That’s it.
I don’t care if you are the world’s greatest consulting detective, you’re goingdown.
I stepped forward, but Morrie grabbed my shoulder. “You can’t kill him, gorgeous. I know he’s an annoying wanker, but we need him. His crazy stunt today did buy us some time.”
I sucked in a breath, trying to calm the blood boiling in my veins. Sherlock tossed a set of keys to me. “I scrambled the GPS in the car. Right now the police are tracking you up by the Scottish border. All you need to do is drive the car back to Argleton, tell them you were abducted and left in the middle of nowhere with the car, that you don’t know where Morrie is, and that you still believe he’s innocent.”
I shook my head. “There’s just one flaw in your plan. Actually, there are a hundred flaws, but I’ll point out the biggie. I can’t drive.”
Morrie winced. “Of course. Your eyes.”
I nodded. I had a few driving lessons with Mum during my last year at high school, which mostly consisted of her shrieking in my ear from the passenger seat and insisting we sprinkle sage around the car before we got in to ‘clear my negative energy’ from the vehicle, because apparently,thatwas the reason I couldn’t master parallel parking. But Ashley had her license, so I’d never needed mine. Then I moved to New York City, where no one drives, and I had exactly zero percent incentive to learn once I returned.
“Ah, that complicates matters.” Sherlock rubbed his chin. “Clearly, you still retain some vision, so I propose a new plan. Drive the car back to Barset Reach. You’re unlikely to pass any other vehicles on this road. At the garage, you’ll find an old man. Give him the keys to the vehicle, and leave without speaking a word. Do not look back. He will take care of the rest. There is a bus stop outside the pub, and the schedule is behind the bar. If my memory is correct, the bus should have you back in Argleton before supper.”
I thought of the long, slippery walk back to the clearing and the bumpy forest road I’d have to navigate. Morrie must’ve sensed my unease, for he swept me into his arms, holding me against his chest and staring into my soul with those icy-blues until I forgot Sherlock was in the room.
James Moriarty had the ability to do that, to arrest my attention with nothing more than a lingering look. His fingers splayed across the small of my back, pushing me against him until I felt his cock jerk against his trousers. I tipped my head, enjoying the way he fit so perfectly against me, savoring every inch of his warm body and knowing that I’d miss it like Hades as soon as I walked out that door.
“I wish you were coming with me,” I whispered into his shoulder.
Morrie cupped my face in his hands. The ice in his eyes melted into cool blue pools that reflected dappled candlelight. “Me too, gorgeous. You have no idea how much. But that annoying bastard’s right – I need to stay. I won’t be able to prove my innocence or get rid of the problems in my network from a jail cell.”
“Won’t running from the law get you in even more trouble?”
“Not if we can figure out who framed me,” he whispered. “I know that glint in your eye, Mina Wilde. I know you don’t intend to wait for Sherlock to solve this for us. You’re going to hunt down whoever murdered Kate and framed me.”
“Of course.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t take orders from Sherlock Holmes.”
Morrie pulled me against him, igniting my body with a searing kiss. “Good,” he whispered. “That’s my girl. With the two of you working to clear my name, I have every confidence in my eventual return to civilization.”
Morrie’s lips met mine with all the cocky confidence and bravado that made him who he was. His fingers tightened on my jaw, not enough to hurt but just enough to make me feel possessed, wanted,neededby him.
And even as I kissed him back – savoring the touch of his body, the sweep of his tongue, the commanding way he held me – thatneedof his niggled at me. Morrie never admitted to needing anything or anyone. What he said to me through the fire of his kiss and the press of his hardness against my thigh was that he neededme. And there was only one possible reason Morrie could need me right now.
He’s scared.
When the greatest criminal mastermind of the modern age was afraid, I knew we were in for a world of trouble.
Chapter Four
Morrie walked me back to the police car, knowing that the thick cover of trees meant I’d struggle to see the path. While he walked, he told me a little more about his death-faking business, and all the ways people were caught faking their deaths without his expert assistance. He spoke as though he were performing a public service at great personal sacrifice, but I think he was trying to convince himself.
I listened with half an ear. A hundred thoughts whirled around in my head, but I couldn’t find the words to voice any of them aloud. Morrie usually liked to fill the silence with chatter – he always had a million things to say, usually about himself – but he seemed lost in his own thoughts, too.
“Your chariot awaits.” Morrie swept his arm dramatically toward the police cruiser as we stepped into the clearing. Sunlight streamed through the gap in the trees, illuminating the twinkle in his eyes and the bobbing of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed.
And swallowed.
“Morrie—” I reached out to touch his shoulder.This might be the last time I see him until this is over.
If I can’t figure out who’s framed Morrie, this might be the last time I see him without iron bars separating us. And we need him. We need him to help fight Dracula.
Ineed him.
Morrie shrugged away and raced to the car, throwing open the driver’s door. He bent over to adjust the seat. “We’d better make sure you can actually drive this thing. I never did go in for the combustion engine myself, but I have had a play with a few getaway vehicles in my time, and I can show you a thing or two.”
I reached the door just as Morrie slammed it shut and backed up the car. In a few swift movements, he’d turned it around in the small clearing so it faced back down the road. He threw open the door and climbed out, indicating I should get behind the wheel.
