C h a p t e r F o u r t e e n
The streets had become deserted with the news of trouble approaching Small Heath. As Lynette looked out the window of her home with a gun in hand, she was fearful of what would happen to the few men they had going against all of the men that Kimber would arrive with. Their chances of coming out victorious had plummeted as they were scarily outnumbered with the absence of the Lees, who were already on their way to the racetracks.
Tommy had urged Lynette to take Ada and the baby to her home where she could protect them, while Polly left to deal with Grace. As much as she wanted to confront Grace for betraying them, she knew that looking after the family was more important. She, Ada and the baby had been in her house for nearing half an hour without any news of how the Peaky Blinders were getting on.
"This is so unfair," Ada complained from the couch causing the older woman to turn to look at her. "I'm sick of all the fucking fighting, why can't men just put their guns away and stop acting like fucking dicks?"
Lynette could see the frustrations that were building up in the girl. She could feel it too, but knew that she had to be the maturer one in the situation and try to hide it.
She left her place at the window to sit on the armchair next to Ada. "I know, but this is the best option to keep you and Karl safe. We can't be out on the streets when it all goes down."
"That's exactly what we should do!"
Taking her attention away from the sleeping figure of Karl in his pram, Lynette looked at the girl with a furrowed brow. "What do you mean?"
Ada leaned forward in her seat, a determined expression now on her face. "We should show them that not everything has to be solved with waving guns around! Aren't you sick of the way men handle things? Maybe us women should intervene and put an end to this whole war. Tommy's plan to replace Kimber is not worth dying over."
"It's not just taking over Kimber on Tommy's mind," Lynette stated while shaking her head. "He wants to expand the business and build a future for his family, he wants to see this company succeed so there is no worries for the future. He's helping to build a future for you and little Karl."
"You love my brother, right?" Ada asked.
"I do," she answered confidently.
Ada continued to stare at the woman, the seriousness in her tone and body language unwavering. "What would you do to protect him?"
"I'd do anything."
There was nothing false about her answer. At the start of the day, she was already fully committed to Tommy and making this relationship last. But after discovering what he had done for her - to ensure there was no evidence to send her to jail - she was now more adamant that she would do anything Tommy asked of her, or anything to ensure his safety.
"Then I have an idea," Ada smiled almost wickedly. "But we're gonna have to ransack your closet."
..............................
The two women marched with a purpose as they walked towards Garrison Lane, already knowing where they would find the Peaky Blinders and Kimber at the pub. If tactics from the war were anything to go on, then Lynette knew that Tommy would want to be somewhere familiar.
After having changed into black clothing from Lynette's wardrobe, they left the house with Karl in his pram. There was a strange sense of power in Lynette as she wore clothing that would be disproved in society, but wearing a pair of her trousers and one of Tommy's coats that he had left at her house made her feel untouchable.
Ada had impressed the Scottish woman by how fearless she was to take her baby into a battle ground, but then again she could see that the young Shelby was confident in her decision. And Lynette vowed to herself to protect the baby if anything went wrong.
Their pace did not waver as they neared the stand-off of men, they came from behind Kimber's men. Lynette stepped ahead to push the men aside while Ada pushed the pram through the path she had cleared.
"Move!" the Glaswegian snapped as she forcefully shoved a man aside, who pathetically dropped his gun as he stumbled. They stepped out into the opening, all eyes now on the women in black as they lowered their guns in hesitation.
"What are you doing?" Freddie demanded.
"I believe you boys call this no-man's land."
While Ada looked at her husband, Lynette kept her gaze on Tommy. She could see the concern and the frustration behind his eyes, but dared him to tell her off. He stayed silent, simply watching her while Freddie continued to protest.
"Ada!"
"Shut up and listen," Ada ordered as she halted with the crying baby situated in the centre of the gap, Lynette stood on the opposite side of pram.
"Have you lost your mind?" he demanded in question.
"I said shut up!" Silence filled the air, the frowns remaining on the men's faces as Ada turned to address both sides of the fight. "Now, most of you were in France, so you all know what happens next. I've got brothers and a husband here."
"And I have a family and friends here," Lynette added, her glare set on Billy Kimber. "You've all got somebody waiting for you, wasn't all those years at war enough torture for them?"
