Roguish Women- Tommy Shelby

Respecting Vendettas

            "Easy...easy." Tommy enveloped Kate into his arms. The second he had told her what happened, she had gone into a panic. "It's going to be alright."

Her knees buckled as she cried into his shoulder. "I told you! All that time ago, I told you! If John had just apologized. If you had made peace with the Changrettas none of this would've happened. I told you, Tommy, I told you."

"What's done is done." He pulled up a chair for her in the kitchen and eased her into it. "But you can't have a fit."

Kate wiped her eyes on her sleeve and looked at him. She hiccupped as she studied his expression. "You're lying to me about something."

His brow creased slightly, an obvious tell that she was right. Maybe he had been hoping that the news would be so upsetting to her that she wouldn't notice anything amiss.

"I don't believe that anything could've happened. You had the entire place on lockdown, you were in on it with Alfie. You..." It dawned on her. "You knew they were going to come and kill him. You let them kill your own brother?" She shouted.

"No!" He grabbed her wrists before she could start getting some hits in. "No, he-" Tommy huffed. Leave it to his fiancée to unravel his plan in mere seconds. "He's not dead."

There was fire in Kate's eyes. The second his grip loosened on her, she whacked him in the shoulder so hard he actually flinched. "So, you wanted everyone to mourn another one of your brothers?" She snapped. "You just love to toy with everyone's emotions, don't you, Thomas?"

"If you'd let me explain..."

"Y'know what I did tonight? I murdered Mickey. You're down one less Italian thanks to me. But you're behind the scenes playing everyone like fucking puppets while everyone else does your fucking dirty work!" She continued to rant.

"Oi!" He yelled over her. "If you'd let me fucking explain."

Kate was fuming but didn't say another word, allowing him to continue.

"We needed Luca to think Arthur was dead. You know the rules of a vendetta."

"There are no fucking rules. You think Luca's going to suddenly go back to New York because he thinks he killed John and Arthur? Tommy, he wants your empire, and the only way he's going to get that if we're all dead." Kate reminded him sternly. "He doesn't respect some rule of getting even."

"He doesn't. But his mother does."

~~~~~~~~~ 

"Shelby residence."

"You really answer the phone that way, huh? Far as I'm concerned you ain't a Shelby yet, love. Or have I missed the wedding even when I told you not to let me miss it."

Kate smiled when she heard Alfie's voice on the other end of the line. The day had been a mess of emotions as they faked Arthur's funeral and met with Audrey Changretta. The more time passed, the more anxious Kate became. The end was coming very quickly and she couldn't predict how things were going to play out. "Did you arrive safely at Margate?" She asked.

"Yeah, well wouldn't be calling you, now would I?"

She laughed softly. "I was just being polite."

"Should be asking if all of you got out safely."

"I assume you already know."