Hot Revenge Box Set 2

James

Michael looks me up and down. “You fit to walk?”

“I’ll manage.”

He gives a short jerk of his head and turns to Charlotte, arms outstretched. “You walk. I’ll carry Cara for you.”

She retreats, clutching Cara to herself, shrieking. “No!”

Michael steps back, holding up his palms. “Whoa… Calm down. It’s me. What do you think I’m going to do?”

She bursts into tears. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry…”

He takes a step closer, moving carefully. “Charlotte, we have to leave. I’m not sure you can carry Cara and walk too.”

“No.” She swings her head in denial, tries to step out, then totters, Cara still tight to her chest.

Michael exchanges a look with me, shaking his head, then he moves in… “Hold on to Cara.” …. sweeping her up. His voice changes to a kind of fake yokel accent. “Come, Mr Frodo!” he says. “I can't carry it for you, but I can carry you.”

She gives him a watery smile. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying that. You’ll be fine when we’ve got you home and rested up for a few days.”

Klempner shoves a knife into his belt. Another into the top of his boot. A handgun into a pocket. Then, picking up his SMG, “We need to get moving. I'll go to the front. Michael, you with Jenny in between. James, cover our backs.”

*****

Michael

My arms full of Charlotte, we clear the first flight of stairs to the corridor of ‘cells’. “Klempner, we should release the other women.”

then looking along the passage and its barred doorways, nods

time for that. Once we're out, you can sing to the world about what's in

and Baxter could have murdered all the witnesses. Gotten rid

property. He’ll not be eager to get rid of

running around the place, creating chaos, trying to escape, is

a calculating look. “Sold to the man with the highest

have my axe. James,

Cara with one hand, waving a

shoulders, I aim… swing… and strike at the first padlock. The

adjust my aim, this time

springs open and after a

at me. Dark-haired and eyed, fair-skinned, she would be beautiful if she weren’t

her, “Quick,

backs away, then sees James with Charlotte and Cara. Wide-eyed, tearful, she jabbers at me, hands outstretched,

“Você quer partir? Venha conosco.” He throws a

scrabbling up, dashes out,

“Nós estamos indo embora. Você quer ajudar?” He jabs a finger to me… “Ajudem-no.” Then he stands

the next. Half a minute later, she exits, now with another two women, one looking barely old

on the shoulder. “Keep at it. I’ll see if I can find those keys. Back

to share a language, but all come bursting from their grim prisons, flooding down the cells. A couple of boys emerge from one cell, ten, maybe eleven years old. Another, with eyes

thrusting them into the hands of the

at his sleeve. “Onde

não sei. Em toda parte. Eles não podem encontrar

“What are you saying?”

can’t catch all of them

final door opens,

Gunshots…

screams by me, ricocheting from the wall and spitting brick-dust. I duck, and screaming and shouting, chaotically, the women scatter. Splitting and flowing one way and the other; maybe thirty

“Suba as

pronounced. He must already have been exhausted as he arrived at the cell and he’d taken a

in your hand. Charlotte, give James yours. Arm

gives me a dry