The Tailor's Daughter - Tommy Shelby

2: Confiscated Gun

Every day after Tommy showed up, Marcie opened the shop with a great deal of dread. She had moved the gun to a locked safe downstairs, still debating what to do with it. Every night without sight of Tommy, Marcie could exhale a sigh of relief as she locked up. Her family's business stood for another day.

            Gavino kept his word for at least a week. Fiorella kept her son busy around the house, doing chores Marcellus wasn't able to do anymore since he fell ill. When the list of chores ran dry, Marcie put him to work in the shop. She even debated chaining him to the till to make sure he didn't sneak out.

            But on Friday, Marcie was too busy to keep tabs on her brother. She had been doing her best to keep up with the work that her father was slipping behind on due to his fatigue. Gavino said the night before that he would be going out with a friend. He promised Marcie it was going to be just a quiet night with a close mate. She had agreed to let him go, thinking she had finally gotten through to him. But with the bustle and stress of the day, she hadn't noticed that he was yet to come home.

            It wasn't until later when Tommy Shelby once again darkened her doorstep, did she notice something was seriously wrong. He slipped off his cap as he stepped inside. "Morning, Miss Potenza."

            Marcie didn't have to look up from her needle and thread to recognize the deep voice. But it caused such a knee-jerk reaction that she pricked her finger with the needle. She stood up, pressing a handkerchief to the spot of blood on her fingertip. "Mr. Shelby, what can I do for you?"

            "You told me your brother would stay off me streets." He said, not in the mood for pleasantries. Clearly, this was another visit that had nothing to do with suits.

            Suddenly, Gavino's absence became very obvious and it made Marcie's body seize in terror. "He had been...I don't know where he went last night. I told him..."

            "I have an older brother, Miss Potenza, I know the lure of disobeying an authority figure in the household." His tone, although still monotone and unwavering, did sound a hint more forgiving than when they first met. But Tommy's face still was intimidating. "I could hardly blame my older brother for my actions. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't face me own consequences, aye?"

            "Mr. Shelby..." Marcie's voice trembled with fear and anger. "In the effort of being transparent, my brother is headstrong and has shown disdain for you."

            The corner of Tommy's lips twitched, not out of rage, but out of a hint of amusement. "And?"

            "And I don't want to be involved with any men like you. So, I'll warn you that he threatened to get Italian men involved to keep you away." Marcie very rarely uttered the word 'mafia'. Her father had instilled enough fear in her of the mafia bosses who came from the old country. "I'm not telling you this to show my allegiance to you. I'm telling you so you'll keep the fighting away from my family. Take it as a peace offering, in hopes you'll move along to harass another family."

            Tommy cleared his throat. "It's a kind gesture, Miss Potenza." He replied with no hint of sympathy. "But I wouldn't worry about that. The Italians are in no position to pick a fight with me right now. But once the time is right, rest assured I'll be on the offensive."

            Marcie wasn't sure why he was being so open with such a harrowing plan. It was as if she was in a war room, listening to a general lay out a plan to initiate a bloody war. "You'll leave my brothers alone then?"

            "Haven't decided yet. I've been busy elsewhere to think about it. Still, it's a threat at me border that I can't ignore." His eyes bore into her as if he could see right through her and into her very soul.