Madame Angel ~ A Thomas Shelby Story

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Aurelia had a new issue on her hands. Major Campbell had just strolled into her place of work. "Can I help you sir?" She asks greeting him as she sat by the bar with a cup of tea. "I'm Major Campbell. I've received information that A Thomas Shelby has recently been seen frequenting this establishment and leaving with you." He says his cane making a loud clack against the hard wood. She turns to him and studies the much older Irish officer. "Campbell? I've heard of you somewhere, haven't I?" She asks him while getting a cigarette out of her cart on the bar top and lighting it once it was in her mouth. "Thomas Shelby, ma'am. Do you know him?" Chester asks getting a bit annoyed. "Thomas Shelby? No. I know a Thomas Shelts, he works at the locksmith a few streets over." She answers but Campbell isn't convinced. "My sources have told me you and Mr. Shelby have been seen getting quite close Ms. Cruz or should I say Mrs. Felton?" The threat in his voice did nothing but piss her off. "Chester Campbell? You're staying at that brothel over in the town square, Aren't you? Women talk, you know? Even the ones you pay to keep their mouths shut. Especially the ones who know your reputation of holding down and fucking them while they scream, cry, and beg for you to stop and throw cash on them after." "Watch yourself Miss-." "No, you watch yourself or Mr. Churchill will get a call from his favorite club owner and nude model provider about a Major Campbell threatening her in her place of work over a man she doesn't even fucking know. Now get the hell out of my club." She says as two members of security come up behind Campbell letting him know he was without the upper hand. Campbell leaves silently but if he returned or not was up in the air. "I need to make a few calls." Aurelia says once the Major had left walking to her office with newfound worry in her gut.

A day or so later Thomas had finished going over the books with Arthur and was now checking in on Ada. He knocked on her door only for some lanky lad to answer. "Hello." The young man greets. "I'm looking for Ada." Thomas says in more of a request. "Who are you?" The kid asks and with no answer Thomas barges past him and into his sister's home. He finds Ada lounging in her living room in her sleep wear reading the paper. "Ada..." Thomas greets. "I asked you a question." The kid from the door barges after Thomas. "It's alright, James. This is my brother." Ada clarifies not looking up from her paper. "Who's he?" Thomas asks becoming protective. "He rent's a room." She explains. "You need to rent out rooms?" "Actually, she doesn't charge rent." James answers for her. "He's a writer. Which means he's skint." She says going back to her paper. "You get up late these days Ada." Thomas observes. "Mm. I go to bed late." She mutters as she starts to wonder why her brother is here. "Where's Karl?" Thomas asks and Ada sets her paper down having enough of the third degree. "What do you want, Tommy?" She asks and her brother just looks at James as if saying 'I want to know about you and him.' "Oh, God. Before you start sizing him up for a wedding suit, he's not interested in me. Or any girls of any kind." Ada nonchalantly spills. "Ada?" James questions. "What? Tommy won't judge you. He sure as hell won't go to the police." Ada says going back to the article that piqued her interest during Thomas' line of questioning.

Once the two siblings were alone and Ada stopped berating the gangster invasion her brother caused in London, they got to why Thomas was there. "I don't have any children, Ada. So, I've set up a trust fund. The beneficiaries will be John's kids plus Karl. In order for Karl to benefit, I need your signature." He says pulling out the folded documents from his coat. "I've set up an account. The money will be transferred in the event of my death." He explains setting the papers on the table. "It'll set them up for a new life." He sweetens his speech and Ada takes the papers in her hand to read them but pauses looking at her brother. "Are you sick?" She asks worried. "I'm just doing what any ordinary man would. Putting my affairs in order." He said and while she didn't think that was the truth entirely, she signed the papers and handed them back. "Did you know she was married? Aurelia, did you know she has a husband?" Thomas asked unable to get the question out of his head. "Yes. She told me everything about that fucking bastard when we met. I'm guessing she told you now?" Ada answers and retorts. "What do you mean 'fucking bastard'?" Thomas asks waves of concern turning in his skeleton. "What do I mean? I mean how he- wait...What did Aurelia tell you?" Ada asked in confusion.

If her brother knew about everything, she's sure he'd either planned to cut Steven Felton into pieces or already done so. "She told me she's married; she married years ago, and she never loved her husband never even liked him?" He answered still confused. "Did you let her explain or even finish telling you everything?" Ada asked in exasperation. "What else did I need to know, Ada? For the second time the woman I fall for is a liar! Not only is she a liar but she's married!" He loudly speaks the truth and for the first time he admits that he, Thomas Shelby, fell for Aurelia Cruz. "Oh, Tommy. It's more complicated than that, you need to talk to her and hear all of it trust me. She's a good woman, Tommy." Ada says looking him in the eye. "What does he do to her?" He almost begs for the answer with horrible thoughts flashing in his mind at what could be done to the angel he loves by a man he has been envying since the morning she told him she was married. "Ask her, Tom. It's not for me to say." Ada advises before getting up walking over to the phone in the corner with a pen and pad next to it. Ada pauses before sighing and writing on the paper ripping it out and handing it to her brother walking out the room. Thomas looked at the note to see an address knowing it was Aurelia's.