It Was Only Supposed to Be Business

The Room

When Tommy left the room, my heart lunged out of my chest. It felt like my feet were stuck in thick mud. I was pushing and pulling, but I couldn't free myself no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to leave the room to be with Thomas, but when I heard a pair of men's heavy boots cease in front of the door, I took a step back, wishing the person would leave.

"This room is occupied!" I hollered. A storm of helplessness surged to my chest as the mysterious man's drastic attempts to enter the small gambling room became forceful. He didn't stop shaking the old wooden door until he snapped its rusty lock and joined me inside.

"If you scream, Adeline, I'll have your throat slit open!" I felt my eyelids shoot open as wide as they could as I consumed the features of the tall, menacing man standing before me. Spit flew out of his wicked mouth as he called my name, but I couldn't identify him. He wore a tuxedo reserved for royalty with a hat high enough to be prominent. How did a man like him know who I was?

"Do you know who I am?" The stranger demanded an answer as he slammed the door shut behind him, causing a thunderous sound to roar in my ears. My worried eyes searched the man's expression, trying to identify him. I hoped he was no one Thomas Shelby shared a vendetta with, but the ruthless hue seething in the man's narrow eyes cautioned me for the worst.

"I'm Geroge Darcy," The man whispered as a twisted smile rose to his face. Swallowing my nerves, I was relieved that he was a member of Charles's family. At least he wasn't the leader of a fierce razor blade street gang...

"Do the Billy Boys ring a bell for you?" He snarled as he slowly inched towards me. His heels dug into the floor, generating a clinking sound that reminded me of the ticking of a bomb, ready to explode.

"I don't know what my brother sees in you," George added as his voice was a unique mix of disgust and lust. I didn't care what he said to me, but the moment he ran his perverted fingers along my cool cheek and stroked my hair, it felt as my dignity stripped from my back.

"If I see you with that fucking gyspy swine again, your life will be in the hands of the Billy Boys, and their hands are covered in blood!" George's voice was raw with fury as his yellow-ringed eyes bore into my soul. The only thing I could do was step back from him. I felt like a mouse in a small hole, hiding from a nasty cat who clawed at me. The Billy Boys had immense power over me. I ceased up with the sheer mention of their name.

Pointing a stern finger at me, George swung open the door and left as if nothing occurred between us. Leaving me in a stormy sea of unknowns, I slumped into a chair and tried to piece my life together.

"Tommy!" I cried, my voice cracking as I rushed to his side. Everything improved when he was near, especially when I leapt into his safe and secure arms. They were the only arms that shielded me like stone walls protecting a city.

"Everything's fine, Adeline," Tommy soothed, snaking his arms around my trembling back. As much as I wanted to believe him, I couldn't. My blood rushed through my body, keeping me on high alert.

"No, Tommy!" I gasped as I made fists out of the woolly material coating his arms. The Billy Boys' name was ringing in my head like church bells through town on Sunday morning, and I wanted it to end.

"Charles's brother... He's watching every move I make!" I gasped as I felt my body sink into a never-ending pit of doom. What would I have to do to escape Charles's wrath and control?

"Adeline, listen," Tommy began. His voice was low and comforting, but his words were no use. I was in a frenzy. My chest rose and fell sporadically, and it felt like the room's narrow walls were caving in on me.

"Adeline, hey, listen to me, alright?" Thomas firmly grabbed hold of my shoulders, steadying me and my shaky nerves. His husky voice was nature's soothing organ. It was magic to my troubled soul.