Chapter 43

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



She’s back, and behaving as though our previous meeting never happened.

The day’s fashion statement consists of a tight geisha-style dress in green silk, heavily embroidered
with gold dragons. It’s too loud against the curly, mid-brown hair and subdued, flesh-tone lipstick. But
I’m not about to pass comment.

How the hell did you seduce so many men?

Must be a fucking wow in the sack…

“So what are we going to talk about today, Larry?”

I shift my position, trying to sit a little more comfortably, straightening up against the wall. “What would
you like to talk about? My packed social calendar?”

I shift again. My tailbone is rubbing and I move to ease the pressure. It works, but now my weight is on
my backside and I was never bulky. There’s not enough flesh there to cushion me against the concrete.

Lips pressing, she snaps, “You’re not paying attention.”

“It’s not easy to pay attention with concrete rubbing a hole in your ass.”

“Poor baby. Aren’t you comfy?” Pleasure gleams in her eye.

“I’m sure you know I’m not, but if your idea is to keep me incarcerated in the dark for as long as
possible, Juliana, you'd better let me have some basics.”

She sucks air through her teeth, then props her chin on her knuckles. “Such as?”

“A chair?”

“You’re not having a chair. I didn’t bring you down here to enjoy lounging around.”



“A cushion then? I’m getting sores in my skin from rubbing against damp concrete. If they get infected
which, in these conditions, they probably will, your source of entertainment will be cut short.”

“Hmmm…” She rocks a hand; sniffs and smiles. “We'll see. Perhaps I’ll give you something… since
you're learning to ask nicely… like a good pet.”

*****

Chained in my corner, I stare into the dark…

This is it then.

I survived it all… Outlived them all…

Mercenaries…

Murderers…

Machete-wielding savages…

A hundred bastards just like me… Some of them worse than me…

I survived the lot.

And I'm captured by one stupid female…

…

…

No… Not stupid…

Vengeful…



Depraved…

Insane…

Yes, insane…

I chuckle. If I don’t find something to laugh at, I’ll weep.

Madder than a sack of ferrets.

Not exactly a medical diagnosis, but encapsulating all the important points.

What's her intention?

What does she want?

To kill me?

I'd already be dead.

So, no. Or at least not immediately.

So what does she want?

Power.

To enjoy wielding power over me...

To gloat.

To starve me, but not quite.



Keep me alive, but rotting…

Come to visit and crow over me every so often? Or just watch me from the camera?

I enslaved her. Shipped her out to a life of hard manual labour. I put her in chains and took away her
choices.

So now she’s doing the same to me.

….

Mitch…

How can I help you?

The key…

It shines in the dim green light, about the only clean thing in this stinking hole.

Of course she left it there deliberately.

Cheap entertainment for her…

…

What if Juliana gets bored?

Will she kill me outright?

Find something to do to make life worse?

Or just leave me to starve in the dark?



??

If she gets bored, it’ll be the end...

So, don’t let her get bored.

Entertain her...

Give her something to gloat about…

Juliana… Who single-handedly brought down Lawrence Klempner…

… and keeps him as a pet.

…

…

Mitch…

How to get that key?

*****


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