XIX. Sabini.
Late the same night Tommy and his brothers as well as Maude's brothers went to London, Maude went to her office to drop off some of her papers and documents. Upon entering the building, she noticed Tommy's office was open and the lights were on.
Maude entered the office, expecting to see Tommy back from London, but instead, she saw Polly sitting behind his desk. Maude's eyebrows furrowed. "Pol, what are you doing here?" She asked as she walked further into the office.
"Waiting for Thomas," Polly muttered bitterly, venomously spitting Tommy's name out as she clenched her jaw. "Arthur called, they're on their way." She informed Maude.
"You looked pissed, what did they do?" Maude asked with quirked eyebrows as she made her way over to Tommy's desk, sitting down opposite Polly as she put all her papers aside on Tommy's desk.
"Tommy poured away the medicine I had you give Arthur," Polly informed Maude, her voice growing more bitter with each word.
Maude sighed softly. She knew it wouldn't be long until Tommy found out about the medicine. She also knew he'd surely find out it was her who got it for Arthur. Maude never wanted to get involved with it, but Polly had begged and pleaded for Maude to give Arthur something to help calm him down and so she did, knowing her boyfriend would be pissed if he found out, because the medicine she gave Arthur slowed him down and calmed him to the point where he'd not even care if a bomb fell next to him.
"I told you it wouldn't last long once Tommy found out," Maude muttered softly as she shook her head, giving Polly a knowing look.
Polly was silent for a second, knowing Maude was right, still, she was angry at him. With a huff, she spoke again. "Arthur also told me how they left their message." She informed the dark-haired woman in front of her as her jaw clenched again.
Maude's chest tightened for a second as she inhaled sharply. "How did they leave it?" She asked as she raised her eyebrows, knowing however they did, was bad if it got Polly this upset.
"Like wild fucking animals." Polly snapped with a huff, her lips twitching into a snarl. She grabbed a piece of paper from her dress pocket and slid it over to Maude. "You're the closest thing Tommy has to a trustworthy secretary, so I will give this to you." She said.
"Lizzie's his secretary," Maude said as she slowly shook her head while taking the paper, her eyes on Polly as her eyebrows furrowed.
"Who handles the legal side, you handle the illegal side." Polly insisted before nodding towards the paper now in Maude's hands. "I think that classifies as your department of things." She insisted.
Maude glanced down at the paper, reading the single word written down on it. Her face fell, her heart dropping for a split second as her stomach knotted. "Jesus Christ." She whispered as she briefly closed her eyes and shook her head. "Sabini." She repeated the word on the paper.
"I guess Tommy picked his side." Polly spat as another huff slipped from her lips.
"As well as started another war," Maude whispered as she rested her elbow on the table, pressing her fingertips against her lips as she stared down at the paper in her other hand.
"I thought you were his adviser?" Polly asked as she quirked an eyebrow at Maude.
"You think just because he gave me a fancy title and an office, he actually listens to me?" Maude scoffed in dry amusement as she looked at the older woman with a knowing look. "You're twice what I am Polly, and you can barely handle him, how am I supposed to?" She asked as she raised her eyebrows. Headlights flashed into the window of Tommy's office and Polly's mood only grew worse, knowing it was her nephew. "I'll leave you to talk to him," Maude muttered as she got up to her feet, gathering her papers as well as the one Polly had given her before going to her office.
Maude sat in her office for a long time as she listened to Polly and Tommy scream at each other. She heard her name come up when Arthur's medicine was mentioned and she flinched at that, knowing now Tommy certainly knew it was her.
After a while things grew extremely quiet and she hesitantly stepped out of her office, shoving Sabini's note in her dress pocket before cautiously walking into Tommy's office." Screaming stopped, I figured Polly either left or killed you." She muttered with a hint of teasing in her voice as she stared at Tommy who sat behind his desk.
Tommy stared at her as he sipped on his whiskey before pointing toward her. "You're the one who gave Arthur the medicine, ey?" He asked as he set the glass down on the table and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it before taking a long drag, his eyes never leaving her.
"Polly asked me to." She informed him as she let out a sigh while shrugging her shoulders. "How was London?" She asked as she walked over to him, rounding his desk and sitting on the edge in front of him.
"Fucking freak show that side." He muttered as he blew out a puff of smoke, shaking his head as he scoffed.
Maude quirked an eyebrow at him as she reached a hand out, running her fingertips along the side of his shaved head. "Many pretty girls?" She asked as she raised her eyebrows at him, the small smile tugging at her lips telling him she was only playing.
