A/N TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter includes rape. I have begun and ended the relevant passages with XXXX if you wish to skip.
The next morning was awkward to say the least. John was already up by time I woke up and when I had got dressed, him and Tommy were nowhere to be found. I knocked on Arthurs door, he looked worse for wear. "You look how I feel." I laughed as he let me in the room. He grumbled at me as he continued getting ready, putting on his shoulder gun holster and suit jacket. "Where's Tommy and John?" I asked, sitting in a chair. "They've gone to get the car." he replied, checking himself in the mirror.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, watching me through the mirror. I shrugged my shoulders. "I told Tommy London was smoke and trouble. I guess I just didn't realise it would be for me." I replied. "You'll be fine once we're back home. You've both been through worse." he told me, turning to face me. "I guess I just thought we had both grown up." I replied, avoiding his gaze. "I don't think our John will ever grow up. But he does love you and you love him. I know that. Sometimes these things take a bit of work but you made it through the war and all the other obstacles that have been thrown at you. You will make it through this." he told me, seriously. "When did you get so old and wise." I laughed. "Hey, less of the old." he told me, grinning.
My heart thumped as the door opened. John and Tommy came in, laughing, but they both turned stoic when they saw me. At least Tommy hadn't confessed to John about what happened last night. "Car is round the front if you're both ready." Tommy told us, clearing his throat. I nodded, standing. "Our bag still in the room?" John asked. I nodded again. He quickly left to retrieve it as Arthur busied himself gathering his things. Tommy and I avoided each other's gaze as we stood in silence. "C'mon then, let's go see what trouble they got into while we were gone." Arthur said, resting his arm across my shoulders. We both followed Tommy out the door, meeting John in the hallway before going down the stairs and through the lobby to the car.
The journey home was made in silence with Arthur and I sat in the back while Tommy drove with John by his side. I half ran out the car when Tommy came to a stop outside the house, going in and finding Lily. I picked the happy baby up from Polly's lap and cradled her to me. "Hello, my little flower." I whispered, kissing her head and taking in her scent. I heard the brothers come in behind me. "Any issues, Pol?" Tommy asked from behind me. "No, everything has gone smoothly." she told him, smiling up at me and Lily. John came and kissed Lily's head, being cautious not to touch me. Polly noticed the tension and her smile dropped.
Arthur noticed the looks that she was giving me. "Let's go make sure the place is still standing, then." he said, ushering his two younger brothers from the room and into the shop as I sat at the kitchen table, placing Lily on my knee. There was a moments silence before Polly spoke. "What's happened?" she asked, lighting up a cigarette. "John kissed some girl and I took some drugs." I told her, leaving out the key thing that was making my stomach turn. She watched me in silence as Lily found a hanging curl to play with. "And that's it?" she asked. I nodded. "Have you spoken to John about the girl?" she asked. I shook my head, looking at the table. "I know it meant nothing, Pol. But it fucking hurt. I was stood right in front of him and he just fucking kissed her." I told her, fighting back the tears. "I thought we were done with this shit after the war." I added. "So did I." she commented, stubbing out her cigarette.
"You can't just be thinking of yourself anymore, Evelyn. You love him and he loves you, anyone can see it but you cannot keep doing this to each other. Him doing something wrong, you going off the rails then everything is hunky dory. It's not fair on the baby." she told me, sternly. I nodded. "I know, Polly. I just don't know what else I can do." I admitted. "You need to sit him down and speak to him. You need to tell him how it's going to be and he better listen." she told me. "Do you think that'll work?" I laughed. "You're a smart girl, Evie. You have other weapons in your arsenal." she reminded me, eyebrow raised suggestively. I frowned at her slightly before realising what she was saying. She was right, of course. She always was about these sorts of things. "Can you watch Lily a while longer?" I asked, formulating a plan. She nodded, smiling and holding her arms out to the girl. "Tell John to come home in about 20 minutes." I told her before getting up and leaving.
Right on schedule, John walked through the front door. "Evie?" he called, shutting the door. "Kitchen!" I called back, positioning myself against the counter. When he walked in and saw me, his eyes nearly fell out of his head. The black lacy slip that I was wearing was incredibly low cut and incredibly short, just covering my bum and showing off the tops of my stockings. Paired with some black pumps and red lipstick, I knew I would have John at my feet. "We need to talk." I told him coyly as I pushed myself off the counter and towards him. He nodded, unable to talk as he stared at me. I slowly walked around him, stopping behind him.
