Trading Places

Splashing the lukewarm water onto his face, Stu was finally feeling the effects of the evening. Exhausted would be an understatement. Muscles ached, back throbbed and his legs felt like lead. He wasn't old by any means, but he couldn't do what the young guys did. Experience and knowledge would make up for the speed he could no longer run. He tugged open the cabinet above the sink, looking at the various bottles lined up. He took the aspirin, spilling a couple of pills into his palm. He turned the tap to cold, ducked his head towards the faucet and swallowed the pills. They would have to do for now.

Katie came to mind again. He shouldn't have lied to her. He was sort of a bounty hunter, working most of the time within the law, but Katie had stumbled across him at the wrong time.

Reaching for the hand towel, he rubbed it across his face and let out a grunt. He caught sight of the cuts on his back again and knew he wouldn't be able to sleep. He slung the towel onto the counter and shut the light off.

Expecting Katie to be sat up waiting for him, he was surprised to see her curled up on his side of the bed, eyes closed and looking fast asleep. Her once curled hair was almost straight, one long strand falling across her face. She looked peaceful and he didn't want to disturb that.

Leaving the room, he left the door ajar, knowing if she woke up she'd probably come looking for him. The house was silent, just how he liked it. He moved downstairs and into the office. Everything was just as he left it, the top of the desk empty and the room bare from pretty much anything else. There were no pictures, nothing what would lead the so called bad guys to the ones he loved. He didn't need clutter. Sitting down on the large leather chair behind the desk, he made sure not to lean back, knowing the pain wouldn't be worth it.

The frustration of Farrelly slipping through his fingers was weighing heavy on his mind now, knowing just how close he had been. Two months had passed and he felt as if he was going backwards, not forwards. He should have had him by now. The men he chased often left him with scars. The last took out his knee but at least he'd done his job and got the man behind bars.

With his mind a whirlwind of thoughts, he closed his eyes and leaned his elbows on the edge of the desk, burying his face into his hands. It was moments like this he questioned why he did what he did. Why he made the choices that led him here. He could quit now, take on a quiet job and live in peace. But then he'd miss the adrenaline rush; the thrill and satisfaction that left him on edge was possibly his weakness. He craved it.

The creak of floorboards upstairs made him sit up straight. He spun around, able to see the top of the stairs through the open door. He waited, eyes trained on the spot, pleased when he saw Katie's bare feet appear.

"Stu?" Her voice was just above a whisper and he knew she felt out of place and probably uncomfortable in the strange surroundings.

"Down here." Not moving from his spot, he watched her walk down the stairs, however the only part of her he could see were her legs. Eventually she peeked around the doorway, looking timid still. "Something wrong? You were asleep so I left you."

"I didn't mean to intrude on your personal space." She moved around the door and closer and he noticed his phone in her hand. She held it out to him on the palm of her small hand. "This went off and I thought it might be important."

Whilst reaching over to take it he gave her a soft smile. It probably was important, already suspecting his boss would be on his ass as to why Farrelly wasn't in cuffs and in his presence yet. "Thanks."

As he set the phone down onto the table, it vibrated against the wood and a new message flashed up. He have Katie wary glance but she was looking away, pretending not to be interested. The bare room gave her nothing to occupy her though. With a sigh he opened up the message and surprisingly it wasn't from his boss.

His men are tracking you.

Drew always had his back. He muttered a fuck under his breath, various plans running through his head. Glancing to Katie he noticed her gaze was fixed on him. If they were tracking him, they were tracking Katie. He was usually more careful than this, where the hell had he fucked up.

"What's wrong?"

Scratching the back of his head, Stu didn't know what to tell her. He could keep her in the dark and keep her safe. He couldn't risk her getting hurt, not again. Not with the likes of Farrelly around. He hadn't encountered anyone working with the man yet and that unsettled him.

"Change of plan." He shoved his phone into his pocket and wrapped his arm around Katie's shoulder. It was meant in a comforting way, but she stilled and turned, sensing that something wasn't right.

"I'm in your way I know, please just get me home." Katie's hand settled on his bare chest and now he was even more unsettled. Her fingers stroked his skin over and over until he placed his hand flat over hers.

"I'm trying, but it's a little more complicated now. You need to go and get dressed." Stepping out of the room he switched the lights off, moving her towards the stairs.

"Should I be scared?" He was almost pushing her up the stairs as she continually tried to turn to talk to him. He could see it in her eyes that once again she was nervous. Every now and then she would take a deep breath, blowing it out slowly as if to relax herself.

"I wont let anything happen to you, Katie." He opened the door to the spare room, moving around her to pick up her dress.

"In the pub, he almost…" Her voice wavered with the words and he had to stop her.

"Listen to me and you'll be fine." Katie nodded and he quickly grabbed her hand. He leaned forward, grasping her chin lightly between two fingers. "Thank you for trusting me."

