CHAPTER THREE
001 | episode one

WHEN THE MEETING WAS OVER, TOMMY asked Delilah to stay behind, wanting to talk to her. Delilah held her breathe as she waited for everyone to leave the room, not knowing what was going to come of the talk. She didn't know if he was going to yell at her, cuss her out, or punch her in the face. Delilah lit a cigarette, wanting to find something to fiddle with, relaxing as the smoke filled her lungs, the anxiety leaving her body as she breathed out the smoke. Tommy had walked over to his desk, pulling out two glasses and pouring whiskey into them, sliding one over the Delilah, watching she she took a first sip. She allowed the whiskey to travel down her throat, marveling at the sting the liquid gave to her throat. Delilah peered her head up, batting her eyelashes at the man, turning on her sarcastic charm. "Did you want me to stay so we could talk or was that a code word so we could fuck?"

Tommy wasn't impressed by her question, sending the woman a glare, hiding his surprise when she didn't shudder away from him. "To talk. Nothing more."

Delilah held her arms out in front of her — cigarette in one hand and her drink in the other. "So, hurry the fuck up. I haven't got all day, not even for Thomas fuckin' Shelby."

"Well, excuse me for taking my fucking time," Tommy said. He was starting to get pussed off at the small blonde, now understanding why Polly liked the girl so much. He could tell that she was going to be able to hold her ground and he didn't know how he felt about it. "How do you show up out of bloody nowhere and know all of the shit we need to know? It doesn't make any fucking sense and you have given us no reason to trust your arse."

Delilah took a hit of her cigarette, letting his question soak in, trying to find the right words to say to make sure she wasn't going to dig herself into a deeper hole. "The reason I move here isn't something you need to know. Everyone keeps secrets, even you Tommy," she said, pointing her glass at the man. "I managed to build a reputation here, not putting up with anyones bullshit and scaring men shitless. People started telling me secrets, wanting to know something in exchange and I would tell them what they wanted. It works perfectly. I hear things I need to know about, things I don't and it works to my advantage. That's how I know about the Irish copper making his way into your territory. Don't be getting any ideas about me being on his side."

Tommy nodded his head, tossing back the rest of his drink. "You can keep your bloody secrets for now, but the second something about your past comes up, I want to know about it. If Pol is having you come into our little family, you have to be ready to share what you know," Tommy said, watching as the girl stared up at him with wide eyes. "You know anything else?" he asked.

"Not much, just that he's a bastard and will do anything to bring down your empire," Delilah breathed out. "I've heard a rumor about an Irish woman making her way into Birmingham. Couldn't tell you anything about the way she looks, just the fact that getting involved with her well put you in a bad spot." Delilah placed her empty glass down on the table, putting her cigarette out in the ashtray. She stood up, dusting off the bottom of her dress. "I have more important shit to be doing. You know where to find me."

( ...🔪... )

DELILAH HAD STAYED AT HER HOME SINCE she left the Shelby house. She wasn't doing much, looking through her journal that held all the secrets she had captured during her time in Small Heath. Delilah praised whatever higher power gave her the ability to remember everything she had been told in a day, able to write it down to keep it stored for later use. She remember her parents marveling at her brain, using it for everything that it wasn't supposed to be used for. She had been their child prodigy, tucked away for their own personal abuse, throwing what they wanted onto her. It's why Delilah chose to leave him, wanting to run as fast as she could away from them. She had managed to find a way to entertain herself to the max that night, finding little things to do around her house. She had started by cleaning the kitchen, writing herself a list of what she would need to get to stay alive the next few days.

Polishing the counters, sweeping the floors and dusting everything in sight — making it feel like perfection. Delilah had managed to tidy up the living room, pillows puffed to perfection, straightened out as they sat on her couch. Her rug had been pulled neatly in the center of the room, her books placed neatly in their case, nicknacks sitting perfectly on the coffee table in the room. She was about to clean her bathroom, only to hear a knock at her door, halting her in her steps. "Who the fuck could that be?" she asked herself, heading towards her door. Delilah opened to door to see Pol standing there with a glum look on her face making the girl pause. "What happened?"

"Arthur. He's hurt bad. Grab your nursing shit and let's get out of here," Pol said, pushing the girl into her home, trying to get her to speed up. "He may be an idiot, but he needs help and we both know Ada isn't the best nurse."

"God no. She couldn't stitch a dress together, never mind putting Arthur's arse back together," Delilah snarked, putting her bag in the crook of her elbow, following the older woman through her front door.

The two walked with rushed steps as they tried to make it to the Shelby home. Delilah didn't know what she was going to be walking into, but she knew that Arthur was going to get his ass handed to him for being so careless. Her nerves were on edge on walking back into the Shelby home, especially after her talk with Tommy. She knew that she held the power he desired, her secrets giving the man a key into the kingdom. Polly hadn't said a word the entire trip, too focused on making sure her heel doesn't end up in a crack on the street and breaking and coming up with ways to beat the shit out of Arthur. She would have to be original, coming up with something that none of those boys have seen before, but she knew that she would have to wait until he was somewhat better before attacking.

"John, wipe the blood out of his eye," Ada said, her voice flowing through the home as Polly opened the door, sidestepping to allow Delilah in.

"Since when did you give orders?" John asked. He was standing in the corner of the room, toothpick in his teeth, watching Ada with an uneasy eye.

"I'm a trained nurse."
"Don't make me laugh, it hurts my face."

"So don't laugh Arthur," Delilah snapped, placing her bag on the dining room table. "Also, Ada, darling. Please step aside, you don't know what the fuck your doing. You flunked out of your first aid training, you told me so yourself."

Tommy came barreling into the kitchen, a bottle of alcohol in his hand, a cigarette in his mouth. "Let me see him. Hmm. Well, have this." He handed Arthur the bottle, letting him take a sip before handing it to Delilah.

She raised an eyebrow at his trust at her, watching as he backed away to let her do her thing. Delilah let out a huff as she poured the alcohol over the wet rag, placing it on Arthur's head. "You went through war Arthur, you can handle a little sting."

"She has a point, Arthur," Tommy said. He watched as his brothers face screwed up in pain as the blonde wiped the cloth over his cuts.

"Shut up, the both of you," Arthur snapped. He turned towards his younger brother, placing his hand on Delilah's wrist to halt her movements. "He said Mr. Churchill sent him to Birmingham. National interest, he said. Something about a robbery. He said he wants us to help him."

"We don't help coppers," John said, rolling his eyes at the thought of helping them out. In his mind they stayed on their side of the law, never crossing it for any reason.

"He knew all about our war records. He said we're patriots, like him. He wants us to be his eyes and ears. I said — I said we'd have a family meeting and take a vote," Arthur said, watching as Tommy put his head down. "Why not? Mmm? We have no trucks with Fenians or communists. What is wrong with you? What the fuck is wrong with him lately?"

"If I knew, I'd buy the cure from Compton's chemists," Pol said, sending the man a look.

"Oh, what a rich life that would be," Delilah said, raising an eyebrow at the man, wanting to know what he was hiding from them. Knowing that she would get it out of him eventually, even if she had to get him drunk to do it.

i love the interaction between delilah and tommy already