i. old friends

It was the brink of January when Katherine had first received a letter from her old friend and business associate, Alfie Solomons. The letter itself had contained a mess of jumbled words that only Alfie could manage to string together in such a way as to leave the reader more confused than when they had first started.

Due to this—unique—ability of his, It had taken Katherine quite some time to decipher the words he had scrawled across the worn sheet of paper. It had been a proposition, made in seemingly good faith, but it had felt more like an insistence. A command.

She had shaken her head at that but continued nonetheless to reread the last half of the letter. The part that insisted that she should take a break from her monotonous duties in New York and sail out to London to visit his brewery in Camden Town.

Katherine, at first, had been hesitant to take him up on his offer. For she knew that his words rarely ever held kindness and consideration as their founding. No. Anything this man offered would always have an underlying angle that would, in some way, benefit him. So it had been with a deep resounding sigh that she inquired after the actual reasoning behind his recent letters to her.

Nearly a week would pass before she would receive Alfie's final letter. Its contents indulged her curiosity as it described his newfound partnership with a gang leader from the city of Birmingham. A Mr. Thomas Shelby of Birmingham, to be exact. His two-page letter went on to explain further that Mr. Shelby had been flirting with the prospect of expanding to the Americas.

Katherine could tell from the excitement that bled through his heavily inked words that Alfie had seen the possibility in this endeavor and had wanted to pursue it. And since Katherine was the only reliable contact he had in America, he had wanted to her help with the expansion.

While she still maintained some of her reservations, she ultimately relented to Alfie's wishes and boarded the nearest boat for London. Not even bothering to send a letter of her compliance. Her presence would be confirmation enough when she arrived.

However, her lack of a return letter left Alfie unprepared for her visit. Thus leading to her current predicament of being held at gunpoint in the lower portion of his distillery.

Katherine, in a show of peace, held her hands up at her sides but kept her stance dignified and unthreatened by their attempts to instill fear. She had been held at gunpoint plenty of times in her life. So the shock of a gun aimed at her head was non-existent at this point.

The only question she had on her mind was how long it was going to take for Alfie to get informed of her arrival. She didn't want to be at the mercy of these trigger-happy gentlemen for much longer.

Another minute passed before Katherine was fed up with waiting. The term 'Fuck it' crossing her mind as she opened her mouth to speak. But the words died on her lips when one of the men from earlier came into view. Upon first glance, Katherine had thought the man's return to be leisurely and unconcerned, but further inspection of his persons revealed that he was noticeably frazzled and uneasy. Good. It meant that he had informed Alfie of her presence.

The man came to stand beside the two gentlemen who's guns were still trained at Katherine's head. Their eyes never left her as the man began to speak, his Irish inflection thick, but clear: "Lower your guns, boys. She's with us."

Only at the man's word did the other two gangsters lower their weapons. The one who had spoken—a man with dark brown hair and sparkling green eyes—took a step forward. His body now placed directly in front of her in an attempt to ease her mind. It was a useless gesture that she found to be somewhat entertaining in a painfully ironic way.

The man then offered his hand in greeting, "We're sorry for the confusion Miss—"

"Moran," Katherine provided with ease as she took his hand into her own. "Katherine Moran."

"Well, Miss Moran. We were not made aware of yer arrival to Camden Town."

"Yes, well, my departure was sudden. Too sudden for any prior warnings."

The man gave a curt nod in reply as he turned to face the aisle he had just emerged from, "This way, please."

Katherine followed the green-eyed Irishman without question. Her mind consumed with thoughts of Alfie and the inconvenience she must have caused him with her 'unexpected' arrival. However, she speculated that her arrival was far from unexpected in Alfie's mind. To him, her lack of a reply was a reply in and of itself. With any luck, he believed it to be her acceptance and not her decline.

The two of them soon came to a large oaken door, which had its upper half partially hollowed out with glass. Through the thin pane, Katherine could see Alfie's burly form hunched over at his desk as he flicked through an assortment of papers.

A small smile tugged at Katherine's lips. It had in fact been too long since she had last seen the eccentric Jew. His ruthless and unpredictable ways were off-putting to most. But to Katherine, they were simply the traits that made Alfie Solomons who he was: a damn good businessman.

