Free The Reluctant Knight by Amelia Price Page B

soon as they were past him he stepped
out into the road, blocking the Bentley's pursuit.
    Daniels slammed on
the breaks, bringing them to a halt only a few metres away from the
reckless man. Mycroft put his head in his hands. Despite it being
too late, he heard Sherlock get out of the car and berate the
Russian for his actions.
    As much as he
wanted to do the same, Mycroft knew it was pointless. He couldn't
do a single thing without starting a war between England and
Russia. An old agreement he had with their government tied his
hands. He couldn't even step on their soil.
    A few seconds
later, Sherlock got back in the car, slamming the door shut behind
him.
    “Head back to the
town, Daniels,” Mycroft said, not even trying to hide the
disappointment from his voice, but not trusting himself to look at
either of his two companions.
    Not long after
Daniels swung the car around, Mycroft's phone rang.
    “Good evening,”
Mycroft said, even though it was anything but.
    “Her majesty sends
her condolences. She's aware the woman was important to you.”
    “Yes. Amelia Jones is a very talented woman. Does her majesty have any
suggestions for how best to console her many fans?”
    “She hasn't asked
me to mention anything regarding that. I'm sure that's more your
sort of thing.”
    “Well, perhaps her
majesty should have a think about it. I believe quite a number of
them are exceedingly fond of her. Writing is just one of her very
many talents.” Mycroft hung up, unable to suffer any more of the
pathetic attempt at an apology.
    Less than a second
later his other phone buzzed with a message. It seemed Mr Delra had
heard by now as well.
     
    I'd offer you
my condolences, but I won't deny that I'm still hoping you won't
need them.
     
    Daniels drove them
to the nearest town, a couple of miles from the border, and paused
at the next available opportunity. While on the way, Mycroft mulled
over his options. There were few.
    As soon as they
were stationary, Sherlock and Daniels looked to him. It didn't take
a genius for him to notice neither of them wanted to give up on
Amelia.
    Sherlock had never
had any regard for rules. Now that he'd decided he liked her, he'd
quite happily do whatever was possible, and both of them knew it
was still possible to rescue her. And Daniels was just too simple
to think of anything else but helping a person in distress. For
both of them, the next decision was simple.
    Mycroft, however,
had given his word that he would never ever plunge his country into
war for personal reasons. And saving Amelia was definitely
personal.
    “Is the only
objection that the UK doesn't go to war?” Sherlock asked. Mycroft
nodded, seeing a look in his younger brother's eyes that he
recognised.
    “Just the UK,”
Mycroft added, understanding exactly where Sherlock was going.
     

Chapter 9
    Despite Amelia's
best efforts, she shivered with fear. The situation that she didn't
think could get much worse had got worse. With each little shudder
that rippled involuntarily through her body she felt the noose
around her neck tighten a tiny bit.
    Already it had
gone from a loose-fitting circle to a very present collar. To make
it worse, the position they'd tied her in was painfully awkward.
She had her legs bent up behind her back. If she dared move more
than a fraction she could grab her feet with her hands.
    Landing on the
snow-covered ground had also made her clothing damp. Even if she
could calm her fear, she doubted she could warm herself enough to
stop shivering.
    Every now and
then, as she felt the noose tighten further, she let out a whimper.
Somehow she didn't cry, but she came close and her breathing was
ragged and uneven.
    She squeezed her
eyes shut and tried to imagine something else, but the roar of the
car engine and the feel of the rough rope on her skin just brought
her back to the present.
    “Calm yourself and
think,” an imaginary version of Myron said in her head.
    “Easier said than
done,” she whispered before