Irene hadn't known what to say to him, how was she supposed to respond to that bombshell? Her whole body shook with anger, how dare he! Irene had known it was stupid to get involved with a Shelby and here he was, proving her right. All Irene Thorne was to him was a pawn in his war against her brother. As soon as the words had left his mouth, Tommy had known he had made a grave mistake. As he watched her skin turn pale, Tommy knew that there was no going back from this.
Tommy swills his whiskey and sniggers, It seemed almost funny to him now that when had told Irene what he had done she had the same reaction as, Freddie. They had both cocked there head to the right and narrowed there eyes, a look of pure disbelief and accusation. It seemed as though that both the Thorne siblings lost any remaining faith they had in him as he spoke. To fall in love with your ex-best friends sister was one thing, but to fuck her with no remorse? That was a completely different game altogether.
"Arthur tells me you've been here all night." A shrill voice cuts into him, he doesn't flinch as he takes another mouthful of his whiskey. His Aunt Polly shuts his office door behind her and marches towards him. "You were seen leaving Irene Thornes house at 3 O'clock in the morning, last Thursday." She states as she sits down, crossing her legs before lighting a liquorice cigarette.
Tommy scoffs in disbelief, he had wondered how long it would take for his nocturnal activities to get back to his family. Could nothing he did be his own? Tommy nods his head in acknowledgement, there was no point in trying to lie to his Aunt. Polly swears under her breath and takes another drag of her cigarette. "So you can fuck a Thorne but Ada cant?" Polly scoffs, it was one rule for the men of the world and another for the women. It had always been this way.
"Freddie is using Ada," Tommy sighs, he had tried to explain this to Ada, but she hadn't listened to a word he said.
"Men and there cocks never cease to amaze me," Polly stresses. "And you think you're doing something different with the girl?" Silence follows her words as he mulls them over, this was different, wasn't it? Tommy would be lying if he said that knowing about Freddie and Ada didn't affect him. It had fueled his fire to pursue Irene further, partially because he enjoyed the chase, but also out of spite for Freddie.
Tommy watches as Polly leaves the room, bored with his ignorance. He sighs, it had been a whole week since he last saw Irene and once again she was all he could think about. He glances at the clock on his mahogany desk and purses his lips. Tommy quickly grabs his coat from the door and barges through the office before running down the street. Passers-by stand still in panic as they see him running, Tommy sees them and laughs at there reaction. If Thomas Shelby is running then clearly something serious is happening. Suddenly he comes to a halt and pauses to catch his breath. Tommy knocks on the window, a habit that had come about because Irene never heard him when he knocked on the front door.
Tommy's heart pounds in his chest, and he can't define whether it is from the running or from his nerves. Slowly the battered door opens, a petite brunette stands in front of him. Tommy's heart feels as though it has stopped as soon as he sees her face. Irene's usually painted face is bare, her right eye is closed and is surrounded by a dark blue and purple bruise. As soon as Irene recognises his face, she begins to close the door. Tommy quickly wedges his foot in the door frame and pushes it open. He pushes past her and makes his way into the living room. He pauses as he looks at the fireplace, only a week earlier they had been intertwined in front of it, and now it felt as though they were miles apart. Irene slowly makes her way into the living room, sighing as she sees him looking at the fireplace.
"I need you to leave," Irene's voice is barely a whisper, all of her energy has been drained, and she doesn't have it in her for another fight.
"Did he do this?" He motions to the nasty bruise, Irene's blue eyes avoid his gaze as the embarrassment of the situation crashes over her. Her silence answers his question in volumes. Tommy takes in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down.
Irene stands still, watching as his whole demeanour changes, his anger quickly building. She tries to find the words to explain but comes up with nothing, no matter what she says it will not help. Irene wonders if maybe Tommy is as mad at himself as he is at Freddie after all this was as much his fault as he brothers.
Loud banging jolts her from her sleep, it wasn't a surprise to her that it was happening. She had been expecting this all week, and honestly, her nerves suddenly came to an abrupt halt. Irene wasn't shaking as she put her key in the door pulled it open. She wasn't panicking as he barged past her, the stench of whiskey following him.
"Of all the things I thought you would become, a Shelby whore wasn't one of them." Freddie spits, turning to face his sister. The words wash over Irene like a tidle wave, she couldn't argue with him, he was right. Irene had become the one thing that she detested, another girl who fell the feet of the Shelby men, she had tried to fight it but it was no use. Irene had given in to desire and the outcome was catastrophic.
"He laughed when he told me," Freddie reminisces, the alcohol taking him back to that morning by the cut. "He fucking laughed," Freddie shakes his head in disbelief. Irene doesn't move as he talks, but her heart is hammering in her chest. She had always thought that she was in control of the situation, but Tommy had well and truly manipulated her. Freddie begins to make his way over to her. "We are done." He hisses as tears spring in her eyes. "Fucking Shelby whore." Irene gasps as she sees his hand raise up and he hits her before she has time to react. Freddie stumbles backwards, his actions surprising himself. "I'm sorry," He mutters trying to reach out to her but it's too late.
Irene flinches away from his hand, cradling her pounding face as she holds back the tears that are forming. "Get out," Irene whispers, pushing away from him on the cold floor. Freddie stands, giving her one final nod before walking out of the door. Irene flinches as the door slams shut behind her and she allows the tears to fall down her pale face.
Tommy grinds his teeth as he paces the floor, he takes one final look at Irene and nods firmly, his mind made up. "Tommy, no," Irene whispers as he storms past her, his intentions clear on his face. Tommy doesn't give her a second glance as he marches out of her small home. Irene leans on the wall to catch her breath, her heart pounding in her chest and the room begins to spin. It was very clear to her what Tommy was planning, by the end of the night Freddie Thorn would be dead.