Katherine's pale eyes were brought back to the Irishman as he proceeded to open the door with a slight bow. Katherine tilted her head in thanks before stepping into Alfie's office.

Alfie's eyes remained trained on the parchment clutched in his hand as Katherine sauntered up to his desk. With a strange sense of familiarity, she seated herself on the lone chair before his desk, her elbows casually propped on either armrest.

For a moment, silence passed between them, neither quite interested in starting a dull and clunky conversation that would undoubtedly begin with 'how have you been?'

Katherine loosely intertwined her fingers, "I accepted your invitation." Why bother with pleasantries when you've known the other for years?

A grin split Alfie's once stoic features, making the now thirty-six-year-old look years younger. It pleased Katherine to know that Alfie was still capable of smiling. And the smile suited him, even if it did appear to conceal a dastardly plan.

"Aye, mate, you did," Alfie concurred as he slumped back in his chair. "Got my men real worked up you did."

Katherine shrugged, "I like to make an entrance."

Mimicking Katherine's position on the chair, Alfie laced his fingers together, his face falling into a far more natural unreadable state.

"Now that you're here; our dinner reservations with Mr. Shelby can proceed."

"Dinner reservations? I thought you were more the type to have back-alley meetings. Not dinner dates."

Alfie groaned. "It wasn't my idea."

"Yet you went along with it?"

"It makes him feel more at ease since it's somewhere he's familiar with," Alfie said with a vague gesture of his hands.

"Ah," Katherine nodded, "Makes sense."

Crossing one leg over the other, Katherine waited a baited breath before approaching the subject she truly wished to discuss. "In your letter," Katherine broached in a leisurely manner, "You mentioned that Mr. Shelby had wanted to expand his reach to the Americas. Why, exactly, does he wish to do that?"

If Katherine had been waiting for Alfie to react in some negative way to her question, she was going to be sorely mistaken. For the only reaction he gave was that of a few half-hearted scratches to his beard.

"Fuck if I know, Katie. The fucker likes to keep his cards close to him."

Katherine hummed. She didn't fully believe her friend's words, but she was in no place to question his integrity. So in an attempt to shift the conversation, she asked the first question that came to mind: "Do you have the time?"

Alfie was stalk still; his chin cushioned on the knuckles of his right hand as his dark eyes bore into her own, daring her to voice the accusation that lay at the tip of her tongue.

And she was tempted to take the bait and unleash her doubts upon him. But in her current state, she didn't quite measure up to the mental capacity it would take to spar with him. She would have to forgo this battle for another day.

Katherine shifted in her seat, her head tilting to the side in a show of temporary submission. And when she spoke, it was low, soft like silken sheets, "Alfie, what time is it?"

The corner of Alfie's lips ticked up; his earlier assertion of dominance was now forgotten and replaced by a sense of carefree jovialness. Without looking, he reached into the pocket of his waistcoat and pulled out a bronze pocketwatch. He barely glanced at the damnable contraption before answering, "Tis half past the setting sun."

"English, Alfie. Please."

Alfie let out an exasperated sigh. "What the fuck happened to you, Katie? You used to be fuckin' fun," he grouched. "It's 5:30."

"Thank you."

"Why, exactly, do you wish to know?" He ventured, "It's not as if you're here to see anyone else. Now, are you?"

Katherine smiled, her palms now pressed together atop her propped up knee, "No. No, just wanted to know so I could plan my evening accordingly."

"Yes, well, I'm afraid to say that your evening has now been spoken for, Katie."

Katherine's eyes narrowed as she arched a perfectly manicured brow. She wanted to question him. But assumed that he would tell her soon enough.

Rising from his seat, Alfie looked down at her, a smirk teasing his lips as he spoke, "Me and you, yeah? Are going to take a nice leisurely drive to the heart of London and have a quaint little dinner with the one and only, Thomas Shelby."

Katherine could only sigh. Not only had he been expecting her; he had also anticipated the date of her arrival. Sometimes, she thought, the unorthodox Jew was psychic. Or, perhaps, she was just that easy to read. Neither option sat well with her.

