Chapter Seven: The Devil Inside
A/N: So who's excited about the new season of Peaky Blinders? You can bet we are! Thank you as always to everyone who reviewed :)
It was a quiet night, the sort that Lola liked – soft music, cigarettes and a game of cards. They would bet something each round, things that had started off small but were gradually growing as did the boys' boldness. Finn slapped his card down with a triumphant grin, making Lola raise her eyebrows as she took a puff of her cigarette.
"You win, congratulations," Michael stated.
"Of course I win," Finn said. Lola hadn't spent a lot of time with the youngest Shelby brother yet, but he was often found with Michael and Isaiah. He was only fourteen, yet already indulged in drinking and drugs on many an occasion.
"What are we betting for the next round?" Lola inquired, casting her gaze around the table.
"Winner gets to kiss Lola," Finn suggested with a mischievous smile, making the blonde smack him around the back of the head.
"That's my job," Michael declared.
"And you do it so well," Lola laughed. Michael pulled her in for a kiss and she giggled against his lips as Isaiah wolf-whistled at the pair of them. These were the moments she loved, the light-hearted ones. These boys had a habit of making her laugh so hard her stomach hurt.
"Oi!" Finn exclaimed, causing the couple to draw away from each other. Michael smirked, arching an eyebrow at his younger cousin.
"Jealous?"
"Not at all." Finn wiggled his smallest finger in a crude motion, prompting Michael to shove him playfully as Isaiah shook his head at them. Finn's attention turned back to their game of cards almost immediately. "Right, how about poker but if you lose a round, you have to take something off."
"We can do that, but you'll be naked before any of us," Michael teased.
Lola began dealing cards out to the boys before examining her hand. Her eyes flicked around the table as the others started setting their cards down, before she slapped hers on the table. Isaiah shook his head as a closer inspection of the cards revealed that he'd lost this round.
"Dammit." He tugged his shirt over his head, and Lola couldn't help but rake her gaze over him. A loud yawn escaped Isaiah, earning a disgusted look from Finn.
"Are you tired already?"
"Sure am." Isaiah pushed himself to his feet. Lola scooped his shirt off the table and tossed it to him, and he pulled it back on as he walked upstairs.
"Boring, there goes our poker game," Lola declared, setting her cards face-down on the table.
"Hush, child," Michael said, beginning to collect up the playing cards.
"Finn is the child!" Lola exclaimed indignantly. "You don't seem to think I'm a child when…"
She cut herself off, remembering that Finn was still at the table and despite his reckless behaviour, he was only young and didn't need to hear about such matters.
"Please continue," Finn insisted.
Michael shook his head. "Finn, you're too young to hear this talk."
"When we make sweet love, Finn," Lola said, deliberately to watch Michael become embarrassed. The boy nodded slowly before raising his hand and wiggling his little finger again.
"So he's not…"
The comment brought a renewed round of giggles from Lola, before she composed herself. It was getting late and it was most likely time that she went home.
"You boys should get to bed."
"You're coming with me," Michael declared.
The blonde raised her eyebrows. "Oh, really?"
He scooped her up from the table, eliciting a shriek of surprise from her, before carrying her up to his room and dumping her on the bed. As he closed the door behind him, she couldn't help but examine him closely.
"You're staying here tonight." He tugged off his shoes and crawled onto the bed as well, looping his arms around her waist.
"Is that you asking or telling?"
"Telling." Michael buried his face in her neck, but Lola found herself unable to relax, stressed about how Austin would react to her spending the night at a boy's place. Whenever she had stayed at Isaiah's, she'd had to sneak back in early to avoid
"Austin might not be happy," she reminded him.
"I don't care."
"I do," Lola murmured. She had no desire to be exposed to her brother's foul temper or insults. If Austin could find a reason to berate her, he would. Even though he knew the truth of what Charlie had done to her, it didn't stop him from calling her a whore.
"Please stay," Michael begged, causing Lola to heave a sigh.
"Alright."
