The Garrison hummed with life as men sat together, drinking merrily as they shared stories from days gone by. Tommy and Elizabeth were stood amongst the usual compatriots, both nursing a whisky as they leaned against the bar, both keen to forget the day's events, forget their father and move on as quick as possible. Thankfully the sun was sinking lower in the sky, meaning the miserable day was almost over. Elizabeth sighed into her glass, finishing the last of it, knowing she should head home and try to throw something together for dinner, begin the happy family act, but found herself unable to force herself to leave the bar, not in the mood to play happy families at all.
Grace eyed the two Shelby twins from the other side of the bar, interested to watch the interaction of the two siblings without business being involved. She'd already heard from Tommy about the events on the night of Freddie's arrest, what had happened and how the whole family seemed to hate the two, and she could admit she was intrigued to see how this would reflect in their actions. Tommy had already become more workable, revealing small bits of information he never would have usually, allowing her closer. Grace would have thought it be the same for both, the twins being so similar, but she was surprised to see Elizabeth seemed to have done the opposite. The woman was closed off, barely glancing at anyone when the two had come in, nothing like her usual self who'd have greeted the few regulars. Grace doubted she'd be able to get much out of the woman if she probed, Elizabeth was tight lipped on a good day. The barmaid continued to watch as Tommy leaned over the bar to grab the bottle of scotch and topped up his sister's glass.
"Tom, I should go home." Elizabeth objected as her glass was once again filled up. Tommy ignored her, setting the bottle between the pair of them instead as he picked up his matches.
"Why?" He asked her as he lit his cigarette, looking over at her with raised eyebrows, knowing his sister was not in the mood for dealing with their brothers. Elizabeth floundered for a moment before sighing and shrugging.
"Alright, I haven't made anything anyway." She admitted, lifting her glass and taking another sip as she smirked, "Arthur will be pissed."
"Let him be." Tommy shrugged. After what he'd seen of the mornings events and what Elizabeth had filled him in on, he'd become more annoyed with his elder brother.
Elizabeth snorted as she set the glass down, opening her mouth to tease Tommy slightly when she spotted someone new coming through the door to the Garrision, looking around with clear business intent. Elizabeth stood straighter, her mouth closing as her eyes narrowed slightly, taking in the stranger, eyeing him up and down as he came over to the pair of them. Tommy watched his sister's demeanour change and let out a small sigh, unsurprised when he felt a presence come to stand on his other side.
"Mr Shelby?" An Irish voice questioned. Tommy turned to look over the man at the sound of his name and readjusted himself, having a feeling he was about to be dealing with business.
"Who's asking?" Tommy asked, frowning as the Irishman looked past him, clearly staring at Elizabeth.
"My name's Burn. I had word from your man in Camden town you wanted a parley." He answered Tommy, still gazing at Elizabeth who was staring back, her eyes narrowing and head tilting as she waited for him to get to the point. Tommy quickly cast Elizabeth a look of warning, knowing her well enough that while she would sit and tease him, her temper was just licking under the surface, ready for someone to direct it at.
"Then parley it is." He agreed, taking a drag of his cigarette as he returned to staring down at the bar.
"Few months ago, a man named Ryan came to this place with a view to buying some goods from you. Mr Ryan met with an accident; he was shot." Burn explained to the two Shelby's, well aware of exactly who both the people were in front of him.
"We heard." Elizabeth nodded, taking Tommys warning and turning her attention back to her drink before she could offend the man.
"He was a man with a quick mouth. I know that. Wondered if he made any enemies in here?" Burn continued, watching the two for any obvious signs of guilt. Tommy cast a look to Elizabeth before he answered, the woman shaking her head in response.
"None that I know of."
"Not the kind of place to make enemies." Burn joked quickly, testing the waters as he probed the two Shelby's.
"All are welcome here, Mr Burn." Tommy answered, moving to play with his glass of whiskey as the man continued.
"Including Irish?"
"Oh, especially Irish." Tommy nodded, glancing over at the man. Elizabeth hummed in agreement and took another drink of her scotch, her gaze flickering from the bar to the man as she continued to listen.
