"He's peaked. Seeing someone reduced to such a low state reminds me of how thankful I am to be in good health."

Tommy was not in the mood for verbal fencing. He grabbed Churchill by the front of his coat and backed him into a corner against a white- washed wall.

"Shut up and tell me how you got in here."

"Careful Thomas, you wouldn't want to alarm the staff." Tommy let go of the man's collar and flattened the lapels of his coat down, resisting the urge to strangle him in public.

"You're not the only one with people watching," Churchill replied, a smug smirk on his face. "Your men took a little lunch break, leaving me free access to the building. Sloppy, Thomas. Fortunately for you, I don't need Alfie Solomons dead to proceed with your company takeover."

"There will be no takeover."

"Don't be obtuse. It's already started. You received my messages, now it's time to negotiate."

Tommy got very close into Churchill's personal space, staring into the depths of his eyes.

"The only thing you are going to negotiate is how quick your death is going to be."

"I'm chilled to the bone. That draft…"

"You can go after Solomons, you can go after my men, but when you go after my brother, my niece and nephews, my family… you guarantee that you are going to die."

"I'd best be careful then," Churchill replied glibly, before slinking out of Tommy's grasp and heading towards the front of the hospital. He paused, then turned to look back at him.

I should warn you though, nothing is ever guaranteed. Take care, Thomas. And thank you for confirming your achilles heel."

Tommy watched him turn. He waited until he had disappeared from view then reentered Solmons' room. The mobster was in bad shape. Tommy didn't have to look too long to see that. Pale, bloodless, eyes glazing over; Solomons wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. There was the chance his wounds would get infected and he'd die.

"You're like a goddamned vulture waiting for me to kick the bucket."

Tommy said nothing.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere. This isn't a corpse," he said, gesturing up and down at his prostrate and bandaged body. " You're not going anywhere either… but that… he wagged a finger at the door, that fellow's a dead man eh?" The baker's lips twisted into a hideous excuse for a grin that looked like a snarl.

"You kill that bastard," Solomons said. "You kill him with my blessing and my men and you kill him fast," he paused, his face whitening. His hands flew to his back and he began shrieking for morphine. Tommy left him then. He had gotten everything he needed. He was beginning to think that Churchill wasn't what he seemed. Tommy thought for a split-second that the man had shown a trace of fear when he grabbed his coat. Perhaps he was horrified at the thought that a tinker was soiling his expensive article of clothing, or….

He's nothing but talk.

It wasn't safe for Tommy to make that assumption. Churchill could be using that as a card up his sleeve, get Tommy to underestimate him as he planned another attack on a member of his family or something more sinister.

I've got to see Ada.

The sun had barely risen. He would swing by her place, pick her and Karl up, and bring Ada up to speed. Check on the boys. Check on John and Arthur.

Stay away from Lizzie.

Tommy had overheard the argument between Lizzie, John, and Esme, and had decided to play no part in it and attend to business. John was already upset with him about Lizzie at the races.

And he has a right to be.

He had used Lizzie.

For the greater good.

Not much good had come of it. They'd won Epson, but now he had a man with thugs at his disposal committing arson and terrorizing his family.

And my enemies.

As if to prove a point as to how powerful he was, Churchill had gone after a seemingly untouchable Alfie Solomons.

Tommy scanned his surroundings on his way out of the hospital, marveling at how lax security was. People could come and go as they pleased. He made it to his car parked down the street without being accosted by Churchill's men. He was about to start it when he saw Finn running towards him, waving a piece of paper in his hand.

"Finn, what are you doing here?" Tommy asked, looking around in the gloom. "You can't.."

"Tommy," Finn said breathless. "I've got a message for you… from May. She's in some kind of trouble,Tommy."

Tommy snatched the paper out of his brother's hand, when he had reached him, and opened the passenger door. Finn climbed in. Tommy climbed into the driver's seat. He scanned the contents of the letter. It was May's handwriting. He looked back at his brother.

"Who gave this to you."

"She did," Finn said. She told me to find you because she needs help. She said she couldn't see you herself."

"When was this? Where was she? Tell me everything, Finn."

Finn rattled off the address of some street corner not far from their house. Finn must have snuck out in the early hours, disregarding Pol's orders.

"She looked scared Tommy."

Tommy turned the key in the ignition, his thoughts whirling. His initial impression was that this was a set-up, a trap, but if Finn had seen May and she had physically handed his brother the letter….

Thomas,

I'm being watched. Man called Kincaid told me not to contact you. Threatened my life and yours. I broke the rules. I don't know how much time I have before he realizes what I've done and comes after me. Had to warn you somehow. He and his men have been watching the house.

The writing was rushed, nearly illegible scribbles, which was not characteristic of May. Finn told her she had written the letter on the spot and shoved it into his hand. Why would she risk it, reaching out to him? And then it dawned on him what her reasoning was.

She was trying to draw them out, instigate an attack, and she wanted his help. She wasn't playing it safe. She wanted to spark a chain of events to put a stop to the threats. It was a risk and she was leaving herself vulnerable. It would also be perceived as foolish by anyone who had observed her.

She wanted to look scared.

May wasn't one to visibly express how she was feeling. When he first met her, she was extraordinarily difficult to read. The fear was meant to convince Kincaid that she was terrified and acting irrationally. She knew that he would leap on the opportunity to put Thomas Shelby at a disadvantage.

Regardless, he had to act quickly.

"What are you going to do, Tommy?" Finn asked, drawing Tommy out of his thoughts. Tommy looked at his brother.

"Finn, I've got a job for you."

There wasn't much time if he planned on getting to May in time. He also couldn't forget Ada and Karl and leave them defenseless. As he drove, he explained the plan to Finn.