Stevie glanced round the flat, it had black carpets throughout and she had no doubt in her mind it was to hide stains of blood and alcohol. The walls were a deep shade of red and she gulped as Pitball pushed her into the living room and down on to a white sofa in the corner. "Where is Jade?" she asked, hoping the mention of his daughter would pull him back to reality and he would leave her. He didn't reply, Stevie shook her head as he began to unbutton his shirt "I'm not going to have sex with you, I love Smithy-"

"You owe me Stevie and I'm sure Smithy knows as well as I do people have to repay their debts and I don't want to have sex with you-" he began to pull at his belt and a grin spread across his face, his black and brown teeth showing through "You are just going to do me a favour". Seeing the woman walk into the room Stevie breathed a sigh of relief, she had long blonde greasy hair, make up that had smudged around her eyes, she had marks visible from across the room on her arms that proved to Stevie she was a drug addict. "Get out" Dave shouted and Stevie watched the woman turn and head from the room

"I can't do this, beat me up I don't care but Smithy is the only man I can-" she waved her hand at him as he pulled the zip to his jeans down

"I don't think you are understanding me here Stevie-" he lent over where she sat "Im not offering an option. I want to know what it is you have that's made Smithy not look at another woman in the last fifteen years-"

"He loves me-"

"I love my wife-" he wrapped his hand round her throat and pushed her back onto the sofa, he lent over her body and snarled "Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way-".

"Please don't do this, Smithy he will never let you get away with it-"

"And you think I'm scared of that tosser-"

"He'll kill you-"

"I would like to see him fucking try" he growled before gripping her hand with his free hand and pushing it into his trousers "Get to work sweetheart".


"What the hell is going on?" The voice questioned causing the pair to jump apart. Callum stared at him, dropping his hands from Hayleigh. She moved past him mumbling about checking on her baby before heading back into the block of the flats, the two men stood staring at each other, a thick sense of tension between them, so thick they would need a pretty sharp knife to cut it. "Are you trying to get us all killed?"

"Dont Smithy, I didn't plan this-"

"You know her and Pitball are at it"

"She deserves better and I like her"

"And what about Millie?"

"She is just an act-" Callum went to push past him "And besides she never needs to know"

"There is no way I'm keeping this from her"

"You have got to be fucking kidding me" he pushed the Inspector back against the stone wall behind him "You will fuck this entire operation"

"It aint me that is trying to shag one of the fucking suspects" he pushed him back towards the door "I can't believe you some times Stone". Smithy walked back into the building and headed for the party.


Neil and Grace arrived in the office a few moments apart, despite the fact they had travelled together, they wanted to keep gossip to a minimum. Neil had sat watching the screen begging Stevie inwardly to appear, to be fine and happy. "Get onto the super-" he spoke after a few moments and Mickey rose to his feet and passed Grace in the door way "We will have to go in" he stressed as Grace sat down in the seat Mickey had vacated. "For all we know Callum and Smithy could be dead and Stevie in danger-"

"They will be fine Neil-"

"And you know that do you?"

"I'm sure they will be ok Neil, Smithy and Callum can look after themselves and Stevie is as tough as old boots"

"If anything happens-"

"There look-" Grace rose to her feet pointing to the camera "Its Smithy". They watched the screen as the Inspector walked round the party looking rather lost. Callum appeared a few moments later and they appeared to be having a heated argument but with them being so far from the cameras and the party noise they couldn't make out what it was about. "I told you they would be fine Neil-"

"Where is Stevie?" he asked rhetorically "Come on where is she?"

"The super is coming in" Mickey's voice startled them from the door way as he moved over and looked at the camera screens.

"Where is she!" Neil asked once again "There is Millie" he spoke before pointing at the camera. Smithy appeared to shout something to her before she stormed away and towards the bedroom she shared with Callum. "What the hell is going on?".


Millie stared at the man stood a few feet away, a few days ago she wouldn't of cared less who her Sergeant was sleeping with but after Smithy had just told her what he had seen Callum doing she could throttle him, she knew he had a bit of a reputation, he and Smithy both did, but he was putting their lives on the line. "Hayleigh-" she shouted "You are getting it on with Pitball's girlfriend-"

"It's not like that"

"Well that's not what Smithy said"

"Fuck Smithy, we are all in this together"

"Clearly not as you are putting my life in danger-"

"I wont let you get hurt but I like Hayleigh"

"Enough to jeopardise this entire investigation-"

"It wont, I wont act on it until Pitball is locked away for life"

"I always knew you were a difficult man, a womanizer yeah maybe but an idiot that's one thing I never had you down as, this is it I'm walking. I can't do this anymore-"

"And what about me?" he shouted, grabbing her wrist as she went to pass him "And Smithy and Stevie?"

