Freeze (The Jewel Project #4)

27.1|| Superheroes

Sam paced the length of the room, trying to fight the bubbling panic inside his chest. He had no information and it made him sick to his stomach. He stopped before the fireplace and glanced at the portrait of Chaterine de Medici. Could the jewel be hidden behind the painting?

He raised the frame, but there was nothing except bare wall behind it. He'd searched the room anyway, trying to make good use of his time. What really bugged him was that Snitch Gravel hadn't called him back, so he had no idea what was going on.

Initially, Sam thought Snitch Gravel would want to use him to find the jewel. It made the most sense. Were they even searching? Had they found it? Had they searched the rooms he and Christine were in?

He stopped next to the door he knew led to Christine's room. His prison had two doors. This one and the one that led into the hall and was guarded as far as he knew. He could sometimes hear muttered conversation outside.

There was no sound coming from Christine's room. Maybe she was still sleeping. Maybe they'd taken her away.

He clenched his fists and started pacing again. He'd considered calling out to Christine, but something told him it was better to lay low and not incur the wrath of the goons.

A gunshot tore through the heavy silence and Sam stopped in his tracks. His heart started pounding desperately as he strained his hearing as much as possible.

"What was that?" one of the men in front of his door asked.

Sam moved next to the entrance and stuck his ear against the ornate wood. The sound of quick footsteps thudded on the floor.

"Harvey, what's going on?" the other guard asked.

"The brats are breaking in," someone panted as the running continued.

By all the pounding from the hall, it was obvious that masses of men were moving to face the rest of the group. He had to get out of there and help. He had to get Christine out. Another shot was fired somewhere inside the castle and adrenaline started pumping through Sam.

Damn it, he felt so exposed without his vest, without any weapon. The only thing he'd managed to smuggle into captivity with him was the small magnet they used to climb stuff. It was small enough to fit into his sock, so he'd shoved it there while in the trunk. But that wasn't a weapon. He could only throw it once and caused a mild inconvenience. Maybe if he used it as a garrote... The steel cable inside could do some damage.

He shook his head, driving away useless strategies, and rushed to the door separating him from Christine. "Christine!"

"I know, I've heard," Christine said from the other side of the door. "We need to get out of here."

"Get away from the door." Sam pulled back, raised his leg and kicked the door as hard as he could.

An electric current shot from his ankle to his knee and he fell over. His entire leg felt like ants were marching under his skin.

"Sam? What happened?" Christine asked.

Sam just wanted to die. He couldn't believe he wasn't even capable of tearing down an old wooden door. He sucked so much at this hero thing, it was getting pathetic.

"Okay, I'll try to get to you some other way." He could try breaking down the door again, but with his luck, he'd end up breaking his leg instead and that was the last thing they needed.

His eyes drifted to the window and a shudder shook his body. Yes, he could try going out the window and crawling to the window of the adjoining room, but that would imply dangling above a raging river. His pulse sped up even more, pounding in his temples and bile rose to his mouth at the mere thought of it. He couldn't do that. He'd freeze the same way he had on the roof of Notre Dame.