Page 39 of Unknown

He tried the door. Locked.

But not for long. Not now, with that fight going on inside. He needed to break it up. Gabe stepped back to the edge of the corridor. Then, pushing off from the wall, he surged forward, using speed and power and muscle, raising his leg, and letting out a huge, roundhouse kick at the point where the lock was.

The door splintered under the force of his kick, and Gabe stumbled into the apartment, bracing himself for whatever he might find.

Two people were in the living room. A dark haired woman was cowering down on the couch. A man with cropped, red hair stood threateningly over her. He had his fist raised, and that made Gabe see red.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Donnie Platter? What the hell are you doing to her?"

"Get out!" Donnie yelled back, his face brick red. "Whoever you are, get out! It's just an argument. What the hell are you doing interfering?"

"Please, don't go!" the woman begged. "He was going to hit me. Please, stay. Don't leave me alone with him."

Gabe ignored Donnie's words and stepped forward, his eyes never leaving the other man's face. "Looks like you're the one that needs to leave. Now." He advanced, his fists clenching at his sides.

Donnie hesitated, narrowing his eyes as he assessed Gabe's body language. But then his expression twisted into anger, and he lunged forward, aiming a punch at Gabe's jaw.

Gabe dodged the blow, then retaliated with a powerful uppercut that connected with Donnie's chin. His teeth clicked together audibly and Donnie's head jerked back.

With a cry, Donnie staggered back, breathing hard, staring at Gabe with a whole different look on his face.

And then he turned and raced out of the apartment, so suddenly and fast that Gabe was taken aback. He lost a vital few seconds before he took off, sprinting in pursuit.

Donnie was already running down the corridor, racing for the stairs, which he took two at a time. He dodged out of the building while Gabe was still on the stairs. And as Gabe burst out of the apartment, he heard the sound he dreaded. The roar of the Jeep starting up.

"No way! No way!" Gabe muttered to himself. He sprinted for the Jeep, and wrenched open the door just as Donnie tried to floor it. The car flew back a yard, and then stalled. Gabe hung grimly on to the door, scrambling inside, fighting Donnie tooth and nail for the keys. But Donnie was fighting with the strength of desperation. Gabe took a kick to the thigh, and just dodged a punch that could have been lights out if it had landed.

The two men grappled with each other, fiercely, holding nothing back. This was more than just a fight for the car keys. This was a fight for survival. Donnie was determined to get away, and Gabe was equally determined to stop him.

But Gabe was not going to let Donnie win this fight. Not after what he had just witnessed in the apartment. He grabbed Donnie's wrist and twisted it, making him scream in pain.

But Donnie wasn't done yet. He launched himself at Gabe, tackling him, and the two men tumbled onto the pavement, rolling around in a flurry of fists and feet.

Gabe saw an opening and took it, landing a punch to Donnie's jaw. The man reeled back, temporarily stunned, but then he kicked Gabe in the stomach and made a run for the driver's seat.

Gasping from the blow, Gabe got up, diving for the Jeep, determined to stop him.

He wrenched the keys out of Donnie's hand and, desperate to buy some time, flung them away as hard as he could.

They landed near the entrance gate, and as Donnie burst out of the Jeep, shoving Gabe aside and making a run for them, a tiny sedan pulled up. He recognized it. It was Trisha’s car, the one she’d loaned to Cora. Reinforcements had arrived, and far faster than he’d expected. Cora must have driven like a demon.

Immediately, she jumped out. She took one look at the situation. Leaping forward, she put her foot on the discarded keys and drew her gun.

Now, Donnie was staring down its barrel. The tables were turned.

Gabe knew that they might just get this reluctant witness to talk after all.

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

Cora felt a flare of triumph as she saw Gabe toss the keys in exactly the right direction. He'd obviously been fighting hard with Donnie, and had managed to delay him for long enough for her to arrive.

She stamped her foot down on that bunch of keys and drew her gun.

"Donnie Platter, you have some answers to give us," Cora said. “And I want them. Now.”

She liked the fact that he took the threat of the gun seriously. He didn't think she was bluffing and that was good, because she wasn't. She wouldn't hesitate to shoot a lowlife like him, someone who'd been beating up on his woman before Gabe had so fortunately arrived.

Donnie's face twisted in fear and anger. But he didn't move a muscle. "What do you want from me? I done nothing wrong! It was just an argument. I didn't lay a finger on her."

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