Hot Revenge Box Set 4

Chapter 37

“Charlotte, could you set an extra place at the table, please.”

“Sure.” She pauses, her hand full of cutlery. “Who are we expecting?”

“Georgie’s joining us for lunch…”

Her mouth opens in a silent Ahhh…

“… Is that alright with you?”

She moves table-mat, knife and fork to one side, clearing enough space for another setting. “Of course it is, Master. I know how much it means to you to have Georgie speaking to you again. I’ll do my best to make friends with her.”

“Thank you.” I kiss her forehead, tilt her chin up. “For what it’s worth, she said something similar.”

*****

The doorbell rings.

Charlotte stands. “I’ll go.”

She returns a minute later with Georgie, who offers her a bottle of wine. “I wasn’t sure what everyone likes, red or white, so I brought a rosé.”

“Good choice.” I gesture towards the fridge. “It’ll go well with the salmon we’re having. Just pop it in the fridge for now to chill, then take a seat.”

She hovers by the table. “Any particular place I should sit?”

“I set your place there...” Charlotte points. “… next to your Dad.”

Georgie takes a seat, having the look of one floundering. Then, spotting Cara on her playmat on the floor, patting at a dangling pink and blue ladybird. “Are you enjoying being a Mom?”

Charlotte beams. “Oh, yes. But I'll be glad when I’m back to my proper shape again.”

“I suppose you can use the gym in the hotel. Get plenty of exercise.”

“There's that. And I can ride too. That's good exercise.”

“Ride? You have a horse?”

“That’s right. She was a Christmas present. Can you ride?”

Georgie blows air. “I’ve never been on a horse.”

Credit where it’s due, Charlotte’s hesitation is infinitesimal. “Would you like to try? You could… You could borrow Charlie. I'm sure my Ma.. your dad would teach you.”

Georgie swings around to me. “Would you?”

“If Charlotte is happy for you to ride Charlie, I’d like that very much.”

“When can we try?”

“No time like the present. After lunch?”

*****

 

Klempner

Abandoning the abattoir above me, I make the quick climb down again, hanging from the rail of the lowest balcony to let myself drop to the ground. Landing on my toes, the rifle swings against my shoulder then jogs against me.

“Ah, there you are, Larry. I was beginning to worry you might have taken a wrong turn.”

The voice comes from behind me and despite myself, I startle, spinning to face the grinning Juliana and, by her side, a stranger with a gun in his hand. In the poor light, I can’t make out the model, but since the dangerous end is waving at me, that’s by the by…

I look more closely, but not at the weapon: his face.

A bit of a pretty boy: his hair is slicked back to a fetching ponytail and he has that slightly oily look that says Pimp.

No… not a stranger…

Now I look again, it’s Cash-Counting-Man from the night Wonder Boy led me here the first time.

While Juliana was making cow’s eyes at another gang member…

Cash-Man hovers close to Juliana with a slight proprietorial air…

Thinks he’s got her?

Another one?

Must have worked her way through half the fucking city…

Be walking bow-legged if she’s not careful…

And now I think on it, I have Cash-Man’s photo in my phone…

Wonder if Hickman made any progress on that?

Juliana’s wearing that manic grin that is so much a part her sexual allure and Femme Fatale appeal. “So sorry, Larry. Weren’t you expecting me?” She fishes into a shoulder bag, producing a mobile, then tapping the screen to life.

WTF?

Calling for backup?

She’s opted for redhead this evening…

Deliberate?

Probably…

… with green eye make-up which I’m guessing is supposed to give her a delicate mermaid air, but in reality reminds me of one of the characters I saw in the Pride and Prejudice and Zombies movie.

Oddly, Cash-Man seems attracted to her. I cannot see why. But she’s repeated this pattern now again and again.

fuck does she pull it

Flattery?

Appeal to the machismo?

Good in the bedroom?

the knack to sucker a certain kind

dangerous.” Cash-Man seems

he speaking

a bit thick but perfectly

my benefit? Put up

if he knows she’s screwing

it matters when

smiles sweetly at him. “… how dangerous can he

finger, pointing skyward. “D’you

snorts. “Yeah… Right… You killed them all of them, did

responsible. Did you let her dole out whatever they were taking this

just a little. He

dense can

Seriously?

for her to slip a little something extra

bit of something different for

While she still has a use

Give him a high?

Superman complex?

with her phone as he speaks.

A pusher who’s a user

buy time, time to think. My mind’s

Deja vu…

the second time I’ve been found at the spot, and under just

How did she know?

Waiting for me…

balconies, windows and human

All overlooking this alley…

for

Or me…

me halfway down? Throw me

Or try to…

security camera

Ah… the phone…

to a

she’s tapping at

have thought of

No-one’s infallible…

face twists.

He raises

like that. I told you. I

“You think that’s any good for up close?” He grins, advancing, pistol

the glint on the edge of my blade. “No. This is what I use for up close.” I nod down to his pistol. “And how much

snarls, raising the gun. “She said alive, not

“No!” It’s Juliana again…

the pistol to one side, I lean the other way. Sure enough, it fires, the round

it. And I’m not about to give him time

his mistake, but as I swing a foot around his ankles, he’s off-balance and he topples,

his own. For myself, I prefer my hair long enough to provide a bit of padding against

statement follows him down. Snatching at it with my free hand, I yank upwards, halting his fall… kind

is taken by his two feet, firmly on the ground. But dangling where I hold him by the hair, he’s almost horizontal from the knees up. He can’t get up, can’t get down and now, shoving the

now that I have control. The muzzle of my gun pressed to his skull. “You’re coming with me, Juliana, if you don't want to lose the

his

Is she armed?

I don’t see anything except the

weird. She stands there, all nonchalance,

ask

into doing what she wants. But, something about Juliana’s

card is she holds in her hand

Someone else here?

right… back, front…. up. There’s no-one

Juliana giggle. “Larry,

phone?” Knotting my right hand tighter into his hair, keeping Jose immobile, the left is occupied holding

eyes slanting to my jacket pocket. “Yes, your phone. You've

but… she knows

is vibing. With both hands occupied, I push the muzzle of my gun into the back of Jose’s neck, tugging down on the ponytail with the other. “On your knees, hands clasped behind your

gaze follows him down, and now she’s definitely

the base of his skull, I fish the phone from my

… and turn cold…

of the usual accept/deny button, there's

image. It’s moving: a live feed. And of a view I

tables. Their backs are turned to me, but they’re clearly talking together, body language relaxed. James and

making my gut tighten and my mouth dry, crosshairs hover. Gliding across the screen, they move between the two men: first Michael, then James. Then drifting, as though by

live feed from

will it be, Larry? Your bitch whore or your bitch

Where the hell's Hickman?

doing his fucking

him

I can have them picked off one at a time. Or my sniper

Christ…

pauses in an overplayed dramatic silence…. “…. Or are you going to be a good boy and put

Don’t panic…

…

Think…

the muzzle of my Glock still to Jose’s head, I watch as Juliana mutters into her phone, grinning as her

give the

my surrender, then

Mitch…

Jenny…

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