Tommy had expected a range of reactions from his wife. He knew that she would be upset and desperate, just as he was. He was doing everything in his power to find his daughter and bring her home. Father Hughes had insulted him and told him that he knew of the plan. Father Hughes had his daughter.
He had gone around the room and accused every single member of his family of betraying him to Father Hughes. He had told them of the tunnel he was digging to steal the jewels from the Georgians and he had accused each of them of betraying him. It was only after his family had dispersed, disgusted with being accused of betrayal did his wife return.
The door flung wide open as she stormed into the offices, her cheeks red and her face full of rage. Tommy looked over to her as she moved over to him and he saw that her rage was now directed at him. He couldn't blame her. He blamed himself for what had happened. Pol had been stood in the doorway as she saw Elizabeth storm in.
"Who has my daughter?!" Elizabeth roared at Tommy and he stepped back, slightly taken back by the anger. "Where the fuck is my daughter!?"
"Liz," Tommy tried to calm her as she moved at him, her hands balled into fists as she pushed against his chest. "Calm down."
"Calm down?" she echoed back to him. "How dare you stand there and tell me to calm down?"
"Because I am goin' to do everythin' I can to brin' 'er back," Tommy said. "I know who 'as 'er, alright? Father Hughes knows about the tunnel and me goin' to the Soviets. He wasn't me to blow the train up now and give him the jewels. If I do that then Charlotte will be safe."
Elizabeth shook her head as she went to push against her husband once more, the motion enough to make him step back as he scrambled to take hold of her wrists, but she continued to fight him, tears streaming down her face and her hair askew on top of her head, falling from the bun she had placed it into.
"I do not care about any of that!" Elizabeth roared at him. "I just want Charlotte. I want Charlotte back and with me and I want her now!"
"And do yer think that I don't?" Tommy demanded from his wife, his voice just as terse as Pol remained stood in the doorway, watching the two of them argue, knowing that she couldn't get involved. "I want 'er back, Liz."
"If it wasn't for you then she wouldn't have been taken!" Liz snapped at him, jabbing at his chest with her finger as he looked down to her, his hands going to hold onto her cheeks tightly in his fingertips.
"Do yer think I don't know that?" Tommy asked from her. "Do yer think I don't blame myself, eh?"
"I hope that you do," Elizabeth said, knowing that what she was saying would hurt him. But at that moment in time she wanted to hurt him. She wanted him to suffer. She was lashing out and she didn't care. "Because if anything happens to her then I swear to God that I will never forgive you, Tommy."
"This isn't 'elpin', Liz," Tommy mumbled to her and she rolled her eyes at hearing him. "I need to go and find 'er."
"And how do we do that?" Elizabeth demanded from Tommy.
He shook his head at her. "Yer do nothin'-"
"-Not an option," Elizabeth interrupted him, sniffing loudly and shaking her head. She looked to her husband as he watched her back. His face was contorted with worry and the tie he wore was loose around his shirt while his hair was still wet after he had stepped outside.
"Liz," Tommy complained.
"No," she said with a firm shake of her head. "I am not doing this, Tommy. I am not sitting around while you find our daughter. I am coming with you."
"No-"
"-Do you not understand?" Elizabeth roared at him, her face inches from his as Tommy watched her with wonder. "I am not sitting back and letting you do this alone. I want her back. I want her back!"
"Come 'ere," Pol finally intervened as Elizabeth broke down.
Moving towards the woman, she took hold of her waist in one arm, guiding her towards her as she collapsed against her side. Pol moved her other arm around her, her hand cupping the back of her head as she sobbed against her shoulder. Looking over to Tommy, Pol felt her teeth grind together as she watched him watch his wife, his expression a mixture of worry and determination.
"I'm meetin' Alfie Solomons," Tommy said. "He knows about the Egg."
"So yer go around and accuse everyone in yer family before goin' to 'im?" Pol demanded and Tommy held a hand up to silence her.
"Don't start," he demanded from Pol.
Moving to grab his coat, Tommy shrugged into it as Elizabeth straightened herself out, tugging at her skirt and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She looked over to Tommy before stuffing her hands into her pockets.
