Chapter Twenty-Four:

Sawyer…

He was ambushed as soon as he set foot in the kitchen. There was no possible way to hold them all off and he was captured. His hands were roughly tied together as the ambusher stepped out from the shadows. Professor Moriarty. "You!" Sawyer said, shocked. He had shot this man and watched him die.

"Yes, me," he said, smirking. "You're Quartermain's little American friend, aren't you?" He nodded and Sawyer was gagged. "Ah, yes. Yes, you are. You know, your bullet still makes me itch. So I don't thank you for it." He walked closer to Sawyer. "Where's Kitty?"

It took Sawyer a moment to realise that 'Kitty' was a nickname for 'Kathryn.' He didn't respond in any form. He glared at Moriarty and attempted to get free from his captors so he could kill the bastard again.

"You won't tell me?" Moriarty asked. "Fine. I can wait." Sawyer could hear footsteps in the hallway. Kathryn. "I believe that's her. Thank you for your services, son." He motioned to his goons and they took their positions. She walked into the kitchen, pulling on her long black overcoat. "Stop right there, Bennet!"

Kathryn stopped suddenly and looked up from the ground. She seemed shocked to see Moriarty in her kitchen. "Good gods, James," she said, suggesting a familiarity with the bastard. "No matter how many times someone kills you, you always come back. How do you do it?"

Moriarty crossed the distance between him and Kathryn and stopped closer to her than Sawyer wanted him to be. He could hear them talking in low voices. Then Kathryn turned around sharply and began walking out of the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, "And they can stay here."

Before he followed Kathryn out of the kitchen, Moriarty walked over to Sawyer. "Looks like I win, doesn't it?" he asked, mocking him. "Did you honestly think she cared enough for you? Loved you?" He laughed, then turned to his goons. "Keep him here." Then he was gone.

Sawyer could feel then anger build up inside him. When he heard a door close down the hall, he took action. He had been working to get his hands out of the rope and had finally gotten them free when Moriarty left. Quickly, he attacked the two men closest to him, kicking one and punching the other, sending both of them to the floor. The next two men were on him in an instant. He grabbed the bread knife from the counter and sent it into the throat of one, and tried to get the other from chocking him. He grabbed the knife from his belt and dug it into the stomach of the man chocking him, forcing him to let him go. Then the knife found a home in the man's heart and he fell. The last man had a gun out and was taking careful aim at Sawyer's head. But Sawyer kicked it out of the guy's hands and threw his knife. It took a place in the man's forehead.

After quickly collecting his knife and wiping it clean, Sawyer quietly ran down the hall to the study. The door was locked, but he could see through the keyhole. Kathryn was at her desk, going through the papers there, looking for something. Moriarty walked to her and took her hand in his. Sawyer couldn't hear a word either was saying; they spoke in low voices. Then Moriarty pulled Kathryn into his arms and she rested her head against his shoulder. They kept talking and she looked up at Moriarty. A few more words. Then Moriarty kissed Kathryn.

It was more than Sawyer wanted to see. He forced the door open and had his gun out, and trained on Moriarty's skull. "Get away from her!" he shouted. "Damn it, Moriarty, get away from Kate!"

Moriarty stepped away from Kathryn, his hands in the air. "Sawyer," she said, crossing to him. "Sawyer, please. Don't do this."

"Get behind me, Kate," he said. "Moriarty, I will give you until the count of five. If you don't get out of this house by then, I will kill you."

"No," she said, taking Sawyer's gun from him. "You are not going to kill anyone. Not in here. I don't care about the kitchen, Sawyer. Gods, do you know how many men I killed in there? It's used to it. But the study. The study has never seen bloodshed. And it never will." She walked over to her desk, taking his gun with her. She pulled a letter out of one of the drawers and wrote something on the back of the sealed envelope. She returned to Sawyer and said, "Now, I'll thank you to give me back the documents on the Elixir of Life. Don't steal anything from me. I don't like it." She held her hand out for the package Sawyer had in his pocket. He gave it to her. "Thank you." She handed it off to Moriarty. "Put it on the desk, or so help me gods, I will allow blood on this carpet." Moriarty did as she said. "Sawyer, I need you to give this letter to Dr. Jekyll. Let them all know I'm alive. But this goes to Jekyll. No one else." She handed it to him. "There's an address on the back. Send my despatch-box to that address. It's a silver box in my wardrobe."

"Skinner's rifled through your things," Sawyer told her. "He took something from your quarters. I think it was your box."

"Then take it from him," she said. "And send it to that address. It will go to my sister, Jane's house. She'll know what to do with it." She cleared her throat and paused for a breath. "Now, I have reason to believe that Allan Quartermain is still alive."

"Kate, have you lost your mind?" he asked her.

"No, quite the contrary," she said. "I will be going to Africa to investigate whether or not my beliefs are founded in truth. I will first stop by my sister's house to retrieve the box. If you meet me in Kenya, I may have certain antidotes the League may want by then. Now, get out of my house."

"But, Kate—"

She raised her own pistol to his head. "Get out of my house," she said lowly. "Get out or I will shoot you myself."

"Kate, listen to me—"

"There's nothing to discus," she said, releasing the safety lever. "You've been warned, Sawyer. Get out."

Sawyer nodded. Then he turned quickly and left her house, running down the street to where the Nautilus was docked.