"Why do we even bother to say that anymore? I mean, look at us- surrounded by a graveyard of broken promises."
Esther Solomons- the woman that had held Thomas Shelby's heart from the time they were mere children. The woman he had loved. The woman he...
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*~*~*~*
"Jeremiah, Jeremiah... What do you see?" Tommy questioned his friend as the man fell into step with him as he headed towards Watery Lane.
"Your sister and Freddie got back this morning," Jeremiah informed him. "I tried following them, but Freddie's so good at getting away. He's like a fish."
"Right, well, keep fishing, eh?" Tommy instructed, refusing to give up on his sister. Wanting to make sure she was safe, at the very least. Jeremiah only nodded before he turned on his heel, heading back down the street while Tommy continued ahead.
As Tommy made his way inside the betting den, his eyes scanned over the familiar faces-- both working and taking the final bets. But as he did so a head of golden hair caught his attention, causing his step to falter for a moment.
It had been five days since the races. Five days since he had seen Esther, since she had held a gun to his head. For five days he hadn't heard a word from her or laid eyes on her himself. He knew that John had paid her a visit the day after the races, having taken his kids over to her flat for a change so they could play with Peony. And he had heard from his men that she had been spotted wandering about in the Italian part of the city, having opted to run any errands she had there-- away from Peaky Blinders.
Yet here she was, sitting at one of the tables closer to the board at the opposite end of the room. Her head down as she counted some of the money that had been brought in throughout the day, writing notes down in the book in front of her every now and then. Looking as though she had been doing just that every day of her life.
"That's your starters, gentlemen. No more bets," Scudboat announced.
"I was here on time," one of the gentlemen moved forward.
"Finished," Scudboat shook his head.
"I've had a tip-off, I need this bet." The man insisted, his raising voice causing Esther attention to shift away from the money in front of her. Looking over to where the man stood at Scudboat's table, just one to right of her own.
"The race has started," Scudboat didn't waver.
"Please!" The man continued to argue.
"No!" Scudboat refused once more, the single word only flaming the man's anger as he smacked the hat of coins off the table. The Blinder's eyes narrowed at the action, jumping up to his feet as two other men moved towards them. "Get rid of him."
"We said no, now get out!" Arthur narrowed his eyes at the other man, a fire burning in his dark gaze.
"All right. All right, I'm off. I'm off," the man raised his hands in surrender before slinking off. Esther's eyes followed the man as he headed towards the exit, only once he had disappeared from her sight entirely did she turn her attention back to the work in front of her. Not noticing the second eldest Shelby brother's presence in the slightest.
