Chapter Thirty Five
"My brother is dead!"
Tommy had finally arranged a proper boxing match for Bonnie Gold – but Arabella couldn't help but feel suspicious at the timing of it.
Michael had left the hospital a few days ago and was securely in hiding, which definitely should have quelled at least one of Arabella's major worries, except it didn't – not knowing where Michael was actually made her feel even worse. She hadn't even had chance to say goodbye to him properly, and though Polly explained that it was better, and safer, if she had absolutely no idea where Michael was, Arabella still didn't feel reassured. In fact, ever since Luca Changretta had arrived at the hospital the other week, everything had felt unusually strange. Arabella had the feeling that Tommy was plotting something, but, for the life of her, she couldn't figure out what it was.
"Earth to Arabella," Ada waved a hand in front of her face, the action quickly snapping the girl out of her thoughts.
"Sorry." She straightened up, glancing around at the three women stood in the ladies bathroom. Somehow, Arabella needing to use the toilet ended in all of them going.
"Lizzie has some news," Polly repeated, as Ada hoisted herself onto the sink beside Arabella.
"Polly!" Lizzie hissed.
"Well, tell them, now, while the men are screaming for blood." Polly lit up a cigarette, passing a bottle of gin to Ada. "Have a swig, you're going to need it."
Arabella frowned at her comment, looking back towards Lizzie, who shifted slightly uncomfortably on her feet. Ada took a large gulp of the alcohol before handing the bottle to Arabella, who did not waste any time getting it into her system.
"I'm up the duff," Lizzie stated bluntly. "And it's Tommy's."
Arabella choked on her drink, her eyes widening as she stared up at the woman.
"How far gone are you?" Ada asked, mouth still slightly agape in shock.
"If I were going to London I'd be in Coventry," Lizzie responded, leaning back against the wall.
"And are you carrying on past Coventry?" Ada questioned tentatively.
"All the way to fucking Piccadilly Circus," Lizzie responded gleefully.
Arabella began to smile as she glanced over Lizzie's expression, pleased for both her and Tommy. At least something good was finally happening in the family. "Have you found whether she's having a boy or a girl, Pol?" Arabella asked curiously, turning towards the older woman.
"No," Polly replied.
"Go on, then," Ada encouraged her aunt.
Without another word, Polly began to walk over to Lizzie, placing her hands against the woman's breasts. Arabella and Ada both shared a passing look, the former biting back amused giggles. "It's a girl," Polly finally announced with a huge smile. "Call her Ruby. Ruby Shelby. She'll be a star in a Hollywood movie."
"Congratulations," Arabella grinned at Lizzie as Ada hopped down from the sink, the two of them moving to give the woman a hug.
All of a sudden, the door burst open, the noise from the crowd outside growing loud for a second, until the door swung shut, muffling the sound again.
"Hello, Linda." Polly looked over to the blonde woman, who looked less than impressed about where she was. "Welcome to extraordinary general meeting of the Shelby ladies club."
"And Arabella," Arabella felt the need to add, the comment causing Ada to roll her eyes from beside her.
"You'll be a proper Shelby soon enough if Michael finally grows a pair," Ada said quietly, nudging the younger girl.
Arabella narrowed her eyes into a glare, unable to help the blush growing on her cheeks. "Technically I'd be a Gray."
"Shut up, Arabella."
Arabella suppressed her laughter at the expression on Ada's face, turning to look back at Linda who had strode into the middle of the bathroom, entirely ignoring all four other women. "Is there spit on my back?" Linda suddenly asked, turning around to try and get a look in the mirror. "There are men out there spitting, it's fucking disgusting."
"No. There's no spit on your back," Polly told her, looking at the woman disapprovingly as she began to line up cocaine along the counter. "Don't let us stop you doing what you came in to do."
"What?" Linda bit back, sparing a glance behind her at Polly. "It's helping me get through the fucking nightmare of being stuck in the city."
"Well, since you're here and you're almost family," Polly said, slightly distastefully. "Lizzie's got some news."
"I'm pregnant," Lizzie announced.
"Oh. And who's the father?" Linda looked her up and down. "Have you managed to narrow it down?"
Arabella felt herself tense at Linda's words, her eyes drifting over to Lizzie, who very impressively kept her cool. "Yes," Lizzie replied. "It's Tommy."
"Congratulations," Linda spoke, once she'd snorted her line of coke, no hint of enthusiasm whatsoever in her voice. "You've won the raffle at last."
"Yeah, she's a real Shelby lady now, Linda," Polly moved towards the blonde woman, brushing a smudge of cocaine from her nose. "Just like you. Right, ladies, lets rejoin our gentlemen. And just remember, Linda, if they spit, just spit back."
"We'll see you out there, Pol," Ada said, tugging on Arabella's arm to keep her behind.
Arabella frowned at her, but stayed put, not missing Polly eyeing the two of them suspiciously before she left the bathroom. "All right."
