Love and Lies • 𝑇𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑦 𝑆ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑏𝑦

Chapter Twenty-Five

The Epsom races were the most respected events of the horse racing season, but Ann never enjoyed races in general. The last one she'd been to, she'd attended for work two years ago. 

The rush of guests, horses, and riders was the same, but the feelings that pulsed through her were very different. She was both content and vibrating with anxiety - a strange combination that forced her to find solitude in the stables. The space was quickly clearing as stable hands and trainers finished their last steps, guiding their racehorses out.

She gently ran her palm over Tommy's horse's forehead before he was taken away. Alone in the private stable, she nervously wringed her hands, and checked her watch for what felt like the hundredth time. Before she could look away from the ticking hands, Tommy walked in - perfectly on time. 

"You place your bets yet?" He joked. His usual look of unconcern was filtered with the lightest air of his own nerves. 

She smiled, a ghost of a smile. "Gambling isn't one of my vices."

"No drinking, and now no gambling." Tommy placed his hands on her waist, drawing her in. "One would think you have no vices."

"Yes, I'm practically a saint." She said. "A saint who kills people for a living."

Tommy smiled, before pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She let herself savour his warmth for a second, breathing in the peace of his familiar scent. Then she pulled away. A couple more hours, and she would never have to pull away again. They just had to make it to then.

"Have you found someone..." She asked, trailing off when Tommy shook her head.

"No more planning."

"Tommy, this is important." She said. "If you haven't found someone, I was thinking I could do it."

Tommy's face screwed up with distaste. "Russell can't die by your hand. Leading him to the slaughter isn't much different than pulling the trigger yourself." He took her face in both his hands. "I found someone." He reassured. 

"But right now I don't want to talk about the plan."

"Then why did you want to meet?"

Tommy searched her face for a few moments, and her brows pulled together. "Whatever happens." He started, and her confusion only grew when he took a hand from her face and dug into the pocket of his trousers. "I need to know that I did everything I've wanted to do?"

"When you talk like that, it scares me."

"Like what?"

"Like today's your last day on earth."

"If it were, it wouldn't be the worst day to end on." His hand tightened around her waist, a gesture of meaning behind his words. "At least it won't be after this." He pulled his hand out of his pocket, and Ann tried to see through his fingers, closed over a small object.

"What do you mean?"

"No regrets." Was his simple answer, as he slid the hidden object into her hand. It was a small black wooden box, that brought on a hold of lightheadedness.

 A lump travelled down her throat as realisation dawned. Her eyes shot back up to his, settling on the question that crossed his face. Though her mouth opened, no words came out, so instead she focused on the box, lifting it open to reveal a beautiful ring.

"It belonged to my mother." He said. "We sold it after she died - it put food on the table for a of couple months - but I kept track of it, bought it back last year." Ann nodded gently, still studying the ring in a daze. "She wanted one of us to have it. John never got the pleasure, and Arth-."

She silenced him by brushing her thumb, velvety, over his bottom lip. She slowly took the ring out of the box, looking at it as it lay in her palm. 

"I love you." Tommy whispered. When she looked at him, his head was tilted, trying to get her to meet his eyes. 

"I love you." Ann whispered back. Finally, she closed the ring in her hand, and slipped it on so that it balanced on the tip of the right finger. Then Tommy took her hand, and helped it sit correctly, pushing it to the base of the finger. It was a comfortable fit.

She lay the hand on his chest, feeling the beat of his heart - trying to remember its pace, until she could feel it again at the end of the day. She would feel it again. "You have to go."

"I know." He took her hand off his chest and brought it to his mouth. "In the end, I'll come find you." His lips lingered on her ring for a second, before he backed away - not letting go of her fingers until he had to turn around and walk out the door.