beautiful crime // t.shelby 1.

•part five•

Eleanor eventually smiled at him in her casual grin, causing Tommy to pull away from the way and allowing Elle to walk out and shut the door, leaving Pius asleep even if she knew Tommy needed him and his brothers at the fair later on the day.

Tommy looked around the deliberately empty street before returning his blue eyes back at the blonde, who clearly disliked the cold. She was glancing at him with pursed lips, confused as to why they weren't moving inside yet. For some odd reason, for a brief second Tommy focused on her heated cheeks before blinking away from something pointless. "Shall we go?" Elle asked him, Tommy hearing hints of irritation in her tone.

"Let me finish my cigarette first," he commented, Eleanor thinking he was choosing to keep her outside on a purpose. Tommy continued to smoke, turning his back on her so Elle narrowed her eyes, however, his broad back and a glimpse of a tattoo on his neck made her pause. Elle focused more, noticing a small scar behind his ear, which was visible since his hair was shaved there. Small freckles, almost unrecognizable if not for Elle's close proximity and good eyesight, covered the side of his jaw as it brought some kind of innocence to his usual cold face. Eleanor had no idea why she was staring at his body, because it wouldn't matter where she'd shoot a bullet through. He would die either way, or so she hoped.

What if I'm not just a mortal man? It was a sentence of a clearly ambitious man, who was confident in what he was doing, or maybe even narcissistic about it. Whichever was the case, she couldn't deny that he sounded intimidating.

"The betting shop is right there," she finally spoke up, pointing at the door two feet away from where the two of them stood, Tommy finally turning around to face her after what seemed his quick inspection of whether there were people in Watery Lane that morning. Presumably people he didn't know or distrusted. "As far as I was told. While you smoke here, may I enter? It's not like I will plant a bomb in there or something."

Tommy smiled almost lazily, finishing his cigarette and throwing it away, Elle grimacing at his need to litter, but she then focused on things that mattered and watched the man in front of her take in her words only half-jokingly. "What we do behind those doors is our business," he finally began to lecture her, Eleanor listening as if she was being scolded. "We take bets and odds, it's as simple as that."

"I'm aware," Eleanor answered calmly so Tommy paused before showing Eleanor something she didn't expect. He snickered with a laugh, which seemed, though forced, a bit genuine as well. Her mouth stayed in a thin line, even if she wanted to join in his amusement. "I worked in a firm, where I had to give people their wages. Many would come, claiming they needed more. Often I had to calm them down, or even kick them out if they got violent. If you think I can't take a bet or an odd, can't deal with people who wish to gain money... illegally... I think quite otherwise."

Thomas's eyes lingered on her confident face then. Eleanor knew her lie came out smooth like butter, but she also knew he disliked being talked down upon. Nevertheless, Eleanor smiled at Tommy, who continued to speak. "Who you've met in your previous occupation is nothing compared to whom we get here," he explained, Eleanor wishing to snicker since he had no idea what kind of people she has met in her actual occupation, previous a word she wished to use but couldn't yet. "This isn't your average factory worker, Miss Jackson. Men here want two things – money and women. You could finish your work, walk out and get attacked for all I care... Now, certainly Pius wouldn't allow that to happen, but just keep it in mind. After all, our business is not legal, you were correct as well."

Eleanor knew Thomas was waiting for her answer, but she had nothing to say to that. "Noted," she mused to Tommy didn't answer anything further, just moved past her and opened the door to his family's home, Elle watching the man stop in the doorway to let her enter first. Elle moved inside then, trying not to touch Tommy's body with her own before they finally entered a home Elle had been to once before thanks to Finn.