IT HADN'T TAKEN MUCH, time for Beth to fall asleep leaning against Tommy. His eyes occasionally gazing over her to make sure she was okay. Michael had accompanied them, Tommy picking him up after leaving the betting shop but Tommy made sure to tell Michael to whisper as Beth was fast asleep and he was scared to wake her. The events of the previous day had worn her out and she was still dressed in her pink dress that now was creased, soggy from the rain and her matching heels were half covered in dirt.
Her hair that was pinned back ever so elegantly the day before had stray strands of hair falling out and sweeped behind her ears. Her makeup had ran from the mixture of her tears and the rain but Tommy could help but look down at her in awe. He knew if John or Arthur or even Calvin had of seen her in the state she was in they would have laughed and told her she looked like a maniac but Tommy couldn't help but grin. Beth was crazy at times and a handful but Tommy knew that- just as much as he knew much of a handful he was.
They arrived at their meeting place and Tommy went to remove his arm from Beth's hold but her eyes shot open at his instant retraction and Tommy let out a curse. "Didn't want to wake you love. Go back to sleep." Tommy pried, watching as Beth rubbed her eyes. "S'Fine Tom, I'll just come with you." Sighing, Tommy rolled his eyes and let out a small grin. Micheal had disappeared to stand out for Tommy and Beth hadn't yet to realise Micheal was even here. Stepping out her car door she held Tommy's hand tightly as they approached Alfie and his bodyguard halfway through the open hall.
Alfie smiled at Beth, but judging by the look she had gave him back he frowned. "I asked you to come alone and unarmed." Tommy spoke first. "Yeah, well, alone I ain't ever gonna do, am I? And as for the cane don't worry about it. That is just my sciatica. It always plays up around the winter and the summer solstice. Don't look like your alone either." Alfie rambled. Tommy let go of Beth's hand, crossing his hands over his stomach. "What have you got for me Alfie?" Tommy questioned, ignoring Alfie's ranting.
"What did you bring me out here for?" Alfie retorted. "It's on the way to somewhere I need to be in a hurry. What have you got for me?" Tommy repeated. "Well seeing as you was prepared to pay such an exorbitant amount for this information, I decided to give you value for money. So here are all the names of the men in England whom I might approach if I had a Fabergé egg for sale." Alfie handed a sheet of paper to Tommy.
"And then, here's all the men on that list, you know who would buy the old Fabergé egg, even if they knew that item was stolen." Alfie handed another small sheet of paper to Tommy. "And here come your curious fucking Gyppo question. I won't ask but um, here's the list of men who would buy a Fabergé because of their wives obsession." Taking the last slip of paper from Alfie's hand, Tommy reached into his pocket and handed out a big fat roll of cash. Beth's jaw dropped slightly, her eyebrows scrunching.
"Oh yes. Thank you Mr. Shelby. Lovely doing business with you." Alfie spoke. Tommy turned around, unfolding the paper and reading them. Beth watched as he took his gun, pointing it at Alfie- who's bodyguard instantly did the same toward Tommy. "You left a name off the list Alfie." Tommy spat. "Did I?" Alfie asked. "Yeah. I've already spoken to my people in the jewellery quarter, experienced dealers. They tell me there are only three men in Britain whose wives are obsessed with Fabergés. Makes them good customers. You missed the richest one of the list."
As Tommy spoke, Beth found herself zoning out, feeling slightly dizzy as she looked outside trying to see what the weather was like. It was slightly cloudy but not raining anymore so Beth guessed it was around noon. She wondered what Tommy's plan was- how exactly was he going to get his child back into his safety without winding his family up dead. Snapping back to reality, Beth glanced cautiously toward Tommy. "You crossed the line Alfie. You crossed the line. They're using my boy!" Tommy roared.
A silence fell and Beth could see the tears that sat in Tommy's eyes as he clenched his gun that pointed at Alfie. "Did you fucking know?" He hissed. "Yeah I knew, you know. But damned as I am, it made no fucking difference to me mate." Alfie spat. "You sick man." Beth growled, watching as Tommy lunged for Alfie, both men falling to the floor as Tommy began to strangle Alfie. Alfie's bodyguard pulled Tommy to his feet, Holding his gun up. Beth without a second thought, picked up Alfie's mental walking stick and swung it so hard, it hit Alfie's bodyguard into the head knocking him to the ground with a clatter.
A gunshot echoed around the hall and Beth let out a loud scream, looking down to see if Tommy was dead, but instead the bodyguard had a bullet lodged into the back of his skull. Looking over at Michael, Beth gasped. "Oh for crying out loud, the fuck is going on?" Alfie shouted, hobbling to his feet, Beth tossing his walking stick into his hands. Tommy's gun never faltered from its direct target of Alfie's face. "What is the matter with you Tommy, eh? You got fucking angry, ain't you?" Alfie shouted, walking into Tommy's face. "Yeah I got fucking angry!" Tommy roared, clinking the gun into the side of Alfie's face.
"It's in your fucking head mate!" Alfie yelled. Beth sighed, watching as Michael pushed the two men apart, grasping Tommy by the shoulders. "I know this bastard deserves it! I fucking know! But if you kill him now, the truce with the London outfits will be blown to fucking pieces, all right?" Micheal yelled, into Tommy's face. Beth biting back a line of curse words at young Micheal who was getting on her last nerves.
"Don't worry about that truce kid, right, cause it fell apart. You got nothing to worry about when it comes to the old scary London boys." Alfie mused, waving his hands. "Which fucking side are you on Alfie?" Micheal roared. "I do not give a fuck right now, kid, right? I do not want him, to spare me because of some fucking peace pact!" Alfie yelled, pointing toward Tommy. "I want him to acknowledge that his anger is un-fucking-justified! I want him to acknowledge that he who fights by the sword, he fucking dies by it , Tommy. So what they took your boy, do they, eh? They took your boy?"
Alfie walked closer to Tommy. "And what fucking line have i supposed to have crossed?" Alfie roared, Beth stepping closer toward Tommy. "How many fathers, right, how many sons, yeah have you cut, killed, murdered, fucking butchered, innocent and guilty, to send straight to fucking hell, ain't ya? Just like me! You fucking stand there, you judging me, stand there and talk to me about fucking crossing some line. Look what you did to her!" Alfie shouted, pointing toward Beth. "How many fucking men has Bethany killed for you without second thought? She hit a man twice the size of her over the head with a walking stick! An armed man."
"If you pull that trigger, right, you pull that trigger for a fucking honourable reason. Like an honourable man, not like some civilian that doesn't understand the wicked way of the our worlds mate."
Stepping closer, Beth shook her head at their antics. "Tommy. Killing Alfie Solomons isn't going to help. It'll be very bad for business." Micheal spoke. "Michael, go and call inspector Moss. Tell him it's Palmer." Tommy demanded. "Well said Alfie, well said." Tommy nodded. Alfie looked around cautiously before leaning toward Tommy's ear. "I did not know about your boy though." Alfie said, glancing sheepishly over to Beth who rubbed her eyes tiredly. "I know. I saw."
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LONELY| Thomas Shelby
Fanfiction"when they're good they're really good, when they're bad they will burn the town to the ground." in which beth returns to the gangster life that she once lived, where everything is the same yet everything has changed. BOOK TWO OF VULNERABLE SERIES S...
