𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠, ʲᵒʰⁿ ˢʰᵉˡᵇʸ

𝟎𝟎𝟖

But somehow, John managed to help with that. She felt safe with him.

-

"Madeline, are ya still here?" Arthur's voice bounced off the walls. His footsteps were heavy. "In here, Arthur." She replied. Arthur joined her in the now empty betting den where Maddie sat with a book and a cup of tea.

"You don't happen to know first aid do you?" He asked.

Madeline placed her book down and nodded. "My mother taught me when I was younger. Are you okay?" She asked, slightly concerned.

Arthur cleared his throat and stretched out his fingers. "I got into a bit of trouble at the gym, that's all." He said.

Polly looked over her shoulder and shook her head before looking back at the fireplace. Madeline pushed her chair away from the table and walked to him. She gently took his hand and examined his red knuckles that were beginning to bruise.

"I'll get a cold cloth." She told him. "You'll be fine."

Arthur hummed gratefully and took a seat beside the stairs, looking at his hands.

Whilst Madeline was in the kitchen getting the cloth for Arthur, Finn had returned from wherever it was he'd been and hovered awkwardly at the table. "Sit down, Finn." Arthur instructed. Finn did as he was told and took a seat.

"Here you are." Madeline handed him the cloth and looked over at John who was walking into the awkwardly quiet room. "Where the bloody hell is Tommy?" He whispered to Polly after checking his time piece.

"He's on his way." She replied quickly.

"Right then, whilst we're waiting patiently— whiskey." Arthur lifted a crate. "Left over from the explosion. It's good stuff as well."

John accepted a glass and walked to Maddie who'd placed herself on the stairs. "You okay?" He whispered, tucking a piece of her dark hair behind her ears whilst he towered over her. Maddie pursed her lips into a smile and nodded. "How's Katie?" She asked quietly.

John took a breath. "She's not feeling too well. I've left her with Maria. She'll be alright." He said, his eyes searching her face and admiring her.

Finally, John stepped away from her and took a sip from his whiskey glass. "Right, when Tommy gets here, I think there's a few things we need to get straight between the rest of us?"

"You think?" Polly asked.

"Yeah." John said. "Yeah I do. I want to know— when did we all take a vote on this expansion South?" He asked. Polly emerged from the doorway with her arms crossed. "You have anything to say, you wait for Thomas."

"Polly's fucking right." Arthur agreed.

"I see all the books— right, legal and off track. Some stuff you don't see and in the past year, The Shelby Company Limited has been making a hundred and fifty pounds a day. Right, a fucking day— sometimes more!" John raised his voice.

Madeline bit her tongue whilst she listened.

"So what I wanna know is why are we changing things? Polly, look what's happened already and we haven't even set foot in London yet. They've already blown up our fucking pub."