"Shit Stevie" she shouted before running from the room in search of Smithy once again.


Neil stared at the screens, willing Stevie to appear, even just for a second, just so they knew she was ok. The officers in the room had remained silent since Mickey had burst back into the room, ten or so minutes ago. They knew Jack was on his way in and Neil knew Jack wouldn't be happy that Stevie had disappeared. "Theres Smithy" Grace spoke pulling the DI from his trance as she tapped a screen "He has gone back to he's and Stevie's flat"

"So where is Stevie?" Mickey asked

"She will be ok" Grace smiled.

"There is Callum and Millie" she pointed to the screen and smiled "Where are they going?" she asked as the two officers frantically searched the flat full of people.

"DI Manson have you found DS Moss" Jack barked from the door way

"Not yet no"

"My office now Neil" the two officers walked from the room and Mickey smiled over at Grace.

She looked nervous, her eyes filled with fear, regret, he didn't know "Its alright, Stevie will be fine"

"It's not just her I'm worried for" She replied glancing at the door Neil had left through.

Mickey pulled his phone from his pocket "I'm going to try to ring Smithy and find out what is going on".


"What are you doing Dad?". Stevie pulled her hand from him and rose to her feet, the tears were streaming down her cheeks and she viciously wiped them away. Jade smiled slightly at him before glancing to Stevie as she grabbed her handbag from the floor "Are you ok?" she asked softly to which Stevie only nodded, she was lost for words, she had no doubt that if Jade had not just walked into the room she would have been in immense danger. She went to move past the young girl who forced a smile to her face "Is it still ok for me to work with you tomorrow?" she glared at her Dad as he sat without a care in the world on the sofa "Because if you prefer that I didnt-" Stevie suddenly saw Jade for what she had been the entire time, a kid, a young and defenceless kid.

"Yes corse, be ready for eight". She ran from the flat and straight out the front of the flats before being violently sick. She had never been so frightened in her life, she couldn't believe what had just happened, what that man had made her do!

"Stevie, are you ok?" Callum asked as he placed his hand to her back "What happened? what did he do?"

"Nothing-" she panted wiping her chin with the back of her hand before turning to face the two "He just made me touch him, it was nothing I couldn't handle, where is Smithy?"

"We don't know-" Millie cut in "Are you sure you are ok?".

Stevie nodded before gesturing down to her flat the other end of the road "I just need to go home. See you tomorrow". Stevie tottered along the road as fast as her large heels would allow, taking in the young kids glaring at her, this was horrible, it was like hell on earth. She sprinted up the stairs quicker that she imagined possible, ignoring the smell of urine and sick, usually it made her gag but right now she needed no more excuses. She slipped her key into the lock before bursting straight through into the bathroom and vomiting violently into the toilet once again. She heard Smithy cross the flat towards the bedroom, he was on his phone and she could tell by his tone he was worried about something, most probably her. She quickly lent up and flicked the lock to the door, preventing him from entering.

He tried the door handle "Stevie-" he called tapping lightly on the door "Are you ok?"

Wiping her mouth once again she forced a happy voice from her mouth, she couldn't let on how distressing this really was "I'm fine Smithy, I will be out in a second". Stevie forced herself to her feet and wiped her mouth before heading over to the sink and washing violently at her hands, she scrubbed them until the skin turned a blood-red colour. She ran her hands through her hair and wiped at her make up, intent on making herself look at least half decent.


"What the hell was that Dad?" Jade shouted at the man sat on the sofa, he run his hand through his short brown hair and jumped to his feet, he moved over and forced his young daughter back against the door, holding her throat tight in his grips, "Where you going to rape her?" she breathed through his tightening grip, he was snarling, much like an angry dog after a piece of meat "Dad you are hurting me"

"Get out of my sight Jade" he snapped turning from her

"What was going on Dad" she asked and he turned back to her, forcing her against the red wall once again

"She wanted me. I know she did"

"She was crying Dad"

"I'm going to see Hayleigh, your mother is pissed, sort her out again" he snapped.

