✧*̥˚RISK TAKERS *̥˚✧ J.M 3

004

┊͙✧˖*°࿐
And I've never felt more alone
Lorde

Aria tore her harsh glare away from Rafe and towards the unfamiliar voices. A man stood, turning to face the two, his skin tan and scruffy beard on his face, his thick accent send chills down her spine.

With a glass of liquor in his hand he spoke with intensity, the slightest smirk on his lips, "I wondered if your little reunion would cause sparks, you know."

Rafe chuckled to himself, not intimidated by the man, his tongue running along the roof of his mouth, "Who are you?"

"Me?" The man nearly laughed, shocked that he was unfamiliar to him, he tilted his head slightly, "My name is Carlos Singh. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Cameron. And Ms. Campbell, I do apologize for the rough tactics in bringing you here. But please, come. Sit down."

Aria didn't budge, she instead looked to Rafe, seeking comfort in him. He walked in front of her, sitting down. Aria still standing still.

Carlos could sense how tense she was even from his seat, it sparked a thrill in him, this made his smirk grow larger, "Come now, I don't bite."

"Rough tactics. What about me?" Rafe switched, taking the heat off Aria, allowing her to come to his side.

"Yes, Mr. Cameron, false pretenses. But the ends justify the means, I'm afraid. Sit down." He repeated, gesturing to the two empty chairs in front of his desk, the two exhaled before sitting, "We have a lot to talk about."

Aria moved to the edge of her seat, narrowing her eyes at Carlos, "Why are we here?"

"Well, Ms. Carrera, Mr. Cameron, we share certain interests, you know." Carlos raised his brows, sitting back into his seat with crossed legs, "Objectives."

Rafe lifted his hand slightly, "Is this not about the cross?"

Carlos tilted his head, his hands folding delicately, "It is. Tangentially, it is about the cross, but it's also about something much, much bigger than the cross." He paused, sighing, "By orders of magnitude... ( sighs ) ...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. 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 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 two..."

Aria swallowed, glancing over at Rafe, she could seen his patience thinning, fearing this wasn't going to end well for the both of them.

By now, Carlos was stood, pacing around his office area while story telling, his clear passion for El Dorado present in his tone, "What about you, Ms. Campbell? Are you interested in history?"

Hearing her name, she snapped out of the daze she was in, faltering lightly, "I'm more of a future person."

Rafe scoffed at them both, lifting his head from his hand, "I didn't listen to a word you said, okay? How much you gonna keep philosophizing?"

Aria nearly kicked him for his stupidity. Of course she should've known he was the least cooperative person, she rolled her eyes at him.

"You are direct, aren't you, Mr. Cameron?" Carlos chuckled.

Rafe ignored him, pursuing his lips, "What do you need from me?"

"I've come to believe that you and your friends are in possession of something that can help me get what I want." Carlos hummed, a thin line appearing between his brows.

"Which is?" Aria asked, trailing off.

Carlos breathed deeply, "An old manuscript. A diary, actually."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Aria shrugged, knitting her eyebrows together in confusion, glancing over at Rafe.

"But how else could you have learned that the cross was on the Royal Merchant?" Carlos pressed, an unpleased look coming across his features.

Aria inhaled deeply, leaning back into her seat, flicking her thumb against the ring on her middle finger, "Look, I want to help you, but I can't."

"I was hoping you wouldn't say that, you know." Carlos retorted, placing his hands on his desk, looking deeply at the two, "Because unfortunately, I don't believe you. You and your friend here couldn't have found the cross without it."

"He's not my friend." Aria blurted, the pure reaction getting to her. Rafe's gaze hardening at the girl beside him.

Carlos laughed, "We can't all be friends, you know."

Rafe's chair scratched against the hardwood, the loud sound made Aria flinch, he stood with his hands up, his lips in a flat line, "Look, this is ridiculous. Okay? I'm out. I don't know anything about a diary, okay? So..."

As Rafe turned to head out of the front door, a guard stopped him, holding his gun tightly, ready to shoot, Arias eyes widened, standing up.

"Rafe." She called, her glanced at her, "Just sit down."

"Listen to her, Mr. Cameron." Carlos suggested, a warning like tone made Rafe sit back down, "You have the cross. She and she 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 friend to tell me. Once I have the diary... you'll be free to leave."

Aria rubbed her eyes, wondering how'd she always her stuck in these positions, especially with Rafe.

Carlos beckoned the two, them complying and following behind them, knowing they'd loose any battle they attempted.

He walked them back into the room Aria had come familiar with, he stood at the doorway, standing quietly for a few seconds, "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."

The door shut, the lock clicking, and Rafe ran over, jiggling the handle and banging his fists against it repeatedly, "Hey. Hey!"

Aria sat on the edge of the bed, holding her hands over her face, accepting her fate. Knowing life or death was on the line here.