It was no secret that she'd put all of her trust into him getting her back safe and she'd had plenty of opportunities to flee if she wanted to. But she hadn't. He also admired that she hadn't broken down. Yes she was nervous, but she had a determined nature.

"There's something about you." Stu raised an eyebrow at her words – she picked the worst moments. One small hand wrapped around his wrist and she licked her lips, appearing to lean into him.

"Can you kiss me later?"

Katie reared back, startled look on her face. Fuck.

"I wasn't-"

"You just looked like…" Stu trailed off. It wasn't often he got the signals wrong but tonight had been the mother of all fuck ups.

"But you want me to kiss you?" Katie had taken a step back, arms now crossed over her chest. He hoped he hadn't undone all that trust.

"I didn't say that."

"You told me to kiss you later, so that seems like you do."

"We can discuss this later." He shoved the dress into her hands, "You've got two minutes."

Stu shook his head, trying to push any thoughts of Katie kissing him out of his mind.

"Wait!" Stu glanced over his shoulder to see her dashing across to pick up the shoes that didn't fit and her small purse. "I'm coming with you, I don't want to be alone."

"Come on then." He gestured for her to keep moving and she did, rushing past him as she went. He moved to follow her but again she stopped, testing his patience. Quickly she spun around, free hand slipping to his bare shoulder and she pushed herself onto tiptoes. The kiss was soft and lasted all of one second. When she pulled back, smile on her face, he fought the urge to show her how he would have done it.

Pushing on her back, he ushered her back into his room. There was no mention of the kiss, no words spoken on her part but surprisingly he didn't feel any tension between them. Maybe it was a gesture of thanks. He laughed to himself. Right.

"Where are we going?"

"Not too sure yet, I have a friend who lives up near the mountains who can help me out. He owes me a favour anyway." Stu rooted through his drawers, pulling out a plain black t-shirt. He slipped it on whilst moving over to the small wardrobe, dragging different items aside to get to a plain hooded sweatshirt.

"And what about me? When do I get to go home?"

Stu turned around to find Katie back in her dress. For a moment he thought about watering down the truth but the least she deserved was his honesty. "When I know Farrelly and his merry men aren't going to follow you."

"Oh…" Her voice was soft and words trailed, but she didn't say anything else.

"You need a jacket." Stu mumbled, finding another sweatshirt she could wear. Katie had slipped the black pumps on by the time he held the jacket out to her. He grabbed a pair of running shoes and quickly put them on, wanting to get out of there sooner rather than later. "Ready?"

Stu took hold of Katie's hand once she nodded and started pulling her out of the room. The lights were turned off and doors locked as he went, going over in his mind what they'd need. He stopped in the kitchen, grabbing a pack of crackers and a few bottles of water for the ride. He passed them to Katie, noticing her hands shaking as she took the items.

"How far away is this friend of yours?"

"An hour or so, at this time of night it won't take long." Before he switched off the lights, he could see the uncertainty in her eyes. "This will all get sorted tomorrow, I promise."

"I can't believe you do this for a living." Katie was now whispering as he ushered her to the door connecting to the garage, probably scared that someone was lurking around the corner. He had the best security for reasons she'd discovered earlier.

"Sometimes, Katie, I can't either." Stu grinned and patted her on the back. He set the alarm before leaving the room, locking the door behind him. Brushing past the wall, he hissed in pain as his back caught against the cool, rough bricks.

"I'll drive, you're in no state to be doing anything at the moment."

"Sweetheart, I don't think you are either." Stu shook his head, gritting his teeth to try and forget the pain. He gestured to her shaking hands and gave her another gentle nudge towards his truck.

When Katie was settled, he stepped in-between the door so she couldn't close it. He leaned into the car, cupped this side of her face and stroked his thumb across her lip. Replacing his thumb with his lips, Stu kissed her firmly, testing her reaction. He should have waited until they were away, but he couldn't resist. Whilst tracing his tongue along the seam of her lips, she clutched at the base of his neck, kissing him back with more passion than she'd shown before. His hand settled on her thigh, squeezing the bare flesh lightly.

Mind reeling, it took all of his power to get his hands and lips off her. For now.

"What was that for?" Katie took a deep breath after her words, tongue swiping over her lips. Her cheeks were flushed and she only just looked him in the eye.

"Gives you something to think about on the drive." It was half the truth.

Stu slammed the car door shut and dashed around the front to the driver's side. Nothing was going to plan and his gut told him that it wouldn't be smooth sailing. Nothing ever was when it came to Farrelly.

A/N – Thank you boston246, prettybaby69, xj0j0x, Kinnetikx2, Nisi85, ThatGirl54, CelticPrincessx3, charmedbyortonbarrett, Blackhat, SoulSoother59, mulhollanddrivee for the wonderful reviews. So sorry it has taken forever to update, hope you're still reading :D! Lou x