Cruel To Be Kind - Peaky Blinders Fanfiction

Part 43 - Ellie's

Gentle fingers stroked me awake. It was like I was a cat.

"What?" I asked groggily, scrunching my nose at the comparison I made between me and a cat.

"Well, that wasn't the greeting I was expecting," came the rough voice of my husband.

I opened my eyes and smiled at the affronted look in his face. He was smirking as he crouched down in front of me. I glanced around the van to find it empty. How had I slept through everyone leaving? I don't believe for one minute that John's didn't make a sound.

"James told me what happened," he muttered his fingers brushing against my neck lightly. "Do you know who sent him?"

"No. The other man killed him before he could say." I didn't want to tell him that I had a feeling that our gentleman from London had killed him before he could spill his boss' name on purpose. I got the feeling that our Londoner didn't want me to know. "I don't know who he is either, just that he was from London."

"Can you tell me anything else?" Tommy's jaw was ticking as he helped me up, his hands running down my arms as I shivered.

"He was handsome," I teased, giggling as he pulled me into his arms, planting a kiss to my lips.

"Not funny, El."

"Don't worry, husband. I missed you a lot." Tommy pulled back giving me a slow smile as his eyes ran over me.

"Yeah? How much?" he asked the lazy smirk on his face telling me he was thinking dirty things.

"Why don't you take me to bed and I'll show you," I teased, pressing a kiss on the corner of his mouth as I pulled away and jumped down from the van.

"Is that a promise, Mrs Shelby?" he called, following after me as I let out a laugh.

"Why don't you come and find out, Mr Shelby!"

I'd never realised how intimidating Tommy could be. Well, I did, but it never really bothered me.

As I watched him in Papa's old office, his office now, I could see the power rolling off him. Was this what he wanted? All the power and the men trembling under his hands as he gave out orders?

It suited him.

It was like he was always meant to be this man in power.

"If your little problem comes to Birmingham, if he even thinks about threatening Elsie again, I will kill you. Do you understand Declan?"

I glanced at Declan, noting the way he seemed to quake at Tommy's words. I had warned him what Tommy would do, but it seemed he didn't believe me. After seeing the protection I had in Ireland, hearing about the Peaky Blinders and all the things they got up to, he still didn't believe the sort of man Tommy was.

"I said, do you understand?" Declan shifted as Tommy rose his voice and Arthur and John moved closer to him. I guess they sort of looked intimidating as they stood behind Tommy, towering over Declan.

"I do," he grunted, his eyes flicking over to me as if expecting I was going to help.

He got himself into this mess. He shouldn't have slept with another man's wife, not if he couldn't deal with the consequences.

"Good." Tommy leaned over his desk, handing Declan a sheet of paper. "Elsie's offered you jobs and a place to stay. Your mum can stay at the estate with Maeve, they don't have to worry about working, we'll sort them out."

"But Eamon and I, we've got to work for you?" Declan didn't sound happy about it and I was waiting for him to argue with Tommy.

"You asked my wife to come to Ireland. She was threatened and someone tried to kill her. Do you think I'm going to let you off with that?"