Tommy got up to his feet, placing one hand against her waist as he offered her his cigarette, which she took and placed between her lips. He reached out, tugging her hair behind her ear. "None as pretty as my girl." He whispered as he cupped the side of her face, pressing a kiss to her lips when she took out the cigarette.
Maude smiled up at him, allowing him to press one more kiss to her lips before she pulled away. "You went to one of Sabini's clubs?" She asked as she raised her eyebrows again, taking another drag of his cigarette before handing it back.
Tommy sighed deeply as he lowered his head. "Polly told you what Arthur told her?" He asked as he looked over at Maude with a quirked eyebrow.
"Yes." She admitted with a nod of her head before digging into her pocket and pulling out the letter from Sabini, handing it over to Tommy. "But also, she gave me this to give you." She said as she glanced between Tommy and the piece of paper in his hand. "I'm guessing we're making allies with Alfie Solomons?" She said as she quirked an eyebrow.
"We are," Tommy confirmed with a nod of his head as he crumbled the paper up and tossed it in the trash can behind him.
Maude pursed her lips as she silently stared at him for a second. "I thought you wouldn't start a war?" She asked softly, reminding him of the promise he had made when he told her of his expantion into London.
"War is inevitable." He muttered, staring blankly ahead of him as he finished his cigarette, stumping it out in the crystal ashtray on his desk.
"Yeah, it is when you go fucking looking for it." She muttered under her breath as she lowered her gaze onto her lap, but still, Tommy hear her.
He closed his eyes for a brief second as he inhaled sharply before looking over at her with a pointed look. "Look, Polly already had her say, I don't have the energy for another argument." He warned her with a firm shake of his head.
"I'm not arguing." She insisted with a shake of her as she held her hands up in defense. She pushed herself off his desk and pressed a hand to his shoulder. "Let's go home, we'll talk in the morning." She said softly and he hummed in agreement as he got up to his feet.
She hooked her arm in with Tommy's as they left the office, locking everything up before stepping out onto the street. It was pouring rain and the two rushed to the garage where the car stood. The second Tommy opened the passenger side door for Maude, a man with a gun stepped out of the darkness of the car.
Tommy immediately pushed Maude behind him as he raised his hands into the air. Despite not having the gun not on her, Maude raised her hands into the air as well, staring wide eyes over Tommy's shoulder. Tommy grabbed the man's arm, slamming the gun out of his hand but two more men rushed towards them.
Tommy tried to fight them off, but Maude let out a scream as she was grabbed from behind distracting Tommy. "Tommy!" She called out for him.
His gaze immediately turned to her and the men used this opportunity to get the upper hand on Tommy, quickly ganging up on him as they delivered punch after punch to him. "Get your fucking hands off her!" Tommy screamed as he tried to push past the men to get to Maude. He only wanted to get to her. "Don't touch her!"
Maude cried out, struggling in the hold of the men as she helplessly watched Tommy try to fight off four men on his own. She threw her head back and hit the man on his nose, hearing something crack behind her as he cried out. She tried to reach for the fallen gun but another man grabbed her, pulling her down as his arm wrapped around her neck, effectively keeping her in place, his grip not strong enough to make her pass out or hurt her.
"No!" She screamed as the men got Tommy on the ground, kicking at him until he was bleeding and barely conscious. But through all the mess, his gaze landed on her and he prayed to whoever might be listening, that whatever happened to him didn't matter, as long as the men didn't harm her in any way. "Tommy!" She cried, tears streaming down her face as she continued to struggle, kicking her feet and clawing at the man's arm.
Another man stepped into the garage and the men stopped kicking at Tommy. One of them grabbed him, holding up his limp body as he barely hung on to consciousnesses. The other man, older than the rest, holing enough authority to tell Maude who he was without even hearing his name. He gripped Tommy's hair, pulling his head back. "Tommy Shelby, I missed you at my club. I was at the races." He muttered with a thick Italian accent.
"Sabini." Tommy croaked out, looking at them through half-closed eyelids. Maude cried silently as she stared at Tommy's bloody face, her heart aching inside her chest and her stomach turning to the point where she felt sick.
"Don't say my name." The man muttered with a shake of his head. "Jesus!" He huffed before turning to one of his men. "Franco, take my name out of his mouth." He ordered.
One of the men stepped forward, grabbing Tommy's jaw and forcing his mouth open as he shoved a knife inside. Maude's eyes widened as her heart sank, her heart aching as she listened to Tommy gagging on the knife. "No!" She screamed as she began to struggle again. "Please, no!"
