After finishing up at the garage for the day, Ross decided to head straight home to get showered and changed before meeting Donna that evening. It had been a really uncomfortably hot all day. Debbie had stuck him out on the forecourt with no shade, working on the cars, whilst she claimed the shade of the garage and the basic fan. He was hot and tired, in need of a shower, change of clothes and nice ice cold larger. Unfortunately upon opening his front door and walking inside, he realised that wasn't what he was going to get so easily.
There, sat on the sofa, making himself a home was Gary North. The big time criminal that himself and Donna had tried to pull a fast one over on. He had thought, foolishly, that they had gotten away with it, pulled it off. When he had nearly caught them, Ross thought they had acted quite convincingly of a loved up couple who were too impatient to make it home to their own room. Gary seemed to have brought it when he saw them pressed up against his fence next to the wheelie bins in an embrace. He should have known better though, Ross should. It was only a matter of time before he worked it out, he wasn't stupid. This was the last thing Ross needed, dealing with the backlash of one of Donna's and his dodgy jobs when his younger brother was in hospital. He had been looking forward to unwinding down with Donna that evening, not facing the likes of Gary North in his living room.
Ross's heart was racing. It was a shock to find North sitting in his home. His blood had ran cold the minute he had seen him, feet up on the coffee table. What did Gary have planned for him? He had heard stories about the man, about the people who had gotten on the wrong side of him. Ross had already gotten on the wrong side of a big time criminal once before, ended up shot and bleeding to death in his auntie's kitchen.
"Nice place you have here." Gary spoke. "Hope you don't mind that I let myself in."
"What are you going here?" Ross demanded walking further into the room to stand in front of him.
"Ive just come to have a little chat, see how you are doing... How your brother-is it?- How's he doing?" Gary asked, a smile creeping on to his smug face.
"You what?" Ross snapped, his mind already jumping ahead and joining up the dots. "How do you know about him?"
Gary laughed. "Don't take what's not yours Ross Barton, didn't your mother ever teach you that? I don't like people taking my things-"
Gary had no chance to finish his statement. Ross had grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. How dare he! Ross had vowed to his brothers he would find who had tried to kill his brother and end them. He didn't care who they were. They would be sorry. He was going to make Gary sorry. He was the guy behind it. He was the one who had to pay.
Before North even knew he was on his feet Ross had thrown the first punch, sending Gary back down onto the sofa with a bloody lip. The young mechanic was fuming, his hands shook with rage, pure adrenaline was rushing through his veins, his chest heaved and his eyes only saw red.
"You shouldn't have done that boy." Gary chuckled, wiping the blood form his split lip.
"You shouldn't have touched my brother."
"You thought you could rob from me and getaway with it? You must be stupid. You can thank yourself for where your brother is now." Gary told him. "You practically put him there yourself."
"Shut up!"
"Who next? Hmmm?" North questioned, standing up so he was nearly nose to nose with Ross. "Your dad, James? Your older brother or what about that girl of yours?"
"What do you want?" North could mess with him but not his family. It wasn't nothing to do with his family. If he or anyone laid a hand on Donna, he would kill them.
"For you t do a job for me."
Ross shook his head. No way. They last time he agreed to play with big boys he ended up with a bullet in his shoulder. He had promised Donna he would go straight, no more messing in dodgy dealings.
"You've got no choice Ross. Either agree to do the job or someone close to you or Donna will get hurt." Gary told him.
"You wouldn't."
Without warning North swung a forceful punch straight into Ross's stomach, doubling him over before grabbing him by the arms and shoving him towards the wall separating the door and the kitchen. With the wind knocked out of him twice all Ross could do was try to catch a breath.
"I don't think I need to explain in detail what could happen." Gary spat in Ross's face. North let go of where he had hold of Ross pinned against the wall. Straightening his suit, with an air of arrogance about him, he headed towards the back door. "I shall leave you with a little taster of what could happen if you change your mind." He said, opening the door to allow a much bigger man to walk through.
He was much bigger than Ross. Yes, Ross wasn't skinny and weedy like Marlon, but he was nowhere near the size of this man. He was built like a house. His neck was huge; his arms alone looked like they could crush every bone in Ross's body. He didn't stand a chance.
Donna was sat impatiently waiting at cricket pavilion. She and Ross had claimed it for their own secret meeting place. Hardly anyone seemed to walk by and nobody used it anymore. It was the perfect place for them to be alone without anyone knowing. She had been sat on the steps for quite some time now. They had agreed to meet half an hour ago. He hadn't sent her a text message to warn her he would be late. Something was up.
Brushing down her trousers as she stood from the steps, Donna walked away from the cricket pavilion and began to head towards Ross's place. Hopefully he would be there, with some excuse about running late and being sorry that he hadn't sent a message because his phone had died, and not because he had some random woman upstairs again. As far as she was aware things were going good between them. Yes, she still wasn't ready to announce to the village about them two. Things still were a bit uneasy with Marlon, laurel and April and she didn't want to ruin things there. She had thought Ross understand and was happy with her decision.
It didn't take her long to get his, just a short walk from their meeting place. She was a little surprised to find his back door open, the lock busted. What had happened? Going straight into police officer mode, Donna carefully pushed the door further open, making sure she kept well back.
"Ross?!" She called, her eyes searching round the whole room before she stepped inside. "Ross?!"
A noise from the other side of the sofa made her jump. It sounded painful. Whoever it was, they were in pain. Quickly she crossed the room and peered round the sofa. She couldn't believe what she saw next. Her stomach dropped and her heart felt like it was being crushed. Ross huddled on the floor, blood ran down one side of his face from a cut in his hairline. He looked in pain, the way he held himself, so scared to move. One arm wrapped round his middle, the other cradled against his chest.
"What happened? Has someone robbed you?" Donna questioned, her eyes flying round the room looking for any signs for a robbery. Nothing looked to be taken, just trashed. "How badly are you hurt? Do you want me to call an ambulance?"
"No!" Ross flew at her, gasping from the pain it caused.
"Ross you can hardly move!" Donna pointed out.
"I'm fine. I just need to clean up that's all." Ross tried to assure her.
Forgetting about the painful throb in his left wrist, Ross placed it on the floor beside him to help push himself up from the floor. As soon as he did that, he cried out in pain, making Donna's heart clench. He quickly cradled his left wrist to his chest again, breathing deeply through his nose to help manage the pain.
Knowing he was in more pain then he was letting on and that there was no chance that he was getting up from the floor by himself, Donna got down beside him, putting her arms around him to help steady him as he pushed up from the floor with his legs. "Come one, one two three."
"Argh!" Ross grunted as he all but staggered, with Donna's help, towards the sofa, crashing down amongst the cushions.
"We need to get you to a doctor Ross." Donna told him, watching as he carefully tried to shift his body slightly on the sofa, holding onto his side his good arm. "You're a mess."
"No doctors."
Donna sat on the coffee table opposite Ross, hear hands on his knees as she watched him grimace in pain.
"Why though? What happened? What's the reason why you don't want to go near a hospital?"
"Because it was Gary." Ross breathed. "He knows it was us. He's the one who done this."
"... What?" The police offers blood ran cold. How could he know?
"He worked it out and he's not happy- Ah!"
"Ross you need me to take a look at you, make sure you're not seriously hurt. Let me clean you up a bit.. . please?" Donna asked.
He nodded his head.
