When Tommy left the room, my heart lunged out of my chest. It felt like my feet were stuck in thick mud. I was pushing and pulling, but I couldn't free myself no matter how hard I tried. I wanted to leave the room to be with Thomas, but when I heard a pair of men's heavy boots cease in front of the door, I took a step back, wishing the person would leave.
"This room is occupied!" I hollered. A storm of helplessness surged to my chest as the mysterious man's drastic attempts to enter the small gambling room became forceful. He didn't stop shaking the old wooden door until he snapped its rusty lock and joined me inside.
"If you scream, Adeline, I'll have your throat slit open!" I felt my eyelids shoot open as wide as they could as I consumed the features of the tall, menacing man standing before me. Spit flew out of his wicked mouth as he called my name, but I couldn't identify him. He wore a tuxedo reserved for royalty with a hat high enough to be prominent. How did a man like him know who I was?
"Do you know who I am?" The stranger demanded an answer as he slammed the door shut behind him, causing a thunderous sound to roar in my ears. My worried eyes searched the man's expression, trying to identify him. I hoped he was no one Thomas Shelby shared a vendetta with, but the ruthless hue seething in the man's narrow eyes cautioned me for the worst.
"I'm Geroge Darcy," The man whispered as a twisted smile rose to his face. Swallowing my nerves, I was relieved that he was a member of Charles's family. At least he wasn't the leader of a fierce razor blade street gang...
"Do the Billy Boys ring a bell for you?" He snarled as he slowly inched towards me. His heels dug into the floor, generating a clinking sound that reminded me of the ticking of a bomb, ready to explode.
"I don't know what my brother sees in you," George added as his voice was a unique mix of disgust and lust. I didn't care what he said to me, but the moment he ran his perverted fingers along my cool cheek and stroked my hair, it felt as my dignity stripped from my back.
"If I see you with that fucking gyspy swine again, your life will be in the hands of the Billy Boys, and their hands are covered in blood!" George's voice was raw with fury as his yellow-ringed eyes bore into my soul. The only thing I could do was step back from him. I felt like a mouse in a small hole, hiding from a nasty cat who clawed at me. The Billy Boys had immense power over me. I ceased up with the sheer mention of their name.
Pointing a stern finger at me, George swung open the door and left as if nothing occurred between us. Leaving me in a stormy sea of unknowns, I slumped into a chair and tried to piece my life together.
"Tommy!" I cried, my voice cracking as I rushed to his side. Everything improved when he was near, especially when I leapt into his safe and secure arms. They were the only arms that shielded me like stone walls protecting a city.
"Everything's fine, Adeline," Tommy soothed, snaking his arms around my trembling back. As much as I wanted to believe him, I couldn't. My blood rushed through my body, keeping me on high alert.
"No, Tommy!" I gasped as I made fists out of the woolly material coating his arms. The Billy Boys' name was ringing in my head like church bells through town on Sunday morning, and I wanted it to end.
"Charles's brother... He's watching every move I make!" I gasped as I felt my body sink into a never-ending pit of doom. What would I have to do to escape Charles's wrath and control?
"Adeline, listen," Tommy began. His voice was low and comforting, but his words were no use. I was in a frenzy. My chest rose and fell sporadically, and it felt like the room's narrow walls were caving in on me.
"Adeline, hey, listen to me, alright?" Thomas firmly grabbed hold of my shoulders, steadying me and my shaky nerves. His husky voice was nature's soothing organ. It was magic to my troubled soul.
"I know men like Charles, alright? Bastards like him, they're all talk." Whether or not Tommy was right, my heart still banged in my chest.
"A man like him, of wealth and status, wouldn't step a bloody foot near the Billy Boys. He's using their fuckin' name and reputation to instil fear in you." Every word that passed through Tommy's round lips was right. Why would Charles, a rich prick from Manchester, be acquainted with a scruffy savage street gang from Glasgow? It didn't make any sense.
"I don't know what to do, Tommy," I exhaled as I wrapped my arms around his neck and nuzzled in his shielding arms. It was the best feeling in the entire world. I would move rivers and mountains to stay in his warm embrace. Now that I knew that the Billy Boys were irrelevant to me, I would escape from Charles. It would take time, but it was possible. I had a will, and I would find a way.
"Come with me to Small Heath," Thomas suggested as his hands travelled down my waist until they found the corners of my hips, grasping them as if they were the most precious material in the world. His hands were a sweet temptation, and I almost said 'yes' to his offer.
"And how will I do that, Mr. Shelby?"
"Easy," Thomas whispered with a cheeky, yet devilish hue in his voice. The clever smirk that etched into his lips told me that his scheme involved razor blades, bullets and blood. I wanted to link my arm with Tommy's and saunter to Birmingham, but it wasn't that simple.
