Tommy had ordered for his factory to be cleared out for the morning. He had told Arthur and Finn to take the two men there and keep them there. He had left early in the morning as Elizabeth and Charlotte slept. He had drove himself to the factor, dressed in his three piece suit with his black coat and cap. Parking outside the factory, he sniffed the cold morning air and walked in. The lights were already on and Arthur was stood by the door, smoking as he looked to Tommy.
"Where are they?" Tommy asked, tugging at his tie.
"Finn is watchin' 'em," Arthur said to his brother. "He 'as them at the bottom of the shop floor."
"Good," Tommy sniffed again and began walking off. Arthur stopped him, hand on his chest as Tommy stood still, a look of impatience crossing his features and he looked to Arthur. "What?"
"It's Ben and Danny," Arthur said. Tommy knew the two men. He knew everyone on his books. He had employed them both months ago after undergoing an intense vetting process. "Ben 'as a wife, Tom."
Tommy ground his teeth together at hearing that. "And my wife was almost raped and God knows what else would 'ave 'appened to 'er," he hissed. "My wife, Arthur, comes before anythin' else. Do yer understand me?"
Tommy pushed his brothers hands from him and stormed forwards. He moved a hand to feel the gun inside of his jacket as he saw the two men sat on chairs, tied to them. Finn was in front of them, gun in his hand as he looked at Tommy. He nodded once and Tommy removed his coat from his figure. He draped it over a crate and then his suit jacket followed with his cap.
"Yer left yer watch fifteen minutes early," Tommy said and the two of them remained mute. "Someone paid yer to leave yer watch fifteen minutes early so that they could go inside and attack my wife and my daughter…my little girl…"
"They didn't say they were goin' to do anythin'," Danny cracked first, his eyes wide and his cheeks red and puffy.
Looking to him, Tommy moved to stand in front of him, kneeling down, an arm draped over his thighs. "And what did they say they were goin' to do?" he demanded to know.
"They just said that they had a message," he continued. "Said that they needed to talk to 'er because it was about yer…"
Tommy shook his head and looked down. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he prayed for strength. "And yer fuckin' believed 'em?" he asked, gaze lifting up once again. "And yer fuckin' believed 'em?" he snapped this time, voice rising. "Or did it not matter, eh? Did they not matter because yer saw the cash they were offerin'? Is that it?"
"We have wives too," Ben suddenly piped up and Tommy stood up straight, looking to him as Tommy arched a brow and cocked his head to the side. "We have wives and we needed the money. It was enough for us to live on for months…get out of 'ere…escape…"
"And the money was worth it, was it?" Tommy demanded to know from him. "It was worth it? My wife and daughter were worth, what? A few hundred quid? And you'd live with that on yer conscience?"
Ben snorted. "No offence, Mr Shelby, but you aren't one to lecture us on consciences. We know what yer do. We know what yer 'ave done."
"Yeah?" Tommy asked from him. "I've done bad things. I'm a man who 'as done bad things, but even I draw the line at lettin' innocent women and children get 'urt. Do yer 'ear me?"
He went silent then and Tommy shook his head and tuned around. He moved his hands to the back of his head as he paced up and down, his brothers watching him anxiously and wondering if he was going to have some kind of breakdown.
"They 'ad my wife bent over a kitchen table before my brother found 'er," Tommy said. "He said 'er skirts were up to 'er waist and their 'ands were all over her…ready to 'urt 'er…my wife…a woman who 'as done nothin' but love me."
"We didn't know," Danny said and he felt tears well in his eyes.
"I'd 'eard she 'ad left yer anyway," Ben said and Tommy kept his back to him, wondering if he had some kind of death wish with the way he was going. "Rumour 'ad it that she was 'aving men sneakin' round to please her anyway."
Tommy lashed out then. Turning on his heel, he balled his hand into a fist and punched at the man. His face turned to the side as Tommy delivered the blow, blood falling from his mouth. Spitting to the ground, Ben picked his gaze back up, refusing to back down.
"Yer never talk about 'er again, do yer 'ear me?" Tommy demanded from him. "Now, who paid yer?"
"We don't know," Danny said and Tommy realised he was the one who was more likely to crack. "Two men came down the Garrison and asked us to do it. Said they were from some government organisation, but they…they could 'ave been lyin'."
"And yer didn't think to ask questions?" Tommy demanded to know.
"No," Danny admitted. "We're sorry. We-"
"-Where is he?"
Turning his head over his shoulder, Tommy looked down the factory floor as he saw Arthur trying to stop Elizabeth moving further into the factor. Tommy groaned and pointed to Finn. "Keep 'em under watch."
Moving down towards his wife, he motioned for Arthur to move aside before taking hold of Elizabeth by the elbow and steering her away. He moved up the steps and into his office, opening the door and urging his wife inside before closing it. Looking to Liz, he stretched his arms out wide.
"What are yer doin' 'ere?" he demanded from her.
"I heard you on the phone to Arthur and followed you," she admitted to him. She wore a simple green dress, her hair hanging loose down her back and her coat open on her frame. "I knew what you were going to do."
"Then yer should know that yer cannot stop me."
"Tommy, this is exactly the reason why I left you," Elizabeth reminded her husband as she leant back against the table. "I left you because of the murder…because of things like this, Tommy."
"Liz, do yer not get it?" Tommy asked his wife. "They were paid off. They let those men into the 'ouse. The men who would 'ave done God knows what to yer…my wife…Liz…yer my wife and it is my job to keep yer safe. It is my job and the idea of those men touchin' yer-"
"-I know," Elizabeth interrupted her husband, stepping forwards and clasping onto his forearms. "Tommy, I know."
