Roguish Women- Tommy Shelby

Walking a Thin Line

            "You're not slipping away so easily," Kate mumbled from halfway buried under the quilt.

"Thought you didn't like to wake up this early." Tommy didn't slow as he continued to get dressed. He was on a strict time schedule. He needed to be ahead of the game.

"I knew something was up last night." She replied and propped herself up on her elbow to look at him. "You kept talking about the babies."

"I'm excited." He shrugged. "Can't a father talk about his children?"

"Yeah, but there was a look in your eye. You weren't really there, you were thinking about something else." Kate responded.

"I'll be honest with you if you ask."

There was no need to bring up arguments. She knew he was going to do what he thought was best. There was so much she thought she knew about Luca, but maybe it just wasn't enough. She wasn't on the front lines those days. "Tommy, come here." She requested quietly. "I know you have to go, just come here for a second."

He sat down on the bed, touching her cheek gently. "It's all worked out. They think they're catching me by surprise, they're not."

"Alright." She took a deep breath. "Keep your wits about you." She kissed him deeply. "Thomas Shelby you come home to me or I'll never forgive you." She whispered against his lips. "Promise me."

"I promise."

~~~~~~~~~~

Kate wasn't all that surprised that Tommy got the upper hand. Though, she was expecting him to come back and say he had ended the vendetta. Instead, he came upstairs where Kate and Polly were and threw his hat on the ground.

"They ruined it." He ran a hand over his face still shaking with anger and disbelief. He was so close. So close to killing that man.

"Who ruined it?" Polly asked.

"Moss. Brought a whole team in and scared Luca off." He explained, whipping out a cigarette and his lighter.

Kate watched him nervously from her seat by the fireplace. "Well, Luca might be more cautious if he knows Moss is on your payroll..."

"He's not. Not anymore." Tommy shook his head. "I nearly fucking had him."

"Did you get any of the others?"

"Three." He replied, still holding his lighter in hand without using it.

"Then it wasn't for nothing," Polly affirmed.

Tommy seemed to snap out of his daze and looked to his fiancée. "Kate, have Isiah bring you home. Tomorrow, you're going to London."

Polly reacted far before Kate could even comprehend what he'd just said. "Are you insane? She's pregnant with your children and you'll send her out to be shot?"

"I'm setting off a distraction, Luca's severely outnumbered now. They can't track everyone. She'll go by the canal right to Alfie. He knows she's coming." Tommy explained.

"The Italians in London are working with Luca. There's far more of them, you think they'll let her waltz on by?" Polly raised her voice. "Under no circumstance..."

"Polly, I need someone to talk to Alfie and she's the only one he'll listen to-"

"She's pregnant, Thomas, the answer is no!"