Bête noire → Peaky Blinders [Tommy Shelby] [ BOOK 1 ]

Ten.

Chapter ten: Close as strangers

The brief encounter with Polly was awkward to say the least, however, Polly surprisingly cleared the air by apologising for her assumptions. Even the men around her were flabbergasted, seeing as how this woman was inexorable in her strapping ways, though they knew to keep their opinions to themselves. So, Caroline Kimber was hereby declared a trusted allele of the Shelby's and the deal was sealed with a hug that caused an uproar of applauds and hands slapping on the wooden tables in the betting den.

Polly was the only member who could muster an apology, and for that, Caroline admired her. As she was so stuck in her prideful ways, she wanted to apologise to Tommy and thank him for helping her, not only by walking her home and protecting her against her drunken partner, but for giving her the opportunity in his makeshift safe haven, letting her seek asylum in his gang after she fled her own. It was a big risk to take but he jumped. He knew she wouldn't let him down despite her major ego that got in the way of her humanity. 

News spread around the organisation as quick as lightening. Billy Kimber was back in Small Heath, but the last place he would have ever expected his children to take refuge in would be this supposed dismal dump. Strictly, he was visiting on business purposes with his children just a mere thought away. But, this didn't mean that Thomas and his men weren't nervous. If Billy found out that they were hiding his children, they'd have hell to pay, and Thomas didn't have time to shake hands with any more devils.

Caroline persistently scrubbed the tables in the Garrison. She'd dropped Oscar off just a few hours prior to Billy's visit. She wasn't overly religious, having been born a Catholic, however, she prayed to God that Polly had the whit to keep her boy out of sight just as much as he was out of mind. 

"Is something bothering you?"

Something about Grace Burgess kept Caroline on guard. Like a truffle pig, she was able to detect misplaced truths and fabricated lies. With her crippling thoughts came cruel verbal opinions, and from time to time, Caroline couldn't suppress the bubbling questions that ached to spew from her tongue, piercing Grace and her reddened cheeks with embarrassment in hopes to catch her out.

"Right now?" Caroline's breath hitched in her throat as she continued to take her gnawing anxiety out on the furniture. "You are bothering me."

Grace released a scoff in disbelief. "One minute you're saving me and the next, you're trying to drag me down."

"Well, not everyone can be as nice and perfect as you, can they?"

"What's this about?" Grace's voice was suspicious, yet hesitant to tread on foreign grounds. "Is this about Thomas?"

If Caroline gave the impression that she lived in the dark ages, surrounded in a world of hatred, corruption and evil, she'd cruelly mistaken Grace, for she gave out a bellow of absolute absurdity. A part of Caroline laughed at the thought of even contemplating her matters being differed by a man whom she'd just met, and the other half was utterly confused as to why his name was brought up and why Grace would even consider Thomas to be a candidate of her worry.

Caroline's cackling ceased after a moment, and when she looked to Grace, she smirked to see the scowl forming on her face. "Correct me if I'm wrong, love, but aren't you the one who's been pining for him like a lost puppy?"

"What does how I feel for him have to do with anything? I'm talking about you."

Caroline stood tall, just a foot away from Grace. The tenacious atmosphere was almost excruciating, but with the energy that spread through her body like wildfire, she wasn't ready to back down. She was only getting started.