"Then yer 'ave to know that they can't get away with it. They betrayed me," Tommy said to his wife.
"And I get that," she promised him, "and I will be honest, Tommy, a part of me wants to go down there and kill them myself, but what will it achieve? What will any of that achieve?"
"People cannot see me as weak, Liz. I can't let traitors live," Tommy responded. "Yer know I 'ave killed before. Yer know who I am and what I do."
"I know," she said, "but I told you, Tommy, I wanted things to change and you promised me a compromise. You promised me that."
"There is no compromise when it comes to your safety," Tommy responded, lifting his hands up to hold onto her cheeks. "You and Charlotte…your safety…there's no compromise there at all."
"Just force them to leave. Give them a day to pack their things and make them go."
"And risk 'em tellin' whoever paid them about my business?" Tommy said to her. "Liz, it isn't that simple. It just ain't that simple, okay? It-"
Before Tommy could continue, a loud bang echoed through the factory. Turning to the door, Tommy pulled his own gun from its holster, turning to look back at his wife as he heard yells and screams, the continuous noise of bullets being shot. "Stay 'ere," he demanded from her.
Elizabeth nodded her agreement and Tommy left her alone in the office. Walking back down the staircase, Tommy kept his breathing under control as he looked around. He noted one man by the door and he shot at Tommy. Ducking down, Tommy pulled his own trigger in his direction as the man fled from the factory. Looking down the floor of the factory, he saw Arthur and Finn stood there, their own guns raised and both of them taking deep breaths.
"What the 'ell 'appened?" Tommy demanded from them.
"We don't know," Arthur said and Tommy stormed past his brothers. Danny and Ben were dead, their bodies sagging off to the side as Tommy placed a hand against his forehead. "We were watchin' 'em and then two men came in. They started shootin', but not at us, Tom. They shot straight at those two. As soon as turned around they were runnin' off."
"Fuck," Tommy snapped quickly.
"We didn't catch their faces and they didn't speak," Finn said.
"Someone sent 'em. Someone sent 'em to keep these two from talkin'," Tommy said confidently. "But why? Who would do this?"
"Tom, we 'ave people against us. Yer know that."
"Yeah, don't I just," Tommy responded. "Go 'ome. I'm takin' Liz back 'ome and we'll talk this afternoon."
Moving back up the staircase to the office, Tommy opened the door to find his wife pacing up and down. Looking at him as he placed his gun away, he moved to roll his sleeves up to his elbow from where they had fallen down.
"What was that?" she asked him. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Tommy promised his wife, holding his had out towards her. She took hold of it as he walked back down the steps. "Someone sent some men to kill Danny and Ben. I reckon they did it to keep 'em quiet."
"But who sent them?"
"I'm workin' on that," Tommy promised her, letting go of her hand before reaching for his suit jacket. He shrugged back into it and then donned his coat. Stuffing his cap into his coat pocket, he picked her hand back up again and left the factor. "But we're goin' 'ome now."
…
Tommy had been trying to work out who could have sent those men. He had Arthur and Finn looking into everyone's background and talking to anyone who they were associated with. He had stayed at home, working on the legal business during the day, but his mind was wandering. He couldn't focus, knowing that the illegal side of things was still not wrapped up. Would it ever be wrapped up? Could he ever really step back from it? Would he be allowed to?
"Mummy told me to bring you this."
Looking up from his work and to the door, Tommy saw his daughter stood there holding a plate with sandwiches. She was wearing grey tights underneath her blue dress, her hair hanging in curls down her back. He placed his pen down and took his glasses from his face, laying them on top of his papers.
"'Ave yer 'ad lunch, Charlotte?"
"No," Charlotte said, "but I am not too hungry."
"Then we can share these because I'm not too hungry either," Tommy said to his daughter and she walked towards him. Placing the plate down on his desk, she looked to her father as Tommy took hold of her, letting her sit in his lap.
"Are you and mummy back together now?" Charlotte asked him.
"Yeah," Tommy said. "We're together now, Charlotte, and I promise yer that I am not goin' to let yer go again, alright? We're goin' to be a family again."
"I would like that," Charlotte said. "Mummy said that you were trying to make things right."
"And I am," Tommy promised his daughter. "I am doin' everythin' to try and make yer mummy 'appy and make things right. Alright? I need yer to believe me."
"I do," Charlotte said. "I just don't want to see mummy sad again…or you."
Hugging her tightly, Tommy kissed the top of her head. "I promise yer that I will make things alright," he said to her. "Now, 'ow about we eat this sandwich, yeah?"
She nodded as Tommy handed her a slice and he took the other slice.
…
Tommy walked up behind Elizabeth as she stood in the bedroom, peering outside of the window. He wrapped his arms around her waist, startling her slightly before she relaxed and leaned back against him. He kissed the side of her neck once.
"Thank you for sending Charlotte to me with lunch," he whispered to her.
"She is your daughter and she needed to see that things…while they might not be how they were between us, but she doesn't need to know that. She can think that things are normal."
"And are they not?" Tommy whispered.
"After everything that happened yesterday things aren't exactly normal, Tommy," she responded and turned around in his arms, holding onto his shoulders.
"I will make them normal," Tommy said to her.
"I just need you to be safe, Tommy. Okay? I need you to be safe so that we can move on. I love you so much, Tommy. I want us to work."
"We will," he promised her, kissing her forehead. "We will work, Liz. I'll make us work, alright?"
"Okay," was all that Elizabeth could say in response as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her cheek against his neck. Tommy said nothing either, moving his own arms tighter around her as he closed his eyes, his cheek resting on top of her head as he enjoyed the moment.
…
A/N: Do let me know what you think!
