Runaway

Difficult

Charlotte got dressed a while later and she looked amazing. She was a world renown model for a reason.

(Pretend it looks like Charlotte)

She walked downstairs and Alfie smirked.
"Can we fuck after?"
She put her coat on and then grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door.
"Come on, let's go so we can get back." She said.
"Get back to fuck?" He said excitedly.
She rolled her eyes.
"We'll see how the night goes."
They arrived and the club was packed. People were drinking, having sex, and doing drugs in every corner. The Shelby's were sitting at a table already. They saw Alfie and Charlotte walk in. They watched Alfie take off her coat and saw her in her dress.
"I think I just fell in love." John said.
"Me too." Finn mumbled.
"Alfie said stay away from her." Tommy said.
"Meaning?" Arthur asked.
"Meaning...she's off limits." Polly said.
The three brothers looked at Tommy.
"Tom." Arthur said.
Tommy smirked.
"Nothing is off limits to us." He said.
"Didn't you say that Alfie told you she has a bad past. And she doesn't trust anyone...especially men?" Polly asked.
Tommy nodded.
"Don't fuck with her, Thomas. There's a reason she doesn't trust men." Polly added.
Alfie and Charlotte started to walk over.
"Play nice." Alfie said.
"I don't know how to play nice."
"Well neither does Tommy, so you two will have something in common." He joked.
She mumbled something to him in a different language. They got to the table and everyone had their eyes on her.
"Tommy you've already met her and fell in love, but everyone else...this is Charlotte."
Polly and Ada scooted over so she could sit next to them.
"Thank you." Charlotte smiled.
The girls got acquainted. Charlotte really just had problems with men. She could get along with anyone, but with men, she put up 100 story walls around herself. Ada pointed at Charlotte's dark blue nails.
"I love this nail color. They only have red and burgundy here and I'm tired of it." Ada said.
"I have a lot of colors. I can show you them one day."
"Or we could have a girls night and you can bring them!" Ada exclaimed.
Charlotte gave a fake smile. Making friends was really hard for her and she just didn't know how to act. A group of guys came up and stood right in front of Charlotte.
"You're that model." One said.
Charlotte didn't say anything, she just looked very uncomfortable. The men got closer.
"You're not going to say anything, love?"
"Can you please take a step back?" She asked.
"Come on, you can't just hang out with some of your fans?" He asked.
"I'm a woman's clothing model, you shouldn't be fans. Your wives should." She said as she nodded towards their rings.
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind if we spent a night with you." He said as he touched her arm.
"Well I would." She said as she slapped it away.
Charlotte was a very independent woman, so Alfie let her fight her own battles, but he also knew when to step in.
"Come on, love. There's no need to be a bitch to your fans."
Charlotte looked at Alfie and he stood up.
"Alright it's time for you to go. You've embarrassed yourselves enough." He said to them.
"She's enjoying it, come on. Let her party."
"She asked you nicely to leave her alone..I don't ask and I'm not nice."
They started to say something, but Alfie grabbed the guy by the throat.
"She said no. Leave her alone or we'll take this out back."
The group of guys walked away and he sat back down.
"Does that happen a lot?" Ada asked.
"Usually women recognize me, but you always have a few men that do that. It doesn't happen as much as you think, but it happens more in places like this."
Tommy couldn't look away from her. He has never seen someone look so uncomfortable. The group talked for a while and they were trying their hardest to get Charlotte to say something about her life, but she was a tough one to crack.
"So what's Australia like?" John asked.
"Warm." She said and everyone laughed.
"It's nothing like this. It's always sunny and there's not as many people." She added.
"So do you have any siblings?" Finn asked.
Alfie could tell she was becoming more and more uncomfortable because of the questions. She was a very private person.
"I have an older brother and an older sister."
"A sister! I bet that's nice." Ada said.
"It's not."
They all gave her a weird look and Alfie cleared his throat and changed the subject. Charlotte finished her drink.
"I'll go get you another one." Alfie said.
"It's okay, I can go."
"Charlie." He said as she stood up.
"I don't need a man to get me a drink. I am more than capable myself."
"Just don't get in any trouble." He yelled as she walked away.
"I like her." Polly said.
"Me too." Ada chimed in.
