Unconditional Love

Chapter 7

"All right, Scudboat, how are we looking?"

"Looking good, Tommy."

"Grand stuff." He nodded making his way through the shop.

"Tommy, they are all here for Monaghan Boy."

"That's what I like to hear, Johnny Boy." Tom replied with a nod.

"And Aunt Pol wants to see you."

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"Tell me the man's name, Ada."

"Rudolph Valentino..."

"Get out! All of you! Go on! Now! I said, tell me his fucking name."

"Freddie fucking Thorne!" Ada stated.

"Yeah. Your best mate since school. The man who saved your life in France! So go on! Go on, cut him! Cut him up and chuck him in the cut. See how Ainsley finds that after what he did for her."

"Oi! I'm a Shelby too, you know. Put my fսcking film back on!"

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"So Monaghan Boy finally lost." Polly remarked sitting in front of Tommy.

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

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

"Already done."

"Taught you well. And you fixed this race without the permission of Billy Kimber." She says throwing his whiskey across the room. 

"Obviously, I didn't teach you well enough. Rule one, you don't punch above your weight."

"Billy Kimber is there for the taking..." He replied before getting interrupted with a sigh.

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

"Yeah, while I was away fighting, whilst Ains was fighting, remember, where we learnt some things, such as you strike when your enemy is weak. I thought you came here to talk family business."

"I'll deal with it. You're too busy taking over the world... and without your wife may I add."

"Polly, Ains knows everything even more than me eh, so... If it's about Ada, I need to know."

Sighing Polly replies, "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."

"For a woman who's had a hard life with men, you're still full of romance, eh? 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." He lists, losing energy to continue the conversation.

"What is it you really don't like about Freddie? Because I know for sure Ainsley doesn't share the same views, so what is it really Thomas?" Polly retorted, her comment going ignored.

"She'll have no life with a man on the run. If you can't see that, you can't see much." He replies sighing, whilst chucking the letter into the fire.

"Damn them for what they did to you in France." She shouts throwing the fire poker at him.

"Tell Ada Freddie went to America. Or Russia. Polly, it would do no good for Ada to bring a baby into the world alone. Pol, listen. The truth is you would have hit me with that thing if it weren't for the fact that you know I'm right." He stated kicking the table in front of him in frustration.