Masters And Lovers 1-4

I’m supporting Charlotte. Mitch stays close by Michael, who doesn’t look happy.

Klempner moves around the room, standing by each door in turn, ear pressed close. He shakes his head a little. “Can’t hear a thing.”

Laying hand on handle. “Ready everyone? Let’s see if Laughing Boy is still out there.”

There’s a tremor in Michael’s voice. “Don’t hurt him if you don’t have to.”

Klempner’s reply is cool. “Why don't you give it a rest? I’d say you've let your brother get away with far too much.” Michael’s jaw sets.

Klempner stands by the exit to the passageway, easing the door open a crack, peering out. “Stand back.” As the gap widens, a shot ricochets through the opening. Klempner jerks back. “He’s by the stairs, blocking the exit.”

Michael pushes forward. “I’ll talk to him. He only shot me by accident. He wouldn’t do it deliberately.”

Klempner arches brows, standing back from the door, gesturing out. “It’s your funeral.”

Michael opens the door wide, calling out. “Ben, it’s me. Don’t shoot. I’m coming out.”

There’s no response. He steps out.

Klempner, his eyes fixed on the door, speaks side-long. “He’s moving cautiously for a man who thinks he was only shot by accident.”

Michael stands out in the corridor, looking out towards the stairs, then revolves, looking around, up and down the passage. “Ben?” Then he turns back to us, hands spread out in a WTF? gesture.

His eyes widen to something behind me. The back of my neck prickles and I spin…

The door behind me stands open, framing Ben, Baxter’s gun aimed…

Where’s he aiming?

It wavers, shifting between me, Mitch and Charlotte. Michael charges forward, standing between us and his brother.

Ben is flushed, sweating, his eyes wild.

He has lost it…

“Give it up, Bro,” says Michael. “You can’t win this one. You think I’m going to let you do this? Murder my wife and her child, her mother and my closest friend?”

Ben’s hand is shaking wildly… “You can’t keep living like this Mike. It’s not right. It’s not natural. It’s her child, not yours…”

Beside me, Klempner mutters, “This moron’s Eye-Candy’s brother?”

“’Fraid so.”

Ben’s still in full flow. "… You’re married to a whore and I still don’t understand how you can think it’s okay… or how she talked you into it." He casts a toxic glance my way. "And him…"

I lurch forward, but Klempner reaches, planting a palm on my chest. “You’d better let him sort this one out for himself,” he murmurs, “If you want it to stick.”

get an insight into the human

talk sanity into Ben, it’s going

is a man who thinks he should tell the rest of the world how to live. And when they disagree with him, sets out to

gun. Then the worst that’s happened is you’ve winged me in an accident. Just one

She could die. And all she ever did was try to warn Ben when he was out of

any attempt to brush it under the carpet. And that’s before any medical check on Charlotte

Michael jolts…

at him. “It’s not your

baby!” Mitch yells, striding forward. “It’s done nothing. Hurt

even

long enough,” mutters Klempner. “Get behind me, the lot of you.” He eye-points Charlotte and Mitch. “I mean it.

wrist. “You heard him. Back.” She flashes furious eyes at me. “I am not joking,” I hiss. “I

Ben. He paces up and down, Ben’s eye and hand following him. “You’re very quick to condemn, don’t you think? People just getting on with their lives. Not doing you any harm.”

barrel of the gun. “I know about you. You’re as bad as them.” He jerks his chin at Mitch. “She’s just a common whore, and here you are defending

don’t see that it should concern you. But since it does and you claim to know who I am… Of all the things I have on my sheet,

and shakes. Sweat runs down his now scarlet

has it right, Ben. Give it up,” drawls Klempner. “You’re not cut out for this. You just

“Go to hell.”

Save me

fuck do you think you are to be telling me what to do? It’s nothing to do with

jabs his left hand towards Charlotte, “… And she’s carrying my grandchild. So, if you imagine

still hangs loosely by his side, but he feels about as safe to be near

want her dead.” The hand swings to me and I find myself, briefly, looking down the barrel of his gun. “Him too. But you haven't got the balls to do it. You’re just a little

red to white, his gun swinging wildly between Charlotte and me, following Klempner’s words, but Klempner keeps

faced down worse than you three times before breakfast. Real bad bastards. The kind who’ll hack off an arm or a leg because they

his left thumb at me… “You wanted me to murder him for you… But that went wrong too, didn’t it? And you don’t have the guts to do your own

you had the balls to do it. All you needed to do was tape over their noses as well as their mouths, but you’re too much of a coward for that either, so

the man who it turned out is a complete dog-shit, but that’s not her fault. And she…” The finger swings back to Charlotte… “… She was running the gauntlet when she was six.

finger swings

Good God…

my daughter from a bullet. It nearly killed him, and I know it’s not a myth because I just fucking saw him do it again, when you were sending off pot-shots while

Ben? What are you proud of? Sweet fuck-all that I can see. No, you take some high moral stance that says it’s right to take offense at your own brother and the

exchanges glances

a moral

stopping Ben

still holding the gun, and it’s aimed

isn’t batting

ever accused him

Or stupidity…

shifts: almost a pre-movement that tells you something is

whips

own weapon.

ducks, slaps at his cheek and the trickle of blood there, curses, and