The Devil / Peaky Blinders [ON-HOLD]

TWENTY THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE : RAEBURN

Saturday coming was the day, they would get Billy Kimber and Thomas Shelby would own the fucking races, just like he wanted to. Just like he had planned.

Tommy had held a meeting when he had left the house. He pushed through his head telling him to stop but Pax had abruptly told him to get business done and he had listened to her. She didn't attend the meeting, she stayed in the house helping Finn with his homework as usual.

The next again day it was as if nothing had happened to her, she got up and got dressed and went down to make breakfast for the family. Pol had been sitting there with a cup of black tea as she saw the red hair in her view, she lightly smiled as Pax began.

"Do you want some bacon, Pol?" She had asked and Pol opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. She nodded and Pax hummed as she made bacon.

Tom was in the house when a paperboy rushed in without knocking to say that he had seen Billy Kimber's men drive into Small Heath.

There was a mole somewhere but he couldn't quite figure it out but he knew, he just knew.

The thought of letting Kimber murder him had crossed his mind, not knowing how to live with this guilt inside him that slowly ate away at his soul. It was a hard thing to get his head around but then he snapped out of it as he always did when he thought of Pax. If he was feeling half alive, how did she feel? How is she surviving, how is she pretending?

His anger had been bottled up since a few nights ago when she came in, all cuts and bruises.

Violated and broken.

When he closed his eyes, her swollen face was all that he could imagine, it haunted him in his dreams. This was worse than dreaming of the tunnels.

"Thomas, it's your barmaid." The voice echoed out to help him escape the trauma that he had imagined she had went through, the abuse she had endured.

"What?" He asked, face contorted into confusion.

"Don't question me, Thomas. She's your mole." She said as she looked at him with empty features.

"I would never -"

"I know. Now go. Be careful." She hummed.

"I'll deal with Grace when this is over. If you set eyes on her again, you might kill her." Thomas agreed with his aunt Pol, he didn't want to be faced with the traitor because he would kill her and not think twice. Pax scoffed as she watched Polly leave to deal with the mole.

"Stay in the house. Do not fucking leave. You'll stay out of this miss. Okay?" He ordered Pax as he held both her arms gently and she nodded gently as she watched him rush outside, heading to gather his brothers and his men to rush and get the guns that were hidden.

No, she wouldn't wait in the house, that's defeat.

"Going for good?" Pol's voice echoed through the empty Garrison, seeing Grace pack her bag in a hurry.

"I heard there was trouble." The Irish woman muttered.

"Instinct's a funny thing. See, normally I can tell about a person, but with you, you really had me believe you were a harmless barmaid." She sneered at the blonde.

"We know who you are. It's funny, Pax figured it out, don't know how but she told Tommy and you know Tommy trusts his girl. I wanted to hear it from your own lips."

"I am an agent of the Crown. I have the power to arrest and the right to use force. So please, step out of my way." Grace stood up straight and glared at Polly whilst pointing a gun at her.

"Like I say, instinct's a funny thing. You fell for Tommy for real, didn't you?"

"This gun is loaded."

"I'm not afraid of you, Grace. I feel sorry for you. I'm afraid for you. You see, I pity you. Thought you'd come in here and stitch us all up. I mean, we've had some copper's narks in here, but you're the queen of them all. So who are you? Rich girl, I'd guess. Unionist. Ulster Volunteer. You thought- Fenians, communists, low people. They're all the same. Scum. Then you met Tommy-" Polly ranted but the copper interrupted her.

"I'll fight you with my fists and show you how a rich girl fights. I'm from a tough family, too."

"That's not necessary. So am I right? Did you fall for Tommy?"

"Yes, I did."

"Then I pity you. You should see by now that Tommy couldn't love anyone other than Pax. You tried hard to get his attention but he only had eyes for that girl."

"You think he'll try to kill me?"

"That would be too kind, girl. I would worry about Pax, I heard she was a wicked little thing when she was younger." Polly sat down and poured a drink.

"You saved his life the night the coppers came. That's why we're drinking, not fighting."

"What was he like?" Grace asked, ignoring Pol's comment about Pax killing her. Grace saw how weak his wife was, there was no way on Earth.

"If you're not gone from this city by tomorrow, I have no doubt that Thomas will kill you." Pol raised herself from the seat, disgusted that Grace only cared about knowing Thomas.

While Pax was getting her jacket on, Ada storm through the door with Karl in her arms, "I'm going to storm through the crowds and fucking show them that all family matters."

Pax looked at Ada with a raised eyebrow, "indeed you will not, you stay here with Karl and Finn."

"And where you you going?" Ada asked her sister in law.

"I used to be good with a gun, Ada, real fucking good. They'll see." She gave a wicked smile, a smile that Ada found unrecognisable about Pax. Her whole demeanour changed in a split second and she was a Raeburn again.