LIKE STEEL || Tommy Shelby

XI. LIKE NEVER BEFORE

- LIKE NEVER BEFORE -

Rose did not dare to try and look at the man as his hand grabbed the back of her coat and pushed her forwards. The blade pressed against her throat made her aware of everything- footsteps, flickering candles, breaths. Rose's heart was thundering in her chest as the man grabbed the gun out of her hands and stuffed it in his pocket.

"Did you really think you would be able to sneak some whore in the back and we wouldn't notice?" the small, brown-haired man sneered. He ran his thumb over the piece of paper- the map- Tommy had given him, and then quickly shoved it in to his pocket.

Tommy just cleared his throat- a picture of casualness.

"Gentlemen, this could all end very well, or very poorly. It's up to you. Lower the blade-"

"Or what, Mr. Shelby? We said don't bring anybody, and you brought her," the blond one spat, his voice as sharp as the blade on her neck. Rose tried not to breath too deeply.

Her eyes searched Tommy's face, urging him to turn to her- to look at her.

"Tommy," she whispered. He needed to get out.

"Shut up, bitch," the man behind her growled, tightening his grip on her arm.

Finally, Tommy's eyes found hers, but not before flicking back to the jacket of the man holding on to her. His eyes kept moving- from her, to the jacket. Her, to the jacket.

Pressed against her back- the barrel still sticking out of his pocket- was her gun. Rose dipped her chin almost imperceptibly and sent up a prayer to whoever was listening that it was enough for him to understand.

Adrenaline coursed through her veins as she slowly angled her hand towards the man's jacket.

"See, you could have just let this be, but you had get her involved and now you're both gonna die!"

The smaller man, his dark eyes almost completely shadowed in the low light, walked towards Rose. He cocked his head to the side, a feral grin on his lips.

"She's quite pretty, too, isn't she?" he purred, his voice like nails down her spine.

"A real shame, though," he chuckled, running a hand down her arm. "Maybe before I kill you both- I could make you watch."

Finally, Tommy's face shifted from bored amusement.

"There it is," the man snarled. "There's that rage that everybody has heard about."

Rose could hear her blood pounding in her ears. She twisted her wrist, straining her fingers to reach the gun.

"You've got it all figured out then, don't you," Tommy said, the mask that everybody was so terrified of back on his face. "Well if you're going to kill us, at least let me have a drink."

Her fingers could barely grasp the barrel of the gun, but it was enough. It needed to be enough.

Tommy grabbed his glass off the table and looked at Rose- at the cut that was dripping a small stream of blood down her neck.

"To the ones that didn't deserve it," he looked up at Rose over his glass. "They deserve the world."

Without hesitating, Rose reached up and grabbed the gun, whirling around and pulling the trigger before she could even think.

The man that had been holding her fell to the ground, and suddenly all she could hear was the echoing of the shot in her ears. It rang out even as the other two men ran towards Tommy. Again, she did not think as she lifted the gun towards the taller man and fired. She knew her shot would hit him, but nothing could have prepared her for the feeling of his body hitting the wood floor.