X. The Boogeyman.

Wednesday morning the shop was sorted out and Tommy had managed to get most of the money back from the Lee family. A meeting was scheduled early With Billy Kimber and his accountant, and Maude was dreading meeting the man as she followed Tommy out of the shop and towards the car waiting out front.

Tommy knocked on the car window, catching the two men inside's attention. The door opened and the two men stepped out of the car, looking down the street in disgust. "Mr. Kimber, Mr. Roberts, come and have a look around." Tommy insisted as he made his way back towards the betting shop door, Maude following next to him as the two men followed after them. Tommy pushed open the door, letting Maude step inside before turning to Kimber and his accountant. "After you."

The two men stepped inside, looking around the busy shop. Kimber's eyes scanned over the room before turning towards Tommy and Maude, glancing between the. "Well, I thought the Lees turned you over?" He asked.

"You shouldn't listen to gossip, Mr. Kimber." Maude insisted as she shook her head, clasping her hands together in front of her as she flashed Kimber a sweet smile.

Tommy hummed in agreement as he nodded his head before walking off to his office. "This way." He insisted as Kimber and his accountant followed after Tommy with Maude right behind them.

"Business is good." The accountant, Mr. Roberts commented as he glanced back at the busy shop before stepping into Tommy's office. "Especially since now, you know which horse is going to win before you set the odds."

"Information is very much appreciated," Tommy replied with a nod of his head as he glanced between the two men.

"All right, well, where are they?" Kimber asked, a slight scowl on his face as he wanted to get business done and return back home, hating the filthy town of Birmingham and not wanting to spend a second longer than he has to.

Tommy cleared his throat, turning towards the shop on the other side of the office. "John, Lovelock, Daniel, Scudboat, in here." He called out and the four men came gathering in the office. "This is my team." He informed Kimber as he pointed at the group of men. "They will take up their pitch at your convenience, Mr. Kimber." He assured before pointing at his brother and the at Scudboat. "John is the book, Scudboat is the bag man, and of course, we bring our own protection." He said as he pointed his hand towards Lovelock and Daniel.

"And the lady?" Kimber asked as his gaze turned towards Maude, openly checking her out, eyes drifting over the curve of her breasts hidden behind the baby blue silk material of her dress, drifting down to the gentle curves of her hips.

Tommy's jaw clenched, wanting nothing more than to cut out Kimber's eyes with the razors sown into the peaked cap on top of his head. "She signs all documents as me witness and adviser," Tommy explained as he glanced over at Maude as Kimber's accountant handed her the papers of their agreement.

"Right," Kimber muttered, eyes intensely following Maude's body as she bent over Tommy's table to sign the documents. Tommy cleared his throat as he moved in front of Maude, shielding her from Kimber's view as he looked over her shoulder and observed the documents she signed, fists clenching by his side. Kimber's gaze turned back towards the rest of the men in the office. "Warwick, next Saturday, at least 50 yards from the beer tent." He instructed.

Once Maude handed back the signed paper back to the accountant, He pulled a paper from his file, handing Tommy his license before following Kimber out of the office. The group made their way out of the office, following after Tommy.

"Gentleman," Tommy called for his men's attention and Maude cleared her throat as she stood next to Polly, her arms crossed over her chest. " And ladies." He added as he pointed his hand towards the two before holding up the paper in his hand. "I have in my hand a legal betting license, issued by the Board of Control. The Shelby family has its first, legal racetrack pitch." He called out and the shop erupted into cheers as everyone laughed and clapped their hands.

Polly rushed towards Tommy, pulling him into a hug before turning to the other two Shelby brothers, taking the paper from Tommy and looking it over with excitement gleaming in her eyes.

"Congratulations, Tommy," Maude called out softly as she smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him into a sweet and warm hug.

Tommy's arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her close while everyone else was distracted with their celebration. "Couldn't have done it without you sweetheart." He said softly into her ear as he gave her body a squeeze, taking in her soft touch and sweet smell.

Maude reluctantly pulled away from Tommy, her hands resting on his shoulder as his hands slipped onto her waist. She gave him a playful grin as she stared up at him. "Remember me in your big speech when you take over the world someday."She teased.

