I

He opened his eyes and gave a sleepy look to his cell phone placed on the bedside table. What the hell am I doing here? He thought immediately. When the policeman Magnus Martinsson accepted the case of arms trafficking in Sweden from England, did not think this would have happened. At first it was a simple investigation, but then things got complicated and Magnus was forced to leave for England to find out more. In fact there was something deeper behind a seemingly simple case; the arms trade had its roots in the most dangerous criminal network in the UK: the network of James Moriarty. He turned on the opposite side and there, on top of some perfectly arranged blankets, was pinned a note. He picked it up and read it.
Do not sleep too much, Michael. Today you will have a lot to do. -JM
He looked at the message a bit confused, then set it down on the blankets. He got up from the bed and ran a hand through his ruffled hair, as he approached the mirror. Ready for another day in hell, Michael? He thought. He did not know why he had agreed to join the organization of Moriarty undercover. It was madness. If Kurt had known how he was leading this investigation he would be upset ... And yet the British police had offered all possible support in carrying out this action undercover. Well, the idea of capturing Moriarty would attract anyone, so it's understandable. He walked lazily toward the bathroom of his luxurious hotel room and got ready to go out. As he slipped his feet into heavy amphibious military, he reflected on what hecould have done today. Well, except being forced to shoot right and left with the sniper rifle to earn the trust of his boss. He left the room, bringing the sniper rifle on his shoulder and took the elevator. Through the dark lenses of his sunglasses he saw a woman who looked at him almost awestruck. Maybe she knew what there was inside the bag he was carrying on his shoulder. Or maybe just afraid of men dressed all in black and wearing sunglasses. The policeman smiled at the girl, before exiting the elevator. He entered the dark car that was waiting at the exit of the hotel and stared thoughtfully at the streets of London during the entire journey.
"The boss said he wants you in his office immediately. He wants to talk to you in private and entrust the next mission personally" said the driver, more or less half of the journey.
"What?" Magnus opened his eyes slightly. "I'm gonna meet the boss ...?"
He stayed in silence for a while. From what he knew, Moriarty showed his face only to the men he trusted the most. Before that time, he always communicated with Moriarty via messages, email ... there was never a direct contact between the two of them, not even phone calls. He had no idea how his face was, how his voice was ... He was like a shadow for him. Sometimes he believed that actually there was no Moriarty at all, that maybe it was just a myth created by the organization itself. The car stopped a few steps away from the headquarters. Magnus was about to get off the car when the driver closed all the doors with the automatic key.
Hey! Let me out!" He glared at the driver, who initially remained impassive, then smiled and turned to Magnus.
"I'll let you go out only if you come and sit here, next to me" said the driver. The policeman was confused, but nodded anyway and the man opened the doors. Magnus executed his orders and sat next to him, closing the door.
"Well, can we go now, please ...?" The driver pulled a face and in response he took off Magnus's sunglasses, while he hinted a smile. He stared into his blue eyes for a while, then held out his hand. "Jim Moriarty. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
Magnus stared at him for a moment, stunned. Moriarty was not at all who he expected to be: too young to be the head of an organization of this scale and far too short to give orders to the most feared killers in England.
"... Oh. Shit. That ... that was a bad impression. Forgive me." He held out his hand to Jim, while his cheeks were turning slightly red. The situation was a bit awkward, even though he was not really one of his employees ... in short, he still treated badly one of the most dangerous men in the UK. "I am Michael Magnusson." Jim shook his hand.
"Oh, I know who you are, Michael. If you permit ... the photos on your file do not do justice to your pretty face. At all." He smirked, while Magnus frowned. Is he hitting on me? Seriously?! He stayed silent for a while, then looked at him and said, "Well, I'll take that as a compliment!" He smiled, visibly nervous, then continued, "This morning you came into my hotel room. I hope you didn't ... rummage in my things ..." He cleared his throat, looking away. Jim replied with a laugh. "Of course not, Michael. I would never do such a thing. Unless I find out that you're a spy or a traitor ... In that case I would track your private life down and I would turn everything against you." He turned to Magnus, making an eerie smile. Magnus cleared his throat. "Well, that doesn't bother me, because I'm not a spy." Jim shrugged. "They all say so. Anyway ... today is your lucky day. I have chosen you to do a very special mission. I saw your skills and I'm sure you're just what I need. If you fail you can forget about the promotion. Do you drive? I do not like to drive."
Without even waiting for an answer Jim got out of the car and walked to the door of Magnus's seat to change place. The policeman jumped up and he adapted to the will of the boss: better he would never try to alter a man so dangerous. He started the car, then turned to Jim.
"Where are we going?" The criminal, in response, looked up at the sky. "Follow the GPS and shut up."

