✓ | GOLDEN LIAR ↠ Thomas Shelby.

44.

CHAPTER FORTY FOUR.

               NEWS SPREAD QUICKLY AROUND the wretched city of Birmingham, which was not an unknown fact amongst its residences. . . but surprise, surprise, Tommy Shelby was not about to let his wife's little heart get shattered all because the washerwomen down at Garrison Court could not for the life of them keep their mouths shut. Hence why had requested his brothers to take her out for the day — somewhere far, somewhere she could not accidentally gain wind of the secret that was not, in all fairness, a secret. It was a fact that would cause Felicity to feel ridiculously sorry for the other man, to feel pity for the bloke that most certainly did not deserve any ounce of her sweet—hearted sympathy.

Tommy hadn't the slightest idea as to just how John Woods had found himself thrown through a car window, and that was a fact that infuriated him as he was longing to take credit for the event. Nevertheless, he had decided to to take to the hospital the man now resided in, keen to fulfil his old desire for revenge against the man whom had pointed a pistol at his blonde wife and fired without hesitation. So that was what he did, and that was how he found himself pulling up outside the greying building.

"Visiting hours are yet to open, Mister Shelby," the kind, evidently tentative nurse at the front desk alerted him, cutting him momentarily from his pursuit of the Woods' room within the ward.

Tommy, figuring it would be best to remain polite, moved over towards her. "I'm here for my father in—law," he told her, leaning over the desk to point to the little clipboard in front of her, and dragging his finger down the page as to mark out the words 'John Woods' on it.

"I'm afraid we can't. . ."

"My wife's going out of her mind with worry, nurse," he cut through her sentence easily. "I promised I'd see to him this morning, and I'd be out of my mind to break a promise to me wife."

The woman smiled shyly before sighing; she took a pen to the paper and cut through a box beside the name, before handing Tommy a slip of paper.

"Mind you don't tell any other of this," she said, her voice slight.

He laughed, the slightest bit of arrogance showing through, for he knew that no one would dare bring it up to him should they find out. "I'm sure no other would mind, even if I did."

Not sharing his certainty, the young woman frowned, with the anxiety on her face as clear as day. "Mister Shelby. . ."

But the man was already off, tucking the folded paper into his coat pocket and walking away from the woman. "Thank you, nurse."

She didn't try to call after him any longer — perhaps she had begun to realise that it was futile, or perhaps she knew of the man's reputation and was as fearful of him as the rest of Birmingham was — and he didn't bother to listen for her calls should she try again. Instead, Tommy made his way briskly down the too—bright corridor of the hospital, offering little more than a short, sharp nod at any others that passed him. His shadow cast itself on the walls of endless whitewash, with the infamous silhouette of his peaked cap and his fingers curling in on one another, forming tight fists of frustration before he stretched them out once again, figuring it'd be better to keep his temper for at least the length of time it took to walk the hallways towards John Woods' room.

"I might have guessed you'd come by," the older man spoke up, his words echoing the minute Tommy stepped over the room's threshold.

"And why'd you think that would be?" Tommy returned, immediately keen to keep the current power he had over the man as he stood over him — physically stronger as of now.