Hot Revenge Box Set 2

Chapter 15

Klempner

Although I can hear chaos from down the stairs, up here now, it’s quiet. There’s no-one in the dance room.

In the pool room, the only sound is the crunching of glass under my boots. I carry on to Finchby’s office.

All empty?

It seems so.

The time?

Time to go.

Except… as I’m about to turn and leave a girl, I see her; barely a teenager, some variety of Asian, Indian perhaps. Streaming tears, she skitters out from behind the desk, making for the kitchen.

I follow her and she cringes back into the corner. I offer my hand. “I’m not going to hurt you. You have to leave.”

She babbles at me in I’ve-no-idea-what language, then abruptly, her face swings up to mine and fingers outstretched, leaps up at me, clawing at my face. Reflexively, I jerk back, and she bolts past me and out, back the way I came.

Fuck!

I dash after her, but in the few seconds, she’s gone, vanished.

Where did she go?

Out?

Or somewhere deeper inside?

I check my watch… Three minutes…

Christ!

I have to find her… If she’s on the stairwell, perhaps I’ll hear her. I turn for the bar, heading for the stairs up and down, and there…

Fuck.

Baxter.

I reach for my Glock… And it’s not there.

Damn… When did I put it down?

Baxter flashes brows. And the knife in his hand. “Going somewhere?”

“I was planning on leaving.” I slip the knife from my belt. “Your friend Finchby has already left the building. I believe the money may be with him.”

“I’m not going to weep over Finchby. And I didn't do it for the cash. Well… mainly not for the cash. And I have my half anyway.”

We circle, eyeball to eyeball.

Make the first move?

Wait for him?

I move slowly, watching for the twitch of the hand. The nudge of the shoulder. The tell that he's going to stop talking and...

He slashes out… moves fast…

But it’s a feint and we both know it, calculated to draw a reaction from me.

Testing me…

My speed…

My reactions…

Younger than me...

How much by?

Ten years?

His knife...

eight inches. Well cared

Well used…

Left-handed…

gives

practice against right-handers. I've done

out. Hard. Fast. Teeth bared. Pupils

I grab him by the arm. We grapple. His blade to my throat. My

I

Sweat. Sour.

sour scent of

Not excitement.

Fear.

away, dancing back from me and suddenly I'm overreaching…

but as he swings away, my fist lands in his

advantage, I bully forward, reaching for his

at his chest with my right hand and he twists away, still grinning

The other knife...

Ambidextrous?

he swerves away from my right

the rib cage and

Got you, you bastard…

it’s her. The Indian

nowhere, pelting for the exit, apparently blind to me and Baxter, she charges between us

staggering back, my foot skids on

Drinks slops?

Blood?

In slow motion...

my arms wind-milling for

I go down...

Baxter’s on top of

…

gasp as his blade slices

The rasp of shredding

The metallic

Whose?

Mine…

enjoying his moment, the knife poised

he reaches into his jacket, he takes out

My Glock?

for my forehead,

use the

got the balls

up on my elbows I swing round wildly, one way or the

There are none.

staring straight up the barrel of my own fucking gun and to

Is this it?

this time… this is how I

irritation. Of all the ways I could have died

for something I didn’t actually

Live by the sword…

works at these moments. The brain does odd things

think I’m

but the muzzle of the gun looms close and huge. The rest of the world vanishes around me. My peripheral vision

My throat tightens…

aren't you just the real man.” The voice is sultry, smooth, and drips honey and contempt in

I know that

to its

skirt just clears the crotch and the zip-front leather vest hugs a narrow waist

over smooth white shoulders and frames a face made up with emerald eyes painted Goth-dark

“Mitch?”

it. I

So does Baxter.

have been full of women offering their all. But

have never seen her dressed like this, not even in

stands tall, chin lifted, one leg a little curved to strike a pose. And

silver loop. She hooks a finger into the loop and tooth

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