"I'm coming with you," she said.
Tommy didn't even have a chance to argue as Elizabeth stormed out of the offices and he followed her. Coming to the pavement, the rain was still pouring down as Elizabeth noted Michael stood on the edge of the path next to the car. He didn't open the door, instead he looked to Tommy from over her shoulder, silently asking if she was coming.
"Get in the back, Michael," Tommy demanded before opening the door for his wife.
Tommy went to the driver's side, starting the ignition in a matter of seconds before driving off down the road. He glanced over to Elizabeth a couple of times, but she refused to meet his gaze. Instead the tears were streaming down her face silently, her hands clasped in her lap. She looked as broken as Tommy felt. But he had to keep himself together. He had to keep himself composed. His wife and daughter needed that from him.
"Where are meetin' 'im?" Tommy asked from Michael considering he had been the one to arrange the meeting.
"The old warehouse where we store all the things we don't need," Michael said. "I told him to come alone."
"Doubt that'll 'appen," Tommy mumbled and Elizabeth felt her body begin to shake as Tommy continued driving.
Pulling into the warehouse, Elizabeth climbed down from the car, not waiting for Tommy like she usually did. Instead she was the first one out and the first one to approach Alfie, her skirts trailing on the dusty floor behind her as the man from Camden stumbled towards them, a walking stick in his hands.
Moving with haste, Tommy grabbed hold of Elizabeth, standing in front of her and grabbing her by the waist. Looking down to her, he hissed with haste; "Let me deal with this. He might know nothin' and we need to be sure before making accusations."
Elizabeth ground her teeth together and pushed Tommy's arm from her. He turned around, facing Alfie and cupping his hands together in front of him. Michael had sloped off outside before anything could happen, waiting to see if he would be needed.
"I asked yer to come alone."
"Yer, well alone I ain't ever goin' to do, am I?" Alfie responded as Elizabeth saw a man following behind him. "Besides, yer brought yer wife along with yer. Alright, Liz?"
Liz said nothing, keeping silent.
"What 'ave yer got for me?" Tommy asked as Alfie moved his hand into his pocket, pulling out a list of names.
"Well, my jeweller says that there were quite a few people willin' to pay handsomely for that Egg of yers down there," Tommy said. "Men whose wives would want one on their windowsill or somethin' like that."
Handing the list over to Tommy, Alfie glanced to Liz, noticing the tears flowing down her face before he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. She was still looking down to the floor as Tommy checked the list against his own list.
"What is it, Liz?" Alfie asked from her.
Peering up and over to the man who Tommy had done business with before was enough to tip her over the edge. She had first met Alfie Solomons down in London when he had demanded Tommy to work with him. He had intimidated them, but she had stood up to him. She had gone against him and he had never once shown her anything but kindness.
"Just tell me that it was not you," Elizabeth spoke in a pleading voice to him and his brow furrowed as Tommy jumped in.
"Yer missed a name off the list," Tommy declared, moving his hand into his pocket and producing his gun.
"Did I?" Alfie wondered.
"Yer did," Tommy said as the man with Alfie drew his gun and aimed it at Tommy.
"I 'ad my own jewellers look into men whose wives would want one of those Eggs. They gave me a list and yer just 'appened to miss off the man who would pay the most."
Alfie seemed to roll his eyes as Elizabeth remained still, watching the exchange as Alfie shrugged.
"So if yer knew already then why am I 'ere?" Alfie demanded.
"Because you've just proved that yer betrayed me," Tommy said. "Yer did a deal with the Economic League and that's why they know about the Egg. You told 'em about the tunnel…about the deal with the Soviets…"
"Listen, Tommy-"
"-Yer gave the League information in exchange for a share," Tommy concluded.
"There were things in that vault that were worth more than our business deal," Alfie said.
"But yer crossed a line, Alfie," Tommy said and Elizabeth shook her head as Alfie slowly began to piece the bits together, looking between the couple. The usual united front that they showed was strained. Elizabeth looked as though she could barely glanced to Tommy.