"Ryan told you he was a member of the Irish Republican Army. Was he still welcome?" Burn pressed, Elizabeth sighed and reached over to grab the packet of cigarettes Tommy had left on the bar, pulling one out for herself, understanding where this was heading.
"Like I say. Any man who buys beer is welcome." Tommy answered as he pushed his sister across the matches. Elizabeth let out a small hum of thanks before quickly lighting her cigarette, taking a long drag.
"Perhaps you didn't believe him?" Burn replied quickly. Tommy sighed, pushing off the bar to turn and face the man.
"In pubs, sometimes people say things. Sometimes it's the whisky talking. It's hard to tell which is which." Tommy answered carefully.
"As a teetotal man, I find that amusing. Except when it ends in tragedy." Burn nodded, a tone implying the conversation was taking a dangerous turn. Elizabeth leaned back so her head poked around her brother's right side, her cigarette between her lips as she smirked.
"Would you like some water and cordial, Mr Burn?" She offered, Tommy rolling his eyes at her.
"You see, Mr Shelby, Ryan, for all his quick mouth, was indeed connected. Very well connected to our brotherhood. By membership in blood. He was my cousin. I'm from South Armagh. I'm a man of influence there." Burn explained to Tommy, Elizabeth's eyes narrowing as his gaze turned to her, "Cordial and water will be grand, Miss Shelby."
"Grace, bring some water and cordial to the snug. Come this way." Tommy ordered before leading the man over to the snug door.
Elizabeth took a moment to let out a breath and stubbed out her cigarette, knowing with the events of the day her head really wasn't in the right place for business, but also knew she was the only backup Tommy had at this moment. She followed the two over as Tommy continued to hold the door open for her. Elizabeth offered Tommy a quick small smile as she came over, trying to appear confident but knowing to her brother she probably looked more tired than anything. As she entered, she pulled it together, pulling up her usual business demeanour as she took the seat next to her twin, both sitting directly opposite the Irishman.
"My cousin came to buy guns." Burn reminded the two, Elizabeth nodding her head as she lifted her left to cradle her right as she leaned back in her chair.
"And we told him we have none." She replied for her brother as he lit himself another cigarette. Burn looked between the twins with amusement, smiling at the denial.
"Your man Danny Owen talks a lot when he's drunk." Elizabeth refrained from casting Tommy a concerned look at the mention of Danny. "He says the Peaky Blinders do have the guns, robbed from the factory down the road. He boasted about a stack of Lewis machine guns, and enough belts of ammunition to hold up God's trousers."
"Yup, that sounds like our Danny." Tommy answered, a tinge of amusement in his voice that made Elizabeth put on a smirk and look down, playing the part, "He has an imagination. Like I say, sometimes it's the whisky does the talk." Grace took that moment to come in with the cordial, setting it down gently in front of the Irishman before quickly backing up out the room.
"He says only your brothers know where the guns are kept." Burn continued, watching the twin's reactions. Tommy hummed as he nodded.
"Well, Danny also says he sees German infantrymen on the back of mill carts. And he shoots them with his broomstick." Tommy countered, doing his best to discredit Danny's word, knowing it would be the easiest way to get the IRA off their backs. Elizabeth lifted her gaze, watching Burn, able to tell the man wasn't buying Tommys act.
"We have men in the BSA factory. They said you has 'em. And we have men that work in the police station. Every finger, Mr Shelby, Every finger in this city points in one direction. Please don't mistake me for a fool." Burn retorted, becoming unamused with the attempts to discredit his sources. Elizabeth and Tommy sat back and watched stone faced as the man picked up his cordial and water and slowly downed the drink before slamming the glass down onto the table, "Let me get to the point. I don't care what kind of half-arsed tinker operation you have going here. But I can assure you, I represent a very different category of organisation." Elizabeth tilted her head at the challenge, her eyes narrowing as the man stood from his seat, leaning forward so he was eye level with her brother, "My cousin was shot. I am judge, jury, and executioner. I find you guilty and I pass sentence. You deliver the guns to me, or I deliver death and hell's fury to you, and your little tribe of heathens. Am I making myself clear?"
