Chapter Thirty-Two

We soon pull up at the huge mansion, Julian and Brandon got out first while I stay back in the car for a second. The building basically wasn't a building anymore, the front entrance was the only thing that was standing. I can't believe I survived that, with a little help from an apparent family member. Brandon looks in the car sending me a worried look due to me waiting to exit the car, I take this as my sign to get out. I open the door climbing out the car and into the fresh air, taking a deep breath in I scan my surroundings before looking down at the ground for a second. Get your head in the game Taylor, it's work time. Once I shake off the feeling to get the job done, while moving to go stand with the guys. Julian was holding the bag of things, while Brandon held the files. The alliance had cornered all of this off with tape, outside of the remaining walls were caution signs about the unsafe structure. "Okay, let's crack on and get this done" I smile while Brandon hands me the file, we needed to get all this completed before sundown, it would be too dangerous to go in at night. "Morgan ordered me to stick to your side like glue, so wherever you're going so I am" Brandon tells me with a smile, I take a look up at him like really which he just nods to. "I will take any of the work you need me to, it's my first time being in the field and I'm excited" Julian tells me jumping around a little, that's a total different reaction to what Brandon was like on his first, he was too scared to even leave the car at all! "Me and Brandon will take a look on the inside, while I need you to look through the rubbish to see if they threw anything important away" I say closing the file, Brandon just nods as we both start to walk towards the building but were stopped by Julian. "I have to look through the rubbish, why can't you or Brandon do that?" He asks as we reach what was left of the door, Brandon and I just look at each other smiling before turning around. "I'm the senior field agent and as Morgan isn't here, I run this search, you don't see Morgan going fishing in a rubbish bin do you?" I ask placing my arms on Brandon's shoulder, Julian looks a bit taken back but turns to Brandon. "And as you've just heard, I've been ordered by Morgan to be glued at Taylor's side, so if that means she's not fishing in the bin, neither I am" he smiles while Julian just looks between us, quite shocked and at a lost for words "it's your first time being in the field, that means you have to get all the experiences that it offers you, you can tick fishing in a bin off the list" Brandon smiles nearly making me laugh, Julian sighs pulling his gloves out before walking in the direction of the bins. "I forgot how fun it was to have a trainee agent on the team" I smile before turning to look at the door, which was still open a crack from the fire, the black on the door taking the gold colour away. "That was fun, I understand why you and Riley used to do it to me" he smiles while helping me push the door fully open, it took a big push but it finally gives way "after you" he smiles bowing slightly as he went, I just laugh taking my first steps into the building the floor crunching under my feet as I went. The lobby didn't seem to be too damaged, the walls were black from the smoke but that was pretty much it. It was once you left the lobby and entered the ballroom, or what was left of the ballroom. There was no roof, it was completely broken and caved in, a huge hill of rumble stood at the button. There was only one side of the balcony standing, the rest had gone down with it. I just stare around at the destroyed building that stood in front of me, how much has changed in just the matter of a few days. "It's crazy that no one died or got seriously injured" Brandon says from behind me as I begin to climb up the rumble hill, this meant I could see the whole of the wreckage. "That would be going against what the group stands for, they wanna stop people from getting hurt or that's how they started anyway" I say looking up at the balcony, my eyes soon land on the office that I went in that night "it's clear from the markings and just from what's left, that the fire started in that office" I say pointing up at the office, they were burning all the evidence I found and the things I didn't get to see. I turn my head to look away when I see something, I walk over carful not to fall down the rubble hill. I walk over to look at the rubble, where I spot what looks like a photo sticking out. "Can I have some gloves please?!" I ask out loud, in seconds gloves were being placed in my hand by an agent. I thank them before slipping the gloves on, I knell down in front of the photo moving the the heavy stones off so it wouldn't rip. Once I pick the photo up and see what it was, a tear builds up in my eye. A photo of my mum, dad and me smiling looked back at me, the edges were a little burned but the photo was intact. "Wait that's you" Brandon says from behind, I just nod my head with a sigh "so we can confirm it's something to do with your dad" he says opening the evidence bag for me, I nod once again before placing the photo in the bag, I stand up straight just throwing my arms in the air. "Why, why did they do this?!" I ask out loud very annoyed, my family were never like this before what happened to me happened "the people in that photo would never even think about doing anything like this, this is all because of Richard, I'm gonna find him and he's gonna pay" I say meaning every single word that came out of my mouth, I had the drive and feeling to catch him before, but this has only made it grow. "We're gonna find him Taylor, it's the end of the road for that man" Brandon says making me turn to look at him, I send him a little smile as a thank you "maybe we should go and see if Julian's found anything, or he might have gotten stuck in the bin" he says causing me to laugh a little, he holds his hand out with a smile to help me down. In no time we were walking back out of the building, it was nice to be out of the rubble and back to reality. I follow Brandon over to where the bins are kept, two mental huge bins stood with Julian in the middle. He was throwing things to the side when we approached, he didn't look too pleased standing there. "There's nothing here, apart from mouldy food!" He exclaims trying to climb out the bin but falls flat on the floor, this only infuriates him more "why is it that I had to go through the rubbish, like they're gonna leave documents in that?!" He asks annoyed over at me while I just smile, Brandon helps him to stand but he just slips again. "That's exactly why we check the bin, they could be thinking that we think they aren't stupid enough to throw those things in the bin, which would tell them to throw the documents into the bin" I explain watching him keep falling over, a laugh escaping my lips "call it work experience" I smile which he once again doesn't like, he stood but his feet starting to move like he was running. It's like watching a baby deer learn to walk, Richard will be like this soon.