𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟎

Maeve anxiously paced the incredibly small cell, taking deep breaths. She couldn't take it anymore. She ran forward, hitting the metal door with her fist.

"Where's my dad? Let me see my dad!" Her voice was shaking as she shouted, a lump growing in her throat. She felt like a child again, crying for Arthur just like she used to. "Tell me where he is!"

"Miss Shelby, quiet down." The copper smacked the door with his hand. Maeve caught a glance of Polly who walked past with her head down. "Aunt Pol- Polly!" Maeve said quickly. "Polly!"

Polly stopped walking and looked at the girl through the bars that separated the cells from the hallway. "Maeve?"

"Aunt Pol why're you here?" She asked, gripping onto the window bars of the door. Polly looked shocked. "I'm here to talk to that Inspector- Maeve, we'll get you out." She said before walking off.

Maeve punched the door once more before leaning against it, sliding down it slowly and pulling at her hair. "Fucking get me out.." she said, tears rolling down her face.

Anger fell over her and she leaned against the wall, sat on the floor, her fist colliding with the metal door over and over again, small cuts appearing on her knuckles.

"Miss Shelby, i'm warning you."

"I don't fucking care!" She shouted, sobbing as she continued punching the door, blood now transferring onto it. "I need to see my dad," she finally broke, dragging her hands over her face and taking a shaky breath.

The copper stood outside, listening whilst sobs left the girls mouth and she continued sending her fist into either the wall or the door. He nodded at another copper and turned to unlock the door.

Maeve slowly looked up and began shouting when they grabbed her by her arms, dragging her down the hallway. "Stop it! Stop- you're hurting me!" She begged, "dad!" Maeve shouted, her voice echoing. "Please let me go!"

"It's amazing when they beg, isn't it? They own the city outside these walls but once they're in here- they're nothing." One of them grinned, tightening their grip.

Maeve shook her head and her breath increased rapidly and her chest heaved up and down. "Please let me go!" She struggled to get her words out as they unlocked the door to a new cell and forced her inside, shoving her down into a chair.

They tied her hands behind her back and panic flooded through her. "What's going on? What're you going to do to me? Dad!"

No matter what happened, she continued calling for Arthur, not caring if he would hear her. No matter how old she got, she'd always need her dad.

Maeve felt incredibly vulnerable, her face soaked with tears, fear becoming clear in her face when Inspector Campbell entered the room.

"I heard you were disobeying orders, Miss Shelby," he said, lifting her face up by her chin. She breathed heavily, disgusted by his touch. "You answer when being spoken to!"

"Where is my dad?"

"You're dad won't see the outsides of these walls ever again," Campbell sniggered, "he'll be dead by the time the year is out, i assure you that."

Maeve shook her head quickly, "no, no you can't do that! He didn't do anything wrong! He's all i've got you can't kill him."

"He killed a man in cold blood. If he doesn't die in here, he will die at the hands of the people who knew the man he killed."

Maeve looked away, unable to breath. Inspector Campbell nodded at the men and left the room. A shout of pain left her mouth when she felt a fist collide with her face. Then some sort of bat being sent into her stomach, causing aggressive coughs to fall from her mouth.

Eventually, Maeve couldn't see as tears clouded her vision. She could feel her skin bruising by the second. Her face was cut in various places and blood was escaping her mouth.

"Stop," she muttered, "i'm begging you, stop."

"That's enough," Campbell spoke from outside the room, "i said that's enough- we don't want to kill her off."

-

Maeve lay on her back, her whole body aching. Somebody had to get her out of there and they needed to do it quickly. She sat there for what felt like hours until the door finally opened.

"Come on, up." The man spoke. The same man that had beaten her to an inch of her life the day previously. She shakily stood, hugging her arms to her chest and following him out into the halls. "You're getting out." He said.

"How?" She asked bluntly, staring at her feet.

"Stop asking questions," he scolded, unlocking the gate and letting her out. Maeve squinted, growing cold as she stepped out into the night.

John pushed himself off the car, his face dropping. "What the fuck." He said, walking to her and lifting her face. "Who the fuck has done that to ya?" He asked, "eh, who's done it?"

"It doesn't matter John, just take me home." She said, pushing past him and getting into the car.

It had only just settled into her mind what Inspector Campbell had told her. Arthur wasn't being released, he was being hung. The likelihood of her seeing him was low.

John was incredibly angry as he joined her in the car. "Listen, Maeve, alright? You tell me who did that to your fucking face." He said, starting up the car and driving.

