Moriarty's Musician

Chapter 6: Home is Where the Hell is, Part 1

Annabelle cried out in horror as the man fell to his knees. But he didn't drop to the ground. Instead, he looked up at Moriarty and swallowed, clearly relieved that his life was spared.

Moriarty's eyes narrowed as he glared down at the man, shouting above the helicopter's noise, "Remember where your loyalties need to be, Sam. Now go!" The man nodded crazily, got off his knees and ran to the helicopter.

Annabelle couldn't believe what had just happened. She was sure Moriarty had shot him in the head. She had seen it with her own eyes! As he approached her, Annabelle backed away.

Moriarty looked at her. "What? You wanted me to shoot him?" he yelled.

Annabelle shook her head and almost laughed. He was crazy! She looked around, calculating if she could outrun him since all his men were now in the helicopter. Wait, where was her other shoe?

Moriarty bent down and picked up her discarded shoe from the ground. "Come here." He motioned with his hand, so he didn't have to yell, never taking his eyes from hers. His face told her what her response needed to be.

Annabelle realized that she could hardly walk through the forest with her thin shoes, let alone run barefoot. It was hopeless in escaping... for now. She lifted her chin in the air and tried to find whatever fleeting courage she had left. She walked over to where he stood. Before she realized what he was doing, he squatted down and lifted her bare foot so quickly that she had to reach out and brace herself on his shoulder. He studied her little foot for a moment then slipped the shoe on.

Moriarty took her arm tightly in his and pulled her along with him to the helicopter door. Knowing she would refuse to get in, he swept her up into his arms and handed her to Sebastian who was waiting inside. Moriarty climbed in and pulled the door as the pilot immediately set off into the air.

Annabelle closed her eyes and swallowed hard as she held on to the seat.

"Darlin' Annabelle, this helicopter has yet to crash." Moriarty chuckled as Sebastian smiled at him knowingly. "Ok, well, there was that one time ..."

"What?" Annabelle's eyes flew open then promptly shut tight as the helicopter lunged forward. Her fingers clutched the seat as she tried to stop herself from being sick.

Seeing her panic, Moriarty immediately regretted his comment. He thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone and earbuds. Scanning his playlist and making his selection, he put the earbuds into his ears and smiled.

As the classical symphony played, he inched closer to Annabelle, took the earbuds out of his ears and gently placed them in hers. She immediately relaxed. Her hands still held the edges of the seat, but no longer in a death grip. Her eyes remained closed, but the tension had eased from her face. He was awed at how the music calmed her down. He wondered if he could ever find something that could bring him such peace.

The helicopter lunged once more, and Annabelle's eyes flew open again. This time, however, she grabbed the nearest thing– Moriarty's hand. But rather than allow her to hold onto him, he maneuvered his hand so that he held hers and with his other hand, gently rubbed his thumb along the line of her fingers.

Annabelle tried to catch her breath and stop the dizziness in her head. She had never been in the air before, and now she knew why. She thanked God that she had an empty stomach as she was sure she'd have lost the contents by now.

She looked down at her hand, held securely in Moriarty's. Her arm nestled under his so that his shoulder was close to her head. As his thumb slid over her hand, almost in time to the music, she felt her body relax a little more. She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, trying to forget where she was.

Moriarty looked down at her. Could it be that she was beginning to trust him? A warmth started to spread through him as he looked out the window at the Irish Sea below. Lately, his emotions were as unsettled as those waters. Only a little while ago, he wouldn't have thought twice about putting a bullet in Sam's head. He took a deep breath as he looked at Sebastian who nodded to him. Moriarty nodded back and looked out the window again. He had to stay focused on his plan. He could not get soft. Not now. Not ever.

The helicopter continued for another hour on its journey; flying across the expanse of the Irish Sea until Moriarty saw the familiar inlet. The helicopter followed the shoreline until it reached the narrow bay and began its descent. He looked down at Annabelle and touched her cheek.

"Sweetheart, we're here."

She didn't respond. Gently, Moriarty removed one of the earbuds and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Arise, fair maiden."

Groggily, Annabelle lifted her head from his shoulder and realized the helicopter was descending. She sat up quickly, pulled her arm away for Moriarty and put the earbud back in her ear. As the music played, she looked up at him. He smiled at her, and she angrily turned her head away. She caught Sebastian's eyes and glared back at him. They had stolen her from her home, against her will. Wherever she was, she was determined to do her damnedest to get away from them.

Moriarty frowned at Annabelle's apparent snub. Had she already forgotten whose arm she'd clung to for the past hour? His jaw tensed, and he shook his head as he watched the helicopter touch the ground. As the pilot gave his confirmation they had successfully landed, Moriarty had the door open.

"Seb, check her in!" he called over his shoulder as he stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Through the window, Annabelle watched Moriarty walk up a wide, green field towards a large manor house. She looked at Sebastian, and he shrugged.

"Where are we?"

Sebastian gave her a tight-lipped smile. "Home."

~~~~~~~

Stay tuned... Annabelle's now in Moriarty's realm!