"They have Charlotte," she finally spoke, looking to Alfie as he glanced back to her. "They have taken Charlotte."
Alfie kept silent then as Tommy advanced towards him, sizing him up. "Did yer know?"
"What?" Alfie demanded.
"Did yer know?" Tommy snarled, his face full of rage as he moved towards Alfie and took hold of him by the collar, pushing him to the floor as he dropped his gun and lunged towards him.
But Alfie's man was quick, grabbing hold of Tommy and pushing him back, his own gun still in his grip. Elizabeth moved with haste towards the gun that her husband had dropped, pulling it into her fingertips before trying to aim it at the man who was brawling with Tommy. But her husband didn't need her assistance. Michael entered the building, firing the shot straight into the man's back as the struggle ceased.
"What is wrong with yer, Tommy? Yer gone mad?" Alfie demanded as Tommy pulled himself to his feet and looked over at Alfie.
But Alfie didn't move anywhere. Instead he remained stood on the spot as Elizabeth lifted the gun and aimed it at Alfie. He looked to her as Tommy stood to his feet and Michael pointed to Elizabeth.
"If she shoots 'im then the truce is gone, Tommy," Michael warned.
"She ain't goin' to shoot me," Alfie said confidently as Elizabeth moved closer towards him, holding the gun in both hands, her eyes wide and wet as she stalked forwards.
"Did you know?" she asked him again, the hurt evident in her voice. "Because if you did then I would not test me. I do not care about any truce. I do not care about any jewels. I do not care about anything other than getting my daughter back."
"And yer 'usband?" Alfie demanded from her. "He stands there and acts high and mighty. He talks to me about crossing some line-"
"-That is him," Elizabeth interrupted Alfie, not wanting to listen to anymore. "That is him and that is not me. I am the one who is asking you if you knew about them taking my daughter."
"No idea," Alfie said with haste to her as she eyed him with suspicion.
"Are you lying to me?" she demanded, still pushing him.
"No," Alfie said. "Liz, do yer think I would 'elp 'em take yer daughter? I didn't know about that. I did tell 'em about the tunnel, but I didn't know about Charlotte."
Elizabeth kept the gun aimed at him, refusing to back down as she watched him, both of them staring at each other. Tommy stepped in then, moving to take hold of his wife's arm, lowering the gun until his fingers had found their way down to her hand, taking the gun from her.
"She's yer wife to control, Tommy," Alfie pointed out.
Tommy shook his head. "I don't control 'er." Tommy responded.
Taking hold of her hand, Tommy tried to drag her away from the warehouse.
"We'll discuss this another day," Tommy spoke, looking to Alfie with a harsh stare.
Elizabeth didn't look back at him as Tommy ordered Michael to get the car started. Pulling Elizabeth outside, Tommy's hands took hold of her by the shoulders as he bent down to look her in the eye. Moving his hands up her shoulders to her neck, he cupped it gently before his hands found her cheeks.
"I'll get 'er," Tommy declared.
"And do you expect me to believe anything that you say now?" Elizabeth asked from Tommy. "Do you think that we have anything left?"
Tommy's brow furrowed as he watched his wife. "What do yer mean?"
"What do you think I mean?" Elizabeth demanded. "How many times have I begged you to stop this? How many times have I pleaded with you? I've lost count, Tommy…I've put up with so much…we've put up with so much…but now our daughter is involved…and that isn't the kind of life that I can let her lead. She deserves to be safe. She deserves to be loved."
"She is," Tommy said with a quick nod. "She will be."
"No," Elizabeth responded. "Because this has gone too far. When we get her back I am taking her away from Birmingham. I am giving her a better life somewhere else."
Letting go of his wife, Tommy watched as her gaze remained on him.
"But the question is whether or not you can give all of this up?" she demanded from him. "Because if not then I swear to God, Tommy, that I will take her, with or without you."
"Yer angry and upset," Tommy said. "Yer not thinkin' clear."
"Do not patronise me," Elizabeth seethed at him. "I am thinking as clearly as I have in a very long time and I am serious, Tommy. I am not staying with our daughter. That is a promise."
...
A/N: Do let me know what you think!