"Shut her up!" Sabini ordered as he pointed at the man holding her, and a firm hand was clasped over her mouth, muffling her screams and pleas. He turned back to the man digging a knife into Tommy's mouth. "While you're in there, do a bit of digging for gold. Pay for the petrol." He ordered.
The man, Franco, dug out Tommy's hold tooth, handing it to Sabini while Tommy coughed up his own blood. "You see how much I know about you?" Sabini asked as he showed Tommy the tooth. "I even know what's in your fucking mouth." He spat. "Look at me. Look at me!" He demanded as he grabbed Tommy's hair and lifted his head up again. "Look at me, or Franco here will do a little digging in the pretty lady's mouth," Sabini warned and Tommy forced his eyes open as he looked at Sabini. "You take up with the Jews. Yeah, you think that's what London's all about. You can just come down, pick a side. You fucking clown! Now your life is over. My face is the last thing you'll ever see on earth. Your mistake. You remember that when you get to hell."
Maude cried out, her pleas still muffled as she stared at Tommy through blurry vision, her heart shattering as she thought she would see him die before her eyes. She was distraught, still struggling in the man's hold, still begging for them to stop.
"Finish him off," Sabini ordered and a gun was raised to Tommy's head, making Maude scream louder against the hand over her mouth. Sabini glanced back at her, quirking an eyebrow. "We'll take his lovely lady friend with us." He said before turning back to Tommy.
A gun was fired and Maude let out a scream before she realized it was not Tommy who got shot, but rather one of Sabini's men, the one who held the gun, who got shot in the hand. Another shot was fired and police whistles filled the air. Maude felt herself pushed to the ground as Sabini and his men scattered, running off.
"Tommy!" Maude cried out as she crawled towards his limp body, taking his bloody face in her hands before pressing her ear against his chest, listening to his faint heartbeat, feeling the weak rise and fall of his chest. She looked up as footsteps approached her, the thudding of a cane ringing in her ears, her gaze landing on Inspector Campbell.
Despite all the bad history, Campbell and his men helped Maude get Tommy to the hospital. Maude sat and waited for hours while Tommy was in surgery and then after he got out she sat and waited for a few more hours as he slept. Only when he started waking up early the next morning, did she allow herself to move even an inch from his bedside.
He was badly injured, with a lot of broken and cracked bones. His one eye was swollen shut and countless of cuts littered his face. He had a bandage wrapped over his chest, where a bad cut ran across his chest, stitched up.
After he had drifted off back to sleep again, being awake for a few minutes, Maude quietly slipped out of his room to look for the lavatories. Henry was sitting outside the room, taking his shift for keeping guard on Tommy's room.
Her brother immediately got up to his feet when he saw her come from Tommy's room. "How's he doing?" He asked as he nodded his head towards Tommy's room, crossing his arms over his chest.
"He's in and out of it, but luckily his injuries aren't too severe." She said softly as she took a deep and shaky breath, wrapping her arms around herself as she blankly looked down at the floor. "He'll be here for at least three weeks." She added.
"And you?" Henry asked as he raised his eyebrows at her.
Maude looked at her brother, her eyebrows slowly furrowing as she stared at him, giving him a dismissive shrug of her shoulders. "I'm not in a hospital bed, so I suppose I'm alright." She whispered as her gaze returned to the floor again.
"Did they hurt you?" Henry asked softly as he observed his sister, scanning her skin for any signs of injuries. He'd asked her before, and so had Daniel and Tommy, but still Henry was skeptical of her answer as she only vaguely muttered 'no' the first time she was asked.
Maude's gaze returned to him, her eyebrows deeply furrowing and her bottom lip ever so slightly pouting out. "You've already asked that question." She muttered.
"And you brushed me off." He reminded her with a pointed gaze.
She sighed softly as she rolled her eyes at him. "I apologize, I was too busy being worried about Tommy." She uttered sarcastically as she gave her brother a look filled with annoyance, but Henry wasn't ready to back down.
"Answer me, Maude." He demanded as he shot her a pointed look, a silent warning in them, telling Maude she was pushing her brother to his limits.
She sighed as she looked up at the ceiling before her gaze diverted to the wall next to her. "They only had me in a chokehold." She revealed softly and Henry inhaled sharply as a muscle in his jaw pulled tight. She looked back at her brother, shaking her head. "It's not bruising, so I suppose it's fine."