"Now, we're wearing black in preparation," the Shelby woman continued while removing her hat, her eyes set in her husband who avoided to look at her. His eyes focused fearfully on his son's pram. "I want you to look at me. I want you all to look at us. Who'll be wearing black for you? Think about them. Think about them right now. And fight if you want to, but that baby ain't moving anywhere. And neither are we."
There was a stunned pause in the street, Lynette knew that all the men were picturing the faces of their loved ones as she scanned the crowds from both parties involved.
"She's right, you know." Kimber's voice broke the silence, addressing his own men. "Why should all you men die? It should just be them who's caused it."
Lynette had screamed Tommy's name when she saw the bullet hit him. But instead of running to him like she desperately wanted to, she had grabbed the pram just feet away from her and dragged it to the sidelines, Karl's piercing scream filled her eyes as well as the panicked voices around her.
The sound of a second bullet being fired filled the air. This time when she looked up from her crouched place on the ground, she witnessed the body of Danny Wizz-bang hit the floor.
One of her hands that had been clutching the pram, reached up to cover her mouth as she saw that the man was unmoving. He lay dead in the murky puddle, the first death of many that she had feared would happen that morning.
She stood up clumsily to look over to Tommy, while covering Karl's pram with her body. She could see her partner crouched over among his men, his hand clutching the left side of his chest. Even from the distance, she could see the blood slipping between his fingers as it contrasted with his pale skin.
Lynette almost fell in fright when Tommy's figure suddenly straightened and retrieved the pistol from within his coat. He took two large strides forward as he lifted the gun, pointing it directly at the laughing man who had shot him. The chaotic shouts from both sides halted abruptly as another shot of gunfire echoed around the air.
The Scottish woman felt no remorse as she witnessed Tommy shoot Kimber pointblank through the forehead. His body collapsing to the floor, the smile vanishing from the man's face as he sunk to the mud.
Kimber's men held up their guns to face Tommy and the other members of the Birmingham gang. Their expressions showed their shock, and the fear of what to do with the absence of their leader to give them orders.
"Kimber and me fought this battle one on one, it's over." When no one moved, Tommy continued. "Go home to your families."
There was hesitation before the men started to slowly disperse from the street. Lynette, Ada and the Peaky Blinders watched silently as they dragged Kimber's corpse away with them.
Lynette approached her partner, relieved that he was okay as she carefully wrapped her arms around him. He returned the gesture, while doing so she could hear his laboured breathing causing her to step back. The attention of the group wavered from the departing men to look at their own man on the ground, all of them saddened as they looked down to the body of their fellow comrade.
"Scudboat, Curly. Pick him up," Tommy instructed quietly as he kept his arm around Lynette's waist.
Danny's body was carried into The Garrison, the other members following behind into the pub. Lynette started to urge Tommy to move as she attempted to guide him to the building, she could see the glazed over look in his eyes as he scanned the area in a trance-like state.
"Tommy? Thomas," she repeated until he eventually looked at her. "Come on, Tommy. We need to get you inside and remove the bullet, okay?"
"Yeah," he murmured, nodding his head numbly. His clean hand reached up to rest on her cheek. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she assured him. "But we need to get you inside. Please Tommy, come on. I need you to snap out of it."
He seemed to be coming back to reality, the dazed look fading away as he looked at her. She could see that the shock was starting to disappear, and was now being replaced by the pain. She watched with fearful eyes as he reached up to retouch the bullet wound. More blood flowed from the injury causing her to become more concerned.
"Let's go, Tommy."
Lynette had thought that having to identify her mother's body was some of the worst pain that she could go through in her lifetime. But as she thought back to the memory, she had been relieved that her mother was finally free and glad that she looked so peaceful. The pain back then was a result of knowing that she would never get to see her again, but she had her brother at her side during that period.
Watching Tommy scream in agony as she attempted to remove the bullet in his chest was the new worst memory. Most would find it strange that she was affected more by this moment than the loss of her mother. But Lynette knew her mother had died in her sleep as a result of internal bleeding from another beating, there had been far less pain for her mother than there was with Tommy now. And she was the one responsible for Tommy's pain.
"That's it, Tommy, that's it!" Arthur encouraged as he held Tommy's shoulder down, John held the other as the two brother's attempted to hold him still to allow Lynnette to remove the bullet.
