poison • thomas shelby

thirteen.

THAILIANA WILKINSON

Thailiana's ears rang at the sound of the many men singing in the bar, all chanting along to a playful tune. Couples danced in a corner of the room, clearly in love with each other as they were wrapped up in each others arms. It reminded her of Tommy and her, only six hours before her shift.

The brunette watched as Grace put her hand on the door handle to the snug. Knowing Thomas was in there, the jealous feeling struck in her stomach once again and before she could stop herself, she was already by the blonde's side. Thailiana grabbed the bucket off of her, ushering the woman back behind the bar. Grace rolled her eyes at her, moving away from the snug.

"Shuffle these cards and go and play snap with Finn." Arthur's strong voice was heard as she opened the door to the small room, eyes locking on Tommy's and despite his face being void of any emotion, the twinkle in his blue pools showed it all.

"Did you want whiskey as well?" Thailiana asked as she placed pints of beer on the wooden table, in front of each man.

"No, just beer."

"Why no whiskey, Tommy? You expecting trouble?" Arthur inquired, a playful tone in his voice. The barmaid had to admit, she was quite curious as well. Thomas didn't reply, checking his card and placing it back on the table.

"Jesus Christ, Tommy. What the hell made you let them sing?" John joked, chuckling along with the eldest Shelby brother. "It's like they're strangling cats out there."

Thomas' eyes met with Thailiana's and she understood the hidden meaning behind the look, he'd let them sing because of her. That night when he'd stayed with her, she'd asked him to let the men sing even if Grace wasn't the one to accompany him to the races. He'd agreed, telling her that as long as it meant she'd be there with him, he couldn't care less.

"All right, twenty is the play, come on." Arthur moved the conversation on, his brothers taking drags from their cigarettes as they eyed their cards. "And what did make you change your mind though, Tommy?" 

The blue eyes that belonged to Thomas Shelby followed the brunette barmaid out of the room, a shadow of a smile appearing on his facial features.

"It's about time, Tommy."

"Time for what?" He raised his eyebrows at his brother. Arthur wrapped his arms around John as the young man continued.

"Time you took yourself a woman."

"Just play the bloody hands." Thomas interrupted, smoking his cigarette. He was quite clearly fed up with the atrocities coming from his brothers. It was only over a week ago that he'd feel disgusted at the thought of having a woman by his side, to support him yet at that very moment, brown eyes and rose lips popped up in his mind.

"You stay the way you are, Tommy. Remember what dad used to say," Arthur raised his glass, playfully teasing his younger brother. "Fast woman and slow horses," John joined in, finishing the sentence at the same time as Arthur did. "will ruin your life!"

The man smiled at his brothers, amused by their suggestions. The sound of a car pulling up to the Garrison rung through the air, John faintly announcing that they were most likely coppers.

"No." Tommy denied, he knew exactly who it was. The singing in the main room of the pub came to a halt as a man stepped through the doors.

Thailiana stopped her rough wiping on the oak bar, her actions slowing along with the awful voices of the drunk men and women. Her head turned to Harry as he spoke, his voice easy to hear amongst the silence.

"Holy shit, it's Billy Kimber." The barman couldn't believe his eyes, the so called King of the racetracks was stood in his bar. Thailiana had heard of the name before, remembering her father used to speak of him in such a delightful manner.

"Is there any man here named Shelby?"

The barmaid wiped her hands off on her apron, untying it from around her waist. She nudged Grace as she noticed the gun in the hands of the strange man, a sign for the blonde to leave. She was hesitant at first, but the harsh glare sent her way was enough for her to rush out the back door.

Billy Kimber's hand rose, the one holding the gun, as he pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the ceiling, dust floating through the air at the impact.

"I said, is there any man here named Shelby?" He repeated, voice loud and resonating through the pub. The door to the private room reserved for the Shelby's opened, each brother stepping out one by one.

"Harry, get this man a drink. Every one else, go home!" Thomas ordered, men hurrying to exit the bar to avoid angering the gang leader. Thailiana remained put, sliding glasses over to Harry so that he could place them on a silver platter with their finest whiskey. She brought them over on the tray, placing it gently on the table the men had sat at. "You, go home."

"But-"

"I said, go home." His words left no room for answer, he wanted her safe.

"I've never approved of women in pubs, but when they look like that..." Kimber trailed off, eyes glued to Thailiana's behind. Tommy's fists clenched, yet he controlled himself; weakness was not a good look on a gang leader.

"You said you wanted men called Shelby, you've got three of 'em." He lit his cigarette, shaking out the match.

"I'd never heard of ya, then I did hear of ya, some little Diddicoy razor gang. I thought to myself, "So, what?"." Billy continued, eyes set on Thomas. "But then you fuck me over, so now you have my undivided attention."

Thailiana realised this was confidential business, she had nothing to do with it. That was the only reason she left the pub, reluctantly so, but she'd gone before she could hear the next words spoken. She knew that, if she'd stayed, she'd get a good telling off from Tommy and she wasn't quite keen of the idea.

The man was glad that when he spared a glance around the room, the barmaid was nowhere to be seen. Messing her up with Billy Kimber was far from his original intention, though his plans for later said otherwise. He could already feel the guilt tripping into his stomach, just the way Billy had looked at her told him that he'd have to make sure nothing went overboard at the races. Though, deep down, Thomas knew she'd have to get involved either way. If she didn't, he'd have no chance at business with the crude man, and after all, Thomas Shelby would never change. It had always been business before everything else, he just hoped that this new woman in his life wouldn't make him betray his own rule.