And that was what Magnus did: the GPS took them in front of a skyscraper, right in the City of London. The policeman had a bit of an hard time to find a place where he could park the car, but Jim assured him, "Leave it where you want, no one would fine Jim Moriarty's car."
The lack of consideration that Jim had for the law irritated Magnus: however, it was reasonable that a criminal had a similar mindset, as it was understandable that a policeman felt bothered by his way of thinking. Once he parked the car, Magnus got out and straightened his jacket, then wore his sunglasses once again.
"What is the task, boss?" Jim did a pleased smirk when he heard the way Magnus called him.

"Boss ... It's so sexy, coming from your mouth." He winked and walked ahead of the policeman, leaving behind Magnus, who was increasingly confused by his behavior. I wonder if he shamelessly makes a pass on all his employees ... he thought, as he followed Jim, approaching the skyscraper. Once they almost reached the entrance of the building, the criminal approached him, whispering "You have to kill a man who constantly puts a spoke in my wheel."
He handed a photo of the man to Magnus, with a lot of discretion.

"Do your work as it should be done, or you shall pack your bags and go back to Sweden before you will even realize it, okay? See you tonight at 18:30 at 30 St Mary Axe. If you will be there it will mean that you have done your job ... if not tomorrow you will have to take the first plane to Sweden and disappear from my life. Is that clear?"

Magnus stared at Jim, almost frightened by how cold and resolute he was while giving orders to a man who in fact he had never met before. "All right, boss. It will be done."
Jim walked away, keeping his eyes fixed on Magnus for a while, and then turned his back and disappear into the busy crowd of the City. The officer sighed and looked at the photo of the man, then turned it smiled slightly when he noticed that on the back of the picture there was written his name, the floor and the room where he would have found the target. Easier than expected.

He left the building and looked at the time on his watch: it was 18:03. Twenty-seven minutes before the time set by Moriarty. Not bad, Martinsson. He smirked, then remembered that there was nothing to smile about, considering that he had just killed a man he knew nothing about on behalf of the most dangerous criminal in England. It's for work, Magnus. It's for work, he repeated, almost as if he was trying to convince himself, as he always did when he started this action undercover. How many men have you killed these days, Magnus? And all for a simple case of arms trafficking ... You are not getting a taste for it, right?

That thought made him shiver and he shook his head slowly as he walked the streets of the City. He arrived in front of 30 St Mary Axe at 18:14. He waited until 18:29, when he saw the silhouette of Moriarty appearing thought the mass of people, and he was not so surprised to see that Magnus was already there.
"Well done, Michael. Are we going to celebrate this victory?" he asked, as he waved his hand gently as if to order Magnus to follow his boss ... so he just followed him, with a confused look on his face. They got into the car Magnus drove that afternoon, but this time there was a driver waiting for them inside of it; the policeman turned to Jim, whispering "Where does that man come from?"

Jim smiled and replied, "I called him earlier. I did a tour around the City while you were busy." He looked the screen of his smartphone absently, almost as if to avoid that Magnus did other unnecessary questions, then told the driver, "I don't need to tell you where I want to go, the GPS will guide you."