"Hold him still," Lynette ordered, with tears in her eyes. It was killing her to do this, but her frustrations were growing as Tommy movements caused the bullet to continue to sink deeper every time she was close to retrieving it.
"That's it, lad. Come on. Come on! That's it," John voiced loudly as Tommy let out another roar of pain.
Lynette's breath hitched in her throat as she finally managed to wiggle the small bullet towards the entrance of the torn flesh. Using the handles of the spoon and knife she was forced to improvise with, she was able to guide the bullet out of his chest.
"Done," she cried out in relief as it fell to the floor. She dropped the cutlery hastily so she could reach up to place a hand on either side of Tommy's face as he continued to groan and pant. "It's out, Tommy. It's out!"
Tommy slumped against her for a moment, panted breaths escaping him as she tried to straighten him in his chair. While Tommy attempted to compose his breathing, Lynette's gaze shifted to Arthur on her left.
"We need to sterilise it," she informed him, nodding to the bottle of vodka in his hand. Arthur nodded to her statement before turning his attention to his brother.
As Tommy returned to an upright position, Arthur clapped him on the back of the head in a brotherly manner. He held the glass bottle out for Tommy to take.
"Have a drink," he instructed. Tommy took a long swig before handing the vodka back. "Right, deep breath."
Tommy screamed through clenched teeth as the head of the bottle was placed against the open wound, allowing the fluid to flow into his chest with an agonising burn. Lynette and Arthur released him once the bottle was removed as they gave him space to shake off the pain.
"That's it, it's done."
Tommy leaned into his partner's touch as she rubbed his arm comfortingly, her forehead came up to rest against his temple as she spoke to him soothingly. She wasn't concerned about the ridicule she would receive from the other men in the room for showing this 'lovey dovey' behaviour, instead she was more focused on ensuring that Tommy's injury would heal.
"I just need to wrap it, okay? The worst is over," she stated softly as she grabbed the long line of cloth resting on the table. She began to wrap his arm into a sling, knowing that if she prevented the muscles from stretching then the healing process would be easier.
"You scared me out there," Tommy admitted as she continued to wind the cloth expertly.
"Just trying to keep you on your toes," she attempted to joke with a weak smile, though Tommy could see that it didn't reach her eyes. "You scared me too, I thought Kimber really got you."
"I'm still here."
There was silence between the couple as Lynette finished with the sling before passing him his white shirt. The tone in the room had shifted significantly. Now that everyone knew their leader would live, their thoughts had returned to the body of their friend that laid in the snug.
Polly and Finn had also arrived to join the rest of the group, before those who remained in The Garrison filed into the private room to pay their respects to Danny. Lynette stuck to Tommy's side as they looked down to the still figure.
"Now we can bury him properly in the grave we dug for him," John announced quietly.
"It's high on a hill, he'll like that." Tommy nodded before lifting the bottle of rum he held at his side, he used his teeth to remove the cork as he held the bottle in the air. "To Danny Whizz-Bang."
"Danny," some coursed quietly, including Lynette.
"May we all die twice," Tommy vowed before taking a swig.
The bottle was passed around the small circle. Lynette, Arthur, John, Scudboat, Curly, Charlie, Jeremiah Jesus, Freddie and Polly all gave their signs of respect as they toasted to the name of their fallen comrade. Ada was unable to drink because of her baby, but she too spoke Danny's name.
"Come on," Tommy announced. "The day is ours, let's celebrate."
The celebrations continued in the pub for several hours, the family were joined by the Lee's before nightfall, who took pleasure in the festivities. Some sunk into the opportunity to drink excessively like John and Arthur, whereas others were much more quiet as the night went on like the new couple.
Tommy wasn't worried when his partner disappeared from the crowd. Lynette had been silently calm throughout the wildness that had become of The Garrison, he knew her well enough to know where she had gone without her having to say anything. No one else had noticed her absence, but he understood her nature, it was impossible for her not to confront the woman who had betrayed them. The only thing he couldn't predict was whether the Irishwoman would receive a warning cut before Lynette chased her out of the city.
..............................
The figure climbed the staircase swiftly, her long legs giving her the ability to climb the stairs two at a time. Her expression was stone cold, and her movements revealing that she was a woman on a mission. Her distinctive hair had caused those on the streets to scatter as they recognised her, meaning there was no one around to stop her from entering the building.
