It Started With Stealing | Sherlock Holmes

76 - Blame & Anger

"Lower your weapon." She commanded.

"But Cleo - "

"Lower your weapon."

Scowling at Seb, Amber did this reluctantly. How could her leader give in so easily? Seb backed the right-hand woman into a small corner of the houseboat. Moriarty stalked towards Cleo too, also pushing her back into the same corner. Jim held out his hands to accept both their weapons off of them before tossing them carelessly behind him.

"Let's get something straight: you made a deal with the devil. That means I own you and your little gang. You thought you were in charge still?" More laughter left his lips, "That's cute, Cleo, but no. You can still benefit from this deal but, allow me to elaborate on some terms that weren't explained clearly enough: you are not in charge of the decisions anymore; you *do not* have the privilege of being able to call the deal off; I own you so I decide when I am done with you and your little gang; and finally, you cannot simply barge into my current residence and start accusing me in such a threatening manner without expecting a consequence after."

"What are you going to do?" She asked, more afraid that he would hurt her family more than anything else.

Jim turned his head to look at Amber who was glowering at Seb. He asked, "Shoulder or knee?"

Amber didn't respond.

"She doesn't talk to men." Cleo explained.

Jim formed an intrigued 'o' with his lips, "Don’t blame her to be honest." Came his playful response, "But if she's not going to choose, then I will."

"Don’t." Cleo said, somewhat meekly given her previously used commanding tone of voice.

Jim looked at her with a macabre delight glinting in his two beady eyes, "Remember, I make the decisions now." He gave his full attention to Amber again, "Amber are you ambidextrous? Ambidextrous Amber has a ring to it. For your sake I hope you are or you're going to find a few things difficult in future." He looked to Seb quick, "Shoot her hand."

Dropping a gun on the floor behind him, Seb grabbed Amber's right arm, pinning it against the wall. Amber lashed out scratching at his bare shoulder as she struggled in his grip. Cleo raised a second smaller gun at Jim, her look filled with intent to end him there and then.

"A second gun, smart, very smart but," Jim leaned in close, letting the barrel of her gun make contact with his chest as he whispered, "Don't forget Christopher. And Jacob, particularly Jacob. It would be such a shame to cut his life short."

Cleo's nose flared, her face reddening at all the pent up rage she was carrying. This wasn't normal for her to lose control like this. How could she be so powerless? How had he done this so effortlessly?

"Cleo?" Amber spoke her name, eyes pleading as she stared at the woman she trusted most.

"Amber, I'm sorry...They're my family."

Jim smiled at his morbid success, "And the king always reigns."

Her right-hand woman looked up at Seb who pressed the barrel of the gun into the centre of her right hand. She spat at him, eyes giving him a crazed look as she tried to resist but he was too strong and too unphased by her strugling to really care. This, of course, didn't help her situation in the slightest.

Seb simply pulled the trigger.

Amber howled in agony.

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