I was a little iffy about adding ANOTHER steamy scene with Thomas/Maze but I did so anyway. Needy-ass characters. However, we are getting close to Maze learning about who she is for Thomas and hopefully the steamy love scene. It's been written but it's going to be fixed.

My oh so lovely husband told me I should plot twist it. Make all the scenes between them steamy and the sex scene a complete downer. I told him I couldn't do that to ya'll.

Thomas Shelby was irritated to an untold degree. The second he landed the security job for Kimber, someone shot into the Garrison while he and Maze were…. preoccupied. He closed his eyes as his body trembled, remembering how she felt under his hands. He could still taste her skin on his tongue. The urge to take her to his bed was getting stronger every second he was around her. Gripping the white porcelain bowl in front of him, he hung his head, trying to viciously push down his emotions.

Once in control of his desires, he raised his head to look into the large mirror hanging on the wall. His eyes shifted amber before returning to their natural blue. Thomas closed his eyes again, thinking of all the times he had Maze in his grasp, his hands roaming her body as he listened to her quiet moans. He was slowly starting to go mad the more they were interrupted.

The war with the Lee family escalated to where Thomas feared they would do something dangerous to hurt one of his family or his Pack. They were unpredictable in their attacks against his family. It was only by luck he kept his relationship with Maze a secret from everyone. People knew she associated with him, but not how closely. He started the war with the Lee family because he needed a way in with Kimber. Thomas knew it would come down to bloodshed unless he figured out a way around it.

Kimber hadn't contacted him since the day his near cock up with Grace. It worried him he received no communications from Kimber or Roberts. He hoped his men would step up and show Kimber that he could trust the Peaky Blinders to keep the man rich. He was surprisingly happy with the deal he made with Roberts. They were generating more money lately.

Grace was another issue. He could see that she was quite interested in him, whereas his heart belonged to another. The day after Cheltenham, he composed the apology letter. It was vague, but apologized for putting her in harm's way. The next time he saw Grace, she seemed quite pleased with his apology letter that Maze forced him to write. Not that he would ever admit that he was wrong, but the apology letter stood. He still didn't know if he could trust Grace, but he would watch her.

In the two weeks since someone shot a bullet through the window of his pub, he hadn't learned a single reason it happened. His first suspicion was the Lees, but he quickly eliminated them because if they were to go after anyone, it would be all the Blinders, not just him. He might have been the one to start the war between the families, but the Lees would make sure they harmed everyone in their retribution.

The Inspector wanted him gone, but Campbell wanted the guns, not a bloody pub. He knew it wasn't the Communists. Freddie Thorne wasn't in jail yet. His mission to keep Freddie Thorne from being jailed was becoming difficult. The man didn't want to leave Birmingham and make life much easier for him and Ada. Even Polly's attempt to make Freddie and Ada leave failed, leaving it to Thomas to fix the mess himself.

He sighed, rubbing his wet hands over his face. There were too many things happening and not quick enough results. Some days, he felt the world was suffocating him with its incessant demands. Grabbing the towel beside the porcelain basin, he dried his face before getting dressed for the day.

The Betting house was noisy mid morning when Maze walked in. Removing her hat and gloves, she ran her fingers through her hair before pushing the double doors open. The room was busy with men wandering around, counting coins and writing bets in opened ledgers. Maze looked around the room for Thomas, spotting him in his office alone.

She crossed the room to his office and before she could stop in front of the glass door that led to his office; he pulled the door open and pulled her inside before closing the door. A dusty light shined into the small room, giving off just enough light. Maze walked to his desk and hopped upon the table and twisted her body gently as Thomas followed her before sitting in his chair.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, reaching for his glass of whiskey.

Maze pursed her lips. "You sound like you don't want me here."

"That's not the point," Thomas replied, eyeing the way she sat on his desk, keeping him from working.

She arched an eyebrow at his directness. It wasn't unusual for him, but she half-expected more warmth from him. "Just curious if you know who shot the Garrison."

"You came all the way here to ask me this?" he asked, sitting forward in his chair.

"What?" she shrugged her shoulders lightly. "It's been two weeks, Thomas. They could have shot either of us."

He rose to his feet, coming to step between her thighs and placed his hands on top of the checkered patterned long skirt she wore. Thomas looked down at her, his fingers playing with the long necklace draped around her neck.

"No," he said quietly, "I don't know who did it. I've asked around, but no one is speaking…."

