When The Boys Are Away

Part 65

A few days had passed, but the lovely weather had thankfully remained continuous, allowing the family to spend less time stuck indoors and actually bask in the fresh air. 

Lily turned sixteen, for which they'd had a nice get together and a cake, well multiple cakes because one certainly would not be big enough. Surprisingly, John hadn't beat Isaiah up as badly as they'd anticipated. They just ended up wrestling around on the grass for a while, giving everyone a welcome sense of entertainment until Arthur pulled them apart a few minutes later. 

Now that Lily and Isaiah's secret was out, they'd spent a lot more time together, which led to Finn complaining about never being able to find his best friend. Making matters worse, Arthur told him that things only got worse as they got older, gesturing to John and Jay who were happily married whilst he remained as single as could be. 

Furthermore, Tommy had gifted John and Rose the house he had bought for them a while back, the one that neighboured Lizzie and Jay's home in the countryside. To say that they were excited was an understatement, they had been cramped in their house with four kids in Small Heath for too long. Now, finally everyone had their own bedroom and more than one bathroom to share. 

Tommy had spoken to Dale Wentworth over the phone who reassured that everything in London was well at the moment and that Sabini's men had not been seen in the areas they had took over thankfully. Whilst the three oldest Wentworths momentarily remained stationed in London, the four youngest were dealing with matters in their home town of Hull, ensuring that nothing potentially dangerous had gone unnoticed in their absence.

Meanwhile, Harlow had rang Alfie to see how he was doing, and she was surprised to hear that he was coming up to Birmingham for a meeting in the next few days. Tommy was yet to mention it to his family since he didn't want to ruin the joyful week they were having. Having the three gangs discussing business matters in his house was enough to make everyone tense and uneasy. 

"Harlow, do you have a minute?" Tommy caught her attention from the doorway of his office as the brunette paused, ceasing her trail behind Lizzie who continued to walk down the long hallway, waving her friend off with an absentminded smile. With her pregnancy, Lizzie had been desperately craving bread and jam, so they were on their way to the kitchen to find some. 

"Always," Harlow responded, breezing into his office curiously, hoping that whatever news he had wasn't going to be too detrimental. However, when talking to Thomas Shelby, it almost always was. 

His shoulders were tense under his thick jacket as he shut the door behind them and sauntered back over to his desk. Harlow perched on the window ledge, enjoying the feeling of the breeze running through her hair as she waited for him to settle in one place. Tommy was unsettled, and she could tell immediately. 

"What's wrong? Is it the Russians?" Harlow questioned anxiously, rising to her feet in an instant as Tommy leant his hands on his clear desk, taking a firm stance with his head down. A slight sense of relief flooded through her when he shook his head, but still her fingertips twitched with worry. "Is it Sabini? Have the Wentworths phoned you-" 

"It's not about business Harlow." He cut her off from speculating further, although he couldn't allow himself to turn his head towards her, leaving Harlow in a desperate state of confusion. Entwining her fingers together to encourage herself, she marched around the other side of the desk so she was stood opposite the mysterious man. "Isn't everything?"

Tommy's tired eyes flickered up to her perplexed expression before he collapsed back into his chair with a sigh. She watched closely as he ran a hand across his face, breathing in deeply as he did so. Harlow had never seen him so utterly defeated, and she did not like the sight one bit.