Juliet was wiping the bar down as Grace swept the floor when Tommy, John and Arthur burst into the bar, smiles on their faces, clearly drunk.
"Are those smiles on your usually miserable faces?" Juliet teases.
"Our Ada's giving birth!" Arthur says as they walk into the small private room at the back.
"Pour us a drink Jules," John says and the woman nods, pouring them whiskey.
"To a beautiful wedding," Arthur says.
"I should go," John says. "I should go it's my wedding night"
"No, no, no, no. No, you sit down," Arthur says. "You don't want to be among women when there's a baby coming. Have another"
"Do you think her husband will take the same advice and stay away?" Grace asks.
"No, no, Freddie'll be there," John says. "Nothing'll keep him away. Tommy said it's all right for him to be there. Isn't that right, Tommy?"
Juliet turns to see Tommy right behind her and she offers him a smile.
"That's right. I'm all heart tonight," Tommy says.
Grace leaves after Juliet assures her she'll be alright with locking up on her own. But Juliet's suspicions of the woman are only heightened when she uses the phone before leaving. As Grace spoke on the phone, her eyes kept darting to the three Shelby brothers as if to make sure they couldn't hear what she was saying on the phone. Juliet's eyes lock with Grace's and the woman quickly says something into the phone before hanging up and leaving the bar.
"You know what, John-boy?" Arthur says. "I think it's our Jules, the sharp-tongued beauty that's stood in front of us, that's made our brother go all soft"
Juliet blushes slightly as she locks eyes with Tommy who shoots her a wide grin, realising how flustered Arthur was making her with his words.
"Drinks to that!" John says.
"You want me to open that champagne now?" Juliet says as she stands behind the bar as John and Arthur sing.
"It's a boy," Polly says which causes Tommy to smile which turns to confusion when Polly launches herself at Tommy.
"Pol?" Tommy asks as he holds her back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!"
John and Arthur intervene, stopping Polly from reigning hell on her nephew.
"Oi, Polly! Polly!"
"But the police came and took his father away!" Polly says.
Tommy's face morphs into one of shock and confusion upon the news.
"Don't you dare look at me like that! You liar!"
The shock upon the news was clear upon Tommy's face as Polly continues cursing him to the high heavens before she spits at his feet before walking away with Arthur and John in tow, both of them shooting their brother angered looks.
"I-"
Tommy was clearly stumped for words as he looks at Juliet who was observing Tommy's body language.
"Didn't do it?" The woman asks, sitting on the barstool next to the man.
"What?"
"You didn't give up Freddie," Juliet says.
"How do you know that?" Tommy says. "God knows I've done horrible things to get to where I am"
"I haven't gotten this far in life without learning how to read people," Juliet says. "No one could fake the confusion on your face when Polly told you. It was genuine emotion, something you don't show often"
"Always trying to be the best and the brightest aren't you Juliet?"
"I don't have to try. I just am," The brunette quips and Tommy gives her a small smile. "But why do you hide behind the facade?"
"The best way to not get your heart broken is to pretend you don't have one," Tommy shrugs.
"What about love?"
"What's it good for? Absolutely nothing"
"If we cease to believe in love, why would we want to live?"
"Money,"
"The happiness money brings is only skin deep Thomas," Juliet says. "But in the long run, greed for wealth only brings pain and suffering to those who lust for it"
"I'll lock up tonight," Tommy says. "You go home"
Juliet hands him the keys before pressing a light kiss to his lips as she brushes past him to leave the bar.
"Miss Barrie,"
Juliet hears the thick Irish accent and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath but as she does, a hand twists in her hair causing her to shout in pain.
"Get the fuck off of me!"
She's roughly pushed to the floor, her hands catching her fall. Juliet winces as she feels the gravel tear at her skin before she's kicked in the back and a foot connects with her face.
"If you continue sticking your nose where it doesn't belong," Cambell says. "I'll kill you myself and no one, not even your precious Peaky Blinders will find your body"
YOU ARE READING
𝙿𝙴𝙽𝙼𝙰𝙽𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿 - 𝚃. 𝚂𝙷𝙴𝙻𝙱𝚈
FanfictionIn which a young author finds herself in Small Heath and discovers herself a mysterious muse. TOMMY SHELBY X OC