Prove It {P.G.}

Chapter 8

Lilian traced the patterns in the wood of the desktop with her fingertips as she blocked out her surroundings. Normally she loved working in the betting shop, but today she didn't seem to have the energy to deal with all of the hustle and bustle that came with the job. Tommy was sitting at a desk beside her. Her attention immediately snapped up when the door flew open, and Polly came storming through.

She scanned the older woman's figure, biting her lip gently as their eyes met. She froze when she realized she'd been caught; her eyes immediately dropped back to the desk, and Lilian placed her hands over her cheeks to hide the redness that had suddenly appeared. Polly chuckled, momentarily forgetting why she had stormed in in the first place. It didn't take long before she remembered.

"So Monaghan Boy finally lost," she dragged as her gaze met Tommy's.

"Third time unlucky," he shrugged. "We took money from all over the city."

"Yeah, but you'll pay it back to the people 'round here. Buy your popularity back."

"Already done," Lilian jumped in. She knew that's what Pol would have wanted, so she made sure it was seen to.

"I taught you well," Polly mused as she looked between the pair, but her small grin was soon dropped. Lilian's stomach sunk at the look on her girlfriend's face; she hated it when Polly looked at her like that... like she was disappointed in her. "And you fixed this race without the permission of Billy Kimber. Obviously, I didn't teach you well enough. Rule one, you don't punch above your weight."

"Billy Kimber is there for the taking," Tommy scoffed. Lilian simply sat in silence. She had had no say in what decisions Thomas made regarding the business.

"Says who? Says Tommy and his parliament of one? I ran this business for five years."

"Yeah, while I was away fighting, remember? Where I learnt some things, such as you strike when your enemy is weak." Lilian couldn't help but shrink back in her chair a little bit at the harshness of the words being thrown between the pair. "I thought you came here to talk family business."

"I'll take care of it," the older woman insisted as she began regathering her things.

"You're too busy taking over the world... Polly..." Thomas said almost sarcastically. "If it's about Ada, I need to know." Polly sighed and pulled an envelope from her bag.

"Ada wants you to give Freddie this letter. She wants Freddie to know she's having his baby. He deserves an opportunity to do the right thing. I say we give them a chance," she explained. Thomas took the envelope from her almost hesitantly.

"For a woman who's had a hard life with men, you're still full of romance, eh?" Thomas asked. Lilian furrowed her brows in confusion, and Polly glanced at her for just a second before returning her attention to the man before her. "What do you think Freddie sees in our Ada?"

"That's Freddie's business..."

"No. No, I'll tell you what he sees. He sees machine guns, and rifles, and ammunition, and some glorious revolution."

"What is it you really don't like about Freddie?" Polly demanded.

"She'll have no life with a man on the run. If you can't see that, you can't see much," Thomas replied as he dropped the envelope in the burning fire beside them. Lilian flinched when Polly grabbed the fire iron and swung it, stopping before she actually hit Tommy. Polly had seen the younger woman's reaction and immediately dropped the iron, opting to use her words instead.

"Damn them for what they did to you in France!" she yelled as she grabbed her bag and coat before storming out the way she came. Thomas continued to talk as Polly walked toward the door.