Hot Revenge Box Set 2

Chapter 11

*****

 

Michael

I recognise the face of James’ guard, the one they’re calling Hickman. I’ve seen it before in the photo Klempner identified; Baxter’s henchman.

He shoves James towards us, James shooting him a look that would knock flies from the air, before squatting down by Charlotte. He runs a finger over her cheek. “Sorry we took so long to get here.”

She returns the gesture. “They’ve hurt you.”

James’ brows rise. His head tilts. “They’ve hurt me?”

I struggle out from behind her. “James, take my place, support her. I need a look at what’s happening.”

He manoeuvres to sit behind Charlotte, his back against the wall, kissing her rank hair as he supports her against himself.

And now, kneeling between her open legs and with a decent view, I can see Cara’s head is all but out. “I think one more good push will do it, Babe.”

Baxter waves the barrel of his pistol at Klempner. “On your knees. Hands behind your head.”

Klempner gives him a slow look then drops to the ground, fingers clasped at the back of his neck.

“Stannis, you keep him there.” Baxter jabs a finger at the other guard who moves to stand by Klempner, gun muzzle pressed to his temple. Then he nods Hickman to my bag and Klempner’s. “Check them out. See what’s inside.”

He tips out Klempner’s first; his mobile armoury tumbling to the floor with a clatter. Baxter kicks guns, knives and rope to the far side of the cell, out of Klempner’s range.

Then he looks him up and down. “Larry, have you put on weight?”

Klempner adopts a pained expression. “I’m wearing rather more clothes than usual.”

Baxter cocks a brow. “I'm not sure about that outfit as a sartorial statement.”

Lips pressed tight, Klempner casts eyes sidelong, then back again. “What's your gripe with me, Baxter?”

“You have to ask? More than twenty years I worked for you, and you left me behind like I didn’t matter. Abandoned me to the cops like some piece of rubbish.”

“The police were coming. I had about a minute to get out of sight. When I last saw you, you were unconscious after you'd let a complete amateur take you out. As I left, you were nowhere to be seen. What was I supposed to think? You’d gone. I assumed you’d run for it.”

“No. I hadn’t. I’d just crawled into the shadows while I got my head back. You didn’t even look. You walked out and you kept walking.”

“Yes, because I didn’t know you were there. You couldn’t have called out or something? I could see blue lights flashing. What was I supposed to do? Mount a search? As far as I was concerned, you’d gone.”

Baxter sneers. “Make your excuses, Larry. You owe me. You’re going to pay.”

“I owe you nothing. I never did. And besides, you have the money.”

Baxter rocks on his heels. “Money’s not everything, Larry. Money’s not everything.”

He turns from Klempner, dismissing him, nods to Hickman, then to my rucksack. “Turn it out. Let’s see what’s in his bag of tricks.”

I try to interrupt, to stop what I can already see happening… “No… don’t…”

But it’s too late. Clean towels and wraps tumble out, dropping into the slops on the floor, no longer fresh and sweet-smelling but wet and fouled.

“Was that necessary?”

Baxter smirks, poking through the heap with the end of a boot, wiping them further into the dirt. “Can’t be too careful, can we. Who knows what you have in there?”

“What I had in there were the basics for a young woman to safely deliver her baby. Now…” I poke through the pile, trying to find something useable…

Christ…

“… What the hell am I supposed to do with this lot?”

shaking off drops of gunk, then showing it to me. “What’re these for? They don’t look

the cord. And it looks as though I will have

into a pocket. “Did no-one tell you at school

mouth flung wide, she pants and heaves, and

… I move fast…

my hands then starts squalling loudly as Cara protests her rude

the door. “I’ll catch you later. Enjoy

You’re not bothered by

the mess on the

that’s what he’s made

levers herself forward. “Is

of inspections: head, arms, legs… Eyes, toes, fingers… “She’s

out, hands outstretched. “Give

around, looking for the

Crap!

is now wet; cold and stinking. I pick it up, hoping… But it simply drips muck back onto

hurl the useless

“The baby’s healthy, isn’t it? It’s making enough

to wrap her in. You and your monkey there just soaked the wrap I

temple. “Here, use this.” From his kneeling position, he tugs the hem of the fleece he’s wearing… my fleece… up and over his head. He

to you coming from thirty-five degrees and

is dry. “It’s thirty-seven degrees and a hundred per cent

squalling, protesting Cara in it,

cold and the filth and the gunmen

after hours of gruelling pain and utter exhaustion, the baby is placed in

face. Taking the fleece-enveloped Cara, she stares, as though not believing

James, still cradling her, holding up the small be-wrapped squaller. “I

her, his lips cracking open, bleeding with the gesture. “So you did.” He touches his daughter’s face, stroking

Abruptly, Charlotte shudders…

swollen face, looks

palm. “It’s okay. It’s just the placenta

“Not a chance.”

have something to cut the cord

“Improvise.”

Bastard…

you at least going to let me have the clamps and the

head and hand back and forth, as though deciding, then smirks.

hands the cord, hot to the touch, a strange braided alien-looking thing; thick, meaty and blue, pulsates in my hand, the pulse dying away by

heap of towels and blankets stewing in

Baxter shifts. “What for?”

clamp and the

eyes flat, “Take what you need.

do you think I’m likely to be with a new-born baby in my

me as I open the transparent plastic bag containing clamps, gauze and the bottle of

over my hands, and then the clamps, I run a quick mental re-run to the How-To videos I watched, then carefully

the cord in both hands, I pull

Another part

It’s just meat…

no nerves in the cord, nothing to cause pain to either Charlotte or Cara. But I’m chewing through living

an inch thick, with a gristly texture and slippery in my hands; resists. I’m almost sawing through the thing with my teeth. But there’s not

And it’s through…

on Cara and the trailing tail still attached to the placenta as I

eyes alight, places Cara on her belly, naked skin to naked

still supporting Charlotte from behind, is unreadable. It’s hardly surprising. The magic of seeing your child born. The sheer savagery of the moment

stands back, leaning against

the floor and I scoop it

speaks quickly. “Hickman, get the placenta. Put

What the hell…?

echoes my thoughts. “What the fuck do

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