"How much did you say you paid for this car?"
Fil raised his chin. "Five 'undred euro."
Sherlock rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath.
"'You can trust me to do a good job, Mr. Holmes'," he mocked Fil in a sing-song voice. "'I'm not a . . .' what was your charming phrase? Ah, yes. A 'fuck-up?'"
Leem poked his head from underneath the hood of the little Skoda Felicia. "It's just a slipped belt, Mr. Holmes. I'll rig it fer now and we'll limp along to the next town. Nitra is the place, I think. This is a common enough car for 'round here. It should be an easy enough ta track down a replacement part."
Katherine watched the scene unfold with some amusement. They'd only driven an hour before their small hatchback had broken down. She was secretly delighted that Sherlock Holmes was quite irritated. He rarely opened his mouth during the voyage except to tell one or both the brothers to "shut it" or "do shut up", so this was a good dose of karma for the cranky arse.
"A slipped belt, Mr. Coley?" She fawned loudly just to annoy Sherlock. "That's bloody brilliant. You found it so quickly!"
Leem turned and rewarded her with a dazzling smile. Sherlock huffed. Katherine grinned to herself as she watched Leem tinker with the car.
She never would have thought someone like Leem Coley would appeal to her but he was god-awfully good looking for a bodyguard. His eyes were a dark, greyish green as if they unilaterally decided not to resemble any other colour known to man. His face was all rugged manliness with a determined jaw and nose that had been broken and fixed who knows how many times. She longed to rub a hand over his super-short, dark ash hair to see if it felt like stroking velvet. Every inch of him was hard and trim and muscular and so very . . . raw. He was just a hair shorter than both Sherlock and his brother Fil but she wouldn't bet against him in a fight.
She blushed thinking about all the things she'd have him do to her if she was bold enough to demand them. For starters, if they were alone together, she'd slam the hood of the car shut and bend over it. She gulped in a breath and fanned her face. Oh, Lord, there was no use in thinking such licentious thoughts. She glanced at Leem's taut arse one last time. No use at all . . .
"Are you overheated as well, Miss Adams?" Sherlock asked unexpectedly at her side.
Heat flooded her face like a cloud of gas combusting. She turned her head to one side so her hair hid her face. The self-proclaimed consulting detective's ability to read one's innermost thoughts was beyond mortifying. If she wasn't such an adherent to the rational doctrine of scientific thought, she'd swear he was psychic.
"That's D-Dr. Adams, to you, Mr. H-Holmes," she stuttered, "and yes, I do feel a bit like Moses wandering the desert. I haven't seen another car pass by for some time."
"Hmm, I thought you were looking a little parched," he said in a low tone.
She crossed her arms and finally turned to smile wryly at him. She looked him up and down with brows raised. She wasn't going to let him get away with amusing himself with his little double entendres at her expense. She didn't lack entirely of wit herself.
She flicked her hair back and met his gaze deliberately. "Oh, don't concern yourself with me. I'm rather like a camel that way. I can go without for a very long time."
He smirked and then laughed out loud. "Indeed, Dr. Adams, but even camels need to quench their thirst when an oasis becomes available."
She laughed as well then out of a need to release some tension. She couldn't hate Sherlock Holmes for all his veiled jabs. In fact, she just gained a little respect for the man in their exchange. Despite all his apparent unconcern for others, he seemed to be well-attuned to picking up on people's feelings.
"Tell me, Mr. Holmes," she asked quietly enough that neither of the boys would hear, "as a thirsty traveler, if I were to stop for a drink, would I find anyone jealously guarding, erm, that particular watering hole?"
Sherlock's lip twitched. "No, I believe it is yet unclaimed."
Katherine pressed her lips together and nodded. So, Mr. Leem Coley was single. She wasn't sure what she meant to do about that. She wasn't looking for a relationship; that was for damn sure. She was in a world of trouble for being too curious for her own good and her life would be upended for some time, if not forever. No, she wanted to flirt and feel feminine and not worry about anyone getting ideas of attachment. Leem fit that bill perfectly. He wouldn't want to be encumbered, not in his line of work.
Tonight would be her last evening staying in a nice hotel before she was entrusted to strangers. That was, if they managed to repair this hunk of junk. Maybe, just maybe, she could have a bit of fun that night.
Fil fired up the car then. Leem rose and jerked the hood closed.
"Alright, let's get outta 'ere while she still cooperates."
Katherine nibbled a sandwich as she watched her three travelling companions argue outside the café window. She could hear a little of what they were going on about but rather than upset her, she was secretly delighted. From the gist of it, it sounded as if the part they needed for the car wouldn't be available until the next morning which meant she'd gained another day's reprieve before she had to disappear into the slums.
Finally, the three of them seemed to come to some sort of agreement. She watched Leem break away and head towards the café entrance. She grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth quickly, swallowed her food and smoothed her hair. Funny how boldly coming to the decision to try to seduce a man made her feel like a nervous wreck. She took a breath and smiled up at him as he approached her and then slipped into the chair across the table.
"Well, the car's busted til' tomorrow. We's going ta have to stay here in Nitra tonight."
Katherine shrugged and tried not to grin. "Oh, well, darn!"
"Sorry, Miss, I mean, Dr. Adams."
She licked her lips anxiously. "Um, call me Katherine or Kate or . . ."
A smile tugged the corner of his decadently full lips. She wrinkled her nose and silently berated them for being so appealing.
"Can I call ya Kat?"
She nodded quickly. No one had ever called her Kat. Oh, she liked that. A lot.
He winked. "Then you must call me Leem. Nah more of this Mr. Coley nonsense. I never know if you're talking to me or ma brother."
"Alright, Leem it is."
"There's a hotel just down the way. I'll walk ya there when you're done."
"I can't eat another bite," she proclaimed. "I already paid my bill. We can go now."
Katherine blinked a couple times as he stood and offered his elbow. She felt as if she'd been transported to a different century. Who acted so chivalrously these days anyways? She hesitantly took his arm. He tucked her elbow closer to his body which had the effect of drawing her right next to his hard frame. She looked up at him. He might not be more than five foot eleven and a solid 13 and a half stone, but he made her feel positively fragile at five-two, one hundred and ten pounds.
She sucked in a breath. She was mad! Mad! She wasn't the flirty type. What made her think it would be simple to just turn on the charm and he'd succumb to her wiles? How the heck was she going to seduce Leem when she trembled like a kitten next to him? He may as well call her scardey-Kat!
"Are ya chilly?" He asked as they walked down the street.
She shook her head. She glanced away as heat flushed her face.
"I'm perfectly warm, thank you," she murmured.
"But you are shakin', Kat. I can give you my jacket."
"No," she protested. "I'm fine. I'm – ah – just . . . just anxious! Yes, it's been a frightening few weeks."
He squeezed her arm and slowed his steps. He half turned so that he faced her better.
"You're safe right now, Kat. That I swear. I won' let anyone harm you."
She felt a tremor ripple through her gut. He had such a fierce set to his face. His eyes were constricted ever so slightly, his brows were drawn together and his teeth were clenched. He was ready to do battle. For her.
"Oh, Leem, I'm so going to reward you for that," she promised silently.