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 passage and its barred doorways, nods

that. Once we're out, you can sing to the world about what's in here,

Baxter could have murdered all the witnesses. Gotten

cells represents his working stock. His property. He’ll not be eager to get rid of them. What’s your priority, Michael? We

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

with the highest bid. Get on with it then. You got those

somewhere. But I do have my axe.

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

strike at the first padlock. The

adjust my aim, this time striking

a brief struggle with the bolt, I open the door

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

gesture her,

and Cara. Wide-eyed, tearful, she jabbers at

quer partir? Venha conosco.” He

breath, then scrabbling up, dashes out, joining

ajudar?” He jabs a finger to me… “Ajudem-no.” Then he stands back, plucking at his

this time, as I crash open the padlock, she darts inside, gesturing me on to the next. Half

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

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.

reappears, now with the keys, thrusting them into the

his sleeve. “Onde

parte.

“What are you saying?”

Finchby can’t catch all of them and

door opens,

Gunshots…

spitting brick-dust. I duck, and screaming and shouting, chaotically, the women scatter. Splitting and

yells, “Suba as

as he arrived at the cell and he’d taken a beating. He may not

hand. Charlotte, give James yours. Arm around my neck. I need

me a dry