Tommy looked over at Elizabeth just as she turned to look at him. Elizabeths eyes were full of warning, knowing from his words, this man had already signed Tommys and potentially her death certificate and was keen to sign the date as soon as he could, with or without the guns. Tommy seemed to nod, a silent look of agreement and understanding passing between the two before both turned back to Burn. Tommy leaned forward in his chair, getting closer to the Irishman.
"Let me confess something to you, and only to you. We have the guns, but they have become a burden to us. Perhaps it is time to unload that burden. For the right price." Tommy revealed to the man, Elizabeth watching the man with interest as he backed away and sat down, his eyes still gleaming with the promise of death.
"The right price Mr Shelby?" The man hummed, smiling at the question. Elizabeth hummed in response, placing her left elbow on the armrest and resting her head on her palm.
"We were previously informed you were willing to pay 'good money"." Elizabeth revealed to the man, smirking when his smile seemed to drop, "Your cousin was also a keen talker when he was drunk." Burns eyes seemed to darken at the reminder of his cousin.
"We're willing to negotiate Mr Burn." Tommy cut in, seeing the man about to push himself up once more, "You know where to find us when you have an offer." There was a moment of silence as Burn seemed to eye up the two Shelby's, before he leaned back and began smirking.
"You'll be hearing from us soon Mr Shelby." Burn promised, smiling once more before sliding out the booth and heading out the door. Elizabeth let out a breath, lifting her left hand up to rub over her face as Tommy pulled out a new cigarette.
"He's gonna kill us." Elizabeth sighed, dropping her hand and turning her head to look at her twin who nodded.
"I know." He agreed. Elizabeth rolled her eyes.
"It's good you know, but what are we going to do?" She quipped, not allowing her brother to fob her off as he tended to do. Tommy sighed as he took a moment to think.
"I'll deal with it, Lil." He promised, ideas already forming in his mind. Elizabeth watched him for a moment, her face forming into a frown as he said nothing further, just continued to smoke. Her suspicions raised as he silently began to get to his feet, not even seeming phased at the threat on their lives. She let out a sigh as his hand tugged on the handle, pushing herself to her feet and following Tommy out of the snug, she watched as he twisted and walked back over to the bar. Grace came over instantly with a fresh whiskey, the barmaid and Tommy seeming to share a look which made Elizabeth slightly uncomfortable.
"I'll just head home, Tom." She breathed, seeing Grace pick up her glass and take it to the side to wash, her suspicions of the woman increasing and knowing that she wouldn't be able to sit in her company with her twin without saying anything. Tommy nodded, his mind still working overtime as he tried to come up with a solution to the new problem.
Elizabeth sighed as she walked along the street, cursing her brothers to hell and back. Of course, she'd come home to find money missing from the safe and she knew, she knew it had to be Arthur. So now she was out, in the middle of the night after putting Finn to bed for the night, in the pouring rain, trying to find either her elder brother or her father to curse them into next week. Her trench coat collar was pulled up to keep her protected from the rain, she'd thrown up her hair into a low bun and pulled Tommys old cap on. Her right arm was out of the sling, her hand firmly around her gun she'd grabbed from her room before she'd left, knowing the IRA were probably also on the prowl at this time of night.
It wasn't the first time her brothers had taken money without passing it by Tommy or Polly, Arthur and John had done it once or twice, maybe more, while drunk, and Finn had stolen a few pounds once to to buy a bucket of sweets, and every time she'd been the one to notice first. It had been her that would either make the money up by sticking some of her cut in or by taking some back from their wages for the week, there was once when it had been particularly a large amount and she'd had to mess with some of the numbers in the books. However, it had never been this big. Arthur had taken 500 and that was of what she could find, she was terrified he'd stolen more, knowing there would be nothing she could do to prevent Polly or Tommys wrath. Of course, she was still angry with Arthur for how he'd acted, but she knew what their father did to him, she knew he manipulated her elder brother and knew the devil knew how to sink his claws in deep, and she wasn't willing for him to go down with their father's scheme.
"He's a dead man."