"I don't know, okay?! It was two coppers, lasted about forty minutes. I thought i was going to die- John please just let me go home."

John sighed in anger and continued driving. "You know we won't let them get away with this,"

"Just fucking drive," she hit the seat in anger, closing her eyes.

-

John followed close behind as Maeve entered Polly's home. "Maeve you need to get that cleaned up," John said before she stepped onto the stairs. Maeve let out a frustrated breath.

"Tommy is in the den," John nodded. She walked toward the green doors and opened them, preparing herself for what was about to happen.

Everybody in the den looked up at her, their faces dropping dramatically. "Fucking hell," Finn's eyes widened, his heart dropping. Tommy frowned at the boys comment and also looked up, his face falling.

"John says i need to have it cleaned- where's Polly?"

"She's at her house in Sutton with Micheal, one of us will do it." Tommy placed his cigarette in an ashtray and stood, gently touching her face and inspecting her face.

"Micheal? But Micheal got arrested too, how is he out?"

"He got out early this morning," Tommy told her, pulling a chair for her to sit in and taking a bottle of whiskey from the table. "You're telling me he got out before I did?" She hissed, clenching her hand into a fist.

Tommy ignored her and soaked a cloth in the whiskey, pressing it against one of the many wounds on her face. She winced in pain and threw her head back.

"I'm here- sorry i'm late, was doing something.." Isiah trailed off, entering the den and setting eyes on the girl. "What the bloody hell has happened?"

Maeve glanced at him for a moment and attempted to avoid his eyes as Tommy continued cleaning her up. It was far worse than he first thought. "How many?" He asked.

Maeve frowned, "what?"

"How many officers?" He said, wiping another cut on her face. "Two," she muttered, letting him lift her hand and inspect the bruises and blood on her knuckles. "And where did this come from?"

"I was punching the wall..then the floor- that's why this happened to me. They told me to stop and i didn't."

Tommy stopped doing what he was doing. "You fucking what?"

During this time, Finn had pulled Isiah into another room, convincing him not to overwhelm Maeve with questions. "So what- i'm supposed to act like them fucking coppers haven't done that shit to her face? Finn, it's awful."

"Yes, i know. And so does she, you don't need to remind her."

"Tommy you need to get my dad out of there," She said, pulling her hand away, "they're going to kill him. You can't let them do that, he's all i've got."

"Maeve, you've got us."

"That does not mean i want my dad to die, Tommy! You get him out of there, please."

Isiah exited the office and hovered at the end of the table. Tommy looked up at him and gave him a nod, standing from the chair and leaving them. Isiah sat and looked at her. "How're you're hands?"

"Sore," she said, stretching out her fingers. Isiah took her hand in his, rubbing his fingers across her knuckles, "they won't get away with it, you know that don't you?"

"Yeah, i know." She shrugged, leaning forward as he held the sides of her face. Isiah leaned his forehead against hers and sighed, "i'm sorry, Maeve. I'm sorry this happened to you-"

"Don't apologise. Please don't apologise, Isiah. It's the last thing i want. An apology is not what i need, especially not from you."

Finn suddenly walked through, causing them to pull apart for a moment. "Don't mind me," he retorted, going through the doors and closing them behind him.

"Maeve, have you looked in the mirror?"

"Thanks," she said sarcastically, looking away. Isiah shook his head and grabbed her chin, "have you looked at what they've done to you?" He questioned. "I don't need to look, i can fucking feel it!" She hissed, pointing at her face.

"You're a Shelby, you can't let them win this war. Maeve, you can't give up." He said, his other hand holding the side of her neck. "I'm fighting, i'm trying. I promise." She assured him, "and i'll win it."

Isiah let out a breath and pulled her forward, smashing his lips onto hers. Maeve winced at the stinging of his lips against hers, the multiple cuts on her lips burning.

Isiah's fingers ran through the ends of her hair, his other hand holding her face. "I think i love you, Maeve Shelby." Isiah whispered, pulling away and leaning his forehead on hers again.

Maeve was completely taken back by his confession and didn't know what to say. She definitely had feelings for him, that was certain, but Maeve Shelby struggled to say the words i love you to anyone, even Arthur. But the last thing she wanted was to make Isiah feel stupid.

So she placed her hands on the back of his neck and pulled him into a hug, leaning on his shoulder. Isiah felt kind of deflated that she didn't say it back, but understood the words weren't something to throw about.

But he wasn't throwing them about. He meant it.

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