VULNERABLE | thomas shelby

✞ T H R E E ✞

CHAPTER THREE ; THE RAID

BETH STOOD BESIDE, Polly in the local church. She was a gypsy and didn't believe in Polly's god but yet still stood up by the alter with Polly, lighting the candles on the alter for the men and boys who had passed away tragically in the war in France. They both worked in comfortable silence as they lit the candles around them. The Shelby boys had gone to the fair and Beth would only hope they weren't causing trouble, which they one hundred percent were.

The church doors creaked open and a slight breeze flew in through the doors. Beth turned to look just the same as Polly at the inspector who walked down the church isle his footsteps echoing off the walls. "A gentleman would take off his hat, and put out his pipe." Polly corrected. Beth glared at the inspector who put his pipe out off the church bench. A clear sign of ignorance. She hadn't understood Polly's god but she knew it was disrespectful and rude for the officer to put out his pipe against the bench.

"I see you boys only dare come near us when the boys are away at the fair. Very manly of you. Waiting to harass the women." Beth bellowed, Polly nodding her head at Beth's statement in agreement. "You mean your nephews? With their guns and their razors? Is it them your lighting candles for?"

"No." Beth spat miserably, her body tensing as the inspector moved closer to her. "We're lighting candles for the boys from the Garrison who lost their lives in France." Polly informed, raising her head high. Beth rolled her eyes in annoyance pointing to the list on the table. "There's a list there." They stood in an uncomfortable silence before Polly spoke up again anger filling her voice spitting her words with venom. "Look." The inspector did as he was told his eyes lowering down to the list.

"I hear you didn't make it to France inspector Campbell." Polly said before blowing out her match. Beth stood back walking around to the other side of the alter to place her unlit match into the bin, watching the inspector as he stepped dangerously close towards Polly. "You've heard of me. I've heard of you." His eyes flickered over to Beth, his eyes undressing her, making her feel sick to the stomach as he grinned creepily. "Especially you, Miss Clover."

The inspector pushed past the gates that Beth had closed behind her causing her eyebrows to shoot up. "Is it the Holy grail your looking for?" She teased, raising her eyebrows at the inspector who was cleary unimpressed. Polly couldn't help the small smirk that covered her face at Beth's words."Yes, in a matter of fact Miss Clover it is the Holy Grail I'm looking for." As he finished speaking the church doors flew open and two police men walked in.

The first officer catching Beth as she failed to run towards Polly's side. Her eyes following the inspector who walked dangerously close to Polly. "Something precious. Something stolen. Perhaps you know what I'm talking about." He grabbed onto Polly roughly pushing her back causing Beth to growl struggling to get out of the officers hold.

Polly however kept calm as she leaned forward kissing the police officer, it taking a minute for him to push her away. "Sorry, I misunderstood your intention when you pushed me against the wall." Polly blurted, acting fazed. Beth knew it was bad to laugh at the time but she couldn't help let out a loud howl of laughter at the man as he wiped his mouth in disgust.

The officer who held her in his arms let her go and she turned to look at him in disgust. "If you think I'm going to kiss you, you might need to get your head checked." She smirked, rushing to Polly's side as the inspector flicked up the door lock."Turn the place upside down." He instructed as the police men began to pile into the once silent church before He walked back toward the two girls. "Arthur Shelby said you people would help us." Beth let out a sigh boredom of playing games with the inspector.

"If we don't know what you've lost, how can we help you find it?" Inspector Campbell never skipped a beat as he stepped closer to the women his eyes glaring down at them. "But I have found out sub sequently that I was speaking to the wrong man." He pointed a finger into the air towards Beth as if he was warning her. "Next time I went to speak to the boss." He began to walk back down the isles he had once walked in shouting over his shoulder.

"Lickey tea rooms, Friday, ten o'clock. And when I say the 'boss' I mean Thomas." And just like that Beth felt her heart began to race once again, her heart heavy at the thoughts of the trouble Thomas had just caused.

•

"The coppers told everyone Arthur had agreed to it when he was arrested. They said the Peaky Blinders had cleaned out the fair to let them do it." Polly spat. Beth stood leaned against Polly's silverware press, her body pressed to Tommy's side with his arm wrapped around her waist. Arthur sat at the table, leaving John handing out cups of beer and ScudBoat and Lovelock stood at the door.

On the way home, Bethany had noticed that the town had been raided with people flooding the streets, in distraught, some getting pushed against walls by coppers and some getting arrested. Her family's home was left with the door hanging off its last hinges after it had been kicked in and their was only a slight mess that Beth would clean later that night when she got the chance.

Now they all stood in Polly's kitchen, Polly telling the boys what had been said in the church, explaining how the cop was blaming Arthur. "I never said nothing to that copper about smashing up bloody houses." Arthur admitted, clear distress in his tone as he stared at Tommy in worry. Tommy sighed at Arthur's temper cutting in before we could get even angrier. "Alright, which pubs did they do?" Beth pushed the cigarette Polly handed her into her mouth and opened her mouth to speak, her voice slightly muffled for the cigarette.

"The Guns, the Chain, the marquises. All the ones that pay you to protect them. Only one they didn't touch was the Garrison." She listed, leaning over letting Polly light her cigarette. "Make sure people think we're in on it. He's smart this copper. So go on, drink your beers and get out. You'd better show people you are still the cocks of the walk."

Beth grinned puffing out the smoke from her cigarette and moving out of Tommy's hold walking to Johns side. "Hand out some cash to the landlords of the pubs. Pay some veterans to fix the place up." Tommy instructed ,watching as everyone hurried to get their peaky hats and jackets on apart from Beth and Polly. "So what about you, Tommy?" Arthur asked. "I have to go to Charlie's to stable the horse. She looked footsore in the box." Polly watched as he leaned over muttering something into Beth's ear and she quickly rushed to pick up her jacket. "Let them see your faces." And with that it was just Polly and Tommy.

Beth rushing to run off and have some fun with John. Like they were little kids again, running around the streets shouting and laughing and not caring what trouble they caused. John and Beth forgot all their worries as they raced through alleyways and jumped out to scare each-other, if Beth could pick one Shelby she could have fun with it would be John.They had a friendship like no one else in Birmingham, he respected her and she respected him.

If anything it made Tommy slightly jealous of the way John could make Beth ease up and laugh and shout but Beth knew Johns heart belonged to Martha and he still wasn't over her. When the bonfire had begun Beth stood with John and all of his children, oblivious to the envious look Thomas Shelby was giving them while talking to a reporter.