𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟗

Maeve was up, up and ready. She was downstairs in the betting den, taking bets. Everybody was confused, some shocked.

Polly stood beside John at the end of the room beside the chalk board. "Are we seeing this right?" She asked, "Maeve is out of bed..working?"

John nodded, "i think we're seeing it right." He said, taking out a cigarette and lighting it, "clearly somethings clicked and she's not fucking depressed anymore."

Polly smacked him round the back of the head. "John," She scolded, giving him a stern look, "shut your bloody mouth before I make you."

"God now you sound like her," he sniggered, walking past Maeve and squeezing her shoulder. She ignored him and counted the coins in her hand.

"Next," she called out. What she didn't expect was to be met with the face of Blake from school. "What a lovely surprise, what can i do for you?" She gave him a sarcastic smile, holding a pencil.

"Want to place a bet on Monaghan Boy," he said, looking around. Maeve held her hand out, "ten shillings," she said, writing something down on the paper.

Blake dug into his pockets and pulled out the money, dropping it into her hands. "I heard what you did," he leaned forward, "what you did to the Montgomery boy," he hissed. "And i think you're a monster, a monster that's rotting in hell."

Maeve grinned, looking at Tommy through the office who was watching carefully. "If you don't watch what you're saying, Blake-" she grabbed his hand, "i'll break each and every one of these fingers again. And then i'll kill you too," she threatened.

Maeve twisted the boys fingers, a grin present on her face. He winced and took a deep breath. "So from now on, you won't mutter a single word about me or my family, will you?" She asked, raising her eyebrows. Blake bit his lip as she continued twisting his fingers.

"No, no not a word-"

"Oi," Tommy appeared at the end of the table. Maeve flashed Tommy a smile and let go of Blake's hand. "Ten shillings on Monaghan boy," she said, "thanks Blake."

Blake looked at Tommy. "On you go," Tommy instructed, watching the boy scurry out of the house. He turned to Maeve, "what's gotten you out of bed?"

Maeve shrugged. "When I was out last night I realised something." She told him, standing and pushing her hair behind her ears. Tommy nodded for her to continue. "I realised that everything i've done, everyone i've hurt- is just the same as what you, John and dad do. And that in a few years it'll be considered normal for me to be doing it anyway."

Tommy raised an eyebrow. "So what's the point of dwelling on it now? Max deserved it- well maybe not to die but to get seriously injured. People get what they deserve, Thomas. You said it yourself."

People get what they deserve, Thomas.

It sent shivers up his spine. "Well said, Maeve. Keep working, it'll do you good." He said before walking off and giving Polly a strange look.

Maeve knew that her words had sent him over the edge slightly. And she loved it. She felt somewhat normal again. She didn't care anymore.

If people thought she was a monster, that meant people were scared of her again. She had power again.

-

Maeve sat in the snug of the Garrison with John and Isiah, watching as they pissed around with each other. She held a cigarette close to her lips and chuckled.

"It's nice to see ya smiling," John nodded at her, jokingly wrapping an arm around her and pulling her about. "John," she groaned, laughs falling from her mouth.

Isiah ran a finger over his lip and leaned back in the chair. "So are we playing this game or what?" He asked, taking the stack of cards and shuffling them.

"Yeah alright," John let out a breath and let go of his niece. "So where did you say dad was today?" Maeve questioned, accepting the playing cards of Isiah.

"Some thing down in London- Alfie Solomons he said."

-

Arthur sat at a table with a handful of men, listening as Alfie rambled on about the Jews and all that stuff. The echoes of doors closing sounded and Arthur looked over his shoulder.

"Arthur, this ain't right." Billy Kitchen whispered.

"Billy, Billy don't worry mate," Alfie began, "if you want you can leave. If you need to go to the little boys room or something, you can leave. We're gonna open them in a minute anyway-"

"He's alright, he's alright. Billy boy," Arthur interrupted. "Do you want to leave?" Alfie asked. Billy shook his head, "no i'm alright."

"You want to stay?"

"I'll stay."

"You stay there then treacle. Okay, so- the pharaoh, have you heard of him? He kept my people, the jewish people, in slavery for thousands and thousands of years."

"Persecuted race," Arthur pointed.

"He did, he persecuted my race. The killing of the innocent, right? Say that this feast that we're having here, right, Seder is the day where the jewish angels decided that you know, that the evil fucking Egyptians had pushed their fucking luck."

"Right," Arthur nodded.

"It's part of our tradition to do a Seder, right? That in order- to make it good with God, to kill a king. We have to carry a Korban Pesach. That is the ritual sacrifice of the passover goat."

Arthur looked over at the goat and leaned forward. "It's a goat," he said enthusiastically.

"Yeah and we're gonna sacrifice it tonight. And that's part the reason we have to shut the doors as well. But this year we thought we'd give the fucking goat a name."

"You've named it?" Arthur smiled.

"We fucking did. Yeah, evil fucking Egyptian Pharaoh, you know what we called it? Tommy Shelby." And with that they sliced the goats throat, a gun firing into Billy Kitchens head as two men grabbed Arthur from behind.

They tied him up against a pole by his neck, Alfie pointing a gun at him.

-

Maeve and John looked up from the table when they heard heavy footsteps outside. "Police!" Someone shouted, John got up from his chair and opened the door, Maeve close behind.

The coppers turned their heads toward them and noticed the Shelby girl. "You're under arrest," he said, pushing past John and grabbing Maeve.

