The Devil / Peaky Blinders [ON-HOLD]

THREE

CHAPTER THREE - GARRISON
(10/05/2021)

Saturday, quickly, came around the corner.

Lunchtime was always busy in the pub, Pax didn't mind spending her time in the Garrison, it was what she knew and adored. She had been around Small Heath for years that she forgot that she was out of her league.

Sitting in the private room, she sipped on her water and listened to her family around her, bicker back and forth, playfully. Thomas had an arm wrapped around her shoulder as she spoke to John about the kids.

"We'll keep them tonight, John. If you want to get a few hours to yourself. Me and Tom will stay at your house tonight and you can just sleep over at Pol's." She smiled widely at John, quickly turning to Thomas to seek approval that he would be there with her.

Thomas nodded his head as he lit up a cigarette.

"What the boss wants, the boss gets."

She nudged Tommy as he was joking and the whole family laughed. Pax loved children.

"Thanks, Pax. I owe you one."

Thomas stood up and approached the private snug window and tapped, awaiting service. A blonde, beautiful woman opened the frosted window and stared at Thomas. She was lovely; but not enough to make Pax anxious about herself, she never thought she could ever be insecure when it came to pretty women surrounding Thomas.

"I need a bottle of rum." Tommy said to the barmaid, not paying attention to the blonde. Harry, the landlord and pub owner, called out to the barmaid who he identified as Grace, informing her that they didn't need to pay. Thomas placed a few coins on the bar.

"The whole bottle?"

"White or dark?" She asked, further.

"I don't care. A pot of tea and some biscuits, too. Make sure they are chocolate ones. Harry keeps them in the room to your left, the stove's there too." He kept his eye on the barmaid, unsure of why Harry hired her.

She, clearly, wasn't in the right place. She found a bottle of dark rum and put it onto the bar.

"Harry said on the house." Grace informed and Tommy pushed the coins further to her.

"Are you a whore?" He asked the blonde.

Pax was never scared of Thomas' eyes wondering- never. He was too in love with her to do anything terrible to break her heart, she always thought. Although, she was never quite sure if he visited whores whilst in France. The question was never asked as the result of being scared of the answer.

"Because if you're not, you're in
the wrong place. Bring the tea 'n biscuits through soon."  Thomas took the bottle of rum and shut the window.

He sat next down to Pax and she looked at him with slight confusion as she tried to forget what he had asked the new pretty girl.

A few minutes later, Grace knocked on the door of the private snug door and came in with a pot of tea and a few chocolate biscuits. She placed the tray on the middle of the table and noticed a woman on Thomas' shoulder. He was loosely holding her thigh and she laughed to Polly about a joke she had heard from John the other day. Grace noticed a wedding ring on her finger.