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, nods

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

time Finchby and Baxter could have murdered all the witnesses.

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

women, running around the place, creating chaos,

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

do have my axe. James, can

his Cara with one hand, waving a gun in

shoulders, I aim… swing… and strike at the first padlock. The angle’s a little

my aim, this time striking

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

and eyed, fair-skinned, she would be

her,

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

his head around the door. “Você quer partir? Venha conosco.” He throws

scrabbling up, dashes out, joining us, babbling

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

gesturing me on to the next. Half a minute later, she

the next. Klempner taps me on the shoulder. “Keep

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 sleeve.

parte. Eles não

“What are you saying?”

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

the final door

Gunshots…

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 behind

yells, “Suba as

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

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

gives me