"Your brother James will be back in Yardley in a few days. Tell Charles you want to visit him, then come to Small Heath. He'll never find you there." A light bulb flashed on in my head. With a burning and endless passion, James hated Charles's guts. He would do anything in his power to help me leave Charles for good.
"How do you know James will be back soon?" I narrowed my eyebrows at Thomas. Even as James's sister, I didn't know when he would return home. James and my mother were free spirits, they never stayed in one place, but no one knew when they would return until they said so.
"He's in Camden doing me a favour." I nodded at Tommy, trying to scan his face for any clue as to what favour James was completing for him, especially with my poor mother tagging along! As I let my guard fade, Tommy's eyes grew soft as pillows, and I found myself falling in love with his tender and sweet expression.
"Do you trust me?" Tommy asked through a whisper as he gently brushed away the loose strands of hair falling over my face. Of course, I trusted him, but I didn't trust Charles Darcy one bit. He was nothing but a venomous snake.
"Yes, Tommy," I whispered through a delicate breath.
"Then let me help you, alright?" A huge weight lifted off of my collapsing shoulders. With Thomas Shelby on my side and in my arms, there was hope for me to live the life I desperately craved.
Glaring up at Thomas, his ocean-deep eyes articulated on their own. His lips didn't need to move for him to speak. We shared an entire conversation in a simple stare. It may have seemed like a silly glance that only lasted for a few seconds, but more was expressed through our eyes than words would have ever been able to convey. I could glimpse into his heart by just looking into his eyes. Even though I was upset with my reality, calmness overtook my body as Tommy's tender hands pulled me closer to him, until our bodies pressed together. It was as if a ray of summer's sun kissed my cheek and pulled me into a warm embrace.
When Tommy's lips met mine in pure euphoria, it was as if they kissed away the hopelessness that burned in my chest. As our lips tangled together, needing each other more and more, the feeling of being caged escaped my body. I wouldn't have been able to express my feelings with words, but I sensed Thomas could read me like a book through every move my lips made, and every moan that escaped my aching mouth.
"I want to be a part of your life, Thomas." I breathed against his warm skin as his lips travelled along my neck. I imagined a future with Thomas. Me, waiting for his kiss each morning as dawn crept upon us. Him snuggling behind me, stopping time. Us, sharing a love so rare that no word in any language could describe it. We could have kissed until the sun rose in the morning, but we didn't. When we unwillingly pulled away from each other, my lips were left branded by Tommy's, and I had a taste on my tongue that I never wanted to fade.
Taking my hands in his, Tommy gazed into my soul, seeing a troubled yet loving young woman. At least, I hoped that is what he saw in me.
"You sure you don't want to come to Small Heath?" Tommy asked as he fished through his pockets in need of a fag.
"You know I'd love to, but I can't right now." It was life's greatest challenge for me to say 'no' to him. It was like tossing your dream come true down the gutter. Every time I saw Tommy, I never knew if I would see him again. I was engaged to a monster, and Tommy was involved in a world where bullets had your name on them.
"I still need a secretary," he added, hoping I would finally give in and say 'yes'. If I said yes, a volcano of blood would erupt outside the racecourse. As much as I hated Charles's guts, I wasn't ready to get my hands dirty.
Preparing to exit the room I now cherished, I watched Tommy pull his peaked cap over his breathtaking eyes. It was a shame that he hid them.
"Why do you cover your eyes, Thomas?" I pressed, even though I probably shouldn't have. Word on the street was that you could get yourself killed for looking at Tommy Shelby the wrong way. I imagined that using the wrong words could get you killed too. I didn't care. I didn't see Tommy as the barbarian everyone claimed him to be. I almost found it hard to believe, especially since he had been nothing but a caring and kind spirit to me.
"They say the eyes are the windows to the soul," Thomas announced while gently cocking his head at me. He paused for a moment before speaking again.
"I don't want my soul seen," he whispered against my skin as he pressed a warm kiss to my cheek. His remark lingered in my mind for a while. When I met Tommy, I was mesmerized by his enchanting sea-coloured eyes. Naturally, I always saw past the lens of pain and violence that marked the surface of Tommy's eyes. It was there, but when I glared into his eyes, I saw a man deserving of affection. I saw a man full of ambition, and a man who deep down, had a gentle, caring heart. I saw a man who was like me- battered and bruised but resilient and driven. I saw the man I wanted by my side through heaven and hell. I only hoped he felt the same about me.
Hello!
I apologize for not writing for a while. Life has been hectic lately, but I will try to update once a week.
I hope everyone is staying safe during these challenging times. Take every day as a gift, and live each moment to the fullest.
Be kind to everyone.
Xx