Save him

Chapter 8

*

Lana and Tommy has left the pub, arms locked the whole way. They entered the betting den and went straight to the kitchen to find Polly.

"All right?" Tommy said as he entered, closing the door behind Lana.

Lana smiled at Polly, bringing her into a short hug before finding a seat at the table.

"Are you armed?" Polly asked.

Lana didn't expect it and creased her eyebrows in confusion.

Tommy replied, "no."

"Then I'll tell you."

"Ada and Freddie Thorne were married today. They defied your orders, they haven't left the city."

Lana almost slapped herself for forgetting, she'd forgotten to warn Tommy that Ada was pregnant as well. It was something that kept slipping her mind and she felt really bad for it.

"Shit." Lana mumbled in a reprimanding tone to herself.

Tommy looked towards her for answers but he knew she couldn't say anything in front of Polly so he left that conversation for later.

"I'll deal with it." Polly said.

"I don't see why you just can't leave them too it. I know Adas young, but at least Freddie isn't running away and leaving her with a bastard child. She's married now, she doesn't have to deal with all the nasty rumours and comments. Not that she'd have to deal with them anyway I mean she's a Shelby for fucks sake." Lana ranted, feeling that Ada was her own woman and didn't need her brothers dictating her life.

Tommy gave her an annoyed look, one that said 'we'll talk about this later.'

"Where are they?" Tommy asked.

Lana shot him a look.

"Freddie's comrades have safe houses. Why do you want to know?" Polly asked.

"I want to send them flowers. Why do you think?" Tommy said.

Lana giggles. Tommy looked over at her for a second, allowing a smile to come to his face at the sound of her laugh before becoming serious again.

"Would it be so bad if they stayed?" Polly said, slightly raising her voice.

"I agree with Polly, Thomas. I know Freddie's in hot water right now for being a communist but hopefully he'll see that he has a higher responsibility now and give it a rest with the strikes." Lana said to Tommy.

"I promised I'd run Freddie out of town." Tommy said to both Lana and Polly. Lana looked away forgetting the deal that he'd made.

"Promised who?"

"I told the coppers Freddie wouldn't come back. It was part of the deal."

"What bloody deal? What happened to family voted? What happened to meetings? If you let me deal with Ada and Freddie, it'll end in peace. Christ knows you have had your fill of war." Polly asks, getting more and more annoyed.

"You get Freddie out of town, Pol. Or else I'll deal with him myself." And with that he walked out, giving Lana one last look before nodding towards his office.

Lana stood up from her seat at the table before walking towards Polly. She put her hand on Polly's arm.

"Polly I promise you everything is going to work out fine. Ada is going to resent the family for a while but her, Freddie and Karl are going to be okay. I can promise you that." Lana said.

Polly gave her a confused look. "Who's Karl?"

Lana froze realising the slip up she'd just made. "Shit. Pretend you didn't hear that, I need to talk to Tommy. I'll explain at some point just not now."

Lana grabbed her purse from the table and made her way to Tommy's office. He shut the blinds when she walked in.

"Tommy I think I may have just revealed myself to Polly." He turned around to look at her, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth.

"What do you mean?" He said, coming towards her and grabbing her arms gently.

"I just said that Ada, Freddie and Karl will be okay."

Tommy looked confused, just like Polly.
"Whose Karl?"

"That's the name Adas going to give her baby. Like after Karl Marx." She said grabbing one of Tommy's hands from her arm and gripping it in hers.

Tommy laughed and put his cigarette out in the ash tray sat on the desk. "Of fucking course she is, wouldn't expect anything different from her."

Lana laughed as well. She enjoyed moments like this with Tommy, the ones in private where he could be himself. He was so affectionate with her. Neither Tommy nor Lana had been truthful with their feelings with one another, and although they were very touching they were still in denial that the other one liked them. It had only been two weeks since they had first met, but they were never so sure of their feelings before. They were just too coward to admit them to each other.