Victoria watched as Tommy stalked about the room, more or less throwing stuff around as he did so. She sat on the bed, her hair pulled to one side as she braided it slowly. Her patience was being stretched thin, especially as she knew he wouldn't speak to her about what was going on.
"Tommy. Please, enough."
Tommy stopped moving, raking a hand through his hair as he continued to stand there seething. Victoria moved to her feet, walking over to him and placing her hand on his arm gently. He glanced at her, moving to pull away as she gripped his arm tightly.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're not." She argued, feeling him relax slightly as he let out a heavy sigh. "What is it?"
"Major Campbell." He answered her, moving over to sit down on the bed where she had previously been.
Victoria watched him, standing in front of him. "What did he do?"
"It doesn't matter." He shook his head, resting his head in his hands.
"Tommy." She spoke softly as he looked up at her, her hands resting on either side of his face. "Talk to me."
"It's a long story." He gripped her hands in his own, moving them from his face as he traced patterns on her palms with his thumbs. "So I don't want to go into it."
Victoria watched him carefully, knowing not to press him too much. "Well, what do you need then?"
"Alcohol." He muttered, watching as she moved over to pour him a drink.
"You drink too much." She chastised as she handed it to him, kissing the top of his head.
Tommy shrugged, taking a sip from the glass and watching as she lay down on the bed beside him. "How's your sister?"
"She's fine." Victoria rolled onto her side, curling up. She could feel Tommy's eyes trained on her movements as she did so, tugging the blankets around herself. "What?"
"Are you going to sleep?" He downed the drink in his hand, placing the glass on the bed side table.
"Soon." She rolled onto her side to face him, looking up at him as she gripped his hand in her own. "Come to bed."
Tommy considered her for a moment before laying back on the bed, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her to him. He watched as she stifled a yawn, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Sleep."
"I will." She assured him as she closed her eyes, snuggling up to him and tugging the blankets around them.
If anything could distract Lola from her work on the company's finances, it was Michael Gray. So when he sauntered into her small office, smoking a cigarette with a smug look on his face, she knew that she was in trouble. She raised her eyebrows, before turning her attention back to her notes.
"Michael."
He sat across from her, and she was aware of his gaze on her as she continued to do her work. It was most distracting. He put his feet up on the desk, making her sigh in irritation. Perhaps he currently had nothing to do, but there was a lot on her plate, and she didn't need unnecessary distractions. Lola could not afford to let her lover dominate her life to the extent where she was neglecting her work.
"I'm working," she said coolly.
Michael nodded. "I can see that."
Lola tried to focus on her work. Austin already said that she was lazy and didn't put enough effort in, so she was trying to prove him wrong. Michael's presence wasn't doing anything to help that. Feeling her lover's gaze still on her, Lola looked up again, her patience beginning to wane.
"Why are you staring at me?"
He grinned. "You're pretty."
She rolled her eyes, the compliment doing nothing to ease her annoyance. "How can I help you, Michael?"
"You need to relax," he insisted, although she felt that she ought to do no such thing. She had indulged herself in behaviours of late that her brother certainly didn't approve of, so now was the time to put her head down and do some work.
"How would you have me relax?" she inquired, putting down her pen and watching as he moved around the desk to her. Lola eased herself to her feet, unsurprised when Michael kissed her, pulling her close against him. She slipped her arms around his neck, the finances quickly forgotten in her moment of passion. Michael hoisted her up, setting her on the desk. His lips trailed down her neck, his intentions now very obvious to Lola. She let her head fall back as he nibbled lightly at the tender skin, his attentions making her gasp.
"Tease," she accused.
He smirked. "You love it."
His lips worked at her neck again, his body pressing close against her. Lola could feel the evidence of his desire pressed hard against her. His hands eagerly roamed her body, running up and down her sides. He began to push her dress up, but stopped when Lola stiffened.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Nothing. It doesn't matter." Lola slipped off the desk. She didn't know how to verbalise her feelings. Although she enjoyed having sex with Michael, it happened very often. She wasn't sure what to make of it. She'd known her relationship with Isaiah was purely sexual, but Michael had intended his pursuit of her to be a romantic one.
