Moriarty's Musician

Music of the Mind, Part 3

"What the hell are you doing here?!"

With his new fiancée on his arm, Nicholas Byron's face twisted in anger as he glared at Moriarty.

Annabelle didn't see how quickly hatred filled Moriarty's gaze, her own eyes fixed on Nicholas. She couldn't breathe.

With Annabelle's attention diverted, Lady Byron tried to compose herself from the shock of learning that the girl knew her secret. What else did she know? It appeared that those in her circle had misjudged how much the girl's father had disclosed to her. As she looked between Annabelle and Moriarty, she knew what she had to do. The girl was already dangerous, but with James Moriarty's influence, she was deadly.

"Well, hello, Nicky," Moriarty hissed. "I see you've found a new dalliance. How long did it take you to flash daddy's billfold this time, hmmm?"

Annabelle heard none of the exchange between the two. She could only see Nicholas. He was impeccably dressed in a black tuxedo that accentuated his shoulders and tall frame. The bow tie at his neck, offset the crisp, white shirt that peeked out from underneath the jacket. His normally messy, brown hair was combed back neatly so only a hint of its waviness could be seen. He was incredibly handsome, but the tremendous relief that Annabelle had at seeing her friend safe, outweighed any other feelings she might have had.

"I said, what the hell are you doing here?" Nicholas's voice lowered menacingly as he continued to stare at his torturer.

Moriarty smiled with pleasure. This was going to be fun. "My sweet Annabelle here wanted a night out on the town, so of course I had to oblige. You know how persistent women can be, Nicky."

Nicholas's eyes flew to Annabelle and his mouth opened in shock. He couldn't believe the transformation. He had only ever seen her in jeans and baggy sweaters. Now, she was a vision in an elegant, black dress that perfectly showed off her curves. Her long mahogany hair was gathered into a stylish updo, with tendrils that escaped to rest on her shoulders. And where were her glasses? Her lovely face was no longer hidden, but glistening green eyes now stared back at him.

Nicholas took a deep breath and gritted his teeth as he thought about James Moriarty, the spawn of Satan, touching her. "Hello, Annabelle," he said, an edge in his voice as a deeper anger started to brew.

"Hello, Nicholas," Annabelle said slowly, misinterpreting the anger she saw on his face. "You look well... are you well?" she asked. He hated her. Surely he blamed her for what happened to him.

Nicholas did his best to harness his rage. No, he wasn't well! She was supposed to be his and now Moriarty had her! "Did you enjoy the symphony?" he asked politely. Without waiting for her response, Nicholas continued. "This is my fiancée, Miss Gweneth Standfield."

His eyes didn't leave Annabelle's as he introduced the woman holding his arm.

Annabelle looked at the stunning blond beside Nicholas. "Hello, Miss Standfield. It's nice to meet you," she said. She swallowed at the look of disdain coming from the woman.

Gweneth Standfield nodded slightly, as if Annabelle were much too insignificant to waste her time on. Annabelle took a deep breath, but ventured on, trying to ignore the obvious snub.

"What did you think of the symphony? Nicky... um, Nicholas and I played the same classical music when we shelved books at the library." Annabelle gave her friend a small, hesitant smile.

A dark scowl formed on Nicholas's face as he looked at Annabelle.

Gweneth rolled her eyes. "Shelve books?" She shook her head and sighed, already bored with the conversation. "The symphony was long and tedious, if you must know. Thankfully, it's finished and we can move on to more interesting things," she added with a yawn. "Nicholas, I want you to get me some more champagne. My glass is empty."

Moriarty chuckled as he shook his head, looking at Gweneth. "Well, Nicky, old boy, it appears you and this," he tilted his head back and forth, "painfully, exciting creature have so much in common." His black eyes riveted on Nicholas. "And in case you've forgotten," he smiled, "Miss Watson is leaving with me."

He confidently took two steps towards Annabelle and captured her arm in his, but as he made to go, her feet remained planted. Moriarty's eyes clouded with warning as he looked deeply into her eyes. Annabelle defiantly stared back at him, not ready to leave Nicholas.

"Come now, darlin'," he said quietly, menacingly to her.

Annabelle stubbornly didn't move. It was Moriarty's turn to see red, knowing Byron and the women were watching them. No one humiliated him.

Moriarty put his mouth to Annabelle's ear so only she could hear. "You have just sealed his fate. I'm going to kill him, Annabelle. I'm going to rip out his heart and feed it to his mummy and this blond cow."

Annabelle turned her head and terror filled her eyes. He smiled as he gazed at her face, happy with her fear at that moment. He had won.

"That's better, my love. Now come," he commanded.

Annabelle allowed Moriarty to escort her away. What had she done? She had pushed the monster too far this time with her stubbornness. Annabelle looked over her shoulder at Nicholas who stared at her through hooded eyes. She could see both Lady Byron and Gweneth trying to get his attention but Annabelle had all of it.

This isn't over, Nicholas thought as he watched them go. Moriarty wanted a fight, that was clear. As he looked at Gweneth and his stepmother, he wondered how much he was willing to sacrifice for Annabelle Watson? He lost sight of her in the crowd and his answer came quickly - all of it. But he couldn't do it alone. If he was going to fight the devil, he was going to need help and he knew just the person for the job.

~~~~~~~

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