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.”

looking along the passage and its

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

Baxter could have murdered all the

Whoever’s in those cells represents his working stock. His property. He’ll not be eager to get rid of them. What’s your

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

pauses, shoots me a calculating look. “Sold to the man with the highest bid. Get on with it then. You

have my

to him, clinging to his Cara with one hand, waving a

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

aim, this time striking

a brief struggle with the bolt, I open the door to a

me. Dark-haired and eyed,

gesture her, “Quick,

with Charlotte and Cara. Wide-eyed, tearful, she jabbers

“Você quer partir? Venha conosco.” He throws

breath, then scrabbling up,

ajudar?” He jabs a finger to me… “Ajudem-no.” Then

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

shoulder. “Keep at it. I’ll see if I

black-skinned, white-skinned, coffee-skinned. Asian, Caucasian, Afro. Few seem 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.

thrusting them into the hands of the first

at his sleeve.

não sei. Em toda parte. Eles não

“What are you saying?”

Finchby can’t catch all of

the final door opens,

Gunshots…

and shouting, chaotically, the women scatter. Splitting and flowing one way and the other; maybe thirty of them, running as if the devil rides behind

yells, “Suba as

must already have been exhausted as he arrived at the cell

me. Klempner needs you with a gun in your hand. Charlotte, give James yours. Arm

gives me