"Well, you know it wasn't me. I have a solid alibi," she smirked, tilting her head at him and earning an amused expression.

"Do you now?" he smiled indecently at her, his eyes flitting down her body. He was amused at her attempt at her playful manner.

"Of course I do," she replied coyly. "Would you like to know?"

He inhaled slowly, leaning close to her, his eyes flashing. "Oh, but I know," he murmured, sliding his hand further up the fabric until he curled his fingers in the waistline of her skirt. He wanted to jerk her close to him, and feel her warm body close to his. Thomas grunted softly as his body overheated from prolonged exposure to her. He needed her, nay he wanted to be consumed by her.

Her breath hitched, realizing his intentions with her. Maze felt her heart hammer in her chest as arousal flooded her. She bit down hard on her lower lip, watching his eyes roll slightly back. She wrapped her small hand around his wrist, stopping him from pushing his hand further into the waistline and untucking her blouse. His eyes narrowed at her resistance.

Trying a different tactic, he slid his fingers through the loose strands of her chignon, his fingers tangling in the bun at the nape of her neck. He brushed his thumb over her plump lower lip, tilting her head back to look at him. Her eyes widened in shock at his forwardness. She could hear the clinking of coins and talking from the men through the glass window of his office.

They were so close that it seemed he would kiss her at any moment, but he refrained from enacting his blatant desire for her. Sliding his fingers down her neck, he felt her pulse jump wildly at his ministrations. Lower his hand went until it fumbled against the three large pink buttons of her blouse. He wanted to unfasten them, to catch a glimpse of her smooth, light olive skin.

His mind swam with lust as his fingers bunched the checkered skirt under his grip, shoving the fabric high enough to slip his hand under the fabric, touching the stocking. Thomas listened to her labored breathing as he shuddered, touching her warm skin.

"People are going to start asking questions if they see us like this," she mumbled, her eyes closing, feeling his lips ghost the side of her neck.

Thomas grunted and inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself, but caught the scent of her arousal. It swept over him like a hot blanket, causing his mind to stutter. The wolf howled loudly in his head, demanding that Thomas press her to submit to him.

His fingers brushed over the straps of her garter straps, tugging on them, wishing he could rip them off her. She moaned quietly in his ear, her lips grazing the lobe before giving the ear a slight suck. He fucking needed her, but her words reverberated in his brain and he forcefully jerked himself back from her.

"If you don't go right now, I am going to be completely indecent with you." Thomas whispered in her ear before gently kissing the lobe. His hand crept higher up her skirt, squeezing her thigh gently. He brushed his thumb between her opened thighs, feeling the soft skin.

Maze moaned softly, her body ignited in a fiery storm. The second she flirted with him, she knew she was at his mercy. Biting down on her lip hard, she tasted blood. She wanted him, badly. It was getting harder for her to stop herself and give into his unspoken demands. Maze knew why she tried keeping herself at a distance from him, but it seemed Thomas had other plans in mind.

He knew her words from earlier were right. Someone would eventually see them. It was something he didn't want. Thomas didn't want anyone seeing them like this. If they did, word would get out, and he knew they would use her against him. Just like they would use his family against him if the situation was dangerous.

"I still have work to do," he said, reluctantly backing slowly away from her. He didn't want to, but he didn't want their…. relationship exposed to prying eyes.

Maze frowned, trying to control her emotions, and nodded her head. Sliding off the desk, her body brushed against his seductively. He growled low and resisted the urge to grab her hips roughly, to set her down on the desk again. She took a sharp breath and turned away from him to leave his office.

"I'll see you," she said before closing the door on him.

Thomas groaned, flicking his eyes toward the ceiling. Rubbing a hand across his mouth, he quickly picked up his box of cigarettes and lit one. He inhaled quickly, hoping the rush of nicotine would settle his emotions. If he didn't keep himself occupied for the next few minutes, he would rush out of his office and chase her until they found themselves at her house, alone.

For the second time that year, the Garrison was closed. Inside the pub sat most of the Darkfur Pack. The ones that weren't present were handling other issues. Pints of beer were in many hands while the rest stood around talking. Thomas sat in the meeting room, reading over a report before closing the ledger. He picked up the glass of whiskey, finishing the amber liquid before rising and grabbing his coat.

