Page 81 of No Fear

Before she could change her mind, she lifted her hand and knocked on the door. Seconds later, it opened. A blond-haired man stood in the doorway wearing a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt. Young, maybe mid-twenties?

“Erm, sorry. I think I have the wrong apartment,” she said.

“Charlie?” the man said. How the hell did he know her name?

“I...er...who are you?”

Blond man smiled. “I’m a friend of Donnie’s. He showed me a picture of you.”

He had? Dismissing that thought, she said, “Oh. I heard he was hurt. I wanted to stop by and see if he needed anything.”

“Stop by? Don’t you live in upstate New York?” Blond man raised a quizzical eyebrow, glancing at her suitcase.

Charlie ignored his question. She didn’t need to explain herself to this man.

“Is Donnie here?”

“Mackie, who is it?” Donnie’s voice carried from inside.

“You got a visitor,” Mackie said over his shoulder, not moving.

“Who?”

“Charlie.”

“What?!”

Disbelief filled Donnie’s voice. Or was it alarm?

“Can I come in Mr...”

“I’m John Mackenzie. My friends call me Mackie. You should have called first.”

“Then he would have told me not to come, like he did his folks.”

Mackie grinned. “Yeah. You’re right. He would have done that. Look, I’m not being rude, but now might not be a good time.”

“Why not? How bad is he hurt?”

“You just heard him. He’s still talking.”

She let out an annoyed sigh. “Look, I just want to see if he’s OK. His family are worried. If he doesn’t want me to stay, I’ll leave.” Why the hell was he still blocking the door?

When Mackie folded his arm across his chest without answering, she placed her hands on her hips and called past him.

“Donnie? Can you tell your guard dog to let me in?”

“No.” Donnie’s response shocked her.

“What the hell?” She was about to say more, but Mackie stopped her.

“Look, he’s not himself right now. It’s not a good time.” he said quietly.

“If he’s hurt, I can help.” Now she was worried. Was it more than a concussion? “I’m not leaving until I see him.” She stood her ground.

If Mackie thought his height and build could intimidate her, he was mistaken. At five foot two, she was used to being surrounded by people taller than her.

Mackie sighed. “OK. Let me talk to him first. Can you wait here a minute? Please.”