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.”

double-takes at me, then looking along the passage and its barred doorways,

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

and Baxter could have

stock. His property. He’ll not be eager to get rid of them. What’s your priority, Michael? We have to get out

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

calculating look. “Sold to the man with the

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

to him, clinging to his Cara with one

my shoulders, I aim… swing… and strike at the

aim, this time striking

time, the blade cuts through. The lock springs open and after a

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

gesture her,

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

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

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

“Nós estamos indo embora. Você quer ajudar?” He jabs a finger to me… “Ajudem-no.” Then he stands

and 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

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

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

them into the hands of the

his

não sei. Em toda parte.

“What are you saying?”

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

final door opens, disgorging its

Gunshots…

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

“Suba as

heavier, more pronounced. He must already have been exhausted as he arrived at the cell and he’d taken a beating. He may not

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

gives me a dry