Harry and Grace had been told not to come around the Garrison until later that afternoon. Thomas didn't elaborate why the pub was closed for the first half of the day. Grace hadn't been pleased to be excluded since she reasoned Thomas would need a barmaid to keep the drinks full, but he declined her offer to help vehemently.

Opening the door, he closed it quickly and stepped into the main part of the pub. The room fell silent as many turned their heads to see their Alpha standing there. Many sank into submission before rising as Thomas walked over behind the bar to grab a bottle of whiskey. Uncapping it, he poured himself a drink.

"Many of you have heard that the Garrison was shot at a couple of weeks ago," he began, hearing the mumbling of his Pack. "I have asked around, but no one is talking."

"We can make 'em talk," John said from his chair across the room where he sat with Arthur and Scudboat.

Thomas nodded his head before lifting the drink to his lips. "Aye, I'm sure we can, but no one is talking to me."

"You want us to talk to people? Try to figure out who did it," John asked, leaning back in his chair, his pint of beer resting in his right hand.

"I do," Thomas nodded. "A few of you get together and ask around, especially in other pubs and warehouses."

There was a smattering of agreement from the Pack. Thomas finished his whiskey and set the glass down on the bar top. He looked around at the Pack members. There was something else that he needed to bring up as well.

"Another thing," Thomas began, catching their attention. "A few weeks ago, a Paddy was shot near the Black Swan. I've been warned that the Irish think it's one of us."

A low rumble of angry growls reached his ears as he picked up on that none of his men from the Pack nor the Blinders did it.

"No one is talking about that either. I suspect both events are related."

"Don't worry, Alpha," Scudboat said, looking around the room before turning back to Thomas. "We'll find out."

Thomas nodded his head gratefully. "The Blinders and the Pack have negotiated a contract with Billy Kimber to provide security for his racecourses. It will be our job to make sure the Lee brothers stop stealing from Kimber's bookies. Thanks to Arthur, John and others, we were successful with our first job at Cheltenham."

He didn't tell them about the pay nor the legal betting pitches yet. He would inform Arthur about the decision later. Thomas would give it time before he brought that information to the table. Get a few jobs done before he brought it up.

"Any other news?" Thomas asked, looking around at the men.

"The coppers are still looking for Communists," one said, lowering his pint of beer.

"They are…."

"Freddie Thorne is in the thick of it," another called out. "What is to be done about him? He's your brother-in-law…."

"Oi!" John shouted, rising to his feet and pointing his finger at the man. "That's family business we're taking care of."

Thomas raised a hand to keep the peace. "I will handle Freddie Thorne myself. Sgt. Moss has accosted me, reminding me that Freddie Thorne needs to be found and turned in or else."

"Or else what?" a short stocky man asked, rising to his feet.

"What about Ada?" Arthur asked, looking at his younger brother. "What's he saying about her?"

"It's not good."

The Pack grumbled at the thought of someone they cared for being hurt by the coppers. Thomas hoped none of them asked when he was going to take a mate. He opened the lid of his pocket watch to check the time. The meeting would have to end soon. The pub needed to be opened for the afternoon and night hours.

"If that's all for now," Thomas began, waiting for someone to speak up. When no one did, he inhaled and reached for his cigarettes. "Meetings adjourned."

As the flowers bloomed around them, the Blinders spent the month of May handling the security for Billy Kimber. Preventing the Lee brothers from stealing from Kimber's bookies put money in the pockets of every Blinder and Pack member. Unfortunately, it put the Blinders in a bind when the Lees started attacking Thomas's men.

"This is the fourth time the Lees have attacked and injured one of our own," Arthur snapped, slamming the glass door open until it banged against the inside wall of Thomas's office the day after the fourth attack.

"Yes, I know." Thomas replied, closing the ledger. "Maze has been quite busy mending them."

"What are you going to do about it?" Arthur demanded.

Thomas raised an eyebrow at his brother's tone. He wasn't sure what led Arthur to believe he could demand anything from Thomas.

"I'm not going to start a war with the Lees."

"You already fucking have!" Arthur spat. "You did it the day we fought three of the Lees before the fair."

"That was a scuffle, nothing more." Thomas replied, leaning his elbows on the desk and eyeing Arthur.

Arthur scoffed and threw himself in the chair across from the desk. "You did it to get Billy Kimber's attention and haven't tried to stop the Lees. There needs to be peace. What's going to happen when they kill one of us?"