She looked around in shock, everything moving in slow motion. "John!" She shouted, "John-"

"Get your fuckin hands off her!" Isiah pushed past him, "let go of her, you'll hurt her!" He said, being pulled back by John.

Maeve's arms were held behind her back and she looked at John with wide eyes. "John you need to talk to Tommy- you need to get me out of here!"

"Get off her!" Isiah spat, fighting John's grip. "Isiah leave it- Maeve we will get you out, alright? Don't answer any questions."

Maeve fought against the coppers as they shoved her into the back of a car. "Get your hands off me, bastard," she hissed, shrugging their hands away and letting them close the door.

Isiah ran from the Garrison and got to the car before it drove off, banging on the window. "She's not done anything, let her go!"

Maeve aggressively kicked the backs of the front seats and moved about. "Get me out of this fucking car!" She shouted, anger flooding through her.

-

Tommy stormed into the church where Inspector Campbell sat. "We had a fucking deal!" he shouted. "I would think you would moderate your language in a place of worship," Campbell spoke.

Tommy snatched the newspaper from his hand, throwing it to the floor. "We had a fucking deal," he repeated. "Mr Shelby, if you've read the papers you might of seen that the home secretary has gotten himself into a bit of a fizz about certain moral issues."

"Prostitution, protection, racketeering, drinking, cocaine and of course, gambling," Campbell sat forward. "And he has demanded results."

"You offered me protection, you promised me protection," Tommy pointed.

"Well, no you see that was Mr Churchill, that made you that promise. And the Home secretary outranks him, so..and i can hardly be blamed if your demented brother decided to go on some sort of blood orgy during dinner."

"Don't you lie to me. Don't sit here in your fucking church and lie to me!" Tommy shouted.

"You will need to contain your emotions or this meeting is at an end."

Tommy stepped away. "Good. That's better. So, let us review the new situation. I have your brother in a prison cell, charged with the murder of Billy Kitchen. The case against him is strong and i have no doubt that his destiny is to hang, Polly's son Micheal has already admitted to helping Arthur burn down the Marquis pub, he was a tough nut to crack but crack he did. Maeve on the other hand is refusing to speak a word."

Tommy's eyes widened. "You took Maeve? You bastard- if i find out any of your men have laid a finger on my niece, i won't hesitate to kill them!"

Campbell ignored him. "So i have your brother facing the noose, i have your cousin Micheal facing five years for arson and the same for Maeve. And i have your entire organisation in disarray in Birmingham and in London."

"What do you want?" Tommy asked. "What do i want?" Inspector raised his eyebrows. "I don't understand."

"I already agreed to do your fucking killing for you, now what is it you want from me?" he asked. Inspector Campbell got on his feet.

"An agreement is not the same thing as an assurance now is it?" he questioned.
"You see, i found i wasn't sleeping so well, it wasn't just the smell and the noise in that room, no it was the nagging doubt of knowledge. The knowledge that Tommy Shelby's is not afraid to die. And therefore the threat to your own life might not be enough to make it certain that you will obey me on the given day,"

"I also need the power of life and death over your family. And that i now have."

-

The coppers aggressively dragged Maeve down the hallways. Maeve purposefully dragged her feet across the floor, making it difficult.

It just so happens that Arthur was being taken in at the very same time.

Maeve looked up from the floor, her heart dropping, "dad?" She shouted, "Dad!"

"Maeve what the fuck..you don't touch my daughter! Get yer hands off her. Oi, i'm talkin to you!" Arthur shouted angrily, being dragged the other way, "tell them to keep their hands off her!"

"Why is my dad here?" She asked, looking at the two coppers that held her, "for gods sake, does it really take two of you to take a teenage girl to a cell? Pathetic."

-

Everyone sat in the betting den patiently when Tommy walked in, slamming the door. "John?" he asked.

"The coppers have lifted ten of our men in Camden Town, the rest are on the run." Polly stood up, walking over. "They've taken Micheal." She said.

"Business first."

"They took Micheal." she argued. "Polly business first," he shouted. "They've fucking took Maeve too, Aunt Pol! It's not all about Micheal!" John snapped.

"Like i said, business first. John?"

"They took all out whiskey, so no doubt they'll be sipping that for Christmas. They've impounded all out vans, put their own locks on the warehouse. The Eden Club and all our pubs have been raided by the coppers, and handed back to Sabini and Solomons. The black country boys think it was Arthur who killed Billy cause that's what the coppers told them."

"I don't give a fuck about whiskey, i don't care about Billy Kitchen, i want my kid out of prison, now!" She shouted.

"Thomas i spoke to Johnny dogs." Esme said,

"This meeting should just be family," Polly said. "I can help," Esme argued, hands at her side.

"She's not blood Tommy."

"Let her speak."

"Or is this business-" Polly retorted, he raised his hand. "Enough!" he shouted. "Esme," He nodded. "I spoke to Johnny Dogs, the lees are kin-" she continued. "The bloody lees?" Polly asked. "They can give us men." Esme said.

"We don't need more fucking men, it was men that have done the damage! It is men fighting like fucking cockerels that's have put us here in the first place!"

"Esme we'll take up their offer, we need men."

"If Micheal ever gets out of prison, i am taking him far away from this family,"

"Not Maeve, no?" John raised his eyebrows. "What?" she asked. "It's just you seem to be forgetting about Maeve. If anybody needs to get out of there it's her, she'll go insane. God forbid try and kill herself."

"Get them out, Thomas." Polly stared at him harshly. "Or you'll find yourself in there too."

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