Lynette still wore the blood stained clothing from earlier that afternoon. Tommy's coat hung onher body like a comforting reminder that he was alive, and would be waiting for her return right where she had left him.
As she reached the door she was looking for, she found it already partially opened. Without a moment's hesitation, she pushed it open further to enter the apartment. She was greeted by the sight of Grace, numerous suitcases rested at her feet.
The Irishwoman turned to look at her in shock as she slowly closed the door behind her. Lynnette leaned against the wood as her gaze burned into the woman, her hands tucked deep into the coat pocket, one of which was clutching her uncapped hairpiece. Though this item was concealed from Grace's vision, and the woman did not know of her secret weapon to suspect anything.
"You still haven't left town, even after Polly warned you about staying here. You're not as smart as I thought you were," Lynette commented in a low tone.
"Is everyone okay?"
"Danny is dead, for real this time. Tommy got shot right before he put a bullet between Kimber's eyes. You could have gotten everyone killed."
Grace's expression had shifted once she realised that she would not receive any sympathy from her ex-colleague. She was now more defensive with the idea of being alone in an apartment with Lynette, someone she knew had a dangerous streak in her.
"How did you find my address?" she demanded.
A hint of amusement mixed into the anger on her face as the auburn haired woman shook her head. "You left it in the references you gave to Harry the first day you stepped into the pub."
"What do you want me to say, Lynn?"
Lynette's pushed herself away from the door, approaching the woman with no attempts to hide her disgust as she stopped feet away from Grace.
"I want the truth," she hissed. "What exactly was the terrible act that you bubbled like a baby about before you fled The Garrison? You didn't want to own up to the fact that you tried to sent us on a one way ticket to our graves?"
She was aware of the extend of the cruelness she was presenting to the girl she had once considered somewhat of a friend, but she didn't care as she thought about what Grace had done to them in comparison to the treatment she gave now. Her furious behaviour was justifiable. Even if Polly had already warned the Irishwoman, she had her own questions that needed to be answered.
"I worked for Inspector Campbell," Grace admitted while playing nervously with her fingers. "I wanted to avenge my father's death, he was an officer who was killed by the IRA."
Lynette laughed humourlessly in realisation as she connected the dots. "You killed the man at The Black Swan."
"It was an accident, he-"
"And I can only assume that you were the one to shop Freddie into the police," the redhead interrupted her, the volume of her tone now increasing as all the confusion from the previous weeks was suddenly answered. "Were you responsible for Campbell finding out about me?"
Grace kept silent for a moment, she gulped visibly as the eyes of the woman opposite her darkened. "I told Campbell that there was a woman named Lynette Reid from Glasgow that was somehow involved with the Shelby's. There was no record, so he had me go through pictures of women named Lynette or Lynn in Glasgow with red hair. He hoped you had kept the same first name, there wasn't many pictures. I picked you out of the lineup, Campbell worked out the rest after that." Grace's expression changed into sneer as she practically spat out the words, "I didn't think you were so cold, to kill your own father."
A heavy thud accompanied by a short cry of pain filled the air of the apartment as Lynette slammed Grace against the wall. Her fist was clenched around the collar of the Irishwoman's purple jacket, while her right hand held her razor blade to her neck.
Grace froze completely, the only movement being her chest as she desperately tried to regulate her breathing. With every deep intake, her neck would brush against the sharp blade producing from the hair accessory she had never seen Lynette go a day without wearing.
Lynette brought her face within inches of the Grace's, her whispered voice more terrifying in the situation than it would be to hear her scream or shout.
"Don't dare assume that just because your father was a good man, that they all are. I murdered the man who raped me, the man who killed my mother, and the man who used to break my brother's arm on the regular. He even broke his jaw once, god knows how Alaric survived. Did the good inspector tell you any of this while you weaselled your way into our lives?"
"No, I didn't know, Lynn. I swear," the blonde woman whimpered. She felt a trickle of blood roll down her skin as a small nick appeared on her throat as a result of the proximity between herself and the blade.
"Oh 'cause your word really has value right now, doesn't it?" Lynette asked sarcastically as she narrowed her eyes, refusing to release her just yet.
"I admit that I passed information to find the stolen guns, but I made a deal that you and Tommy wouldn't get hurt."