"She's a very private girl. She's been through a lot, which is why she acts the way she does." Alfie said.
"I think she acts fine." Arthur said.
"She used to laugh a lot. Charlie was so carefree and happy."
"What changed her?" John asked.
"It's more like who changed her." Alfie answered.
Tommy looked down because he knew the feeling.
"What did you say Sabini looked like again?" Polly asked.
"Why?" Tommy asked.
"Well, I think he's over there with Charlotte."
They all looked and saw Sabini standing really close to her.
"You're very beautiful, you know that?" He said.
"Yeah I know, now back up please."
"How sweet of you to ask." He laughed.
"I wasn't asking." She said as she started to walk by him.
He grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Let go of me."
"You don't know who I am?" He asked.
She tried to jerk her left arm away, but he pulled her in closer.
"I'm a man that gets whatever he wants." He said as he grabbed her ass.
She didn't think twice. She punched him right in the face as hard as she could and then she kneed him in the groin.
"And I'm a woman who said no."
The group watched her punch him and they all stood up.
"Shit, she did not just punch Sabini." Arthur said.
"Yeah, I forgot to mention her short temper." Alfie said.
She walked back over and they all looked at her.
"Are you okay?" Alfie asked.
"I'm fine, can you put these in your pocket?" She said as she slipped the rings off of her right hand.
Alfie took them and put them in his pocket.
"That's one hell of a right hook." John said.
She nodded.
"You know you just punched the owner of the club, right?" Arthur said.
"I wouldn't care if he was the fucking king. I wasn't letting him get away with grabbing my ass."
John smirked at her. Tommy was impressed. No one came in this club and even looked at Sabini and she came in and punched him in the face.
"Can we leave?" She asked Alfie.
"Not yet."
"Alfie."
"It won't be much longer." He said.
Before she could respond, Sabini and his men walked over. His nose was crooked and bleeding badly. Alfie started laughing once he saw.
"Got a little something there, mate." Alfie said as he pointed to his nose.
"I want all of you out of my club."
"No." Charlotte said.
"No? You can't say no." Sabini said.
"I can say it again if you'd like."
"It's not your club anymore, Sabini." Tommy said.
"The fuck are you talking about?"
"We're taking it." Arthur smirked.
All of the men started fighting. Alfie went after Sabini. Charlotte wasn't fighting, but someone grabbed her from behind and she elbowed them right in the face. Polly pulled her down to the table so she was out of the way.
"Thank you." Charlotte said.
"Teach us how to hit like that and we'll call it even." Polly said.
"Deal."
Someone tapped on the mic and everyone stared at the stage. Arthur was holding a bloody Sabini.
"This place is under new management. By order of the peaky blinders."
The fighting ended and the guys walked over to the table. Tommy's forehead had a gash in it.
"Can anyone stitch?" Arthur asked.
"I went to nursing school." Ada said.
"You went for a day." John laughed.
"I can do it." Charlotte spoke up.
He nodded and they all went back to the Garrison. Tommy took Charlotte in the private room so she could stitch him up. She cleaned his wound first and he just stared at her.
"Quit staring at me."
"I'm just making sure you know what you're doing." He said.
"I can leave this cut open." She threatened.
"You won't."
They briefly made eye contact and then she started to stitch him up. He moved his head on purpose, so she would get frustrated. Charlotte held his jaw and moved his head as he looked at her.
          "Stop moving."
He looked at her and moved his head again and then she moved it back. He smirked at her frustration.
          "You are the worst patient." She said.
          "I think that's the nicest thing you've said to me."
          "Why are you so difficult?" She asked.
He pulled away and looked at her. He gave a sarcastic laugh.
          "I'm difficult?" He said.
She moved his head to finish stitching.
          "You don't know me." She said back.
          "I know that you're mean."
          "I'm not mean...I'm just—."
          "Difficult." He joked.
          "No."
She finished stitching him.
          "There. You're all done."
          "I didn't feel a thing." He said.
          "I've had a lot of practice."
She cleaned up the stuff and he watched her.
          "This is the part where you would say thank you." She said.
          "I don't know if I was satisfied with my service."
          "Well that sounds like a you problem." She said and then walked out.
Tommy came out of the room and watched her leave with Alfie. There was something so intriguing about her.