Hot Revenge Box Set 2

James

And now, for the first time, I push the door, quiet as I can, looking in.

Mitch is there, a pad on her lap, sketching. She sits by Charlotte; sleeping, so pale.

No, not pale; pallid.

What they did to you…

But she’s clean and warm and comfortable. And by the side of the bed, within touching distance, also sleeping…

Cara…

My daughter…

And in a chair by the window, a hawk-eyed nurse.

What’s been happening?

Mitch smiles, holding up her pad: a half-drawn sketch, in pastels, of mother and baby. Then she looks me up and down, pulling a face.

?

I mouth silently. “What?”

She nods me to the mirror and I see myself.

Oh, My God…

Even though I changed, brushed my hair, I can’t let Charlotte wake up to see me like this. Or Cara…

The eye is not a pretty sight. It’s not so swollen now and it’s beginning to open again, but the colour, a kind of reverse rainbow in blue, green and sickly yellow, is enough to put anyone off their… milk… There’s not too much I can do about the bruising, but at the least, I should clean myself up.

I stoop, kiss Charlotte’s cheek. She stirs, mumbling something soft. I can’t make out the words, but sleeping, her lips are curving.

I stroke Cara’s tiny face, and eyes-closed, she blows a bubble.

Then, with a nod to Mitch, I turn to leave. And Michael’s there. He too holds the pair in his gaze, then with a tap to my chest. “Let’s let them sleep.”

Mitch follows us out, picking up a baby monitor en route and popping it in her pocket.

*****

A hot shower and I feel more myself. Then Richard snags me, bullying me through to where the doctor I saw is waiting.

“I’m sorry… What’s happening?”

Elizabeth went into premature labour.” He holds up palms… “It’s settled and she’s fine, but under the circumstances, for the sakes of both Elizabeth and Charlotte, and considering Charlotte’s feelings regarding hospitals right now, I have assembled a team for us,

next few weeks and are on 24/7 call should we need them. Meanwhile you…” He levels a finger at me… “…are going to

*****

kitchen, I pull my ingredients together.

inspects my work area and Hmmms, then grins as he gets a look at me. “Well, if it ain’t my old friend Capt’n Bluebeard.” He elbows me in the ribs. “Oohhh, Aaarrr!” Then, slaps

“Please don’t.”

sucks in a smile from her place at the table. “It suits you. Kind of…

The tang of onions rides up my sinuses and I try to rub my

my shoulder. “You don’t have to cook for me, James. I’ll be happy

It helps me relax. I could

Klempner turns, grunting as he

are you moving like that?”

at himself, seeming surprised. “Oh! Must have done. Um, yes,

that. Let me look…” She plucks at the top he's wearing, Michael's, and the fabric gapes open at a clean slice. Mine is underneath and it's not much

are soaked through with

panic on her face. Klempner watches her, apparently unconcerned by the damage to himself. Quite the opposite. He seems gratified by her

she says. “Let

them up, fingers tugging at the

Mitch hooks fingers under,

a wicked slice, six inches long, scored from shoulder to chest. At the edges, blood crisped

the briefest of looks. “That needs a doctor. I’ll go get him…” He

“They have an annoying habit of wanting to know

warm water into a bowl, dumping bowl, soap, clean rags and a tube of antiseptic cream on

in

he comments. “My clothes... Sorry... Your clothes... soaked up the blood and spread it

outer edge, working in, she wipes and cleans, squeezing the cloth into the bowl

only a minute or two, silently, Michael fills another bowl with

clean slit, starting shallow, but slicing deeper. Mitch slaps a pad of clean cotton over

removes her hand, replacing it with his own,

behave as though you've done this before…” She halts in mid-sentence, staring at his chest.

weighs in.

any trace of flab, apparently constructed from whipcord and leather, Klempner’s chest is crisscrossed with scars, slices and punctures. Some deep and red, some fine white lines. Trying not to be obvious about it, I steal a look to

“I'm not a bloody circus show. Mitch, just dress it and then I can get some

in

stitches,” insists

going any deeper. It does need stitching, yes.” He presses pad and fingers back

scratches at his forehead. “You telling me he keeps sutures in

I shrug.

hands it to Mitch. “Superglue. Use a dot wherever you would stitch but keep to the edges. If it gets onto raw flesh, it'll hurt like

at the wound. Looks at the tube. Bites a lip. “Can you