Henry ran a hand over his face before turning his back to her, hands resting firmly on his waist ."You should have never fucking come to Birmingham." He snapped, a line he often used when things went bad.
Maude rolled her eyes and shook her head again. "It's been nearly three years, Henry." She snapped back at him. "You can't keep saying that every time something goes wrong." She insisted.
"Yeah, because then I'll start to sound like a fucking parrot." He snapped at her again as he turned to look at her. With a heavy sigh from his lips, he pointed toward Tommy's hospital room. "Let me know if you or him need anything." He insisted.
"Yeah." She said softly as she nodded her head before walking off in search of the lavatories.
She was back in Tommy's room in no time, and he was awake once again. The nurse had brought in soft food like yogurt and pudding for Tommy to eat to help him build up his strength. But like everything with Thomas Shelby, getting him to eat was a difficult task.
Maude sat by his bedside, eyeing him as he glared at the cup of chocolate pudding that sat in front of him on the tray. She silently watched him for a second, sighing in frustration when she realized the glare was one of disgust and Tommy was not going to eat it. "You have to eat something, Tommy." She demanded.
Tommy glanced at her with his one good eye that wasn't swollen shut. He shook his head before pointing at the pudding. "I'm not eating that crap." He refused.
Maude's eyebrows furrowed as she sat up in her seat. "It's chocolate pudding." She stated as she glanced at the pudding before turning to Tommy with a slight scowl of annoyance on her face.
"Yeah well, looks like shit to me." He argued as he shook his head again, pushing the cup of pudding away from him.
"I swear to God, I will force-feed you, Tommy." She demanded as she got up from her chair and sat down on the edge of his bed, pushing the cup back towards him again. "Just fucking eat it." She demanded.
"If it doesn't look like shit to you, have a bite then." He insisted as he grabbed his plastic spoon and scooped a junk of the pudding, holding it out to Maude as he quirked an eyebrow at her.
"I'm not the one in the hospital." She reminded him as she pushed at his hand, nudging the spoon towards his mouth, but he dropped it into the pudding cup and she let out a heavy sigh.
Tommy looked at her, resting his hand on her thigh, his thumb brushing over the soft material of her black skirt. "You're sure they didn't hurt you?" He asked, his voice soft and gentle as he raised his eyebrows at her.
"Don't change the subject." She insisted as she shook her head, giving him a firm and pointed look.
"Answer my question." He demanded as he returned her firm and pointed look, giving her thigh a soft squeeze.
"They did not hurt me." She assured him softly as she reached out for the hand on her thigh, resting her own hand on top of his. "I promise you." She added softly before playfully rolling her eyes at him. "You know, you're really starting to sound like my fucking brother." She insisted.
Tommy silently stared at her for a second, nibbling on the inside of his cheek. "Tell me, did he bite into your bullshit?" He asked as he raised his eyebrows at her.
Maude looked at him, her eyebrows furrowing as a lump formed in the back of her throat. "I'm not bullshitting you." She whispered as she shook her head at him.
"Yes, you are." He argued, with a sharp warning tone in his voice. Maude huffed, trying to stand up from the bed but Tommy dragged her back down with a firm hand on her thigh. "I saw one of them had their arm wrapped around your neck." He informed her.
She sighed as she lowered her gaze onto her lap. "Wasn't that tight, didn't even leave a bruise." She assured him softly as one of her hands reached up, lightly tracing her neck with her fingertips.
Tommy's gaze followed her fingers as he slowly shook his head. "Doesn't fucking matter, they still put their hands on you." He insisted, bruised jaw clenching tightly as anger filled him. Raging anger that wanted to make him cut and slaughter every single man who laid a single finger on her the previous night. And raging anger at himself for not being able to protect her.
"They did worse to you, Tommy." She said softly as her gaze turned to him, eyes drifting over every bruise and cut on his face. Tears filled her eyes as she stared at him, reaching out to take his hand into hers. "I thought they were...I-." She stuttered as she sniffed, not finding her words as she lowered her gaze again, her tears spilling.
"It's alright sweetheart," Tommy whispered as he let go of her hand, wrapping his one good arm around her. "Come here." He said as he carefully and gently pulled her into his chest. "We're alright, ey?" He assured her as he held her head against his chest, hand running through her hair. "We're alright." He repeated.
He held her close until she had calmed down, and after letting her go, he ate his pudding, just for her sake. Because there was truly no limit to what Tommy would do for her. That was why he already made plans in his head to kill the men who hurt her. He'd wait until business with Sabini was done. And then he'd slaughter every single man who laid their hands on his girl.