The same sound of the door made Karl stop, the grip on her arm increased with sensing someone else in the alleyway. He didn't know who it was, although by the sound of the steps against the ground, it seemed someone heavyset with a solid walk. Either way, on this territory, anyone was a risk.
His first instinct was to reach for the 9mm inside of his jacket, since he couldn't miss at this range. But logic quickly overcame basic instinct and told him that it was a mess that they couldn't afford.
That she, couldn't afford.
So the next alternative was setting up something, but he was not going to hit her. Instead, his hands came up and wrapped themselves around her neck instead, shaking her hard enough to be convincing before crushing his mouth against hers.