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all Caroline thought about during the entire drive was what Portis had said. where could these men possibly be taking her and Kiara? the two girls stayed close to each other the entire time until they reached a huge part of land seeing a huge house. the girls looked at each other once reaching the gate that was guarded with more security and now dogs.
"you okay?" Kiara whispered to the brunette besides her.
Caroline nodded keeping her eyes on the house as it got closer, "yeah. i'm okay."
the truck came to a stop as the security guards lead to the two towards the house which was filled with even more security, Caroline couldn't stop thinking about what was going on. once inside the women lead the two girls closer into the house seeing lots of treasure. Kiara and Caroline looked at each other hearing the women speak.
"take them upstairs. the Orinoco room."
"this way." the man pulled the girls to the stairs, "up."
"i can walk on my own." Caroline moved her arm away from the man.
"Ace." Kiara looked at her friend.
Caroline looked at the man then at Kie nodding her head, the man lead the two to a room pushing them inside as Kiara turned around, "why are we here? who are you working for?" Kie asked the man.
"dinner at eight. i'd clean up." he says stepping back.
"just tell us what they want!" Caroline looked at the man who shut the door and locked it, "did he really just do that?"
Kie tried opening the door but it was no use, "he did. yeah."
"fuck." Caroline sighed walking further into the room taking a look around.
"Ace." Kiara says making the brunette turn around seeing the closet with six dresses, all the same style and three red and three emerald green.
"what the hell is this place?" Caroline whispered.
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Caroline looked in the mirror running her hands over the emerald green dress and black heels, her washed hair was in its natural wavy hair. looking down at the ring on her thumb that was gifted by JJ she pulled it off bringing it up to her lips letting out a deep breath.
"please, find us." she whispered slipping the ring back on walking back into the room.
Kiara looked over sitting up smiling lightly at her friend, "you look beautiful."
Caroline smiled sitting besides her, "so do you."
"at least we don't stink anymore, that's a good thing right?" Kie laid back on the bed playing with her bracelets.
"the only good thing was that shower." Caroline chuckled.
a knock then came from the door making the two stand up watching it open revealing the women from earlier, "he's ready."
Kiara looked at Caroline nodding following the woman out of the room and downstairs to the other room hearing someone, "um, excuse me?"
when the person turned around the two girls looked at each other in shock seeing Rafe.
"no, i knew you and Ward were behind this shit." Kiara made her way over to Rafe.
"what are you talking about? you trying to weasel in on my deal right now? is that what's going on?" Rafe asked the girls walking over to them, "what are you doing here?"
"came here for shits and giggles. you think we wanna be here?" Caroline whispered to him.
"i wondered if your little reunion would cause sparks, you know." the three looked over seeing a man chuckling.
"who are you?" Rafe asked.
"me? my name is Carlos Singh. it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cameron. and Ms. Carrera and Ms. Hills, i do apologize for the rough tactics in bringing you here. but please, come. sit down. come now, i don't bite." Singh says to the three, Caroline looked at Rafe motioning for him to walk.
"lead the way."
"come on." Kiara took ahold of her friends hand walking first taking a seat.
"rough tactics. what about me?" Rafe asked.
"yes, Mr. Cameron, false pretenses. but the ends justify the means, i'm afraid. sit down. we have a lot to talk about."
"why are we here?" Kiara asked.
"well, Ms. Carrera, Ms. Hills, Mr. Cameron, we share certain interests, you know. objectives." Singh says facing the three.
"is this not about the cross?" Rafe looked at the man, Caroline rolled her eyes hearing Rafe fixing her dress.
"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. you see, the story goes that 450 years ago, a Spanish soldier came out of the Orinoco Basin with a few gold beads. and when they asked the Spanish soldier, "where the beads came from?" the Spanish soldier replied he got them from a peaceful Indigenous tribe who lived in a city of gold. El Dorado." Caroline suddenly remembered the book Portis had in the plane.
"and for the next 450 years, people tried to find that gold, you know. they tried. conquistadors, knights, captains of ships, tribes, entire nations. all fighting each other in a race for the end of the rainbow. thousands of lives laid on the pyre of gold fever. and it falls to me, you know. it's falls to me to complete the task. to bring full circle a quest that has gone on for almost 500 years. perhaps.. perhaps the greatest quest in the history of the western hemisphere, you know. and you there.." Singh explained pointing to the three chuckling.
"you three are going to play a part in that. what about you, Ms. Carrera and Ms. Hills. are you interested in history?" Singh asked the girls sitting down.
"i'm more of a future person." Kie answered not looking at the man.
"me too." Caroline says twirling her ring around.
"i didn't listen to a word you said, okay? how much you gonna keep philosophizing?" Rafe looked at Singh.
"you are direct, aren't you, Mr. Cameron?" Singh chuckled.
"what do you need from us." Caroline looked at Singh.
"i've come to believe that you and your friends are in possession of something that can help me get what i want." Singh tells the brunette.
"which is?" Kie asked.
"an old manuscript. a diary, actually." Caroline tensed up knowing exactly what he was talking about, Rafe noticed her tense up furrowing his eyebrows at her.
"i have no idea what you're talking about." Rafe says.
"this is ridiculous. we don't know anything about a diary." Kiara tells Singh.
"but how else could you have learned that the cross was on the Royal Merchant?" he asked.
"look, we want to help you, but we can't." she says.
"i was hoping you wouldn't say that, you know. because unfortunately, i don't believe you. you and your friends here couldn't have found the cross without it." Singh said making Caroline look up, "he's not our friend."
"we can't all be friends, you know."
Rafe sighed clapping his hands and stood up, "look, this is ridiculous. okay? i'm out. i don't know anything about a diary, okay? so-"
"do i look like a fool to you, Mr. Cameron?" Singh asked Rafe who was stopped by a guard, "do i look like a fool to you? you have the cross. the girls and their friends had the cross at one point. so one of you has the diary. and if you really don't know, then i suggest you convince your friends to tell me. once i have the diary.. you'll be free to leave." Singh looked at the girls who looked at each other once again in worry.
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"enjoy the grounds during your stay. i must warn you, though. i'm not a man of infinite patience. you have one day. go to the window for a little demonstration. i think you'll enjoy it, you know." Singh lead the three back to the room where Caroline and Kiara first were leaving as another guard shut the door.
"hey! hey! you're just done talking?" Rafe asked trying to open the door.
"it's locked." Kiara made her way to the window.
Caroline followed behind her standing next to her hearing a familiar voice, Rafe joined the girls standing behind Caroline looking out the window.
"who the hell is that guy?" Rafe asked.
"it's Jimmy Portis." Caroline says pressing her fingers together taking deep breaths.
"he was trying to help us." Kie says as Singh walked past the window pulling out a gun from his pocket.
"whoa, whoa, woah." Rafe started to say.
"Ace, walk away and cover your-"
before Caroline could even walk away the sound of gunshots were heard making the three jump and immediately panic.
"this diary. hey, no bullshit. don't bullshit me. okay? do you have it? Kie? Ace?" Rafe asked the two.
"no." Kiara answered as Caroline raced to the bathroom turning on the sink to cold water running her hand under it placing it behind her neck taking deep breaths and counting quietly to herself.
"hey, you're okay. we're gonna be okay." Kiara walked over to her friend rubbing her back as Caroline nodded her head.
"yeah. we are." Caroline nodded turning the water off looking back into the room where Rafe was looking at the two girls.