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.”

me, then looking along the passage and its barred doorways,

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

Finchby and Baxter could have murdered all the witnesses. Gotten rid of the

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

you don’t think a lot of screaming, panicking women, running around the place, creating chaos,

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

my

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

unslinging the axe from my shoulders, I aim… swing… and strike at the first padlock. The angle’s a little wrong. The blade bites in, but

this time striking square

and after a brief struggle with the bolt, I

cringes back, babbling something at me. Dark-haired and eyed,

her,

then sees James with Charlotte and Cara. Wide-eyed, tearful, she jabbers at

quer partir? Venha conosco.” He throws a glance to me.

up, dashes

her. “Nós estamos indo embora. Você quer ajudar?” He jabs a finger to me…

darts inside, gesturing me on to the next. Half a minute later, she exits, now with another two women, one looking barely old enough to drive

the shoulder. “Keep

from their grim prisons, flooding down the cells. A couple of boys emerge from one cell, ten, maybe eleven years old. Another, with

the hands of the first woman we released. “Abre as

tugs at his sleeve.

parte. Eles não podem encontrar

“What are you saying?”

telling them to scatter. Finchby can’t catch all of them and Baxter

the final door opens, disgorging

Gunshots…

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

“Suba as

been exhausted as he arrived at the cell and he’d taken a beating. He may

in your hand. Charlotte, give James yours. Arm around

gives me