Carefree || JJ Maybank

Chapter Seventy-Seven

The door opens just as Everleigh made it to her feet. "He's ready." The made tells her, and Everleigh just nods.

She follows the maid down the steps holding her composure and trying to look formal enough to where she'd be trusted with answers. She's led to a doorway where she sees a man. His back was turned to her and she'd just assumed this is who was waiting on her. "Uhm, excuse me?"

That's when he turned around. The last person that Everleigh wanted to see. Rafe Cameron. His eyes immediately ran across her body before eventually finding her eyes again.

"Oh, I knew you and Ward were behind this shit." She steps up to him, but he just looked at her blankly.

"What are you talking about?" Rafe asks. He also starts to step up to her, expecting her to back down. But she doesn't. "You trying to weasel in on my deal right now? Is that what's going on?"

"I wondered if your little reunion would cause sparks, you know." A man with a thick accent spoke from another room. Both Everleigh and Rafe shared a similar look before turning their to see the other man.

He smiles as he approaches the two teens. "Who are you?" Rafe questions him.

"Me?" The man asks.

Everleigh rolls her eyes. "No. The other person were talking to."

"My name is Carlos Singh." He informs them. He made his voice a little louder, doing his best to shut Everleigh up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cameron." He says, pointing his finger at Rafe. "And, Ms. Routledge. I do apologize for the rough tactics in bringing you here."

Everleigh just looked at the man. And then around the room.

"Please. Come, sit down." Carlos invited them to a comfortable area. "Come now, I don't bite."

Everleigh just looks at Rafe. If she knew Rafe like she thought she did. He was gonna do something to benefit himself. But, if it really came down to it. He'd protect her, solely for the fact that he thought she would come crawling to him, but that was an uncertainty. She looked away and just walked towards the selection of seats.

"Rough tactics." Rafe speaks after also deciding to move forward. "What about me?"

"Yes, Mr. Cameron. False pretenses. But the ends judith the means, I'm afraid. Sit down." Carlos explains, pouring a drink. Rafe drew his lips together in anger, but decided to take his place on the cushioned chair. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Why are we here?" Everleigh asks quietly.

Carlos looks down at them, appearing much taller now that they were sitting. "Well, Ms. Routledge. Mr. Cameron..."

"Please. Just call me Everleigh." She interrupts him. She hated being referred to formally, it just didn't sound right.

Rafe looks at her with a roll of his eyes, "Don't you know when to just shut up, Ev?"

"No, no. It's alright." Carlos smiles. Almost as if he found the situation funny. "Like I was saying. Mr. Cameron, and... Everleigh. We share certain interests, you know. Objectives."

"Is this not about the cross?" Rafe asks with his voice obviously laced in frustration.

Carlos points at Rafe again. "It is. Tangentially, it is about the cross, but it's also about something much much bigger than the cross. By orders of magnitude, the completion of a grand quest."

Everleigh had just about enough with the riddles and the stories of looking for treasure. She wanted to leave. She wanted no part of whatever these two men had brewing between them.