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.”

then looking along the passage and its barred doorways, nods

for that. Once we're out, you can

could have murdered all the witnesses. Gotten

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

of screaming, panicking women, running around the place, creating chaos, trying to escape, is likely to make our job

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

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

Cara with

at the first padlock. The angle’s a little wrong. The blade bites in,

adjust my aim, this time striking

lock springs open and after a

eyed, fair-skinned, she would be

her,

Charlotte and Cara. Wide-eyed, tearful, she

his head around the door. “Você quer partir? Venha

a breath, then scrabbling up, dashes out, joining

quer ajudar?” He jabs a finger to

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

Klempner taps me on the shoulder. “Keep at it. I’ll

from their grim prisons,

now with the keys, thrusting them into the hands of the first woman

at his

sei. Em toda parte.

“What are you saying?”

scatter. Finchby can’t catch all of

final door opens, disgorging

Gunshots…

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

yells, “Suba

the cell and he’d taken a

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

gives me a

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