Moriarty's Musician

Knowledge Is Power, Part 5

Nicholas lifted his head as Annabelle walked down the short hall to stand before him. His eyes scanned down her body, and his mouth jerked into a grin as he got up from his seat and approached her. "You're so beautiful. Like an angel. I've waited so long to see you like this."

Annabelle hugged herself and as she did, she could feel the cold metal of the bullet pressing against her chest, hidden in her brassiere. She lowered her eyes. "I'm not your angel," she murmured.

Nicholas smiled faintly, pretending not to hear. He pulled Annabelle into his arms, and she stiffened as he ran his stubbly face over her bruised cheek. "We're going to be so happy together."

"Happy?" She pulled away from him. "Is that what you call this... happy?

His mouth thinned. "We're going to be, yes. I have a house for us in South America. It's out of the way, but you'll love it there."

She blinked as she met his eyes. "I thought you wanted to bring me home to your parents. Isn't that what all this is about?" She tried to remain calm. "So you don't have to marry Miss Standfield?"

Nicholas scoffed. "I don't have to deal with her anymore. No one has to."

Dread rolled through the pit of Annabelle's stomach. "Why not?" It was on the tip of her tongue to ask him if he had killed his fiancée along with the others, but the warning bells started clanging for her to hold her tongue. "I thought you loved her."

"I don't want her. I want you." Nicholas's eyes turned cold. "I don't care if they hate you. You belong to me. I already told them you're nothing like Magnussen, but they wouldn't listen. After what you said at the opera, my parents think you're exactly like him."

Annabelle took a step back. If Nicholas found out all she knew, what would he do to her? "I don't know what you're talking about."

Nicholas eyed her suspiciously. "Your father owned one of the largest news agencies in Europe and he blackmailed everyone who mattered. Even my family. Magnussen said he'd destroy us with the information he had." A nerve began ticking in his jaw as he scanned her face. "I wanted you to be with me in London, but that can't happen anymore."

Annabelle swallowed and shook her head, trying to remain impassive. "I never knew my father. How could I be like someone I never knew?"

"Really? That's surprising since you knew about Lord Jansen and what he did in the Parliament buildings. You told James Moriarty that, didn't you? And he told everyone else."

Annabelle couldn't breathe.

"Maybe you also didn't know there's a bounty on your head, Annabelle. I'm doing you a favor by taking you away." Nicholas laughed suddenly and grabbed Annabelle's face, kissing her long and hard as she struggled against him.

When he finally let her go, he laughed again and retrieved the violin from the floor.

"Why don't you play a little tune for me, huh? That bitch drove a hard bargain for you, I should at least get my money's worth."

A deep well of sadness threatened to spill from Annabelle's eyes. How much more could she take from him? She lifted her bandaged hand. She had almost forgotten the pain... almost. But the difficulty pulling on the wedding dress had made her hand ache all the more. She didn't dare take off the bandage to see the damage.

"I can't. You know I can't."

Nicholas tapped the violin against the side of his leg, his mouth set in a frown. "Then why did you do that to your hand?" He came over to her, reached around to the back of her head, and gripped Annabelle's hair, jerking her face closer as his eyes raked over her face. "You better be worth it on our wedding night."