Canvas & Keys

20. Back To Rio We Go

Chapter 20

Back To Rio We Go

"It hasn't changed a bit," Cruz mumbled as he got in the back of the taxi.

"The house probably has," Drake said, holding the door open for me as I slid into the middle of the seat. "The place is more than likely trashed. You know Vince had guys go in to search for whatever they thought would be useful. Good thing we cleared out anything important."

I had to agree with him. Vince probably had his men turn the place over in search of anything they had. I wouldn't have been surprised if it wasn't standing anymore. The two of them gathered a lot of information about the triumvirate over the years, all of which was contained on the hard drive they had. With the Order's systems being wiped clean by me and Kenna, they would have been looking for anything to get their hands on.

I covered my mouth with one hand as a yawn escaped. All three of us had barely gotten any sleep. I did manage to catch an hour or two on the jet, but was too anxious to stay asleep for long.

Being almost midnight on a Saturday, the streets were still quite crowded. I vaguely remembered the way to Drake and Cruz's old place as we went down the winding roads. The last time I was there seemed like years previous, but it had only been a few months. So much had changed since then.

Like Flannery wanted, we didn't tell anyone we were leaving for Rio. Our phones were off, but I was sure I'd have a few missed calls and text from a frantic bunch of people. I did leave a note telling them we'd be back the following night, but that wouldn't stop them from worrying. Hopefully, they didn't send out a search team made up of Brotherhood and Knights. Like that wouldn't send up red flags.

The house looked surprisingly the same as the taxi pulled up in front. Drake paid the driver as Cruz and I got out and paused, looking up at the darkened, curtain-covered windows.

"Hasn't changed," Cruz said again. "On the outside at least. The inside will be a different story."

The door was unlocked, opened just a crack. Drake frowned when he saw it, carefully pushing open the door as both he and Cruz shielded me.

"You do realize I can protect myself, right?" I whispered harshly to them, but they weren't listening.

Inside, what little furniture had been there was slashed. Papers and books were torn and strewn all over. The carpet and several boards from the wooden floors were ripped up, like they'd expected something to be hidden below.

Every cabinet in the kitchen was opened, food spread out over the counters. While Cruz went upstairs, Drake and I continued looking through the downstairs room. The room where they'd had their computer set up and their timeline pinned to the wall was the only door closed.

Drake held out an arm to block me from moving forward. "Wait," he whispered, and silently went back into the kitchen. He came back with one of the knives.

"Are you serious?" I whispered as he continued forward. "We know who's here..."

"Still can't be too cautious."

"Sure, you can. Just don't take someone's eye out with that."

Hesitantly, he put his hand on the knob, opening it slowly. Just like everywhere else, the place was a mess, but the Order must have realized this was where Drake and Cruz had kept tabs on them. The carpet was ripped to shreds, the timeline torn to pieces. Even a few places in the walls were smashed in as if they'd thought something was hidden there, too.