Wear Iron//Thomas Shelby

twelve

I stand behind the counter of the bar. It's late and I'm the only person still here. Harry and Grace have both gone home by now. Tommy comes rushing in. I go to close the door behind him.

"No, leave that open," Tommy tells me. He moves around the room moving chairs and unlocking doors. I go to pour him whisky, but he stops me. "No."

"Tommy, are you expecting trouble?" I ask.

Tommy nods. "Yeah."

"At this hour?" I ask.

Tommy pulls out his gun. "Midnight is as good an hour as any."

"What the hell is going on?" I ask.

"When the St Andrews' bell strikes midnight, two IRA men are going to come through that door." Tommy points to the front door. "When they have what they want, they plan to kill me. It's your job to stop that happening."

"Could have given me some more warning," I tell him.

"I just got the message myself," Tommy explains. "They want to meet here, alone."

"And because I'm a woman I don't count?" I ask.

"No, you don't count, no," Tommy tells me. "You're going to be in that back room. I'm going to be sitting there. Do you have your gun?" I nod my head as I pull it from a holster around my ankle. "When I make a toast, you're going to come out with that thing raised. You don't shoot, you just point. I'll do the rest."

"Do you plan to kill them?" I ask.

"No. The police want them alive," Tommy explains.

"The police know about this?" I question.

"Look, you know how to hold a gun. Just point it at them," Tommy tells me. "Right, go, go! Go on, go!"

I hear the bells ringing as I rush into the back room. I hear the front door open, and I hear two men walk in.

"Lost your thirst, eh?" Tommy remarks.

"Just show us where."

"Give me the cash," Tommy says.

"You're gonna need a shovel."

"You thick fucking tinker. Do you think we'd let you live?"

"Make your peace, Mr Shelby."

"I'll make my peace my own way. To women who don't count."

I take that as my cue and step out from the back room. I point the gun and the one man, and I don't even know why but I pull the trigger. Twice. The other guy stands to shoot me but Tommy wrestles the gun away from him. I keep holding my gun on him until I'm hit by the man as he and Tommy fight. The strength of the hit causes me to fall to my knees. Tommy and the man wrestle on the ground. Tommy gets the upper hand and pins the man to the floor. He hits him twice before hitting him over the head with a metal container more themes than I would like to count.

Tommy looks over to me. He sighs as he stands up before helping me do the same. "Why did you shoot? Why did you shoot, Helena?"

"I don't..." I shake my head. "I... I didn't... I don't know." I wrap my arms around Tommy. "I'm sorry."

The door opens and in comes the police.

"You were supposed to come on the sixth chime. You were supposed to come on the fucking sixth chime!" Tommy shouts. "They refused to surrender. They fought well, they were brave men."

"Well, he looks like he was killed by a wild fucking animal," Inspector Moss states. "Still. This never happened. They were never here. Who cares?"

"Get the bodies out of here," Tommy instructs.