
"You don't understand, Tucker, it's the way things are in my world." Callum said and Tucker almost laughed at his audacity.
"Your world, right. I was a fucking idiot to ever believe that we could make this work. That you.. that you were a decent human when all you are is scum." Tucker spat.
"Tucker I.. I love you." Callum said desperately.
"I have nothing but hate for you, Kaufman."
***
don't hate me, but this is the end. a small epilogue will be up soon. thank you for reading! if anyone has any feedback, then I'll be more than happy to hear it!
also, I published another book so go check that out in my profile! it's called 'Sing Me A Song'