𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐏 𝐈𝐓 a thomas shelby fanfiction [✓]

xvii

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN | ticking time bomb

✩

Lucie was back in the Garrison, as always. The night shift. Everyone had left already, they'd closed up the pub early, leaving her alone in the empty bar cleaning the tables.

Grace had left early too, ever since she was employed by Shelby Brothers Ltd her time in the Garrison has decreased. Lucie couldn't have cared less. She enjoyed it without Grace. Nobody prying.

Whilst she cleaned the last of the glasses, there was an obnoxious banging on the glass door of the pub. Repeated over and over and over. Until Lucie finally unlocked the door, letting in a stressed and focused Thomas who pushed straight past her and began to triple lock every other way out. Each and every window was locked and bolted, every upstairs door and downstairs door, the private room and the snug locked up too.

"Leave that open." Thomas was referring to the door, his voice was trembling ever so slightly.

Thomas breathlessly set out a table and three chairs, whilst Lucie silently moved behind the bar to pour him some whiskey. Tommy had his hat crumpled in his hands as he turned to Lucie.

"No." He shook his hand towards Lucie showing he didn't want the drink.

"Are you expecting trouble?" Lucie questioned, utterly confused at Thomas' behaviour.

"Yeah." Well that was her explanation.

"At this hour?" Lucie asked, returning the glass and bottle to their place.

"Midnight is as good an hour as any."

"What the hell is going on?" Lucie tried to keep her calm. Tried.

"When the St. Andrews bell strikes midnight, two IRA men are gonna come through that door. When they have what they want , they plan to kill me. It's your job to stop that happening." Thomas was on edge as her loaded a gun with bullets to give to Lucie.

"Are you joking me, a little warning would've been nice." Lucie snatched the gun from Thomas, trying to act mad, although she was willing to help, she was willing to do anything for that man.

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

"And barmaids don't count?" This was sounding more and more like a Billy Kimber motto.

"No, barmaids don't count. Now, you're gonna be in that back room. I'm gonna be sitting there. When I make a toast, you're gonna come out with that's thing raised. You don't shoot, you just point. I'll do the rest." Thomas was staring down at Lucie, who felt timid under his gaze.

"Will you kill them?"

"No, police want the alive."

"Police know about this." Lucie was visibly scared, if the police know they would have no problem covering up a young barmaids death.

"Look, just hold it up."

Thomas moved behind Lucie, the gun in her hands. Her hands in his. His arms wrapped around her. Her eyes set on the end of the gun. The gun raised and pointing for the door. Lucie felt warm, but it was soon fleeting when Thomas let of her and pushed her into the back room with urgency.

Her heart was beating loudly in her ears, until the shrill ringing of twelve tolls from the St. Andrews bell encircled her. It felt like Lucie's senses were heightened. She could hear the Irish men, diving in the pockets, she could here their breath heavy in her ears.

"To barmaids who don't count." Those words set off Lucie's feet before she could even object, she emerged from the back room, and shot the gun. Without thinking. She pulled the trigger and hit one man in the head. Lucie pulled the trigger once more. Missed.

Everything was staring to spin ever so slightly, but Lucie could see the man onto of Thomas, he was too close, one wrong move and she'd kill her love. The Irish man who had ahold of Thomas wrestled him, smashing glass and pushing him across the bar, ending with knocking Lucie to the ground. She lay there for what she thought was a few seconds, her eyes closed her ears ringing.

Thomas pulled Lucie up off the floor, trying to shield her from the sight of the bodies. He wiped away a few tears that Lucie hadn't realised had escaped her eyes. Lucie thought it was a loving moment, until he had his hand on the back of her head, pulling her face towards his.

"Why did you shoot?" Thomas' voice was a whisper. "Why did you shoot, Lucie?" Thomas still had a hold of her.

"I didn't know I had it in me like that. I didn't know." Lucie wanted to scream and cry. When her brothers died, she never wanted to touch a gun. Now? She's killed a man.

"Now you've seen me." Tommys voice was pained and hoarse.

"And you've seen me." Lucie whispered, staring at his through blurred eyes.

"I'm sorry." Lucie felt broken, she shouldn't have fired her gun. She wouldn't have a dead man on her conscience if she would've just followed her orders.

Thomas pulled the broken girl into an embrace, holding her close. He could feel her whole body shaking, her jaw trembling. He could hear her sobs that were silence in his neck.

The door opened. Thomas let go.

"You were supposed to come on the sixth chime. You were supposed to come on the fucking sixth chime!" Thomas shouted towards the three police officers who had leisurely strolled into the pub.

Lucie ignored the words spoken by Sargent Moss. Instead she stared at the bodies on the floor. The blood and it's pattern. The face of shock on the dead men's faces. Well the one face that wasn't mangled. It was imprinted in her brain.

"Get the bodies out of here."

"Ah, right, are they making the lady uncomfortable?" Moss asked patronisingly.

Moss and his two men carried the bodies out of the Garrison, leave Lucie and a blood painted Thomas on their own. Neither spoke. They just mopped away the blood off the floor, and Lucie collected the broken glass.

They walked together in the cold air which nipped their skin. Lucie didn't feel on edge or skittish like she'd expected, she couldn't see his face haunting her. Instead she could see Thomas being strangled. Something she never wished to say again. He was vulnerable and she couldn't have helped.

Once the pair reached Lucie's home, they finished the cigarette they were sharing, still in complete silence. Lucie found her words. Small and broken, but they were there.

"Thank you." Was the only thing Lucie could croak out as she looked at Thomas, who merely nodded.

"I'm sorry." It was heartfelt and filled with emotion, something Lucie didn't know Thomas could quite possess until now.

Lucie watched the man walk away. His coat swaying. She watched the man she loved walk away from her. She couldn't help but let a small smile play on her lips.

Something inside Lucie had changed after the trigger was pulled. She knew she was different. But her love was all the same.