"It doesn't matter. I'll never forgive you for what you did. But I've seen enough death today, so I am going to give you the chance to get out of town. If I find out you haven't left Birmingham by tomorrow night, I'll come deal with you myself. This is my only warning."
The razor blade was taken away abruptly, Lynette returned it to her pocket as she left the apartment gracefully. Her posture changed intentionally to a much calmer dementor, her shoulders dropped into a casual manner which would have made it impossible for anyone to tell that she was just attacked the woman who lived in the home she had exited.
She knew that Grace was wise enough to take the warnings of both Polly and herself, she would be gone by tomorrow. Lynette would no longer have to worry about any snitches or powerful bookmakers, but there was no news on Campbell's actions.
As she walked the cobble roads, she suddenly changed her mind about where she would go. Instead, she walked in the opposite direction of The Garrison. There was one more task that she had to complete before she could consider herself somewhat satisfied with how the night would end.
..............................
Charlie looked up in concern as he heard the gate to his yard rattle as someone attempted to enter, in the distance he could see the silhouette of figure in the dim lighting. He approached it cautiously, his gun gripped at his side. A sign of relief escaped him as he identified the person, increasing his pace as his worries of the intruder's identity vanished.
"What are you doing here?" he asked the woman as he unlocked the iron gate.
Lynette slipped through the gap he made for her, clutching a small black box in her hands which she nodded to as she answered him. "I was hoping you'd give me some time to dump this in the water, I needed somewhere private to get rid of it."
Charlie frowned as he looked at the item. "What is it?"
"Something I don't want near me."
The man nodded to her request. "Take your time."
Lynette thanked him before making her way across the yard. She heard Charlie leave as the gate closed behind him, leaving her alone in the area. She stopped once she reached the edge of the dock, standing on the edge between two boats as she stared down at the object in her hands with distaste.
She opened the box to look at the item as best as she could in the poor lighting. She stood for several minutes just staring at it, a variety of emotions running through her as she cursed the object.
The auburn haired woman lifted the silver hair clip out of the box, which had been gifted to her by Grace. The faux emerald jewels that decorated it glistened in the moonlight, she felt like the object was mocking her. As the black box was discarded to the dirt floor, her fist began to clench around the silver accessory as her anger resurfaced.
She took several large strides backwards, reeling her arm back in preparation. A frustrated yell escaped the woman as she uses all her strength to launch the clip across the water. It travelled further than she expected before sinking deep into the water.
She glared at the area it had landed in for several moments before she was distracted by the sound of gravel being kicked. Looking to the right, she watched Tommy walk towards her, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He stopped at her side, also looking at the surface of the water. It was clear that he had seen her moment of weakness.
"Charlie came to the pub to tell me you were here," he explained as he passed her the cigarette.
She took a long drag of the nicotine before answering. "I needed to get rid of that fucking thing, I don't want anything near me or my house that reminds me of her. She was the one that identified me to Campbell, she worked for him."
"So you didn't kill her?"
"Nah," Lynette muttered, shaking her head. "But I will if she's still here tomorrow night."
Tommy took her forearm in his unwrapped hand, turning her to face him slowly. "I don't want you to think that because you're in this life with me, you have to do any killing. You don't have to be involved in that part of my life, I don't want to see you hurt."
Lynette smiled softly at him, as she took his hand in her own. "I want in, Tommy. I'm not afraid of who you are or what you do. You said it yourself, we'll help each other."
He stepped closer to her, looking down at her as he whispered a response. "You don't have to help me with that side of business."
"I want to understand everything about you," she began with such conviction. "I want to understand how you run your business. No secrecy, no lies. I'll give everything to you, you only have to return the favour."
Tommy released her hand so that he could wrap his arm around her to pull her figure towards him. Lynette was careful as she returned the embrace, to avoid his wound. There were no kisses in the dark, just a silent embrace while they had the privacy to do so without watching eyes.
The earlier events had left them exhausted, and all they needed in that moment was to know that they had each other. For the couple, holding the person they loved most was enough to bring comfort from remembering the death that had plagued the day. They both knew that they would need each other to cope through what would inevitably be a tough path to return to normality, or as close to it as a Peaky Blinder could get.
I ship Lynn and Tommy so much, I can't wait to write the rest of their story together