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?”

floor, shaking off drops of gunk, then showing it to

And it looks as though I will have to

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

mouth flung wide, she pants and heaves, and

… I move fast…

and a small bloody package drops into my hands then starts squalling loudly as Cara

door. “I’ll catch

not bothered

at the mess on the ground. “You handle

“So that’s what he’s made

Charlotte levers

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

out, hands outstretched. “Give her to

around, looking for

Crap!

which was soft and fine and warm, is now wet; cold and stinking. I pick it up, hoping… But it

the useless thing into

wrong?” says Baxter. “The baby’s healthy, isn’t it?

your monkey there just soaked the wrap I brought

“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 tosses it

from thirty-five degrees and sixty

a hundred per cent humidity where she’s just

the squalling, protesting Cara in it, tying the sleeves around her small body, then

the cold and the filth and the gunmen

woman, when after hours of gruelling pain and utter exhaustion, the baby is placed in her arms and her face illuminates. Young

over her face. Taking the fleece-enveloped Cara, she

small be-wrapped squaller. “I did it, Mas... James. I gave you your

around to kiss her, his lips cracking open, bleeding with the

Abruptly, Charlotte shudders…

even through his swollen face,

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

“Not a chance.”

have something to

“Improvise.”

Bastard…

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

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

thick, meaty and blue,

aim a finger through the heap of towels and blankets stewing in

Baxter shifts. “What for?”

where the clamp and

eyes flat, “Take what you need. No

you think I’m likely to be with a

the transparent plastic bag containing clamps, gauze and the bottle of spirit. The bag is still sealed, as I packed it, and the contents are probably

then the clamps, I run a quick mental re-run to the How-To videos I watched, then carefully fix the first

hands, I pull it tight

of me wants to heave. Another part tells me not to be

It’s just meat…

head knows that there are no nerves in the cord, nothing to cause pain to either Charlotte or Cara. But

almost sawing through the thing with

And it’s through…

blue stub on Cara and the trailing tail still attached to the placenta as I swipe blood from my

Cara on her belly, naked skin to naked skin,

from behind, is unreadable. It’s hardly surprising. The magic of seeing

stands back, leaning against the wall,

bloody mass of the afterbirth slops to the floor and I scoop

Baxter speaks quickly. “Hickman, get the placenta.

What the hell…?

echoes my thoughts. “What the fuck do you

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