I cut the door to the compartment and drew the blinds. Elio and Odessa sat by each other on the opposite side of me. I took a simple firing gun out of my holster and set it on the table.
"Do either of you know how to assemble that?" I asked, sitting down. Elio took the gun and separated each part of it. The bullets, the barrel, the cartridges. Then he reassembled the gun, putting it back together perfectly.
"Odessa?" I asked. She sighed in response. She took the gun and separated the parts slower than Elio, but she still got it. It looked like she was figuring out how to do it as she went.
"O, why do we need to know this?" Elio asked.
"Because you are going to work for extra cash. I won't supply you too forever. Hell, Thomas is getting yelled at because women's pay is lower than mens. She could get a job for the both of you. No offense."
"None taken."
"Good." I paused and looked at them both. "I've got about 9500 dollars in savings for you to buy a shack for yourselves." Elio protested.
"Octavia, don't-" I cut him off.
"Shut up and take it. I made it for you, don't make me have extra cash on my hands. I'll do something stupid." I leaned back and folded my hands on the table. "Being associated with me means your always in trouble. Gangs could come after you, Mobs-" Elio cut me off again.
"O, I think you're being a little dramatic." Elio told me, I raised my eyebrows.
"Dramatic?" I asked, he nodded.
"El, do you remember the Russian that we used to live next door to when we were in Texas?" I asked. His eyes widened a bit.
"The one that killed his wife?" I nodded.
"Those are the women. And they do more than that." I told him. He rolled his eyes. I know he's a sixteen year old boy who probably wants to bang his girlfriend right now, so I left. I shut the door behind me and moved to my own car with my own booth. A nap sounded really good right now.
***
I opened the door for the two kids, letting them inside the small house. They looked around a bit before I showed them to their room. I guessed they slept together in the same bed, so one room it is. One small room with one small window. My room is much better.
"Alright." I threw my suitcase in my room. "There's money in the silverware drawer, you can go get food from someplace if you want to. I need to talk to somebody. Please do not tell anyone your last name. If you do, make something up. El, you have a gun with you at all times, same for you, Odessa." i put a gun on their bed. "Ill be back whenever. Don't start trouble." i pointed at them both. I sound like my damn father.
"Okay mom." Elio sassed. I rolled my eyes and walked out the door, grabbing my fedora as I did. It was cold out, so my longer overcoat hit the back of my shins as I walked. It was about a twenty minute walk to Thomas Shelby's house from mine.
Even though he has told me to knock several times, i still walk into his house unannounced. I really do not care about what he says. Mary greeted me at the door with a smile.
"Ms. Cruz, we weren't expecting you..." She said as I began to walk to the drawing room.
"Well, Mary, I wasn't expecting to be here either." I told her with a soft smile. She nodded and left me by myself in front of the drawing room door. I knocked on the door three times, waiting for a response. Thomas opened the door with a cigarette in his mouth like usual. His eyebrows furrowed as he let me into the room, closing the door behind him and sitting back at his desk. Charlie was sitting beside him, smiling as he saw me.
"I thought you were in New York." he told me, adjusting his glasses. I think they made him look smarter to be completely honest.
"I was. I was going to stay longer." I told him while pouring myself a glass of his whiskey. I didn't fill it very high. I dont want to count on the liquor.
"Why didn't you?" he asked, smashing his cigarette in the ashtray.
"Luca Changretta stopped me on the train to Queens." his head immediately shot up at me. "He says he's coming here for some business with you. He offered me a job to look out for him." I told him, playing with a pen on his desk. It felt like I always had to keep my hands occupied or they would start shaking.
"My brother could tell you more, but I don't fully trust him yet." I made eye contact with Thomas. He nodded. "He's my brother, but he's also a talker. He'll do anything to avoid getting hurt." he nodded again.
"I wouldn't trust him either. Is he here?" Thomas asked me.
"Him and his little girlfriend are staying at my place for a bit, until he can find work." I twirled the pen around in my fingers. "I didn't want him working for private business stuff. Maybe Charlie could use extra hands?" I asked, referring to his hobo friend. He shrugged.
"Possibly. Even Charlie's work is private, Tavi." He reminded me. I nodded.
"I knew that." I did know. I was just getting nervous. I always get nervous in this room.
Tommy kept quiet as his son walked to my feet and hugged my pants. I looked at Thomas, silently getting permission to pick him up and set him in my lap. He leaned against me just like that night I brought him back to his father.
"He asks for you, all the time." Thomas lit up another cigarette. "He goes 'Tavi, wheres Tavi' every night since you brought him to me in the rain." Thomas told me. I looked at him funny. "He calls you mom on occasions. It scares me." he said calmly. I nodded and slowly rocked the child in my arms.
"When I was younger I always tried to help kids the best I could. I always tried to make their lives better..." Charlie took the chain from around my neck off of my shirt. "I guess it just stuck with me." I said, looking at him. He watched as his son played with my cross. "You're not mad, are you?" I asked. He shook his head.
"I could never be mad at you for something like that. It's good that his father's maid isn't his son's mother figure." he told me. I smiled. He was smiling too. It wasn't a big smile, more like he curled his lips up. He had a beautiful face. His eyes were breathtaking.
"You have a pretty smile." I complimented him. He let out a stifled laugh.
"When have you ever been one to compliment?" he asked, his smile getting wider as he looked at me. I shrugged.
"I just noticed it. Im sorry." I mumbled, leaning back in the chair with the boy sleeping in my arms.
"Why are you sorry?" he asked, noticing his son was asleep. "We should put him to bed," he rose from his chair, opening the door for me and leading me to his room. It was decorated with racing horses. With all honesty, Thomas's house was beautiful. It didn't matter if some of his paintings were creepy, it was still pretty.
I turned for the door, turning the knob and attempting to walk out.
"Tavi." I turned around and saw his face about a foot from mine. "Come here." he mumbled, pulling me in for a small hug. He didn't do this at all. He never fucking hugged people. He only hugged his family. It was strange, feeling his arms around my waist so tightly.
"Could you come by tomorrow so we can discuss Changretta?" he asked, i nodded.
"Yeah, what time?" i asked.
"Whenever you'd like. The door's open." he mumbled in my ear. I nodded.
"Ill do that, Tom." and with that, i let go of him and left his house. The scent of his fucking aftershave filled my nose for the rest of the evening.
YOU ARE READING
EAGLE EYES // Thomas Shelby
Fanfiction"Who even are you?" That was a great question.