Jade moved into the kitchen, her mum was fast asleep in a dinning room chair, her head placed onto the table a small amount of drool dropping from her mouth. "This is shit" she said to herself before storming back out of the flat.


The two senior detectives had been sat in Jacks office for roughly twenty minutes, Jack had shouted and screamed, told Neil he was irresponsible and that Stevie had been put in immense danger and it was down to him. Mickey had knocked a few minutes ago to say she had been seen and he hoped that would be the end of his rollicking but no such luck, it really wasnt his week. Jack had continued to tell him that since the start of his relationship with DC Dasari he's focus had been on anything but work. "If anything had of happened to Stevie-" he said for what felt like the hundredth time "I cant stress how serious this is Neil. I feel the only way to ensure the officers safety is to pull them out"

"No Sir that's absolutely not the right thing to do"

"I have to think of the officers"

"And you have to think of the operation, Sir this is the only chance to put Simmions away"

"Yes but I'm not going to lose one of my officers in the process"

"I understand that Sir but just give them one more day, Stevie is due to start work with Simmions daughter tomorrow, just one more day, please Sir"

"One more day. But if there is so much as a sniff of trouble-"

"I will pull them myself".


Millie stormed back into the flat and over to the CD player the music was pounding from, she switched it off and turned to the moaning people behind her "Everybody out. The party is over" she shouted. A few people shouted abuse and she waved her hand to dismiss them. Once in the bedroom she began to pack her things into her bag, hearing the door bang she shouted "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I'm sorry Millie but-"

"Don't try to defend what you did"

"I'm not going to Millie, I shouldn't of kissed Hayleigh, it could put us all in danger but have you never felt that intensity with someone, where you must have them and you can think of nothing more-"

"Yes I have-" she shouted, thinking back to the very few times she came close with DS Max Carter, she had really cared for him but he had made it clear if anything was to happen, it would be a fling and nothing more, she had briefly transferred from Sunhill because of it but had returned with her head held high "But I never let it interfere with my work, I wouldn't"

"And I wont. I will not act on anything with Hayleigh until this is all over, I promise, you have my word" he didn't believe the sentence himself and he had no doubt he wouldn't be able to stay away from Hayleigh

Millie nodded slightly as she began to unpack her things once again "Just get all these people out and stay out of my way Callum"

"Yes, I will go out for a few hours". He headed out into the party which had already fallen apart, only a few drunks left in the living room, which he turfed out before they knew what was happening. He headed out the front door and instead of turning to leave the block of flats he headed up the stairs with the intent of starting where he left off with Hayleigh, despite it meaning he was breaking his promise instantly.


Stevie had showered and made herself feel more human, she pulled her dressing gown from the back of the bathroom door and wrapped her body in it. She wiped at the tears that stung her eyes. Smithy had banged on the bathroom door for a few moments when she had first rushed in but now he had gone quiet no doubt sitting in the living room drinking a beer, winding down, the thought made her smile, he really was an amazing person. She pushed on the bathroom door and seeing him sat on the edge of the bed in the middle of the bedroom she froze, he rose to his feet and without saying a single word moved towards her and wrapped her in a warm hug, not the sort of affection he had shown her in the last few days, needing and filled with lust for her, this was fulled by his desire to protect and care for her. He was gently stroking her hair and he placed a kiss to top of her head before he pulled back from her "I love you-" he spoke softly but she had never heard him sound so sincere "Did he hurt you?" he asked.

"Smithy-"

"I just need to know Stevie"

"He made me touch him-" she moved over and rested onto the bed and he followed sinking down in front of her, he lifted her hand to his lips "If Jade hadn't of come in, I think he would have gone further"

"Where did you touch him?" Stevie could see the torture that spread over his face, in his eyes he had failed her, all he had ever tried to do was protect her and he hadn't

"Don't Smithy, don't torture yourself"

"I'm gonna kill him" he rose to his feet and she grabbed his hand as he stood by the bedroom door, her stood just in front of him, she took hold of his hands and moved back towards the door she was blocking his way "Stevie let me go"

"I cant Smithy-" his eyes fell to the floor and she could see the tears he was battling with "I love you Smithy and I'm not going to let you go down there and get yourself killed. We are going to put him behind bars and then live happily ever after"

"What am I meant to do? just forget it"

"For now yes Smithy-" she moved into his body and his hands dropped to her hips as she pushed up and into his lips "Show me you love me" she breathed against his lips before she took his hand and led him towards the bed.