Magnus failed to suppress a laugh and said, "He always says that ..." Jim looked at him with a surprised expression on his face, then turned away, ignoring the comment of his employee. The driver started the engine, without responding to the two men. Almost the whole car journey proceeded with Jim looking at the phone screen and Magnus watching the city lights outside the window; only when he was sure they were close to their destination Jim broke the silence, placing a hand on Magnus's leg.
"The dinner I will be offering you soon is only a minimal fee for what you did today. The real reward consists in a very important promotion. You will become my personal bodyguard. Will you be my shadow, my best sniper, you shall follow me in my every business meeting. We shall never divide. I hope you do not mind." He smiled in a sadistic way, while Magnus looked at him with a shocked face. Becoming the right arm of Moriarty would mean being able to find out everything he needed to complete the investigation, but at the same time he feared that such close contact with crime and murder would have drove him crazy.

Moriarty continued, ignoring the upset look on Magnus's face, "You're Swedish, you do not have a family here, you have no wife, you have no children. You are very good with firearms, you have a cool head. You're perfect for this role. Oh, just so you know: mine is not a proposal." He shook Magnus's leg with a stronger grasp, almost plunging his nails into it. "It's an order."
Just then the driver stopped in front of the luxurious restaurant that Jim had promptly booked for him and his employee. Needless to say, Jim Moriarty always made things big: this meant that if he had a reservation on a restaurant he did not just book a table, he temporarily rented the room by booking all the places available to make sure he had all the privacy he desired. Magnus looked around, trying to hide the deep sense of discomfort he felt. He did not like Jim at all; how could he like a man like him?! And yet ... and yet there was something very charming in his eyes, every time he turned towards him Magnus felt a chill run down his spine ... He shook his head, trying not to think about it. He followed Jim and sat down at a small table, then walked over to Jim and whispered, "We have all the tables available, why do we have to force us into this tiny table?" Jim looked at him a little surprised, then grabbed his hand "And since we are alone here, why are you whispering?" then he laughed ... and for the first time his laughter did not seem sarcastic. "Anyway, I want to have you as close as possible because I want to look you straight into your eyes when I talk to you."
The waiter interrupted their conversation, bringing the first course. The dinner proceeded in a very silent way: Magnus almost did not speak at all, he just listened to Jim while he was explaining why he had considered him as the most suitable for the job. He could not understand why Jim felt the need to give all these explanations ... Only when they reached the dessert Magnus had the courage to ask that to Jim himself. "Boss ... why are you giving me all of these reasons? In short, I'm glad that there are many reasons for which you want me as your right arm, but at the same time I do not understand what is the purpose of all these explanations ... It almost seems like you want to excuse yourself ..." His boss looked at him for a minute without saying a single word; then shrugged and replied, "I just want be clear about how important your role is, Michael Magnusson."
Magnus sighed, then replied, "But I know that this role is extremely important." Jim replied with a satisfied smile then went back to eating his chocolate mousse.
"Did you like the dinner?"
"It was delicious, boss. And the dessert is the best part." The policeman nodded slightly, as he continued to eat his mousse. Once he finished the policeman looked up at Jim and both, without saying anything, stood up. Jim paid the exorbitant bill unflinchingly and Magnus wondered how much money Jim Moriarty could have to spend it so needlessly and easily, without any problem. They returned to the car, in which the driver was waiting for them, intent to consult the newspaper. He put it on the front seat and started the engine as soon as Jim and Magnus got into the car; they arrived home after a half hour. The criminal got out of the car and the officer followed him.
"From now, this will be your home, Michael. My men will provide to transfer your stuff in the next few days" he cracked a smile, looking at Magnus; He, in response, looked at him incredulously. "I will live in his own home, boss? I hope ..." he cleared his throat just "... I have my own room." Jim bursted into laughter. "Of course you will have your own room! Come in, I'll show you." With an almost sensual wave of his hand Jim invited Magnus into his house, or rather, his palace. It was an incredibly elegant and yet luxurious house, but it wasn't tacky at all. They went upstairs and Jim showed his employee his room.
"I hope you like it. Now, if you do not mind, I retire to my room. Sweet dreams, Michael." The criminal remained with his eyes fixed on those of Magnus for a moment, then turned away and walked outside his employee's room heading to his room, not too far from Magnus's one.
"Good night, boss" said Magnus, then closed the bedroom door behind him. He sighed, laying his back on the door. "I'm in the lair of the big bad wolf" he thought, looking around. Now he should have found the weak point of this wolf and then trap him forever.