"Lola." Michael gently turned her to face him. "Talk to me."
"I just don't want to have sex," she blurted out, before averting her eyes. "I don't want that to be all there is."
There it was. The fear that Austin's snide comments were right and that Michael might only be interested in the pleasure her body could offer rather than in her as a person. She couldn't help the feeling, despite constant assurances from those who knew Michael that he was besotted with her.
"Let me take you to dinner then," Michael offered. Clearly he realised that she was insecure in their relationship and wanted him to show her it was about more than just sex.
"Tonight?" Lola asked hopefully, looking up with a smile playing about the corners of her lips.
"Of course."
"Victoria." Austin greeted his sister as she strode into the shop. He hadn't been expecting to see her, not after the last time they had spoken. The air was tense and he wanted their conversation to be swift, and for her to leave quickly. "Why are you here?"
"To talk." Victoria kept her tone abrupt as she moved to stand in front of him, the counter separating the two of them, and for the better so she thought. "About Lola."
Austin sighed heavily. He should have known to expect the conversation would involve their youngest sibling, it always seemed to one way or another. "Always about Lola...what now?"
"You wanted to marry her off to Billy? Are you stupid?" Victoria seethed at him, clenching her fists at her sides. Her sister had been through too much to be married off to someone who would not respect her.
"It's a good match. Billy's got a good job, he can provide for her. Once she had a baby, she'd be busy enough." Austin reasoned, leaning against the counter.
Victoria narrowed her eyes at him, more than ready for a fight. "Do you not remember what happened last time you left her alone with one of your friends?"
"So now you're saying you think Billy could have raped her?" He scoffed at the idea. Billy was many things, but he was not as depraved as Charlie was, and he wasn't going to force a woman to have sex with him.
"You said the same about Charlie." She reminded him, crossing her arms over her chest.
Austin rolled his eyes, turning his attention to the inventory list that he had been working on before she had walked in. "She was perfectly safe with Billy, woman."
"You're not marrying her off." Victoria snapped at him, her tone causing him to look up. He didn't like being ordered around, especially not by his sisters. "She isn't your property. Don't treat her as such."
"How am I? By trying to arrange a suitable marriage for Lola?" He raised an eyebrow, leaning against the counter.
"She has a marriage prospect." Victoria told him, and from his questioning and confused glance, she realised he was yet to find out about Lola and Michael's plans. "Michael."
Austin rolled his eyes as soon as the name fell from her lips. "He's not serious about her. He's a boy. He just wants what all young boys want. At least Billy makes an honest living."
Victoria scoffed, shaking her head. She knew Billy was anything but honest. "He's as corrupt as you are, and you know it. She isn't marrying him."
Lola was thrilled that Michael took her to such a fancy restaurant for dinner. Of course, she was technically too young to be drinking, but none of that mattered when you were with a Peaky Blinder. She busied herself looking over the menu and tried to decide what she wanted to eat. Everything looked as though it would be delicious. She raised her glass of wine to her lips and drained it.
"What are you going to get?" she asked.
"Chicken." Michael set his menu down. "You?"
"The lamb." Lola eased herself to her feet, reluctantly taking the money that Michael handed her as she knew he would insist on paying. "Did you want me to get you another drink?"
Michael indicated his beer. "No, I'm alright."
"Well, I might get another wine." Lola headed up to the counter to order and pay for their meals and her drink. Perhaps it was the wine that she'd already consumed, but she was feeling a buzz of happiness, a smile on her face as she ordered their food. She was having such a nice night out with Michael, her doubts about him dispelled.
"Lola." The familiar voice made her tense up slightly, glancing over to see Billy striding toward her. "Who are you here with?"
"Michael Gray." Lola's tone was cool, knowing that Billy was likely still not impressed with the fact that she had rejected his proposal for the younger man.
"Ah. You're his latest conquest, I take it."
"No." She threw him a scathing look. "As I said, we're quite serious. If you'll excuse me, I have a date to get back to."
"He will leave you," Billy called as she turned her back on him. The remark made her spin to face him once again, even though she knew he was doing it deliberately to get a rise out of her.