Elizabeth frowned at the voice, swearing she'd heard it before and began slowing her pace down as she heard a small group chuckling in agreement close by. Her gaze flickered to the side, trying not to make it obvious she was looking, frowning deeply at the sight of three police officers hanging dangerously close to the Garrision. Her eyes shot to the pub, suspicions rising as she noted the lights still being on, knowing Grace should have been on her way home by now. Elizabeths concern continued rising as she walked closer, St Andrews bell chiming in the background, hoping to get a look in.
She ducked to the floor, curling in on herself when she heard the familiar bang of a gunshot, followed quickly by two more. She didn't flinch as she fell to the mud, uncaring as her dress quickly became soaked and soiled from the puddles she'd landed in, her hands shaking as they came over her head, protecting herself as best she could. Her breathing began to quicken. Her chest tightening. Fear flashed through her. The gunshots stopped. She pushed herself up, hands getting caked in mud, before diving to the side, falling against the front door of the pub. She scrambled for her gun, letting out a few huffing breaths as she pulled it out, holding it level to her face. She let her head fall back heavily, hitting her head against the door, blinking a few times, pushing memories back.
"I'm home. I'm home. I'm ok. I'm home." She breathed, forcing herself to focus, she had no brother there to help her and knew there was potentially one inside, "I'm ok."
She pushed back against the door, using the momentum to push herself back to her feet, forcing her body to get her breathing under control. She held her gun up in her right hand, letting out one final deep breath before pushing the doors open with her left hand, lowering her right hand as she came in and holding the gun in front of her as she looked around the room. Her eyes widening at the sight of her brother and Grace embracing while two dead men lay to the side. She let her gun fall to her side, letting out her breath and falling to lean against the doorway, wiping her left hand over her face as she let out a calming breath. She turned her gaze down at the men, sticking her gun in her pocket, allowing her twin to comfort Grace as the blonde continued to cry.
"Lil." Tommy called, sounding relieved to see her but concerned at the state of her. Elizabeth glanced up, offering a small smile, trying to look reassuring, unperturbed by the sight of the dead men.
"Hey Tom, Grace." She offered panting slightly after the panic, seeing the woman still shaking in her twin's arms, she paused, glancing back down at the bodies realising what was causing Grace the stress, "Tom, I can deal with," she frowned, her sentence drifting off as Tommy began shaking his head, his eyes filling with fury as he looked past her. She twisted, her own eyes narrowing at the sight of the police officers she'd seen in the alleyway appearing in the doorway, smirks on their faces. She took a few steps back to allow them access.
"You were supposed to come on the sixth chime." Tommy hissed, earning no reaction from the three men, "You were supposed to come on the fucking sixth chime!" He repeated louder, still earning no response, he looked away as the officers began looking over the man he'd killed, "They refused to surrender. They fought well, they were brave men." Elizabeth frowned as she followed the Police officer over, looking down at the man and the damage done to his face. She glanced back at her brother, concerned for him and what he'd just had to do.
"Well, he looks like he was killed by a wild fucking animal. Still. This never happened. They were never here. Who cares?" The officer muttered cooly to Tommy. Elizabeth glared as she watched the exchange, Grace standing to the side as she gathered herself.
"Get the bodies out of here." Tommy ordered the man, not looking at anyone in the room.
"Ah, right. Are they making the lady uncomfortable? I'll leave you two love birds to it, then, eh?" The officer smirked, happy to have upset Thomas Shelby, before the three got to work and lifted the two corpses. The barmaid and two Shelby's said nothing, watching the men tidy up the scene. Elizabeth glanced over to Tommy as the bodies were finally dragged out the Garrison, frowning as she saw his gaze firmly on Grace who had yet to move from the chair she was leaning against. Shaking her head, she came over to her brother and touched his shoulder, saying nothing about the way he tensed when she touched him.
"I can tidy here." She offered her brother, feeling pity for Grace, understanding the fear, guilt and adrenaline that filled you after your first kill, knowing she would possibly need someone to at least walk her home. Tommy turned and looked over his sister properly for the first time since she'd arrived and nodded his head.
"Let's get you home." He sighed, walking over to Grace and helping the blonde gather her items. Elizabeth sighed down at the small amount of blood on the floor, mentally preparing for the gruelling task of clean-up she knew from experience could take a while. She quickly nodded her goodbye to Tommy and Grace as they disappeared out the back, pulling off her coat as she got started.