Moriarty's Musician

Purging the Demons, Part 4

Soo-Ling sneered at him. "I told you to leave, kid. Go p-p-play somewhere else."

Annabelle's eyes flashed as she stood up. "What's your problem, Soo-Ling? Don't you dare speak to him like that!"

Soo-Ling eyes narrowed at Annabelle. "It's imperative that I speak to you... alone."

Annabelle studied her face. Now what? She turned to Jack and put a hand on his shoulder.

 "Jack, I'll meet you in a little while, ok?" She tried to give him a reassuring smile. "I can already smell Meg's cooking. Can you set aside a plate for me too? I won't be long."

Jack's mouth set in a tight line but he nodded grudgingly, giving a sideways glare at Soo-Ling as he left the room.

Annabelle turned to Soo-Ling, her voice firm. "What?"

"Moriarty's on his way back."

Annabelle's eyes widened. "Right now? I thought he said he'd be back in a couple of days."

"Yes, well, I guess something changed his mind, didn't it? I don't know what happened when he talked to your detective friend, but it obviously got him racing back here." Soo-Ling jutted out her hip and rested her hand on it. "If we're going to go then we have to leave now while we can."

Annabelle looked at her in shock. "You'll go with me?"

Soo-Ling exhaled a long breath. "I've thought a lot about what you've said, and you're right. I don't want to be his plaything anymore."

Annabelle could feel the bile congealing in her throat as she imagined Soo-Ling in Moriarty's arms. Why did she even care so much? What did it matter to her who shared his bed as long as it wasn't her?

"Where's the nearest town and how do we get there?"

"It's about an hour's drive from here. I was able to pinch the keys to the company car." Soo-Ling grinned as she held up the keys, giving them a little shake. "But Sam will find out they're missing. We don't have any time left."

Annabelle thought about Jack and Meg. How could she leave them without saying goodbye?

"Why are you hesitating?" Soo-Ling rolled her eyes. "Don't tell me you're already scheduling what days you're going to be warming his bed. Just so you're aware, I want Tuesday through Friday so I can rest on the weekend." She brought her hand up and studied her manicure. "He's incredibly exhausting, you know."

Annabelle gritted her teeth. "I need to get my suitcase."

"No, that'll only slow us down and you'll stick out like a bull's eye. Moriarty has spies everywhere in these dreary Irish towns. He's always throwing money at his little minions." She looked around the room as she spoke, her eyes landing on the violin. "We need to travel light. You can buy some clothes later. We just need to go."

Annabelle nodded. "Fine, but there's something I need to get in my room. I'll only be a minute."

Soo-Ling huffed. "If you must. There's another staircase that leads to the back of the house. It's the door before Moriarty's bedroom. Take it to the car that's parked there and wait for me. I just have to make sure no one suspects what we're doing."

Annabelle nodded as she raced out of the room, her heart hammering in her chest.

Soo-Ling giggled as she studied her cuticles. Pretty soon she would be sitting on a beach with her personal manservant. How fun would that be? She pulled her gun from the holster on her hip. Smiling, she brought the tip of the gun to her mouth and kissed it.