Hot Revenge Box Set 4

The Wolves and the Nightshades…

Gang names…

?

‘Wolves’ has masculine overtones, a touch of the machismo about it. I can see that as a gang name.

But Nightshades?

What gang calls itself Nightshades?

Poison is a woman’s weapon…

Chewing my potato, I retrieve Sola’s text on poisons.

Nightshade…

Also known as Belladonna… ‘used historically as medicine, poison and cosmetic…

Cosmetic?

I read on… Belladona…’Beautiful lady… the juice used historically in Italy to enlarge the pupils of women to enhance their appearance…

Fuck me…

I flick a page or two: Symptoms of belladonna poisoning… dilated pupils, rash or flushed skin on the face, neck and upper body, accelerated heartbeat, epileptic spasms, vomiting…

*****

James

“What do you think?”

Michael raises brows. “Klempner?”

“Of course, Klempner. D’you think he’s alive?”

He scratches into his scalp. “With the kind of life he's led… leads… I suppose it was only a matter of time before he walked into one of these situations and didn’t walk out again.”

“I suppose. Still, it’s hard to imagine him going down with some half-crazed woman. I mean, drug barons, criminal overlords, yes. Experienced mercenaries or assassins… You can see how they might have outclassed him. But some half-cocked girl with a grudge? How could she have gotten the better of him?”

“That’s not really the question is it?”

“No?”

“No. The question is, how is Mitch handling it?”

Guilt clutches at me. “Not well.”

*****

Klempner

as though

dragons. It’s too loud against the curly,

did you

a fucking wow

going to

sit a little more comfortably, straightening up against the wall.

weight is on my backside and I was never bulky. There’s not enough flesh there to cushion me against

pressing, she snaps,

with concrete rubbing a hole in your

comfy?”

your idea is to keep me incarcerated in the dark for as long

sucks air through her teeth, then props her chin on

“A chair?”

chair. I didn’t bring you down here

skin from rubbing against damp concrete. If they get infected which, in these conditions, they probably will, your source of entertainment will be cut

and smiles. “We'll see. Perhaps I’ll give you something… since you're learning to ask nicely… like a good

*****

my corner, I stare into the

This is it then.

all… Outlived

Mercenaries…

Murderers…

Machete-wielding savages…

bastards just like me… Some of them worse than

I survived the lot.

captured by

…

…

No… Not stupid…

Vengeful…

Depraved…

Insane…

Yes, insane…

don’t find something to

a

exactly a medical diagnosis, but encapsulating all the important

What's her intention?

What does she want?

To kill me?

I'd already be dead.

at least not

does she

Power.

wielding