Freeze (The Jewel Project #4)

11.2|| Sur le Pont d'Avignon

Their plan had gone surprisingly well. Jerry had managed to blend in with the staff without issues, and when the visiting program ended, Jimmy took his place and froze the cameras so they could stay inside and search.

As predicted, even if the Pope palace was huge, it didn't hold many secret hiding places, and halfway through the night, it became pretty obvious that the jewel wasn't there. Still, they swept every inch of the building with care, put everything back in order, reactivated the security systems and saw themselves out.

The crack of dawn greeted them with a chilling wind, but thankfully, no mist. They sat on the steps that lead to the castle, gloom and doom on every face. Jessie yawned, trying to fight back the sleep overcoming her and brave it until they at least figured out what to do next. Despite her many protests, Jimmy had given her his jacket and the warmth made her even drowsier.

"Man, that was a total waste of time," Billy mumbled, blowing into his hands.

"You were seriously expecting to find the jewel in the first place we looked?" Jimmy asked, making an excellent point. It was surprising no one had tried to kill them so far.

"Okay, fair point. Now what?" Billy turned to Kyle and so did everyone else.

Even if it was barely noticeable, Jessie saw him squirming. He wasn't comfortable with leading them at all, even if Jessie thought he was pretty good at it. It kind of made her like him even more for some reason. And she missed smartass, funny, reckless Kyle.

"Jimmy's right. I honestly didn't even considered we'd find anything here, solely based on it being the first place we looked. This is our fourth mission already, so we're going to have to squirm, suffer and almost get killed several times before actually finding something." The last word came out a little shaky, as if he'd realized saying this undeniable piece of truth wasn't the best idea.

Indeed, Tina shivered and snuggled closer to Jerry, burying her face in his arm. Jerry gave him the stink eye and Jessie fought the impulse to tell them to shove it. It was hard enough for Kyle as it was. The stiffness, him keeping away from Kay... It wasn't normal. It made him miserable.

"Anyway..." he said. "We should find a café or something so you guys can get something to eat and warm up."

"That sounds lovely," Tina squeaked and finally pulled her nose out of Jerry. "I've always wanted to have a continental breakfast. Croissants and coffee."

"Wait a minute. What about you?" Kay asked, standing and reaching out to him. He didn't go to her, didn't touch her, and it broke Jessie's heart. Apparently Kay's too, because her chin trembled.

"I'm going to get transportation," he answered, taking another step away from them. "Just share the location where you stop and I'll find you."

"Please promise you won't steal a car," Jerry mumbled.

He grinned, and looked a bit more like himself. "No promises there." And without another word, he was gone.

"Hey, how about getting us to a café first?" Billy called out after him, but he was already too far away to hear him. "Figures! Now we'll have to freeze on these steps."

"We can find a café on our own. Don't worry, Billy, I'll hold your hand when we cross the street," Jimmy said pleasantly.

Jessie laughed, and Kay giggled as well.

"Not funny," Billy said scooping out a handful of snow and throwing it in Jimmy's face.

"Damn it, Billy! I was cold enough already!" Jimmy made a snowball and threw it back at him.