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?”

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

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

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

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

… I move fast…

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

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

You’re not bothered by a little blood,

mess on the ground. “You handle it.”

that’s what

alright?” Charlotte levers herself forward. “Is

legs… Eyes, toes, fingers…

reaching out, hands outstretched.

casting around, looking for

Crap!

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

useless

“The baby’s healthy, isn’t it? It’s

her in. You and your monkey there

shifts, eyeing the gun muzzle at his temple. “Here, use this.” From his kneeling position, he tugs the hem of the fleece he’s wearing… my fleece… up and

thirty-five

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

Cara in it,

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

exhaustion, the baby is placed in her arms and her face illuminates. Young or old, plain or pretty,

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

holding up the small be-wrapped

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

Abruptly, Charlotte shudders…

through his swollen

“It’s okay. It’s just the placenta being ejected.”

“Not a chance.”

have to have something to cut the cord

“Improvise.”

Bastard…

you at least going to let me have the clamps and

and hand back and forth, as though deciding,

braided alien-looking thing; thick, meaty and

heap of towels and blankets stewing in the muck.

Baxter shifts. “What for?”

where the clamp and the

what you need. No

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

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 the

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

the cord in both hands, I

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

It’s just meat…

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

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 mess. I waited long enough for the

And it’s through…

stub on Cara and the trailing tail still attached

places Cara on her belly, naked skin to naked skin, caressing her, stroking her,

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

stands back, leaning against the wall,

floor and I scoop

speaks quickly. “Hickman, get the placenta. Put it in

What the hell…?

echoes my thoughts. “What the fuck do you