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

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

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

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

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

“Sold to the man with the highest bid. Get on with it then. You got

somewhere. But I do have my axe. James, can

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

striding ahead, unslinging the axe from my shoulders, I aim… swing… and strike at the

adjust my aim, this time striking square

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

woman cringes back, babbling something at me. Dark-haired and eyed, fair-skinned, she would be beautiful

gesture her, “Quick,

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

pokes his head around the door. “Você quer partir? Venha conosco.” He throws a glance to me.

then scrabbling up, dashes out, joining us, babbling at

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

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

the shoulder. “Keep at it. I’ll

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

with the keys, thrusting them into the hands of the first woman we released. “Abre

his sleeve.

Em toda parte. Eles não podem encontrar

“What are you saying?”

catch all of them and

the final door opens,

Gunshots…

from the 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 if the devil rides

yells, “Suba as

have been exhausted as he arrived at the cell and he’d taken a beating. He may not want to admit it,

her to me. Klempner needs you with a gun in your hand. Charlotte, give James yours. Arm around my neck. I need you to

gives me