Thomas's eyes flashed amber as he glared at Arthur's tone. It was one thing to be angry with him but to keep it up during the conversation. He understood deeply that Arthur wanted both positions as head of the Blinders and Alpha, but it would not happen.

"Then I will deal with it then," Thomas promised darkly.

Grace Burgess squinted against the unusually bright weather as she walked slowly around Birmingham. She was looking for someone in particular. Someone who she hoped would give her answers. The woman that fixed her split lip a week ago when the meeting with Billy Kimber failed was around here somewhere. Grace realized quickly at Cheltenham that this woman was her ticket to getting close to Thomas Shelby. She needed to get close to Thomas Shelby, but it was proving to be difficult. He was a hard man to engage. Grace enjoyed the apology letter he wrote after what happened at Billy Kimber's house.

Frankly, she was surprised that he wrote a letter, let alone apologized for what nearly happened to her. She had to wonder if the woman who patched her up forced him to write the letter. It conflicted her as well. If he wasn't pressed to write the letter, would he have done so on his own? She tried giving him the benefit of the doubt. The bruising had taken a week to heal, a stark reminder letting her know that her world wasn't simply safe.

She leisurely wandered down the street, the church of St. Martin looming ahead of her. The Bullring was busy on a Saturday afternoon. Women were milling around, carrying supplies and baskets. Men were in groups, talking loudly. Grace knew some men were Communist agitators, some were war veterans, but it didn't matter to her. She spotted several children chasing one another, shouting happily as they played.

Coming out of Rackhams, Grace smiled at seeing the woman, Maze, walk out of the department store. Hanging on one arm, she carried a heavy-looking basket. Quickening her step, Grace caught up with the woman a few minutes later. Grace watched the woman in front of her, wondering what secrets she carried. Secrets that Grace thought she could wiggle out of her. She said nothing until Maze stopped at a fruit vendor to look at baskets of blackberries and plums.

"Hello," she said, sliding up to the woman and catching her attention.

Maze paused picking up a basket of ripe blackberries to turn her head to see who was talking to her. Internally, she screamed, seeing Grace standing there trying to look innocent. Deep down she wanted to tell the woman to fuck off, but it wouldn't look good for her nor Thomas. Instead, she arched an eyebrow at seeing Grace, but said nothing as she smiled. "Hello Grace. How are you?"

Grace, taken aback by Maze's kindness, "I'm well, thank you. Are you shopping?"

Maze had to bite back the retort at Grace's obviousness of starting a conversation. If she were at home in the future, nothing would have stopped her from replying with a snarky answer. Giving Grace a nod of her head. "I am. I either shop, clean, or bake on my days off," Maze replied, opening her handbag for the money for two baskets of blackberries. Maze failed to mention that she quit working at the hospital a week prior. No one knew but herself, her former boss, and Thomas.

"I want to say thank you for tending to me on the day of Cheltenham," Grace said, opening up to talk about Thomas. It was her mission to get to know more about him through other people than himself. "I know it must have been difficult for you to see Thomas Shelby with another woman."

"You're welcome," Maze replied, handing the young woman across the fruit stand the money. Maze paused at the next part of Grace's statement. "Why would that bother me?"

Grace had the audacity to blush. "I mean, Thomas took me to the races instead of yourself. I recently learned the two of you were close." She paused, hoping to change the subject by seeing a dark feature cross Maze's face. "Did you know Thomas wrote an apology letter to me?"

"I'm glad he did so. I told him what he did wasn't right," Maze said, setting the baskets in her larger one.

"How long have you known Thomas Shelby?" Grace asked, stepping aside as a couple barreled past the two ladies.

Maze turned her head slowly to look at Grace, already feeling that the blonde-haired woman was fishing for information. She didn't like it when people started asking questions about her or the Shelbys. There wasn't much she would say about Thomas or any of the Shelby's without consulting them first.

"Nearly all my life," Maze replied. Everyone in Birmingham and Small Heath knew this knowledge. It surprised her that Grace didn't. Working at the Garrison should have given her some insight to how things worked in Thomas's territory.

"What's he like?" Grace said suddenly.

Maze found she didn't like where the conversation was going. Another woman interested in Thomas made her uncomfortable, like Grace was prowling on what belonged to Maze from the beginning. Maze bit her tongue again, reminding herself not to be a bitch to the barmaid. Until that moment, she had never felt jealousy toward another woman interested in Thomas. But the last few months changed her perspective. He was assertive, sexual, dominant, and determined to get into her bed.