"You reckon I could pull that off, ey?"He asked as he quirked an eyebrow at her, a grin tugging at his lips in response to her own one.

Her smile turned softly as her hands slipped away from him, and he let go of her waist. "I reckon Thomas Shelby can do anything." She replied truthfully as she reached out and gently patted his chest.

Her words made him smile. She sounded so sincere like she truly believed him. And the gentle gleam in her eyes assured him that she truly did believe in him. "Fancy joining me for a drink at the Garrison?" He asked as he raised his eyebrows, not wanting to celebrate his victory with anyone else except her.

"I do." She agreed with a nod of her head.

The two shared only one drink with their friends and family in the shop, before slipping out and heading for the Garrison. Maude made her way into the snug while Tommy went to get them a bottle of whiskey from the bar.

When Tommy entered the small room, he closed the door behind him and placed the bottle and two glasses on the table. "Maude, have you spoken with Grace again?" He asked her as he poured them each a double whiskey.

"Only here and there when I'm having a drink." She informed him as she accepted the glass he handed over to her. Her gaze followed him as he took a seat next to her, his knee brushing against her own as he spread out his thighs. "Once she realized I wasn't going to budge on telling her more information on you, she stopped being interested in chatting." She explained with a soft scoff before looking at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Why?" She asked softly.

"Arthur says she's been asking questions." He informed her as he lifted his glass to his lips where it lingered for a second before he drank his whiskey.

Maude's head tilted to the side as her eyebrows furrowed deeper. "What kind of questions?" She asked him.

"About business." He replied as he leaned forward and grabbed the bottle of whiskey, refilling his empty glass. "Where we keep things, how we transport." He continued as his gaze flicked towards the closed snug window sat by the bar.

Maude followed his gaze, staring at the window as she picked at the rim of her whiskey glass. "What do you think she is playing at?" She asked as her gaze returned to him and she quirked an eyebrow.

"I don't know." He admitted softly as he shook his head, eyes squinting as he glared at the snug window like it would reach Grace and kill her right then and there.

"Do you want me to try with her again?" She asked him as she raised her eyebrows, lifting her glass to her red lips and taking a few sips of the strong piqued.

"No." He quickly denied it as he vigorously shook his head, his stern gaze meeting hers. "Until we know what her business here is, she'll be regarded as dangerous, so you stay away from her." He warned as he pointed a finger at her. She stared at him silently for a second as her lips parted, slowly nodding her head in understanding. "Alright." She agreed softly and the two went silent as they drank their whiskey. As Tommy refilled their glasses, she stared at him. "Can I ask something?" She asked softly.

"Go ahead." He confirmed with a nod of his head as he looked over at her with eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"When will you get rid of the guns?" She asked softly, her head tilting to the side and her eyebrows furrowing. "You are finishing up business everywhere, but the most dangerous one still lingers." She insisted as she rested her arms on top of the table, toying with her whiskey glass in her hands.

"It's still too early to give the guns over." He replied as he shook his head, tongue pushing against the inside of his cheek. "Once I finish my business with Kimber, I'll finish the business with the copper." He explained.

Maude sighed softly as her gaze flicked down to her whiskey glass. "I hope it is soon." She muttered before raising her glass to her lips and downing everything.

Tommy watched her silently as he quirked an eyebrow. "Why is that?" He asked.

She sighed again as she shook her head, a deep frown tugging at her lips as she looked at him. "Because these guns give me a terrible feeling, Tommy." She admitted softly.

The following morning, the three Felton siblings were sat in their kitchen, eating breakfast together like every other morning since Maude had arrived a few months ago. She was deep into reading the morning newspaper, sipping on her tea when her brothers' conversation caught her attention.

"Did you hear, John is getting married to a Lee girl," Henry spoke up as he glanced at his brother across the table, shoving a fork full of scrambled eggs into his mouth.

Maude lowered her newspaper, watching as Daniel hummed and nodded in response, his mouth too occupied with chewing a piece of bread. She glanced at her older brother with raised eyebrows. "Does he know?" She asked curiously.

