Chapter 24

Don't react….don't react….don't show any emotion. The words went over and over in Hutch's head as he followed Durniak into the wooden structure. The old gangster had warned him that any move, any comment or any reaction to whatever he saw or heard during the meeting would not bode well for them and ultimately for Starsky. And so the blond resolved to do everything in his power to say and do nothing.

When he got into the building however, and saw his partner's injured and bloody body on the floor surrounded by the semicircle of Sanna and his goons his first thought was to kill each and every one of them and rush to the brunet's side. Instead, he balled his hands into fists so tightly that his fingernails dugs into the palms of his hands and drew blood, sucked in a deep breath and focussed on a spot on the far wall above the heads of the men. OK ok don't look. He's hurt and you want to get to him, but Durniak said don't react. Oh God Starsk, what the hell have they done at ya buddy? I'm here. I'm here an' as soon as I can I'll get to ya. Just hang in there huh? Just a while longer. And in that split second he looked down and his eyes fastened onto his partner's

Starsky for his part was trying hard to make sense of what was going on. When the goons had picked him up and dragged him from the old department store, the pains the movements had set off in his body had plunged him once again into unconsciousness and mercifully he remained insensate for almost all of the ride over to the park in Sanna's car. However, when they hauled him out at the other end, the cool air of the early dawn bit at the exposed skin that protruded through his tattered shirt and revived him slightly. He managed to open his eyes, then closed them again against the pains, the dizziness and the nausea and he allowed his body to go limp as the goons hauled him into the wooden pavilion and dumped him onto the floor.

He remained where he'd been thrown, having neither the energy not the inclination to move. Breathing hurt, moving hurt and even thinking hurt and for a while he was content to merely be, waiting for whatever would come next and trying to make some sense of the whole situation. But try as he might he couldn't understand how he'd gone from being a man looking for the truth about his parent to hostage in one easy move.

And then he heard footsteps walking up the front steps to the place and into the large echoing room. The footsteps stopped and he forced his eyes open to look at the semi circle of shoes that surrounded him. Slowly he managed to lift his head, and there above him were the achingly familiar eyes of the man he'd come to know and trust.

Hutch!

Hutch had come for him. Everything would be fine now that Hutch was there, he knew that. But something was wrong. Hutch wasn't knelt at the side of him. Hutch didn't seem to notice he was there! What was going on? Why didn't his buddy help him?

The brunet dismissed the pains knifing through his body and tried to get to his knees. He managed only to lift the upper part of his body a little way from the floor, but it was enough and he inched forward towards the blond's shoes.

'Utssch' he whispered as he reached out his right, uninjured arm. 'Help?'

Hutch felt a sob rise in his throat, the effort of ignoring his partner's pitiful pleas almost more than he could endure. He closed his eyes and wished he could stuff his fingers into his ears as he heard the pained whisper again as Starsky pulled himself fractionally closer.

At first he thought the brunet's efforts had gone unnoticed, but at least one of Sanna's goons saw the moves and with a silent snicker, he lifted his boot and brought it down on the curly haired cop's fingers. Hutch watched as Starsky yelped and tried to retrieve his hand from under the sole of the man's shoe, but the goon leaned heavily down and Starsky seemed to give up the effort, his head sinking back onto the floor with a small moan.

With a great effort, Hutch tore his attention back to the two gangsters, Durniak and Sanna who were facing off across the circle of men, glaring at each other.

'Glad you could make it' Sanna muttered with mock civility

'You got my attention' Durniak said mildly, ignoring the man on the ground.

'Didn't I just! Are you ready to talk, old man?'

'You know my answer Marco. You've known my answer since day one. Just because you managed to get some leverage doesn't change squat'.

'The answer's still the same?' Sanna asked, a note of surprise in his voice.

'Of course. Did you think you could change my mind just like that?'

'So you'd let your own son suffer just for the sake of a few blocks?' Sanna asked disbelievingly.

'Your sources have the wrong information. He aint nuthin to do with me'.

'Dale said differently' Sanna remarked. 'Dale said he's yours. Your dirty little secret'.

'Dale's a fool'.

'Is he? I don't think so. Otherwise you wouldn't be here. He means more to you than you want to let on' Sanna nudged Starsky's body with the toe of his boot and another moan echoed around the room. Hutch felt as though he'd never breathe again and Durniak looked distinctly uncomfortable. Sanna watched the reaction and grinned. 'Means nothing huh?' he asked and drew back his foot to deliver a crippling blow. Hutch felt himself tense ready. There was no way he would let Sanna or anyone else lay a finger, foot or whisker on his partner, Durniak or no. Enough as enough.

But as Sanna started his forward swing, in the distance they could all hear the sound of police sirens, several of them ringing through the early morning air. Sanna replaced his foot on the ground and looked around angrily, ready to yell directions at his men when he saw the look of equal surprise on Durniak's face.

'What the hell?' he managed to spit out as he went for his gun. Durniak too went for his and suddenly all hell broke loose as the men from both the Rats and Kings drew their weapons and started to fire.

'Why tell the cops?' Sanna yelled. 'This was between us, old man. How the fuck could you be so stupid?'

