Hot Revenge Box Set 2

*****

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?”

showing it to me.

I have to cut the cord. And it looks as though I will have to cut

pocket. “Did no-one tell you

back against James. Straining, mouth flung wide, she pants and heaves, and then, scarlet-faced, with a shriek of triumph, she pushes

… I move fast…

into my hands then starts squalling loudly as Cara protests her rude

door. “I’ll catch you later.

looks surprised. “What’s wrong? You’re not bothered

curls a lip at the mess on the ground. “You handle

that’s what he’s

levers herself

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

hands outstretched. “Give her

looking for the cover I

Crap!

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

I hurl the useless thing into the

baby’s healthy, isn’t it?

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

this.” From his kneeling position, he tugs the hem of the fleece he’s wearing… my fleece…

from thirty-five

a hundred per cent

is, I wrap the squalling, protesting Cara in it, tying the sleeves around

despite everything, despite the cold and the filth and the gunmen standing

that happens with a woman, when after hours of gruelling pain and utter exhaustion, the baby is placed in her arms and her face illuminates. Young or old, plain or pretty, in that moment, every woman becomes

like a rainbow over her face. Taking the fleece-enveloped Cara,

James, still cradling her, holding up the small be-wrapped

back at her, reaching around to kiss her, his lips cracking open, bleeding with the gesture. “So you did.” He touches his daughter’s

Abruptly, Charlotte shudders…

his swollen

palm. “It’s okay. It’s just the placenta being ejected.” Snapping fingers up at Baxter. “Give me the

“Not a chance.”

something

“Improvise.”

Bastard…

least going to let me have the clamps

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

braided alien-looking thing; thick, meaty and blue, pulsates in my

a finger through the heap of towels and blankets stewing in the muck.

Baxter shifts. “What for?”

clamp and the surgical spirit

what

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

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

then carefully fix the first clamp in place,

both hands, I pull it

to heave. Another part

It’s just meat…

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

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

And it’s through…

attached to the placenta as I swipe

belly, naked skin to naked skin, caressing her,

Charlotte from behind, is unreadable. It’s hardly surprising. The magic of seeing your child born.

leaning against the

the afterbirth slops to the floor and I scoop it up, about to toss

that.” Baxter speaks quickly. “Hickman, get the placenta. Put it

What the hell…?

the fuck do you want