While Katherine's mind volleyed with the possibility of her weakness, Alfie reached for his coat and wide-brimmed black hat. When he was ready, he came to stand beside her, snapping his fingers to draw her attention when she refused to meet his gaze.

Katherine blinked at the gesture but gave no real indication of annoyance as she returned his gaze. It was then, she noticed, that he had offered her one of his large, calloused hands.

She took it without hesitation.

The car ride to the restaurant was silent, peaceful, save for the occasional comment that Alfie would toss to her and their driver. But they were few and far between and comprised of mostly sardonic commentary.

Katherine was both thankful and fearful of Alfie's blessed silence. He wasn't typically the type to stay quiet for long. Which only added another notch to her belt of suspicion.

What was he keeping from her?

That single question ran on a consistent loop in her mind, leaving her cautious and on edge. It was then that the car finally came to a subtle stop. Katherine took in the surrounds from her window; noting the individual shops that lined the street. Her eyes also befell a quaint little restaurant, that she could assume was their scheduled meeting place with Mr. Shelby.

The building was simple and to the point. Katherine found herself liking the place without even having eaten there yet.

"Ready to meet our date, bubbala?" Alfie asked with a hint of humor.

Katherine glanced over at him, "Of course."

Their driver got out of his seat and walked to Katherine's side of the vehicle. The man opened the door with a bow as he offered her his hand.

Katherine took his hand with a soft, yet audible, "Thank you."

The man merely touched the brim of his hat in acknowledgment as she stepped from the running board. He then moved to the other side of the car to let Alfie out.

Alfie took a deep breath, "Ah! Nothing like the smell of stale piss and blood!"

"Eloquent, Alfie."

The only reply Katherine received was a barely noticeable shrug. Katherine sighed yet again as she placed her hand on the inner part of Alfie's proffered forearm.

Fully aware that they were here on business, the two made sure to exuded nothing but dignity and businesslike eloquence when they entered the restaurant.

While Alfie told the maître d' of their reservations, Katherine let her eyes drift across the many faces that sat just beyond them. None she recognized, but some she would remember in some shape or form. She also noticed that many of them had far outdressed herself and Alfie.

But that—of course—did not affect her current companion. Oh, no. When it came to outward displays of dominance, Alfie was the undefeated champ. And he would love nothing more than to inflict it upon an audience of pretentious snobs.

God, she hoped this meeting went well. The last time she was privy to one of his little power trips she had gotten shot in the shoulder. Not an experience she wished to relive.

With that thought, Katherine once again regarded the maître d' as he turned on his heel to lead them to their table. Katherine skirted past several occupied tables before coming face-to-face with Alfie's newest associate, who had risen upon their arrival.

At first glance, Katherine had thought him to be death merely clothed in human flesh. With pale skin, angular cheeks, and eyes that shone with such brilliance, they could pierce the soul of whomever they chose. And despite being shorter than the man at her side; he stood tall. His stature was lean, yet imposing in the way that he emanated sophistication and deadly promise.

He was beautiful, she thought. Beautiful like the devil and probably just as deadly.

Ensnared by her musings, Katherine nearly failed to notice the man's crystalline gaze set upon her. He said nothing. But then again; he didn't need to. His eyes spoke for him as they made a blatant sweep of her form. He was sizing her up. In what way; she couldn't be sure. All she knew was that she felt bare beneath his gaze. Vulnerable.

Thankfully, Alfie took mercy on Katherine and broke the encompassing silence. "Mate, this is the associate I was telling you about," he said gesturing to her with his free hand, "The one from America."

Katherine offered the man a friendly smile as he took a casual step toward her, his hand extended in greeting. "Ah, yes. Mr. Solomons has told me a fair deal about you."

With an airy laugh, Katherine removed her hand from Alfie's arm and returned the greeting, her grip gentle yet firm. "For some reason, that doesn't quite surprise me."

Alfie grunted. A sound that was somewhere between disapproval and acknowledgment.

Katherine purposefully ignored the disgruntled fellow beside her. Her blue-green focus set solely on the fathomless depths before her. "I'm Katherine by the way; Katherine Moran."

For a split second, a smile flitted across the handsome devil's face, "Nice to finally make your acquaintance, Miss Moran. My name is Shelby, Thomas Shelby."