Chapter Twenty-Five

"You didn't tell me he was comin'." Announced Maddie once she had returned to Alfie's office. "Why the fuck wouldn't you tell me he was comin'?"

Sat at his desk, Alfie stared at Maddie silently while he toyed with his beard and it was only serving to infuriate her further. "Alfie? Why didn't you fuckin' tell me?" If an answer didn't come from him within a few seconds Maddie was more than prepared to walk straight out of the bakery and never see Alfie again, much like she had intended on doing with Tommy. She was done with men lying to her, done with being played for a fool.

"I did not tell you Maddie, because how was I to fuckin' know you was gunna show up? Do not mistake my kindness, yeah, do not mistake it for us bein' equals. Not when it comes to fuckin' business, right." Picking up the grenade pin, Alfie toyed with it between his fingers. Thomas Shelby had played him, he was sure of it, and that did not make him happy.

Moving his gaze from the pin over to the woman who was stood with crossed arm opposite him, Alfie motioned for Maddie to take a seat which she dropped into with a small huff. "You can leave at any point Maddie, any fuckin' time you like. You are not my prisoner, you are my guest, right. My employee if you carry on with them books." Pausing a moment to pour them both a drink, Alfie studied Maddie intently. It was obvious that she was still in love with Tommy, he hadn't expected anything less, but that was not something that Alfie had time for. Love only got in the way of business, or allowed it to get messy, as Tommy Shelby was finding out at that very moment. "No grudge will be held if you go back to Tommy, yeah. But, but, it is a one way fuckin' ticket out of here."

Maddie understood loud and clear what Alfie was saying; if she left there was no coming back, and as Tommy was his enemy she would become guilty by association, like Arthur. As much as Maddie longed to be with Tommy, he had betrayed her again with Grace and this time she couldn't forgive it. They were past the point of return, and if she did go back to Birmingham it would be too painful even with her family there to support her. "I 'ave no desire to run back to Thomas, and be made a fuckin' fool of again. Doesn't change the fact you could 'ave told me."

"You will learn Maddie, that sometimes it is best not to know exactly what is around the corner. Lets just say, yeah, I fuckin' told you he was gunna be 'ere. You wouldn't have come 'ere, you would have took the cowards way out. But, now you know that Tommy would have fuckin' blown you up. Just for business. You have become a smarter woman for it." Lifting his glass to his lips, Alfie took a large mouthful, allowing Maddie time to mull over what he had said. "Everything, right, everything is a learnin' opportunity."

Smiling weakly to herself, Maddie also downed a significant amount of her drink. She knew that Alfie was right, in fact the main reason that she liked the intimidating man was because of the way his brain worked, past the surface of insanity Alfie was one of the most calculating, clever people that Maddie had ever met. That was why she had told him about Campbell. At the thought of Campbell, Maddie's fist clenched around the screwed up note that Polly had sent her. "Tommy gave me a note. It's from my Aunt. If I'm right she intends to kill Campbell at Epsom."

The screwed up note dropped onto the desk and Alfie swiftly scooped it up to inspect. Quietly he read over the vague note, that had obviously been written to conceal facts from Tommy should he read it, and he too came to the same conclusion as Maddie. "Seems we do not need to have our little chat. Now the question is are you goin' to let your Aunt do this alone, or are you gunna take back the power that was wrongfully taken from you? You have killed a man before Maddie, yeah. You killed Kimber, right, 'cos he deserved it. That's what you told me the first time you sat in that fuckin' chair. Are you tellin' me that this Campbell does not deserve to die?"

Since the moment that Campbell had dragged her into the alley, Maddie had fantasized about him dying. And everytime she did, it was always her. Even if it was Polly that killed him, Maddie had to watch as the life left his eyes and that the last thing he saw was her. "Looks like I'm goin' to the races."

Race courses held a bitter place in Maddie's heart since attending Worchester and meeting Billy Kimber. Epsom may have been a different track, with different people, and for an entirely different purpose, but that didn't make her enjoy it any more. Some memories weren't easily forgotten.

Making her way through the large collection of bodies, Maddie scoured the crowd attempting to find Polly. There had been no time to get word to the older woman so Maddie was relying solely on bumping into her Aunt before she could go through with her plan for Campbell.
Entering the tent which housed the betting stations, Maddie's dark eyes landed on two women who she had not anticipated seeing. Stood by the stations in a visably tense conversation were Grace and May, both of whom Maddie had no desire to see, but that didn't stop her waltzing up to them with a cold smile on her red lips.

