Locked Up

Stu gently shoved Katie into the cold room, wanting to get her to somewhere safe. He hadn't meant for her to get caught up in his business, but she'd been in the line of fire and he wasn't about to let her get hurt. Well, that was after he thought she was working for Farrelly.

"Where are we?" Katie crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Stu put his gun down onto the coffee table centred in the room.

"Somewhere safe." Stu murmured, taking his jacket off and undoing the first few buttons of his shirt.

"This is safe?" Katie shook her head. The atmosphere oozed of nothing but fear and danger. She didn't like it one bit. He'd taken her to the back of an old bar and up the fire escape. "You're crazy."

"You're not the first person to tell me that." The chuckle that left Stu angered Katie to her core. She wasn't fucking laughing.

"I can take it from here." Katie made a quick dash around the brute Englishman. Trying to remember the twists the turns they'd taken so she could get out. She gasped as his arms gripped around her waist, picking her up slightly.

"Oh no you don't." Stu's grip was firm but it didn't hurt. "Stay here until morning, then you can leave when it's light and safe."

"What makes you think I don't have anyone to go home to? Anyone who'd be worried about me?" Katie stopped struggling, but her breaths still came out in short rapid pants.

Stu stared her down, not at all surprised by the determined look on her face. Maybe he should have been expecting a smack in the face for dragging her here, but then he remembered he'd saved her life - sort of.

"I used to be a cop." Stu spluttered out, hoping to bide himself some time. Maybe she'd trust him a little bit more

"But you're English."

Katie shook her head, a little confused until Stu said, "I was in the police force in England."

Stu let her slip from his grip and thankfully she didn't run again. He felt a sudden pang of guilt as fear flashed across her eyes again. However the longer he stared at her, the more she closed up. Her arms crossed against her chest and she moved to take a look around the room.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm a good guy."

"You're crazy and dangerous and I don't like you one bit." With a sigh, Katie slumped down on the edge of a leather sofa that took up a lot of the space in the room. Aside from that and a crooked looking coffee table, the room was barren.

Stu watched as she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear then bit onto her bottom lip. Consumed deep in thought, he wondered what was going through her mind. Having being shrouded in his own personal battles for the past few months, he forgot what it was like to actually show emotion to another person. Slowly he walked over to the sofa and crouched down beside her. He lifted his hand to place his palm on her knee, but the cold stare he received made him stop about an inch before he touched any bare flesh.

Katie held her hand up, as if to say silence him so she could speak. Instead Stu said, "You grazed your hands?"

Taking hold of one delicate hand so he could get a better look at her palm, Katie looked a little surprised. Spotted with blood and tiny bits of dirt, they only needed a clean.

"Just a little bit."

"There's a bedroom down the hall with a bathroom. We'll go there and get you cleaned up." Once again Stu was ordering her around but he couldn't help it. He was dominant and he wanted things done his way.

"I'll go, but you have to do something for me?" Katie looked up, finally meeting his gaze for a second before she looked over his shoulder.

"Oh yeah, and what's that?"

"Tell me who Farrelly is and why he's trying to kill you?"

No wonder she wouldn't look at him. She'd asked to know things he wasn't willing to give up - not to a stranger anyway. But he knew if he wanted to keep her put without tying her up, he'd have to be a little lenient. Somehow he'd give her enough information to satisfy her, but for now he just said, "Behave and I will."

Katie nodded obediently and Stu stood up, gesturing towards the door but not saying a word. He picked his gun up and moved out of the room, checking to make sure Katie was following him. He smiled to himself as he looked at her for a second. Her eyes were wide, darting around as if checking her surroundings for clues to where they were.

Stu stopped to take hold of Katie's elbow and gently he pulled her into a room along the corridor just a few doors down. Searching the bare wall for a light switch, it was a moment before he could see the state of the room. Not as bad as he'd expected or since the last time he had to crash here.

Another leather sofa sat in the corner of the room; opposite, a big double bed sat against the wall at the far side of the room, light from the window and the street lights stretched across the plain white bed sheets. A chest of drawers completed the furniture in the room. It wasn't much, but better than nothing at all.

"I'm not sleeping on that." Katie uttered as Stu shut the door behind them.

"You don't have to sleep." Taking a few long strides across the room, Stu pulled the curtains together to make sure no one could see in. He didn't want to take chances or make any more bad decisions.

"Right." Taking another look around the room, Katie didn't know what to do with herself.

"First, we need to get your hands cleaned." Placing his gun down on the bed, Stu took his jacket off and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. He sauntered over to the adjoining bathroom and flipped the light on, "Come 'ere."

Staring at him for a few moments, Stu was unsure whether Katie would unglue her feet from the floor and join him. He knew she would eventually so he started running the water, trying to get it to a comfortable temperature for her. Who knew he could be so considerate?

Once he felt her next to him, he reached for her and brought her to stand in front of him. Their gazes locked in the small mirror above the sink, only for a split second, then Katie's ducked down to stare at the sink.

"I can do this myself."

"Please." Stu sighed, wanting to get rid of the guilt that still settled over him, "Just let me."

Saying nothing but finally giving a small nod, Katie let him. She was starting to make him feel things – mainly guilt – and he didn't like it one bit. He took her hands in his, noting the size difference before rubbing her hands gently under the water. He stared at her through the mirror, her narrow shoulders looked even smaller with him stood behind her. Everything about her was delicate and petite. She'd given him one hell of a fight though, which he couldn't help but admire.

"You're staring at me." Katie mumbled, finally looking up at him.

Turning the faucet off, Stu didn't reply. Instead he turned her around so he could get a better look at her hands. Blood and dirt gone, they looked a damn sight better. However he couldn't get rid of the feeling still hanging over him. And now he had no idea what is was. Maybe when she was out of his sight he'd be able to start thinking straight again, but for now, he had some things to explain to her.

Grabbing a white towel from the side of the bathtub, he handed it to her and left the small bathroom. He needed to make a few calls before he did anything else. Farrelly was onto him, and no doubt still nearby - he wasn't about to let an innocent women get involved.

A/N – Thank you DefinitelyProbablyMaybe, kendra151, xj0j0x, ThatGirl54, ResplendentAnarchist, Nisi85, 17dreamer1212 and xVikingPunk for the amazing reviews. Thanks to you I've decided to lengthen this story (I was planning on making this a twoshot). Hope you keep reading :) Lou x