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.”

the passage

a startled look. “Michael, we don't have time for that. Once we're out, you can sing to the world about what's

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

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

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

look. “Sold to the man with the highest bid. Get

have my axe. James,

to his Cara with

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

my aim, this time

springs open and after a

Dark-haired and eyed, fair-skinned, she would be beautiful

gesture her,

James with Charlotte and Cara. Wide-eyed, tearful,

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

a breath, then scrabbling up, dashes

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

padlock, she darts inside, gesturing me on to the next. Half a minute later, she exits, now with another two women, one

working on the next. Klempner taps me on the shoulder. “Keep at it. I’ll see if I can find

I lose count. The crowd of women grows; 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. Another, with eyes like blue ice and hair of Scandinavian platinum, is

the hands of the first woman we released. “Abre

at his

sei. Em toda parte. Eles não podem encontrar

“What are you saying?”

to scatter. Finchby can’t catch all of

door

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,

yells, “Suba as

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

gun in your hand. Charlotte, give James yours. Arm around my neck. I need you

gives me a dry