"Maybe you should ask him yourself. You work for him," Maze replied slowly, trying to keep the sting out of her comment. She hoped Grace didn't take offense to her tone.

"He's not very talkative," Grace admitted with a flush.

Jesus Christ, Maze thought. The woman was besotted with Thomas. Maze had to wonder if Thomas knew?

"He's normally not."

"I've seen him speak freely to you," the blonde woman argued.

"I've known him all my life." Maze reminded her.

"You know his secrets."

Maze scoffed lightly, "Hardly."

Grace frowned when she realized the conversation wasn't going anywhere. If this woman was going to make it difficult to find out information about Thomas, then Grace would have to do what Campbell told her to do. She hoped the brunette woman beside her didn't find Thomas alluring.

"Well, thank you," Grace said before disappearing from Maze's sight. She would have to step up on her spying.

Maze watched Grace disappear from her sight and contemplated telling Thomas. Biting down on her lip, she reasoned this warranted further watching.

"Do you have any new information?" Campbell said, stepping around the statue as Grace walked into the room. They were wandering around the art museum for a brief meeting.

"Nothing new. Thomas Shelby isn't very talkative. I've tried speaking to a woman who knows him well, but she isn't very forthcoming."

"What's her name?" Campbell asked.

"Maze, but that's all I've gleaned. She knows him well and I hope that he's told her where the guns are."

"Mazella Hawthorne. She's a war nurse," Campbell said, giving her more information about the woman than she had found on her own. "I've been in her presence along with Polly Grey, his aunt. I asked her the same about the stolen guns and she told me no as well."

"She must know something."

"Have you learned anymore?"

"I've decided to 'work' for Thomas Shelby. It gives me a way inside his organisation," she confessed, hoping he didn't catch on to her fancy of the man in question.

"Then it's time I pay a visit to Thomas Shelby," Campbell said, giving Grace a nod before she turned to leave the room of statues.

Maze raced down the corridor of her house to the banging on the front door. Twisting the handle, she jerked the door open to see Thomas standing there.

"You're needed." He said, coming into the house.

"What for?"

"One of my boys has been beaten severely. I need you to fix him," Thomas explained as Maze rushed up the stairs to her office to retrieve her medicine bag.

"You should have taken him to a hospital if he's hurt that badly," Maze admonished him.

He glared at her for a second, but relaxed his face to neutral at the rebuke. "You're the best and you won't ask questions."

"Take me to him," she instructed, rushing down the stairs to grab her hat before following Thomas out of the house. Entering a small house halfway down Watery Lane, Thomas pushed the door closed as Maze removed her hat and marched inside.

The smell of blood overwhelmed her senses, and she stopped quickly to gather herself, feeling Thomas bumped into her from behind. "I know," he whispered, his hands tight on her waist.

Maze gulped, nodding her head and trying to wrap her mind around what she was about to do. When the war ended, they transferred her to a convalescent hospital to care for the wounded and disabled soldiers returning from war. There wasn't much blood involved with rehabilitation. Inhaling, she walked into the room and closed her eyes for a split second. Walking over to the injured man, she set her bag down and assessed his condition.

From her vantage, she could tell he had facial fractures and three missing teeth. There were cuts on his face and his nose appeared broken. She placed her hands on his abdomen to see if he had any internal injuries. The man groaned, indicating that he did. She wouldn't be surprised if he had a cracked rib or two. His hand was swollen and mangled as well. She twisted her head sharply towards Thomas, who looked at her stoically.

"You need to take him to City Hospital," Maze urged, opening her bag. "There's only so much I can do. He needs a proper doctor."

"Fix whatever you can," Thomas said, taking a seat close by.

Maze huffed at him and set to work. She ignored the way her hands reddened as she continued to clean and assess the damage done to the man. Twenty minutes later, she tossed the last of the gauze in the bin and walked off to clean her hands.

"I've done all I can do. I'm not a….," she began but interrupted when Thomas rose from his seat and walked over to her. He wrapped his hands lightly around the base of her head, looking into her eyes.

"I know," he whispered, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. The intimate moment shocked her greatly. "Thank you."

She nodded her head and packed her things while giving the area a good clean. As she left, she didn't see him staring at one of his men, nor did she understand what sort of vengeance was going through his mind.