𝔹𝕠𝕣𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕃𝕠𝕤𝕖 | Tommy Shelby

𝕏𝕏𝕀𝕍. ᴘᴀɴᴅᴏʀᴀ's ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ

A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I'm going through a difficult time and haven't been able to update any of my stories. I hope you still find "Born to Lose" interesting and thanks for supporting me, it means a lot 💜

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With Thomas's gaze on me and witnessing Michael's indifference, I knew that Michael had planned this meeting. He had known that his cousins would be arriving at the pub at that time, and that was why he had taken me there with him.

The intentionality ignited anger in me.

"I wanted Olivia to meet The Garrison", Michael shrugged.

"And why the hell would you want to bring Olivia to a place like this?", Thomas questioned, then turned to me. "And why the fuck would you come with him?". His eyes flashed with anger.

"Don't pick on her, Tom. Olivia didn't know I was going to bring her here", Michael spoke for me since my throat was in knots. "I just wanted us to spend some time together", he blurted out boldly and with alarming impishness.

Thomas stood still, his expression heavy with confusion. He looked at both of us a couple of times, as if trying to come to terms with what was in front of him, and I saw him clench his fists.

"Of all the places you could have taken her, you chose to bring her here? Why not a restaurant, or a theater, or a fucking hotel?"

I felt hurt to hear him say that, as it made me feel as if I would have been able to agree if Michael had taken me to a hotel.

"Look at her, Tom. She wouldn't even sit in the chair in front of me, do you think she would have sat still if I'd taken her to a hotel?"

As Michael snorted another line of cocaine, Thomas reached over to me and, to my stupor, stroked my face. I received his caress as if it was the thing I needed most in the world, and hugging myself, I allowed him to run his thumb down my cheek.

"What did you do to her, Michael?", Thomas wanted to know as he looked me over with his eyes. Apparently, there must have been something about my condition that caught his attention. "Did you touch her?", he mumbled the question. The mere thought of such a thing made Thomas' face twitch with rage.

"I'm not a fucking rapist", Michael defended himself, now offended.

"Did he touch you?", Thomas asked me, as if he didn't believe his cousin's words.

I shook my head and that was answer enough for him.

I wanted to get out of there, but I couldn't find the time or the opportunity. Arthur and Finn were still standing in front of the door, observing the situation, and I noticed that the older man was on the defensive and waiting for Thomas to give him an order, whatever it might be. The attention was on me, as I was the subject of the discussion and even if I made it out of the pub, it was only a matter of seconds before any of the men there noticed I was gone.

I doubted anyone would hold me but needless to say, Thomas was going to follow in my footsteps and I didn't want to talk to him. I didn't want anything to do with him. I didn't want to be involved with him anymore.

The situation unfolding in that room attached to the pub seemed to me a perfect demonstration of why I should never have messed with Thomas or the Shelbys: Michael had taken advantage of my need for a job to see if he could have sex with me, and he had calculated everything down to the millimeter to make it happen in that room because he knew Thomas would be there sooner rather than later. The alcohol and cocaine weren't just there by chance. Michael wanted to lure me into the vices because he knew that was the only way to get me to give in.