Daniel shared a look with Henry, both realizing their sister knew of the arrangement Tommy had set up for his brother. He swallowed his food and cleared his throat as he shook his head. "If he did, there wouldn't be a fucking wedding." He insisted and Henry hummed in agreement.

Maude's eyebrows furrowed as her gaze flicked down to the newspaper laying next to her plate. "It is wrong." She muttered softly.

Daniel looked back at her as his eyebrows furrowed. "What is wrong?" He asked as he took another bite of his bread, quirking an eyebrow when she looked up to meet his gaze.

"That he will have no choice on the woman he marries." She explained softly, a deep frown tugging at her lips as she raised her tea cup up to her lips, taking small sips of the warm liquid.

"He will have a choice." Henry insisted as he inhaled sharply. "He either marries the girl, or we go to war with the Lee family." He concluded as his gaze flicked towards his sister. "And we are better off having them on our side than having them as enemies." He said.

"That doesn't sound like much of a choice to me." She muttered as she shook her head, her frown deepening as her gaze fell down to the caramel-colored liquid in her soft blue cup.

"When it comes to Thomas Shelby, your choices are always limited," Daniel informed her, sharing a knowing look with his brother before turning to his sister with a sharp look in his dark eyes.

Maude stared at her brother over the rim of her cup, her eyebrows deeply furrowing. "Why are you looking at me?" She asked as her gaze slowly drifted towards Henry who stared back at her with the same sharp look as Daniel.

"You and Tommy have gotten close," Henry muttered softly as his gaze flicked down to the table, pushing around the food on his plate with his fork as he sat back in his chair, gaze slowly returning to her.

"I work for him." She muttered as she stared back at Henry with a dangerously blank look on her face, hiding all emotions from her brothers before they spiraled with their theories on her love life.

"You've been promoted almost three times since staring at the betting shop," Daniel added as he looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"At least someone sees my potential." She muttered as she shot up from her chair, taking her empty plate and cup to the sink and harshly putting them in before turning towards her brothers, gripping the edges of the sink behind her. "Just say what you boys want and get it over with." She insisted.

Daniel shot a quick glance at Henry before looking over at Maude. "What's been going on with you and Tommy?" He asked as his head tilted to the side.

"Only work." She insisted as she crossed her arms over her chest, giving them a shrug of her shoulders. "Nothing more, honestly." She said before huffing and storming out of the kitchen.

Because if anyone knew when Maude Felton was lying, it would be her brothers.

After work that afternoon, Maude went to the Garrison for a drink. Soon after, Tommy joined her in the snug, sharing a bottle of whiskey between them. Maude was smoking a cigarette as she stared down at her whiskey glass, her third one for the night.

She looked up at Tommy, taking a drag of her cigarette before speaking up. "I hear you found your brother a wife." He informed him and he hummed in response as he nodded his head. "Is she nice?" She asked as she raised her eyebrows.

"I don't know, I've not yet met her." He admitted as he finished his glass of whiskey, quickly refilling it again as Maude watched him.

"Is she at least under fifty?" She asked as she glanced at him while ashing her cigarette in a crystal ashtray on the table, before sitting back in her chair and crossing one leg over the other.

Tommy chuckled softly at her question as he nodded his head. "She's one of the younger Lee girls, so most likely." He confirmed.

"Is she at least above eighteen?" She asked as she raised her eyebrows at him.

"She's of age." He confirmed with another nod of his head. He silently finished his whiskey, pouring himself another one before turning to Maude. "I have an invitation for you." He informed her.

"Invitation to?" She asked as she took another drag of her cigarette, raising her eyebrows at Tommy.

"The wedding." He replied as he sat back in his chair, clasping his hands together in front of him as he spread out his thighs. "As my plus one." He added as he maintained eye contact with her, sharply observing her reaction.

"You want me to go to the wedding with you?" She asked as a small smile tugged at her lips, her heart fluttering within her chest as she stared at Tommy, her pupils slowly dilating the longer she stared at him.

"Yes." He confirmed before reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a white envelope with her name on it, sliding it towards her across the table. "You would be invited either way...but I was hoping you'd come with me." He said as he glanced down at the envelope in her hand.

