Chapter 16

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Jonas listened as Holmes described his encounter with the Ripper, but it took conscious effort to keep his mind from drifting to the book he now carried. It was small enough to fit in his shirt pocket, but the new weight against his chest was distracting. He was excited to test the knowledge it contained. But for now, he had to listen.

They reached Baker Street without incident, but as they approached the door to 221b, it swung open. Isaac stood in the doorway wearing a shirt that clearly belonged to either Watson or Holmes. Given the way Holmes bristled at the sight of him, Jonas could guess which.

"Now see here-!" Holmes began to say.

"There you are! We gotta get going!" Isaac shouted to Jonas.

Jonas felt his heart sink. Isaac was still smiling, but it looked forced this time. Jonas only saw him like this when he wanted people to take him seriously.

"What's wrong, Isaac?" Jonas asked, hurrying ahead of the others.

"The spooky invisible guy got Adriana," Isaac answered.

Jonas stopped, his heart sinking at the realization of what Isaac had just said.

"What...?" he said, fighting the sudden weakness that hit him as his mind raced to process the situation. The Ripper was here? No, Isaac may be unreliable, but he wouldn't have let him attack Adriana without a fight. She must have left on her own when she woke up, and encountered him on the street after I...no, Isaac must have at least seen her taken. But why didn't he do anything? If I hadn't...no, Isaac should have done something...but I'm responsible...

"You went out?!" Holmes snapped, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, we went to a club after you left, but she didn't know the secret handshake," Isaac said with a shrug.

Jonas wanted to hit him, knock that ridiculous look off his face. "Why did you let her out with the Ripper on the loose?!" he yelled. He was furious, and Isaac was making the perfect target to vent against. What do you care if I blame you? he said silently. You'll just smile and laugh and joke without a care, all because you don't process negative emotions properly. You don't feel guilt like I do.

But Isaac was unfazed by his aggression. "She fell asleep and the Ripper took her from Darril."

"He took her?" Watson repeated.

"So she's alive?" Jonas asked. He felt renewed hope at the thought, but also a renewed sense of fear. Why would the Ripper want her alive?

"It's too late for her now;" the detective said, his voice calm and reasonable. "We don't know where he took her, or how long he will wait before killing her."

Jonas rounded on Holmes, ready to lash out. How dare he suggest such a thing?! But he stopped himself, unable to overcome the knowledge that it was his failure that had brought this situation on them. Adriana was his responsibility; he couldn't ask anyone else to risk their safety on his behalf.

"You're right," Jonas admitted with a sigh. He still felt his heart pumping dread through his veins, but he reined in his emotions. I'll show James that I don't need protection. "There may not be anything we can do at this point, but I'm going to go look for her anyway." Jonas held up the book he still carried. "I'd like to hold on to this and the rapier until I find her, if that's alright."

There was a long pause and Holmes studied Jonas. He felt the sharp eyes picking him apart carefully, as though looking for something in particular. Finally, the detective nodded.

"Very well, if you insist on going, I'll join you," Holmes said.

Jonas nodded, feeling some of the tension drain from his body. "Thank you," he said.

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