Moriartys Girl - A Sherlock Story

23 - Bikinis and Guns

A few days passed and I hadn't left the house. "Jim, I'm going out" I stood by the front door, putting my coat on. He stood at the top of the stairs and looked me up and down

"Where are you off to?"

"Shopping. I want some new summer clothes. Some bikinis or something" I looked up to him, popping my hands in my coat pockets.

"Take a guard. Don't be out for too long, I may need you later" Jim said emotionless.

"For?" I questioned

Jim just smirked at me before walking away, back down the hall and out of sight.

I got out the car in front of one of the shops down the street Jim and I had gone to. I had taken a guard with me, Kev. He didn't talk much.

I found some bikinis and dresses from the rails and moved to the dressing room. Kev stopped me, "let me check first."

"For what?"

"Everyone knows you work for Mr Moriarty. We need to be safe" he walked into the changing rooms and came out a few moments later.

I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he didn't find it. I got into one of the rooms and pulled the curtain closed. The bikinis would be first to try on. I popped on a blue one with a cross back on the top and a cross on the side of the bottoms. It was cute.

Suddenly the curtain opened and I whipped my head round. Sherlock was in front of me, his hand clamped round my mouth, "Shh" I backed up against the wall, he followed me "don't shout".

I took a deep breath in and nodded. His hand moved away from my mouth and I stared into his eyes. "That one looks good" he looked down my body, I didn't take my eyes off him. He stopped and I saw his brow frown, "did he do that?" He pointed to the healing cuts and fading bruises on the lower part of my body.

"That's none of your business" I retorted. How dare he come in and start trying to be all protective. He never really cared about me before Moriarty came along.

"Was it him?" He sternly asked again

"Who?" I tried to play dumb but, come on it's Sherlock. He knew I was lying.

"Moriarty"

"Why would it be him?"

"Lestrade said he saw you leave with him at the mayors ball" Crap! Would Lestrade have said anything else?

"Was that it?"

"Was there something else?"

"Nope. Not at all."

"OK" We battered back and forth quickly before standing in silence for a few moments.

Sherlock finally broke it, "What are you doing?"

"Standing here" What a time to have your smart mouth act up!

"No, with him."

"Things"

"Things? What's that supposed to me?"

"Why are you here?" I asked, changing the subject.

"I needed to talk to you" Sherlock started as I looked at him wide-eyes as if to say 'about?'. Luckily he got the hint, "Moriarty's no good for you. Mrs Hudson misses you, we all do."

"It's my life Sherlock. I will decide who I live with and what I do."

"I'm just worried about you" I was sick of people saying they were 'worried' about me. The only person who has a right to be worried is my Nan, and she's not said it.

"I'm sick of this. I will call Kev if you don't leave."

"No you won't. You would have done it by now" he had me there. I looked over to my purse on the chair, "and you would have shot me too with that gun in your bag." Had me again! "So I know I'm fine."

"We're together" I lied. I had to give him something to stop asking questions, "We're off on holiday. Spain. So if you don't mind, please leave me alone."

"How lovely" He simply put before leaving. He turned before closing the curtain, "I've always cared about you. From the first moment I saw you. You needed protecting."

He closed the curtain and I carried on staring at it. My heart was in my throat, my breathing elevated. I grabbed my bag and stormed out the dressing room, swinging the curtain behind me.

"How dare you!" I shouted after him. I got to the entrance of the dressing room and he was just passed Kev. Both men stared at me. "How dare you even say that!"

Kev looked over to Sherlock and pulled out his gun. I heard a few screams; obviously we were not alone in the shop. I looked round and saw various people hiding behind clothes. Ordinary people are so stupid. Bullets can travel through fabric.

"You do though" Sherlock stood staring at me, he didn't even flinch at Kev

"No I don't, I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. Look at me!" I shouted.

"Let's ignore the week old cuts and bruises that Moriarty gave you shall we? All below your waist, hoping you'd never show them off so no one would know he beats you."

I looked down at the marks, they weren't that bad. I've had worse, yet he didn't know that.
"How about mentally?" He whispered as he slowly moved towards me, "Mentally... the things you've seen. The things you've been through. Of course you need protecting."

"I don't" I whispered, grabbing the gun from my bag and pressing it to his stomach. He leaned in close, right to my ear and making me push the gun in harder.

"What about Rebecca?"

Just the sound of her name made my stomach curl. I swallowed hard as the bile rose up my throat. "How dare you."

"It killed you. Your dad's death. All those people you killed while working with your dad. Joey Ryan, Stephen Johnson" I frowned as he said the names, "Oh I know. Lestrade did tell me about those two. But your past, I could see the others in your eyes when I first saw you at your mums funeral."

"Get. Away. From. Me." I breathed out, "I will shoot you."

"I believe you this time" he turned and walked out the shop.

I looked round the room as the bell chimed and the door closed. Everyone was still hiding behind stands; Kev still had his gun pointing to the door.