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?”

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

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

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

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

… I move fast…

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

for the door. “I’ll catch

wrong? You’re not

curls a lip at the mess on the ground. “You handle it.” Shuddering, he

huffs. “So that’s what he’s

alright?” Charlotte levers herself forward. “Is Cara

legs… Eyes, toes, fingers… “She’s fine. Everything

reaching out, hands outstretched.

looking for the cover I brought

Crap!

and fine and warm, is now wet; cold and stinking. I

the useless

baby’s healthy,

monkey there just soaked the wrap

tugs the hem of the fleece he’s wearing… my fleece… up

from thirty-five

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

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

filth and the gunmen standing guard over

of gruelling pain and utter exhaustion, the baby is placed in her arms

rainbow over her face. Taking the fleece-enveloped Cara, she stares, as though not believing what

small be-wrapped squaller. “I

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

Abruptly, Charlotte shudders…

even through his swollen

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

“Not a chance.”

something to

“Improvise.”

Bastard…

let me have

hand back and forth, as though deciding, then

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

and blankets stewing in the muck.

Baxter shifts. “What for?”

clamp and the

what you need. No

fucking stupid do you think I’m likely to be with a

jerks his chin at Hickman who moves to stand over me as I open the transparent plastic bag containing clamps, gauze and the bottle

I watched, then carefully fix the first clamp in place, over the cord

both hands, I pull it tight and

me wants to heave. Another part tells me not to

It’s just meat…

no nerves in the cord, nothing to cause

hands; resists. I’m almost sawing through the thing with my teeth. But there’s not too much mess. I waited long enough for the blood to leave the

And it’s through…

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

on her belly, naked skin to

magic of seeing your child born. The sheer savagery of the

leaning against the

bloody mass of the afterbirth slops to the floor and I scoop it up,

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

What the hell…?

echoes my thoughts. “What the

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