Arabella watched the door, waiting for it to fully shut closed before she turned to Ada. "What's up?"
Ada leaned against the counter, reapplying her lipstick in the mirror. "Just wanted to see how things were between you and Michael."
Arabella involuntarily felt her lips tug into a small smile, which she quickly tried to hide, tucking her hair behind her ear. "It's nothing really." Ada turned to face her, raising her eyebrows. "What?"
"Oh, that's not what I've heard," Ada teased.
"Okay, listen, Polly only caught us kissing, that was it," Arabella clarified, causing Ada to chuckle. "Nothing more to it."
"Do you love him?" Ada asked suddenly.
Arabella practically froze on the spot, her silence prompting Ada to turn to her once more. "I don't know," she admitted. "But maybe one day I might."
A smile formed on Ada's lips. "Arabella, I've been waiting for you to become an official Shelby my whole life, I just know it's going to happen one day." She placed her arm around Arabella's shoulder, tugging the girl closer towards her. "Let's get back to the fight, they'll be wondering where we are."
The two women left the bathroom, holding tightly onto each other as they walked through the crowd of mostly shouting men, earning a few whistles, which made them both roll their eyes. Arabella gave Mallory and Isaiah a small wave once she spotted them, the couple seated a few rows behind. Tommy had scored Arabella and Ada front row seats, not that they particularly enjoyed that since boxing wasn't exactly to either of their tastes.
Since spending some time with Bonnie, Arabella had become friendly with him, actually finding she quite enjoyed his company. Though, naturally, she worried for him immediately when finding out who his boxing opponent would be tonight. Before she'd left for the toilets, he was getting completely battered, but since she'd returned he'd seemed to finally get a foot in the game.
"Come on, Bonnie!" Arabella cheered, attempting to ease into the game. It seemed to be working, up until the moment she saw Arthur rising from his seat, a horrible, uneasy feeling of dread washed over her.
She watched carefully as he weaved through the crowd, heading for the back door. Arabella wasn't entirely sure what made her decide to follow him, perhaps it was the fact that the knot of unease twisting in her stomach was almost replica to what she felt minutes before John was killed, but before she knew it, Arabella was leaving her seat. "I'll be back in a minute," she told Ada, barely even sparing a glance at the woman as she stood.
Arabella hurried through the crowd, pushing past the men who got in her way. Her head began to spin, blood pounding in her ears as she shoved her way towards the door Arthur had just disappeared through. Something hadn't felt right all night, and Arabella was beginning to worry that something terrible was going to happen. Again.
Her heels clicked against the ground as she rushed down the narrow hallway, hand fumbling in her bag for her gun. The air was cooler, much cooler, and Arabella felt goosebumps begin to rise on her arms, no longer having the warmth of so many bodies surrounding her in the arena. "Arthur?" She called out almost hesitantly, part of her wanting to make her presence known to him, the other part feeling as if she needed to stay quiet.
The narrow hall was basked in a cold blue light, which Arabella had started to find slightly disorientating. She stumbled to a stop, leaning against a wall as she tried to get her bearings. There was an abrupt crash from nearby, almost startling her out of her skin. She drew in a breath, listening to the noises that sounded very nearby. Arabella slowly began to head in the direction of the struggled sounds, pulling her gun fully from her bag and holding it tightly in her grip by her side.
A gunshot.
Arabella's pulse quickened, her walk turning into a run as she hurried down the hall, turning into the first room with her gun raised. She stumbled to a stop, catching sight of Arthur in the corner of the room, laying motionless on the floor, covered in blood. A man stood over him, pointing a gun at his head, his finger hovering over the trigger.
The gunshot went off within seconds, the sound reverberating through the room, jolting Arabella's entire body. She stumbled backwards, throwing her hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp as blood and brain matter splattered against the wall. The man dropped to the floor, slumping in front of Arthur, who still lay motionless.
Arabella breathed out shakily, taking another step back, desperately wanting to check if Arthur was okay, but memories of having to see John's dead body immediately came flooding back to her. As she moved backwards, she crashed into somebody, the collision sending her heart soaring in panic. She whirled around, raising her gun to the person's temple, until she met a familiar pair of blue eyes.
"Arabella?"
She released a breath of relief, her legs seeming to give way as she swayed slightly on her feet. Tommy grabbed her arms to steady her, noticing his brother on the floor when he glanced over her shoulder.
"Arthur," Arabella mumbled to him, moving aside as Tommy rushed towards his brother. She pressed a trembling hand against the wall to steady herself, tears beginning to prick in her eyes the longer Tommy silently stayed down by his brother's body. "Is he–" she cut off, unable to even ask the question, a heavy ache already settling in her chest.
Tommy looked back at her, shaking his head. "No. He's still there, but barely."
