Quicksand | A Peaky Blinders Fanfiction

Chapter 4

Tommy

Polly shifted in her seat in front of the large desk. She had been in his office a countless amount of times but for the first time Tommy saw that she wasn't entirely comfortable. It was unusual, because even if she was sad, angry, or all of the above, these four walls were like home to her. Something they worked for and build up from nothing. That meant the problem did not ley in the environment, no matter how stubbornly she stared at the globe behind him, or the telephone on his desk. A week had passed since the meeting and there was already a new problem as it seemed.

"As much as I appreciate your company," he began finally, "I think we could save a lot of energy if you just told me why you're here."

His words were met with a vicious glance in his direction. He could see her gnashing her teeth as her mind worked.

"Not even a month."

She paused for a moment, shaking her head in unbelieving frustration. "Not even a single month since Michael returned to me." Now her eyes found Tommy, sitting behind his desk as per usual, looking at her with a blank face and icy glare. "And I'm already fearing for his life."

"Well, motherly feelings aren't always easy, Pol-"

"You know damn well I'm not talking about motherly feelings!" He voice had raised considerably but she calmed herself down with visible effort. Her hands were shaking as she took the lighter on the dark wooden desk and lit herself a cigarette. "I've always trusted you, Thomas, trusting you with business, with the family ... And God knows you never say anything, you never tell anyone. Not back when we had to deal with Billy Kimber, or with the bloody guns..."

Tommy could tell she was talking herself into rage, spiralling herself in to a full blown monologue. He respected her for her wise words and good advice in many situations. This, however, was not one of them.

"Say what you want to say, I'm listening. But don't waste my time with vague bullshit."

"Why are there people following us?"

The statement hung heavy in the air. Polly took a nervous drag from the cigarette, her eyes shifty and back straight. It took a couple of seconds for Tommy to decide on the best strategy. It involved rolling his eyes.

"It's temporary. They don't follow Michael – as far as I know they don't even know about him." His tone was composed, informative. He knew, if he tried to sound compassionate, she would look right through it. There was no acting with Polly.

"You're not answering my question," she noticed and leaned a bit forward. "Why are they following us?"

There was no way he would tell her the plans. She didn't need to know, it was not her concern. In fact, Tommy knew that if he'd tell her here and now, there would be no peaceful moment for him until next year.

"There was a job, a couple days ago. This is the aftermath. They won't find what they are searching for and eventually leave. It has nothing to do with you or Michael. They won't come near you two."

On the contrary, Tommy thought, the fact that they were following Polly as well was proof that they had no clue about the current situation. There really was no reason to worry, but his aunt clearly disagreed.

"Nothing to do with me," she laughed humourlessly, "I thought you've learned by now that everything around here always concerns all of us."

***

Elaine

Elaine couldn't deny she was walking on unsteady ground – metaphorically speaking. It had been a week since her surprise visit at Michael's. She didn't dare contact him again, in fear of someone discovering him and their affiliations. To say she was twitchy was an understatement. Who could blame her – all she had at the moment was the flimsy trust she had in Michael and Tommy's vague promise of protection. And the cold certainty that she was followed by people who weren't Blinders made her question the latter.