"Well isn't this a sight to behold," She laughed. "All three women who Tommy Shelby has strung along. Bet he didn't think we'd ever be in the same room." Fixing her icy stare on Grace alone, Maddie laughed again. "And I know for certain you didn't think you'd ever see me again."

Grace shifted uncomfortably where she was stood, the brunette was right she hadn't been expecting to see her at Epsom, or the other woman for that matter. Quickly collecting herself Grace managed to answer in a levelled voice. "I heard you had moved to London to be another mans whore."

"May, has she told you how she nearly got Thomas killed?" The other womans face twisted in confusion, telling Maddie that May had no idea what had happened with Grace. "No? Well this irish bitch is probably the least fuckin' trust worthy person I've ever met. If you want Tommy to yourself, I'd kill her first."

An awkward silence fell over the three women, filling Maddie with glee. God it felt good to have the upper hand again, seeing Grace in person again had brought out her fiesty side, and just watching the blondes pretty features harden with anger brought her more happiness than she'd felt in some time.
Done with causing trouble between Tommy's groupies, Maddie sauntered away from them ready to find Polly and do what she had come to the races for. But just as she reached the exit for the tent Grace's voice halted her.

"I'm not scared of you Madeline. I feel sorry for you, pining over Tommy when his horse is named after me, and he came to find me. You're nothing but a whore Madeline, it would be best to make peace with it."

Something inside of Maddie snapped, because not more than a second after Grace's speech she was marching over to the blonde and drawing back her hand to slap the smug look right off of her face. The slap let off an almighty crack, making May flinch beside Grace, and Grace's head snap sharply to the left. "If Tommy has any sense he'll chose her over you."

"I am not here to be chosen."

"Then why are you stood 'ere waiting for him?"

May's face fell, the harsh truth of the situation hitting her like a hammer. Nothing had even happened between her and Tommy, yet there she was stood waiting for him like a foolish school girl while another woman did the exact same thing. Whore or not, the woman that was once Tommy's fiance had more self respect than she and Grace combined.

"I leave you for two fuckin' minutes, yeah, an' you're batterin' some poor woman. Where are your fuckin' manners Maddie?"

As the gruff voice travelled through the tent, Maddie couldn't help but smile to herself. Alfie Solomons knew how to make an entrance. Turning to face his impressive form, that was hard to ignore even in such a crowded place, Maddie rolled her eyes at him but still with the ghost of a smile on her lips. "This is Grace, the barmaid. The married barmaid." Leaning closer to Grace, Maddie spoke in a lower voice. "You ain't the only one who can find stuff out."

"We are here for a reason, right? Stop fuckin' playin' with her like a cat with a fuckin' mouse an' get on with it." Instructed Alfie, pointing at the exit with his cane. Races didn't interest him much, it was a quick way to lose money which he had no desire to do, but he couldn't let Maddie go alone and as none of his men knew what had happened with the inspector he had seen no option but to go along with her.

Begrudgingly, Maddie followed Alfie's instructions and moved away from Grace even though she wanted nothing more than to throttle her, but he was right she was there for a reason and she needed to find Polly before she could go through with the plan alone. Hooking her arm through Alfie's, Maddie allowed him to escort her from the tent and away from the May and Grace. "Think you scared 'em." It wasn't shocking that both women had looked slightly startled by Alfie, he wasn't a man that could easily be ignored, and even hanging around with a man like Tommy didn't make the jewish man any less intimidating.

Pulling Maddie to one side, away from prying ears, Alfie gestured towards a section in the stands. "I will be over there, right. I will be sat over there, an' when it is done, yeah, that is where you will find me. If you are not back in an hour, right. I will come an' find you, an' if that inspector ain't fuckin' dead, he won't be alive for fuckin' long. Go."

Nodding her understanding, Maddie weaved around Alfie's broad body and into the mass of people to track down Polly. Moving through the race course, she found herself looking back on what had happened with Kimber, and doubt began to set in. After killing Kimber she had been a mess, killing people wasn't something that was easy for Maddie, but here she was planning on doing the same to Campbell. What if both she and Polly couldn't do it? Alfie had already made it clear he was more than prepared to step up if they couldn't, but what about if they bottled it at the last moment? Could Campbell over power two women? What if he tried to attack her again and Alfie didn't get there in time? Inside her chest, Maddie's heart sped up to an alarming speed from all the 'what if's', she was not as prepared as she thought she was.