Arabella almost collapsed against the wall in relief as Tommy slowly stood up again, motioning towards the door. "Come on, you need to get out of here."
"He needs an ambulance," Arabella argued, in disbelief that Tommy could think of anything but the urgent medical attention his older brother needed.
"Trust me," he told her, taking her hand to move her out of the room. Almost as soon as they'd stepped foot into the hall, they bumped into Polly, who quickly raised a gun, lowering it back down to her side when she realised who it was.
"Jesus, Tommy," Polly breathed out in surprise, glancing between her stone-faced nephew and a dazed Arabella, whose face was dotted with flecks of blood. Her voice lowered. "What happened?"
"Arthur's been injured, but he's alright, Pol," Tommy told her. Her expression faltered and she started forwards, but Tommy held out his hands to stop her. "We need to make them believe that he's dead." Tommy gently ushered Arabella towards Polly, and the woman took the dazed girl's hand. "Arabella," Tommy began, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We have to convince everyone he's dead, all right?" She swallowed thickly, nodding her head in understanding. "Put on a fucking show."
Arabella lifted her head to meet his eyes, knowing what she needed to do. Her attention was drawn away from Arthur's almost death, and from shooting a man dead, and instead she focused on what she did best. Creating drama.
The three of them rushed back through the corridors, stepping into the crowd who were going wild – though the shouts and screams were no match for the blood that was still pounding heavily in Arabella's ears. "Find Linda," Tommy told Polly, before turning to face Arabella. "Make sure you get to Ada."
Polly and Arabella both nodded at their instructions, pushing their way through the crowd as Tommy headed in the opposite direction. Arabella moved past people, shoving away any of the drunken men who stumbled into her. Her eyes located Ada in the distance, the woman stood up, glancing around the arena in concern.
Arabella forced her way through the crowd, her eyes finally locking with Ada's. "Arabella," she said, stepping towards her, holding her arms out as Arabella hurried forwards. "Arabella, what's wrong? Why are you covered in blood?"
She met Ada's worries stare, forcing tears into her own eyes. "It– it's Arthur," Arabella stuttered out, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "Arthur– he's dead." Ada's grip on Arabella loosened, her entire face falling at the revelation. Arabella suddenly felt absolutely awful lying to her, but she knew Tommy had some sort of plan, and she wasn't going to stray against his orders. "I'm sorry," Arabella began to cry, clutching tightly onto the shell-shocked woman. "I'm so sorry."
"Arabella!" Mallory called out, stumbling down the steps with Isaiah in tow. "Arabella, what happened? You've got blood–"
"Isaiah," Arabella began, turning to face him as she wiped stray tears from her cheeks. "Go and find Tommy," she instructed. He hesitated, staring at her for a moment, wanting answers. "Go!"
Isaiah nodded, immediately disappearing into the crowd to find his boss. Mallory stepped towards a completely crestfallen Ada and a tearful Arabella, looking between both women in concern. "What happened?"
"Arthur's dead," Arabella told her, instantly bringing Mallory into a hug, burying her head in her friend's shoulder as she pretended to mourn the loss of Arthur Shelby. Arabella was beginning to feel incredibly and overwhelmingly guilty for playing with the emotions of Ada and Mallory, particularly Ada, who was under the impression she'd now lost two brothers in such a short space of time.
"Oh my god," Mallory breathed out. She wrapped her arms tightly around Arabella, whose head remained against her shoulder. "I'm so sorry," she said, glancing over to Ada, who stood rigidly, staring despondently into the distance. "Ada, I'm so sorry," Mallory spoke, still in disbelief.
Arabella pulled away as Ada glanced back at both of them, and Arabella quickly took the woman's hand, squeezing it tightly. She hoped that Tommy would tell Ada the truth once the lie was sold to everyone else, or that he would at least let Arabella apologise and tell the poor woman herself.
Multiple gunshots fired into the air all of a sudden, capturing the attention of the entire room. Panicked shouts and frantic shrieks erupted as everyone in the arena began to duck out of sight. Arabella remained standing, looking towards the boxing ring, where Tommy stood holding a gun in the air. "Close the doors!" He ordered, his voice low. "No-one fucking leaves!" He bellowed. "My brother is dead! Do you hear me?! My brother is dead!"
Ada's grip tightened on Arabella as Tommy lowered down to the ground in a crouch, placing his head in his hands. Arabella wasn't the only one who could put on a show, it appeared.
Tommy's uncle Charlie pushed himself into the ring, pulling Tommy towards him, despite his nephew's best efforts to fight him away.
Arabella turned to look at Ada and Mallory, who were both watching the scene unfold with tears gleaming in their eyes. Her chest ached as her eyes drifted over the heartbroken looks on their faces, and she wanted nothing more than to tell them the truth. But Arabella knew she had to trust Tommy. He had the plan. And he was the only one who could get them out of this mess.
A/N
Arabella and Tommy are the two most dramatic bitches ever