"How can I say no when you're asking so nicely." She said softly as she smiled at him and when his gaze met hers the corners of his lips slightly tugged up in response to her own smile. Maude silently stared at him for a second, slowly shaking her head as she spoke up. "You're not at all what I was expecting at first." She admitted softly.

"What were you expecting?" He asked as he quirked an eyebrow at her, eyes following her as she leaned over the table and stubbed her cigarette out in the ashtray.

Her gaze returned to him, remembering all the stories she's heard being muttered about Thomas Shelby. "The Boogeyman. The devil. "She replied softly before shaking her head. "But I have not seen the evil everyone speaks of." She insisted.

Tommy hummed softly, slightly pouting out his lips as he slowly nodded his head. "Trust me, it's there." He admitted softly as his gaze flicked down to his whiskey glass.

Maude was silent, staring at him for a second as she took in his words. She bit down on her bottom lip as she nodded her head. "I'll come with you." She confirmed, against the sane side of her that screamed at her to run, for the man had just confirmed that he was dangerous.

Tommy nodded, while his face remained stoic, a gleam of happiness slipped into his deep blue eyes. Every day he was getting closer to what he wanted so badly. To her. He cleared his throat as he reached into his coat again and pulled out another envelope. "I need you to do me a favor." He said.

"What is that?" She asked as she quirked a questioning eyebrow at him.

"I need you to give my sister an invention. "He replied as he held up the envelope before handing it to her, Ada's name written on the front.

"Why not give it yourself?" She asked as she took the envelope, staring at it for a second before looking up at Tommy with furrowed eyebrows.

"She's not currently speaking with me." He replied as he sighed softly, running a frustrated hand over his face before grabbing his whiskey glass and finishing the last of his drink. "And she's hiding from my family." He muttered as he set the glass down with a harsh thud.

"You think she'll open her door to me?" Maude asked, raising her eyebrows as she put both envelopes in her purse for safekeeping.

"Maybe." He replied as he pulled his cigarettes from his pocket, lighting one and taking a drag before he spoke again. "It's worth a try." He insisted with a shrug of his shoulders. "Just tell her, there will be a truce."

"You still want to kill her husband?" Maude asked, quirking an eyebrow as her head ever so slightly tilted to the side, and when Tommy's harsh gaze silently flicked towards her, she hummed and nodded her head. "Right." She muttered as she pursed her lips.

The following morning, Maude stopped by Ada's tiny apartment that she shared with her new husband, Freddie. She was hesitant to knock on the door, not wanting to get involved in any family drama when she always had enough of her own to keep her occupied.

Her knock was soft as she called out. "Ada?"

Someone scuffled around inside before the door creaked open, and Ada Shelby poked her head out. "Hello." She greeted politely as she stared at the girl she recognized from around town. "It's Maude, right?" She asked as her eyebrows furrowed questioningly.

"Yes, Henry and Daniel's sister," Maude confirmed with a nod of her head, her gaze flicking towards the man, Freddie Thorn, standing a few feet behind Ada. "I hope I am not bothering you." She said softly as her gaze returned to Ada.

"Not at all," Ada assured, shooting Freddie an annoyed look over her shoulder before slipping out of the apartment and closing the door behind her, arms crossing over her swollen stomach. "I assume my brother send you?" She asked as she quirked a knowing eyebrow.

"He did," Maude confirmed with a nod of her head as she held the white envelope with Ada's name on it, out to her. "He wants me to give you this invention." She informed her.

Ada's eyebrows knitted together as she stared down at the envelope for a second before hesitantly taking it. "Invitation to what?" She asked, eyeing the envelope but not opening it, not sure what surprises her brother has left for her inside.

"John's wedding," Maude revealed and Ada's eyes widened as her gaze flicked up to look at the dark-haired woman. "He says there will be a truce, no talk of war or murder." Maude continued as she clasped her hands together in front of her.

Ada was silent for a second, her eyebrows deeply furrowing. "I'll see if I'll show up." She muttered softly, before returning to her apartment with a soft goodbye to Maude.