"What do you care if he does?" she demanded.
"Oh, I don't," Billy drawled, "It'll be rather amusing. You'll remain nothing more than the whore you are."
Lola gripped her glass tightly in her hand. "Do you know what else is amusing?"
Before Billy could respond, she stepped forward and tipped her glass upside down, spilling her wine over his head. Although it was a shame to waste the drink, she thought smugly that it had gone to rather good use. Billy's smirk vanished and he spluttered as he inspected his soaked shirt.
"Lola, love." Michael appeared at her side. "Who is this?"
"Oh, this?" Lola scoffed. Perhaps it was not wise to anger Billy, but she couldn't help herself. "He's a nobody."
Sensing the tension between them, Michael caught her hand. "Would you like to go for a walk?"
"No." Lola snatched her hand from his, revelling in the power that she had in this moment. If she and Michael left now, Billy had won. "We just ordered food. I think Billy should go for a walk and dry off."
Throwing her a poisonous look, Billy stalked out of the bar. Lola couldn't help but feel a vicious satisfaction. She had gone too long feeling intimidated by her brother and his friends, by men who didn't respect boundaries and who felt that they were entitled to whatever they wanted. She would gladly take every opportunity to remind them that in this town, the Peaky Blinders were in power, and that anyone who messed with them would be sorry they did so.
Tommy could tell there was something wrong the moment he strode into the room. Victoria was overly tense, more so than she ever had been around him. He felt somewhat sorry for the room as she went about cleaning it, using it as a way to get her anger and frustration out. "What is it?"
"Austin. Nothing unusual." She answered him, not bothering to look over her shoulder at him.
Tommy raised an eyebrow at the mention of her brother. Usually when they saw each other it didn't end well. They were very different people, and clashed about many things. "What now?"
"He's intent on having Lola marry Billy." She explained to him, playing with her hands absentmindedly as she finished cleaning around the room. Her distraction was no longer working now that Tommy had entered the room.
"Are you alright?" He already knew the answer, but thought it polite to ask the question rather than tell her that she wasn't okay. He could tell she was in a foul mood, something he didn't see her in often. She was usually a bright and happy person. Victoria forced a smile as she poured herself a glass of wine, something she only did on the odd occasion, but she felt she deserved it after restraining herself from physically fighting with her brother.
"I'm fine.'
"You're lying." He crossed his arms over his chest, watching her closely. Their roles were usually reversed, and he was learning quickly how frustrating it could be trying to get someone to speak when they didn't want to. "You're unhappy. But you don't want to talk about it."
Victoria sipped her wine, sitting down on the bed. "It isn't worth discussing."
"But don't say you're fine if you aren't." He told her, moving over to sit down beside her and gripping one of her hands in his own, kissing her cheek before raking a hand through his hair. "How is Christian?"
"He's doing well." She told him as she downed the rest of her drink.
Tommy sighed heavily as he watched her, unsure as to whether she needed time alone or not. "Should I go?"
"Do you want to go?" Victoria shot back at him, putting her empty glass down.
Tommy sighed heavily, letting go of her hand and getting to his feet. He was getting mixed feelings from her, and it was making him feel slightly uneasy. "I don't want to intrude."
"You aren't." She assured him, kissing his cheek and pulling him close to her. "Christian likes you."
He raised an eyebrow at her statement, the words catching him slightly off guard. He hadn't realised her had such an effect on her son. "Really? Why is that?"
"I don't know." She admitted to him, having never thought to question her son.
Tommy nodded, slipping an arm around her waist. "Well, that's good I suppose."
Although Birmingham was no doubt a filthy place, dominated by plumes of black smoke more often than not, there was still parts of it that Lola enjoyed. Particularly the Saturday markets, which she had visited with Victoria quite often as a child. It had been at her suggestion that she, Michael and Isaiah walked through those markets. It didn't escape Lola's attention that many of the vendors watched them with wary eyes, no doubt realising that the boys were young Peaky Blinders.
