Peaky Blinders Imagines

"What if I don't want to go home?"

Thomas Shelby Imagine #7

*REQUESTED*

She sat in her usual spot at the Garrison.

She was in the corner booth, a gin and tonic in her right hand, a small straw stirring the drink with the other hand. Her eyes were looking down at some papers on the table and I could tell she was deep in thought. When she looked up after a sudden commotion, I made sure to turn away, but her glance in my direction did not go unnoticed. Seconds later she averted her attention back to her work.

She did this every Saturday night. Sit at the Garrison until late hours doing work and drink gin and tonic after gin and tonic before finally packing up and leaving. Some nights she would ask for an escort, but on days when she didn't ask, she still made it home safe. I made sure of it.

Even while this feels like a typical night for her, it was anything but for myself. For I knew that the second she tried to leave, something terrible was going to happen. So, I sat and contemplated how to go about the situation.

"What are you thinkin' about Tom?" Arthur's voice turned me away from the girl sat at the table. I didn't want to look away in case she decided to make a getaway while I was distracted.

Quickly I turned to look at him, "Just keeping an eye out."

"For what?" He seemed confused and ended up following my gaze. "The woman again? No one fucks with her Tom. Every man in here sees your eyes for her."

I lowered my voice so only the two of us could hear, "Somethings going to happen to her."

"Tom, she's safe in here. We all make sure of it."

I rubbed at my face, "She's safe in here, yes. But once she's outside those doors... Somethings going to happen."

John, who sat nearby with Finn, turned his head towards us when he heard that, "She bringing trouble? She don't seem like the type."

"She's not bringing trouble." I glanced between the two. "Father Hughes is." Immediately after I said that I motioned for the three of them to follow me into the back, stopping in front of Harry at the bar.

I pointed over to her, "She doesn't leave this bar. Understand?"

He nodded, "Yes, Mr. Shelby." I returned his nod and then followed my brothers into the back room.

"Tom, what the fuck is going on?" Arthur got up into my face, as if expecting a fight.

"Is that woman in some kind of danger? You never talk to her; I don't know how you'd know what type of trouble she gets into." Finn sat down at the table, prompting the rest of us to sit with him.

"I'm the only reason she's in trouble." They didn't respond, and John's face told me to continue. "Clearly the patrons here aren't the only ones who see me looking at her. Or one is a spy. I don't fucking know!" I stood up and slammed my hands on the table in anger. I couldn't stay still anymore, so I started pacing, which seemed to only make things worse. "But somehow Hughes knows, he knows I fucking look at her, and he's sending men here to take her the second she walks out those doors!"

"How could you possibly know that?" John stood up, grabbing my shoulders to make me look at him.

"We have spies everywhere John", I pointed all around us, "My eyes and ears are fucking everywhere!"

John finally released my shoulders, allowing me to untense, "Tom, if you know this is going to happen, we'll shoot them all in the fucking alley if we have to."

"They won't make it ten feet past the Peaky Blinders." Finn piped in.

As much as I appreciated their thoughts, I didn't want to throw anyone into the line of fire. I couldn't risk it.