Torrent 》JJ Maybank

☁ Chapter Seventeen ☁

"He said it looked something like this." Kie says, pointing to a poorly made drawing. Pope had drawn the basement and the well. The gold room was a small whole in the wall that lead to a muddy room with all the gold. John B said he didn't know how much was in there but there was definitely a lot. 

"So..." Sarah asks, tilting her had. 

"That's fifty feet down, and they're using one hundred feet of rope. So I guess this little wagon.." She hesitates, looking at what looked like a skate board drawn on the paper. Sarah laughs, looking at it as well. Pope had been kind enough to label it 'little wagon'. "Goes straight to the gold room." 

"Who drew this?" Sarah giggles. 

Kie chuckles, looking over at John B and Pope who were altering a boat winch in order to use it as a pulley for the gold. Pope was already looking over at us and I had a feeling he was watching Kie. I was sure there was something going on between them. 

I pull my eyes away from the guys as JJ calls, "Kie this better work!" He leans up agains the door of the Twinkie, throwing down three clean gold bars, "We can't pawn this if there's a giant wheat symbol on it." 

Kie picks up a large blow torch and nods, "It's gonna work." 

I put my hand's on JJ's shoulder, pushing him away from the door of the van so we could get out. He glances down at my hand and raises his eyebrow suggestively. I roll my eyes and shake my head. Each time I had been near him today he had been extra flirtatious, it wouldn't surprise me if Kie figured it out soon. 

I turned and grabbed the gold before following after Kie who was setting up a small pot. I threw the gold in and watched as she pointed the blow torch right at them. 

"How long should this take?" I ask, watching as nothing happened. 

Kie shrugs as we all watch closely. Sarah and John B were cuddled together up against a tree a few yards away. "Should melt soon." 

"How are we going to shape it?" I ask, realizing we didn't have a mold or anything. 

Pope thinks for a moment before answering, "I guess we could just leave it in there." 

I nod and step back, watching as the gold starts  to soften and leak down to the bottom of the pan. "All right!" JJ celebrates, turning to give me a high five. 

Once it  starts melting, it goes by much faster. The gold smoothly flows downward until all signs of the wheat stamp are gone. 

"Should I stop?" Kie asks once the gold was in a strange lumpy pile. 

Pope looks down at it, a frown on his face, "I guess." He shrugs, glancing at us. 

"I dunno." I peer down at the gold, "I mean you can't tell it's from the Merchant." 

"We gotta let it cool. Then we go pawn it!" Pope happily informs us. 

I laugh, looking down at the strange lump, "I'm gonna get a drink, anyone want anything?"  

All of the Pogues listed off things, John B saying he wanted two drinks. I rolled my eyes and walking into the Chateau, grabbing everyone the drinks they wanted. I had to grab a couple beer bottles when I heard someone walking up behind me. 

"You look like you could use some help." JJ spoke, taking the bottles out of my arms and putting them on the counter. 

I watch him move closely, "I guess." I casually shrug, backing up into the corner of the counter as he gets closer to me. "You aren't allowed to do this." I shake my head. 

"They won't see." He whispers, leaning back and looking out the window. All of the others were more focused on the gold than what we were doing. 

I shake my head, "No,  not that. I'm mad at you."