"Now, what happened in London was unfortunate." I started as I slowly pulled off his coat, throwing it on the chair beside us. "It all got a bit out of hand. You said things, I said things." I continued, doing the same with his blazer and gun holster. I circled back round to the front, looking up at John through my eyelashes as I stood in front of him. I subtly pressed my chest to him as I began to undo his waistcoat and shirt, I could already feel his excitement through his trousers. "We both made mistakes. But you need to know that nothing like that will happen again." I whispered a hint of a threat in my breathy voice, taking off his now unbuttoned waistcoat and shirt, letting them fall to the floor. I bent down as I slowly pulled up his undershirt, placing kisses up his abdomen as I exposed the bare skin. He helped me pull it over his head.
I slowly turned him so he was facing the door and pushed him down onto the waiting seat. I quickly sat on top of him, straddling him and resting my hands on his chest. "I love you, John." I whispered leaning in to kiss his jaw and neck as I slowly ground my hips into him. He let out an involuntary moan and I smiled against his skin. "I cannot tell you how much I want you to fuck me right now." I whispered into his ear. "But if you ever do that to me again, you'll be left with more than blue balls." I added before swiftly getting off him and walking away.
It took him a moment before realising what was happening. "Wait, Evie!" he called standing up and following me into the living room. I ignored his calls, smiling to myself. He quickly caught me, spinning me by my wrist and picking me up by my thighs. He gripped them tightly as he slammed me into the wall, holding me between it and him. "I love you so fucking much and it will never happen again but you are not getting away with that." he grinned. I bit my lip seductively and looked up at him with heavy eyes. "If you say so, Mr Shelby." I replied, innocently.
It was the next night and I had just left the official offices. I was supposed to be waiting for John to walk me home but as it got further and further from the time we agreed I had just decided to start the walk myself. As I walked through the rain, I heard a shout. I paused for a moment looking round and the shout came again. I cautiously walked towards the shouting, down an alley and saw a group of men beating a man who was already on the floor. I moved to walk away when something shiny reflected off the floor by the men. A cap. A cap with razor blades sewn into it. I stepped closer and saw who the man on the floor was. "Tommy!" I shouted before I could think. The men and Tommy looked at me. It looked like Tommy was trying to say something but no words came out, his mouth full of blood.
"Ah, you must be the bitch that was with them in London." an Italian voice came out of the shadows. I turned to see a man coming from the shadows. Sabini. I watched him closely as he watched me. "Get him up." he told his men. "He can watch." he added, grinning at me. I felt the pit in my stomach growing and I knew what he meant as two of his men came towards me. I turned to run but I was too slow, the men pushing me into the wall a hand around my neck as my head ricocheted off the stones and their hands pulling off my coat.
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I felt tears fall from my eyes as I tried to struggle against them but couldn't. "Get the fuck off me!" I shouted, trying to kick them and earning a punch in the stomach, knocking the wind from me. I could hear Tommy struggling as I felt the hands on my arms and my thighs. "Evie!" I heard him shout. "Fucking hold her." one of the men in front of me said as a pair of hands moved away from me. I tried to fight against the remaining pair, earning me a back hand around the face which sent me to the ground.
Then one was on top of me. A hand around my throat, a hand at the very top of my thigh and a knee in my other. The other one was above me, pinning my wrists to the ground above me. I turned my head to the right to see Tommy watching with wide terrified eyes as he fought against the men holding him, not being able to do anything as the man above me forced himself into me. I stayed silent as he did, moving my head so I was staring directly up at the sky, not baring to look at Tommy's face any longer. Tears trickled down either side of my face as I looked up at the surprisingly starry sky, tuning out the grunts and the shoots of pain that went through me with each one.
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It felt like hours later but it could have only have been a few minutes when a whistle rang out. Suddenly, the man inside me and the man above me where gone and so were Sabini and his other men. I curled into a ball on my side facing Tommy. He was covered in blood but I could see his eyes on me and his hand trying to stretch out to reach me. I couldn't move and laid on the cold and wet ground, still crying silent tears as my whole body ached. I could hear a metal cane on the ground and didn't look up as an Irish voice began speaking to Tommy before turning his attention to me. I could vaguely hear the words he spoke. "We didn't get to meet last time, Evelyn Shelby. But I am looking forward to getting to know you." he said before shouting at someone to come over. "You know this woman?" the Irish man asked. "That's Evie Shelby." a familiar Caribbean voice said. "Take her home." the Irish man instructed.
Jeremiah Jesus crouched down, gingerly pulled down my dress and gently picked me up off the floor, cradling me to his chest. "C'mon, Evie, love. Let's get you home." he whispered as I could feel him walking. I rested my head on his chest. "Polly. Take me to Polly." I whispered just loud enough for him to hear.