Neil flopped down into his black leather chair and glanced round the office, the more time he spent there the less attached to the building he felt, he was starting to realise the only thing he really cared about was his relationship with Grace and his son but right now he was failing the two most important people in his life. He glanced at the computer before beginning to type, it had taken him some time but he finally knew what was important to him. He had been typing about twenty minutes when he saw Grace cross CID and knock lightly on his open door before walking in. "It wasn't your fault Neil"

"No it wasn't but if anything had happened the blame would have fell with me and I had dropped the ball because I was so wrapped up in what was happening with us"

"What are you saying?"

"I have to make a decision"

"About us?"

"Us, Jake, this place, everything-"

"And what have you decided?"

"All I want is to make you happy, so I am going to complete me notice here and follow you out to Africa"

"What about Jake Neil? I'm going for six months, maybe longer"

"I can fly back and forth, I don't want to lose you Gracie and I know you can't give up this opportunity"

"Do you want to go?". She noticed his eyes drift over his computer screen and he pointed to it, forcing his eyes to meet hers once again

"I have written my resignation"

"That's not what I asked?"

"It's not what I would choose to do-"

"You can't put this onto me Neil, I don't want you to come just for me-"

"What am I meant to do? You are flying half way round the world-"

"Do the right thing and let me go. You have your career and son to think about. You cant chuck it away for me"

"You said you wanted me to come"

"I wanted you to want to come Neil. I'm sorry, tonight was a mistake".


Smithy closed his eyes, he could feel the blondes tears drop onto his bare chest, he cuddled her further into his body and she ran her hand up and over his chest before glancing up to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry" she whispered and he kissed her lips to silence her. He rooted his hands deep into her hair and she lent further over his body, the soft feel of his chest brushing her bare skin felt perfect and despite how awful Pitball had made her feel she didn't want to acknowledge that right now, all she cared about was the man who was kissing her.

"I will get him Stevie" he panted as he withdrew from their kiss

"Let it go, please"

"Its assault"

"I don't care because when we nail him it will be for Dalton's murder and he will do life"

"Are you going to try to get some information out of Jade tomorrow?"

"As much as I can, she is sixteen years old and her father is a monster, she is so clued up-"

"But she is just a kid, you can get it out of her"

"I feel guilty, her Mum is a right state and her Dad is going to go to prison, she will be left all alone"

"I'm sure she can fend for herself-"

"Have a heart, she is just a kid"

"Yeah and a mouthy one at that. I have a heart Stevie but all I care about is protecting you".


Callum lifted his fist and banged on the door, he pushed his hand through his hair and fixed his shirt. He lent forward, he could hear shouting, there was rowing coming from inside. The door flung open and Pitball appeared, Callum froze as he snarled at him, he could see where he got his nickname from. "What the fuck do you want?"

"I came to ask you to keep the noise down-" Callum replied thinking on his feet, he couldn't admit the truth

"The noise, you came about the noise"

"Yeah it sounds like world war bloody three in my flat-"

"And you think I give a flying fuck, I will make as much noise as I want, this is my street and people will respect me and if you want a quiet life fuck off" he stormed off and down the stairs. Callum glanced at the open door before stepping inside and wandering through to the living room

"Hayleigh, are you ok?" he spoke softly moving over to her and sinking next to her, she had a towel pushed to her cheek, a small trickle of blood dripped from it. "He hit you"

"He wanted sex, I'm guessing one of his other girls hadn't give it too him but I didn't want too-"

"Why?"

"Because of you" she made her eyes meet his "I couldn't get you out of my head"

"Hayleigh I'm a married man-"

"So is Pitball, I'm used to being the other woman"

"I don't want you to be Hayleigh. I know you said a little fun but that's not what I want-"

"So are you going to tell Millie?"

"Not yet no, Pitball isn't going to be around much longer and when he has gone, I will get you out of here and we can be a couple, a normal couple-"

"Where is Pitball going?". He knew he shouldn't of said as much as he had, could he really put all of them at risk and the whole investigation and all his trust in a woman he barely knew.