"Madeline."

If possible Maddie's heart beat even faster, as the one voice she would never be able to forget, breathed down her ear. "Thomas."

As he had been on his way to meet with Sabini, Tommy had caught a glimpse of Maddie leaning over the balcony and despite the protests from his brain he couldn't stop himself from going over. "Enjoyin' the races?"

Maddie's throat seemed to have closed up by its own accord, and any answer she tried to offer up died in her throat. Grace she could deal with, but after the cruel way Tommy had acted in Alfie's office, she couldn't stomach being near the middle Shelby without a stab of pain hitting her in the gut. Coughing to clear her dry throat, Maddie finally managed to speak. "I'm lookin' for Pol, 'ave you seen her?"

"I 'aven't," Mumbled Tommy. "But I 'ave seen Alfie. I take it you're with 'im?" When Maddie didn't answer, Tommy grabbed hold of her wrist and span her to face him for the first time. Big brown eyes stared up at him, the same eyes that he used to get lost in, yet now all they held was hurt. Hurt that he had caused. "I saw Campbell as well, he 'ad some interestin' things to say about you."

There it was. The moment that Maddie had been waiting for since meeting with Campbell at the station, he had told Tommy that they had slept together, but missed out some of the crucial details. A fresh wave of anger crashed through her, outraged that Tommy would even believe the inspector. "An' what was it he 'ad to say Thomas?"

Tommy's jaw clenched remembering what Campbell had told him so smugly. "He told me about you too. Told me tha' you whored yourself out t' 'im. Tell me, tell me it's not fuckin' true Madeline. Tell me you didn't fuck 'im."

"Would you even believe me Thomas?"

For a moment Tommy fell silent. Would he believe her? In all the years that he had known Maddie not once had she lied to him, expect for keeping her assault from him, and that was by no means a real lie. She was, without a doubt, the most trust worthy person he knew. Mind made up, Tommy took Maddie's hand in his own and rubbed it soothingly with his thumb. "You 'ave never lied t' me."

No matter how much Maddie tried to stop herself from saying the words out loud, they fought their way up and flew from her mouth unwillingly. "It was him." She whispered. "It was Campbell who raped me."

Around Tommy time seemed to slow to an agonizing pace. It had been Campbell who had caused Maddie so much pain, who had caused her to almost destroy herself. In his entire life Tommy didn't think he'd ever been so angry; he was going to kill Campbell, but he was going to make him suffer first the same way Maddie had.

"Please say somethin' Tommy."

"I will sort this. I will fuckin' sort this." Muttered Tommy, before spinning on his heel and setting off to find Campbell at a determind pace. Sabini could wait, Maddie had been right some things were more important that business.

"Shit!" That wasn't how it was supposed to happen, it was supposed to be her and Polly, not Tommy. Why had she not predicted running into him at the race? Breaking into a brisk jog, Maddie tore after Tommy desperate to stop him from acting on his impulses. "Tommy! Tommy, stop! Tommy!" Many people turned to look at her as she shouted after Tommy, but the one person she wanted to stop and notice refused to and just continued on his mission. "Tommy fuckin' stop! I 'ave it sorted!"

That seemed to get his attention. In front of Maddie, Tommy's pace slowed until he finally reached a complete stand still. Even without seeing his face, Maddie could see it in his shoulders how tightly he was currently wound, and she thanked her lucky stars she had managed to stop him. "Tommy, you can't kill him-" Maddie whispered once she reached Tommy's side.

"It isn't up for discussion Maddie."

"Me and Pol 'ave it sorted. I need to do this, Tommy. Me."

As much as his gut was telling him to go and put a bullet straight through Campbell's skull, Tommy could see in Maddie's face that she did need to do it. She needed to get revenge herself. "Alrigh'." Tommy sighed, giving in to Maddie's request. "If 'e is still alive once I've done my business, no one, not even you Maddie will stop me. You 'ear me? Campbell dies t'day."

Letting out a long breath she had been holding in, Maddie felt touched by how badly Tommy wanted justice for her even though she had left him. Yet, along with the warmth there was also bitterness, bitterness that revolved around he and Grace. "Did you sleep with her?"

Tommy didn't need to hear the name to know who Maddie was refering to. Yet again he had made a stupid mistake, but it wasn't as bad as the first time. "No, I didn't sleep with Grace."