"Do you want one?" Michael gestured to the toffee apples that Lola had been inspecting. She was rarely permitted treats, as Austin thought it was a waste of hard-earned money. It didn't stop him buying copious amounts of alcohol though. She knew that there was one set of rules for him and one for the girls.
"Yes, please." Lola gave him a dazzling smile, thanking him and taking the toffee apple as he bought it for her. She planted a kiss on his cheek, before turning her attention on her treat. She noticed Isaiah's gaze on her as she licked at the hard toffee, his wink making her giggle. They continued around the markets, with Lola admiring some of the pretty dresses, but taking care not to touch anything.
Once she was done with the toffee apple, she licked the last of the sweetness off her fingers. Michael took her hand and sucked on one of her fingers, something that for some reason gave Lola pleasant shivers.
"Do I taste good?" she asked, unable to help the suggestive note that entered her tone.
He smirked. "Always."
Lola waved her other hand at Isaiah. "Want to try some toffee?"
"Sure." Isaiah took her hand and licked at one of her fingers to taste the toffee. Lola didn't quite miss the look on Michael's face indicating that he didn't approve of the interaction. He put his hands in his pockets, looking around.
"It's getting late."
"Did you want to come back to mine?" Michael asked, clearly knowing that Lola dreaded returning home to her brother's house. She smiled and nodded, linking her arm through his and waving goodbye to Isaiah when he headed in the opposite direction. Michael lit up a cigarette and took a long puff. Lola plucked it from his lips and blew a smoke ring, very much aware of his eyes on her. She didn't mind his attention, and it didn't make her feel uncomfortable as Billy's had. Lola was beginning to think her feelings for Michael might be deeper than she'd originally anticipated.
John glanced at Victoria as he strode into the kitchen, attempting to fix his clothes. He could see the amusement on her face, raising an eyebrow at her expression. "Something amusing?"
"Only you. Come here." She grinned, gesturing him over to her. He sighed before walking over, looking down at her as she straightened his tie. She was such a mother, and it amused him at times as to how well she was able to baby the grown men around her. "You're gonna end up with another kid going at it like that."
"I like kids." He chuckled, watching as she stepped away from him, having finished fixing his clothes so he looked more presentable.
Victoria shook her head, turning her attention back to the tea she had been brewing. "I can tell."
"Speaking of, how's your kid?" John inquired as he sat down, lighting a cigarette.
"He's good. Off at school right now." Victoria smiled, raking a hand through her hair.
"Heard about what happened to your sister. Men can be monsters." John hadn't had the chance to talk to either women about what had happened. It was something that had been lingering about the house since it had been revealed, and he was surprised at how open both Lola and Victoria were about it.
"They can be, but some women can be monsters too." She reminded him, knowing that men and women could be equally as horrible. It wasn't something that was gender specific. "Tea, John?"
"Of course." He smiled, watching as she handed one to him.
Victoria leant against the bench, sipping her tea. "Have you been well?"
"I have. Esme and the kids too." It had been a busy few months with the children, but he had adjusted well with the help of Polly, and now Victoria. It was something he was grateful for, and it was nice to have a stronger female presence about. John had also noticed the blossoming relationship between Tommy and Victoria, although he was yet to speak to either of them about it. "So. You and Tommy."
Victoria raised an eyebrow at the question. It was the first time one of Tommy's brothers had approached her about it, and she was interested to see where the conversation was leading. "What about us?"
"You like him, don't you?" John wasn't surprised. His brother could be charming when he wanted to be, and Victoria had definitely caught his attention.
"Yes, I do." She admitted to him, finishing her tea. "Polly asked me the same question, and I don't know the answer any more now than I did then."
"He's fond of you." John hadn't failed to notice this, and he was sure that Polly had noticed the same thing.
"Your brother confuses me at times." Victoria nodded, pushing her hair behind her ear as it fell into her face. "I never know how he actually feels."
"Ah. Tommy's like that." John nodded, knowing the feeling all too well. Tommy was a hard person to read, and the only way anyone could learn to read him, was to get him to open up, which was no small task.