'Wasn't me. This is your doing Marco. One of your guys must've done this. We can fight or we can…'

Sanna raised his gun, a look of pure hatred on his face. 'You double crossing no good….' The gun spoke in his hand, more effectively than any word that could be issued from his mouth, the sound loud in the confines of the pavilion. It was the catalyst the gangsters needed and within moments the sound of the fast approaching sirens was drowned out by the sounds of gunfire in the wooden pavilion.

As the shootout started, Hutch took his chance and dived forward, his big blond body falling to cover his partner's as he used himself as a human shield. With Starsky safe beneath him and his hands covering his head, he braced himself as the shots around then continued. There were incoherent shouts, shrieks as bullets hit and the nostril stripping scent of cordite heavy in the air. The blond heard screams and cries and then suddenly the sound of another voice through a loud hailer.

'Police freeze' it called into the building.

There was a split seconds silence before the gunshots started again and now there were more men in the big room. The flaxen haired cop snatched a quick look up to see a swat team entering the pavilion, rifles drawn and helmets down as they ploughed into the mêlée, their own gunfire adding to the noise and general confusion. Beside him a body hit the ground and Hutch braced himself for bullets to hit him, but none came. The cop team's superior fire power had won out over the gangsters smaller single shot weapons and suddenly there was silence in the room, the smoke from the guns floating in a heavy haze above the floor.

Hutch cast a quick look sideways and saw in the doorway of the pavilion a young girl of perhaps 18 or 19. She looked incongruous and out of place in the arena of battle in her tiny blue denim mini skirt and white halter top. She looked around in fear and confusion, finally spotting Marco Sanna laying covered in blood at the back of the room and slowly she picked her way over to him, kneeling by his side. At her touch, the gangster opened his eyes.

'Marco, I'm sorry…..I was so scared for you. I didn't want you to die…..I…..'

'You called the cops?' the gangster whispered haltingly.

She leaned over him, a single tear falling onto his upturned face 'I love you' she whispered.

'You called…..cops. Keep the ….fuck 'way from me' he managed to snap out and shuffled away from her. A uniformed cop pulled her away and she got up tearfully.

'I'm sorry' she cried. 'Truly I'm sorry' she murmured holding onto the cops arm for support. Reluctantly she turned away from Sanna and allowed herself to be led away.

Hutch looked about him, stunned at the sudden ferocity of the battle and it's equally sudden cessation. He levered himself up off Starsky's body as the girl was escorted past and she hesitated.

'Is he ok?' she asked quietly.

'Did you call the cops?' Hutch asked.

She nodded as though expecting some rebuke from him too but he smiled up at her. 'You may have just saved his life' he said softly and turned his attention back to the brunet. Above him he felt the metal muzzle of a gun pushed into his back and the blond froze automatically.

'Up nice and gentle Pal' the voice said and Hutch turned to see one of the armed cops standing over him.

'I'm a cop too' he said, his voice husky. 'I'm gonna reach for my badge ok?'

At the nod from the man with the gun, Hutch reached with his finger tips into his back pocket and pulled out his badge, flipping it open to reveal the shiny shield. 'Bay City PD. This is my partner. Can I see to him please? Can we get an ambulance here?'

The man nodded and gently Hutch pulled his buddy over until he could see Starsky's face. The eyes were closed and the blond winced at the fresh injuries over his face.

'Starsk, it all over buddy. I got ya' he said softly. 'Starsky, can ya open your eyes for me huh?'

Very slowly, indigo blue crescents showed below bruised eyelids and a frail smile flashed over Starsky's face. 'Knew you'd come' he managed to whisper.

'Where's it hurt buddy?' Hutch asked, taking his first proper look at his partner's blood soaked body.

'Everywhere…..leg'.

The blond looked at the makeshift tourniquet tied around Starsky's upper leg and the glass still sticking out of his friend's flesh. He reached down and touched the leather and Starsky's body trembled at the touch. 'Sssh. S'ok buddy. We're gonna take care of that. No problem. I need to slacken it Starsk. Will ya let me do that?'

The eyes flashed open again. 'Yeah…..hurts'.

'I know, I'll be as gentle as I can, but it needs doin' buddy. Ready?'

'No….'

Hutch braced himself and loosened the belt, holding onto Starsky's body as it bucked against the pain. The brunet whimpered into his partner's shirt as the knife like burning pains assailed him then groaned and trembled, trying to twist away as Hutch tightened the murderous loop again. The brunet panted weakly in his arms.

'F finished?'

'Yeah, I'm finished buddy. Just rest till the meat wagon gets here an' you'll soon be fine'.

'Ya always h had a lousy b bedside manner'.

Hutch snorted softly. 'Yeah? comes of dealin' with you all these years'.

'Yeah…..Utch?...where's Durniak?'

The flaxen haired cop looked round. In the confusion of the shootout and the ensuing reunion with his partner, Hutch hadn't thought about the old gangster, but now he cursed as he saw Joe's body on the floor at the other side of the room. Gently he laid Starsky back down on the ground and crawled over to the older man. He was unconscious, a bullet wound in his left shoulder perilously close to his heart. He had a pulse, weak and stuttering, but he'd need medical attention urgently. As he explored the wound, Durniak opened his eyes and smiled at Hutch calmly.

'How's my boy?' He whispered just as the paramedics arrived.