"But that's why you went to see her." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. Maddie already knew there was only one reason that Tommy would want to meet up with the blonde, but she needed to hear him say the words.

"Yes."

The simple one syllable word cemented to Maddie that she had made the right decision to leave Tommy. She would never be someones second choice, not even Tommy Shelby's. "We tried Tommy. We tried and it didn't work. But I won't be a consolation prize, I'm worth more than that." Closing the small aount of space between them, Maddie pressed her lips softly onto Tommy's in a chaste kiss. "I hope you get everythin' you wanted Tommy."

After circling the race course for what felt like the tenth time, Maddie still wasn't having any luck with finding Polly. She hadn't even seen a glimpse of the older woman, and she was beginning to worry that Polly had already gone through with killing Campbell and had left before the body could be found. It was her only opportunity to take back the power that Campbell and stolen from her, and if she missed it for something as trivial as not being able to find her Aunt, Maddie would never forgive herself.

But as if a higher being was watching over her, Maddie saw the unforgettable figure of Campbell ducking into a phone booth. This was it, she could do it without Polly if the situation called for it, and if she couldn;t and Polly wasn't there Alfie or Tommy would.

Of their own accord Maddie's feet picked up speed, heading directly for the booth that the inspector had just entered and it was at that moment that she saw Polly. "I've been lookin' everywhere for you!" She said in a hushed voice, grabbing Polly's arm and leading to the side of the the phone booths. "He's in there."

"I know, I saw 'im go in. You sure you want t' do this Maddie? I can do it alone."

"I need to do this too Pol. I need 'im to know it was me."

Taking Maddie's arm, Polly directed them both to the booth that Campbell was occupying. It only took a brief moment for him to notice the pair of them, and end his phone call promptly.

"Polly, and young Miss Shaw." Greeted Campbell with a cruel grin, as he opened the small booth for both the women to enter.

"Tommy told me you'd be 'ere." Said Polly, stepping into the booth first with Maddie hot on her heels. "Then I told Tommy that it should be me who finished you. Small and weak. That's 'ow you like it, isn't it? But this time, small and weak 'as got a gun."

Campbell's brows furrowed. "Yeah, you wouldn't do that here."

Reaching into her purse, Maddie pulled out the gun that Tommy had given her, the one she didn't have on her the night Campbell raped her, and pointed it firmly at his crotch. "Fuckin' try us, Inspector." Any previous doubt that she couldn't go through with killing again went out the window the moment her eyes landed on Campbell's self satisfied smirk. "You chose the wrong women to fuck over Inspector Campbell. You chose two Shelby women, an' we don't forget and we certainly don't fuckin' forgive." Grabbing hold of the door, to make certain that Campbell couldn't slip out of the booth, Maddie pushed the gun harder into his crotch. "Before a bullet goes in your heart, I'm gunna put one through your fuckin' cock."

Once Polly had produced her own gun and pointed it at Campbell's chest, Maddie squeezed the trigger making a bang echo and the inspector try to double over in pain. "You're not dead yet Inspector, so stand up."

Grunting in pain, Campbell held himself as upright as he physically could and stared pleadingly at Polly. "Polly, Polly. I know you wanted it, deep down there was a part of you that wanted me."

"Don't fuckin' listen to 'im Pol, don't fuckin' listen." Maddie cut in.

"You don't want to do this Polly."

They didn't have much time to finish up and get out before anyone noticed what had happened, and the amount of time Polly was taking to deal the final blow was making Maddie anxious. "Pol, he hurt me and he fuckin' hurt you. You think he wouldn't do it again? You think he doesn't still get off to what he did to us?"

Still Polly didn't pull the trigger, tears streamed down her cheeks and her breathing was laboured but the finger resting on the trigger didn't squeeze. "No part of me, belonged t' you. No part."

Peeking over the booth door, Maddie frantically eyed the small crowd of people for coppers, the last thing they needed was unwanted company especially with Polly taking so long. "Pol, do it. We ain't got much ti-" But before Maddie could finish her sentence, another bang sounded and Inspector Campbell slumped forward onto the two women.

"Don't fuck with The Peaky Blinders."

A/N/ Thank you Ariwolff14 and ArkhamAnnie for your feedback, and aphiophi I'm sorry you are no longer going to read this story. Thank you also to all the new favs/follows. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter (especially as Campbell is now dead!)