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.”

along the

don't have time for that. Once we're out, you can sing to the world

“By that time Finchby and Baxter could have murdered all the witnesses. Gotten

stock. His property. He’ll not be eager to get rid

of screaming, panicking women, running around the place, creating chaos, trying to escape,

a calculating look. “Sold to the man with the highest bid. Get on

my axe. James, can you

pass her to him, clinging to his Cara with one hand, waving a gun in the

swing… and strike at the first padlock. The angle’s a little wrong. The blade bites in, but the lock

this time striking

time, the blade cuts through. The lock springs open and after a brief struggle with the bolt, I

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

gesture her,

then sees James with Charlotte and Cara. Wide-eyed,

quer partir? Venha conosco.”

breath, then scrabbling up, dashes out,

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

I crash open the padlock, she darts inside, gesturing me on to the next. Half a minute

shoulder. “Keep at it.

prisons, flooding down the

thrusting them into the hands of the first woman we released. “Abre as

at his sleeve.

sei. Em toda parte. Eles não

“What are you saying?”

them to scatter. Finchby can’t catch all

final door opens,

Gunshots…

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 of them, running as

yells, “Suba

cell and he’d taken a beating. He may not want to admit it,

with a gun in your hand. Charlotte, give James yours. Arm

gives me