𝖜𝖍𝖎𝖘𝖐𝖊𝖞 𝖒𝖊𝖒𝖔𝖗𝖎𝖊𝖘, 𝐭. 𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲 ¹

✧ 19 ✧

THOMAS STARED at the rings in his hand, his eyes burning as they gleamed in the low light in the Garrison. Grace slid him a whiskey, which he quietly ignored. The barmaid had been trying to figure out what was wrong with Thomas from the moment he had stepped into the Garrison, but he wasn't interested in answering her questions today.

It had been a week since Nellie had put those rings in his hands and since that day, he hadn't been able to let go of them. No matter where he was or what he was doing, his hand was always in his pocket, his fingers fidgeting with the bands.

It was torture. It was his way of torturing himself for causing such pain to both himself and Nellie.

"Thomas?" Grace's soft voice cut through Thomas's thoughts, dragging his attention away from the rings for the first time all day. He looked up at the barmaid, who was eyeing the bands in his hand. He protectively curled his fingers over them. It wasn't her place to question what happened, but Thomas could sense that she was about to.

"What's wrong?"

His chest deflated with a heavy sigh as he grabbed his glass and downed the whiskey in one swallow. His throat burned as he set the glass on the bar and twirled it around. "Is Miss Allyn alright?" Thomas's shoulders tensed, his eyes meeting Grace's concerned gaze. "She has not been around in a while."

Thomas lifted his chin, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You mean since you tried to shoot her?"

Grace tensed. Nobody had really talked about what happened that night despite all of the questions it raised. Particularly why Grace would try to shoot Nellie.

Grace turned and busied herself with wiping the already clean bar. "That was an accident," she whispered. "I only meant to scare her away. She forced my hand."

Thomas scoffed and shook his head. He saw the way Grace's movements slowed out of the corner of his eyes but he didn't bother looking at the barmaid. "She was unarmed, Grace." Thomas's steely gaze cut to Grace, whose face was flushed, her eyes wide like those of a scolded child. "You brought the gun."

"She scared me, Tommy." Grace's voice was soft, her eyes unfocusing as her mind wandered back to that night. "She wanted to hurt me."

Thomas shook his head, a sardonic smile tugging at his lips. "Nellie has a temper. She can be frightening at times." Thomas's smile softened as he rolled the rings over in his palm. "She's fierce and she will do whatever it takes to protect the people she loves."

The sharp sigh Grace let out caught Thomas's attention. He looked up just as Grace's expression shifted from furious to calm. "I've already heard all of this from her." Grace turned around and gripped the bar with tight hands, her shoulders tense.

"Then you should have known not to mess with her."

Grace spun around, her brows furrowed over confused eyes. "Mess with her? I have done nothing to that woman, Thomas. She cornered me."