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

time for that. Once we're out, you can sing

“By that time Finchby and Baxter could have murdered

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

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

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

do have my axe. James, can

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

and strike at the first padlock. The angle’s a little wrong. The

this

open and after a brief struggle with the bolt, I open the door to a dim

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

gesture her, “Quick,

backs away, then sees James with Charlotte and Cara.

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

up, dashes out,

“Nós estamos indo embora. Você quer ajudar?” He jabs a

this time, as I crash open the padlock, she 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

shoulder. “Keep at it. I’ll see if I can find those

cells, four, five. 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

the

tugs at his sleeve.

não sei. Em toda parte.

“What are you saying?”

catch all of them and

final door

Gunshots…

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

“Suba

he arrived at the cell and he’d taken a beating. He may not want to admit it, but he’s struggling

with a gun in your hand. Charlotte, give James

gives me a dry