Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Peaky Blinder's characters, only the ones I have created.

CHAPTER 4

Small Heath was awful during the day, so you can imagine what it was like during the night.

Drunks staggered passed me on the streets probably seconds away from collapsing on the ground or puking their guts out.

I lit a cigarette and stopped at one corner, sticking one hand in my coat as it was chilly outside.

My eyes felt heavy and I knew I had to go to bed, but images of Daniel's face when that waitress had walked in occupied my mind.

Grace, was her name.

Was the universe playing some kind of sick game with me? Everywhere we went, we were reminded of Alice somehow.

Photos of her mangled body flashed behind my eyes and I took another drag fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

"Is it the war keeping you up?" a low voice suddenly asked.

I turned sharply around and saw Thomas Shelby hovering nearby – a cigarette dangling between his lips, cap pulled low over his head.

"No," I answered truthfully. "The war doesn't bother me as much as it used to."

Something flashed in his blue eyes. Pain, jealousy? It was gone before I could take a better look.

My eyes dropped to the dark shadows underneath his eyes.

"I gather it is what keeps you up at night, however?" I said, giving him a nod.

"You look like you haven't slept in days."

He didn't say anything, but stepped closer, leaning against the stone wall beside me. His eyes swept over my face.

I saw him take in the unshed tears in my eyes, the exhaustion on my face, but he didn't comment on it.

"We all have our demons at night, Ms. Kelly. It doesn't stop me from doing business during the day," he said as if it was that simple.

"Neither does it with me," I retorted.

His jaw tightened and curiosity lit up his face.

"What business is it that you have here then, Ms. Kelly?"

His gaze was unwavering and his eyes darkened with something I didn't recognize.

Had he been standing this close from the beginning? I could almost count the small flecks of grey in his blue eyes.

"From the moment you stepped into my betting shop, I've been trying to figure you out," he told me, his eyes never leaving mine.

"One day you and your brother just arrived here in Small Heath where, mind you, no one ever comes, and you just decided to take a gamble, here of all places, under the pretence of needing money for the rest of your trip."

He started to sound agitated, his eyes were intense and they burned a hole into mine.

I opened my mouth to answer when he said:

"You don't need money, Ms. Kelly. You only placed a bet at the Kempton races so you'd have a reason for being 'ere."

I raised an eyebrow at that and he scoffed: "Anyone can tell by taking one look at you and your brother that you have enough coins in your pockets."

I pursed my lips, wondering if we truly looked that way.

"So, I've been racking my brain as to why you're really here. Is it my family?"

I remained quiet, unable to look away.

"You seemed very interested in our business from the start, batting your pretty eyes at my brothers and asking innocent questions about our business with Billy Kimber."

He took another step closer, lowering his face so that it was level to mine. I could feel his breath fanning my face.

"And that's when I realized it's not us you're interested in, but him. Small Heath is right at the edge of his jurisdiction and too small of a blind spot for anyone to notice."

For a moment I was worried the intensity of his gaze would burn me.

I pulled my eyes off his to land them on two men staggering by. It was a relief to be released from his gaze momentarily.

They had their arms around each other's shoulders and were singing a cheery song loudly and it was obvious they were both absolutely wasted.

I waited a second, debating on what to say and avoiding his burning stare that made my legs feel like jelly.

I took a deep breath and met his eyes again.

"Mr. Shelby, you're planning on doing business with Billy Kimber, aren't you?" I asked, not quite acknowledging that he was right.

He smiled faintly and dropped his eyes to the cigarette in his hand before flicking the ash off.

"You're a clever woman, Ms. Kelly," he said, his voice sounded gravelly from the many whiskey's I'd seen him drink this evening.

"I'd be lying if I told you I didn't know Kimber was gonna come for us when I fixed that race with Monaghan Boy. And when he does come, I plan on making a deal with him."

It surprised me how honest and straightforward he was being with me and felt a little guilty for keeping him in the dark.

I decided to give him part of the truth. I flung a lock of hair back from my face - his eyes following the movement like a cat did with its prey.

"You're right, I am interested in Billy Kimber. What if I told you, I was planning on striking up some sort of deal with him as well?"

A deal that involved a bullet in his head.

He was quiet for a bit and I could almost see the wheels spinning in his head.

I could tell that he knew I was still not telling him the whole truth, but he didn't pressure me for more.

Instead, he smiled and he placed his cigarette between his lips before holding out his hand.

"In that case, maybe we can help each other in getting his attention, Ms. Kelly."

I smiled too and flicked away my cigarette to the street. I took his hand.

"Maybe we can, Mr. Shelby."

~.~.~.~

"What happened with those, Harry?" I asked, coming down the next day and seeing some broken tables and chairs stacked in one corner.

The owner of the pub sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Ah, it's just that some people have a hard time getting the smoke and the mud out of their 'eads from the war, Ms. Kelly."

I raised an eyebrow. "I think anyone who's been to war has a hard time dealing with it, Harry."

Harry ducked to grab two empty mugs and went to fill them with ale. "I agree, but not everyone has episodes thinking that they're still at war like Danny Whizz-Bang did."

I simply nodded at that before he got out from behind the bar to bring the ale to two gentlemen.

I stood at the bar, drumming my fingers against the wood.

I didn't know who Danny Whizz-Bang was but understood what Harry was saying.

Sometimes when Daniel woke up from a nightmare, I had a hard time convincing him we had left France too.

"Can I get you anything?" a woman asked in an Irish accent. It was the waitress. Grace.

Unlike the night before when I had been drinking and it was dark, I could now see her face more clearly and thought she didn't look as much as Alice as I had originally thought.

Alice had the same blonde curls, but her face had had a softer look than this waitress.

I forced a smile on my face and sat down at one of the stools at the bar.

"Glass of water, please."

She nodded and when she had placed a glass in front of me, she bit her lip as if there was more she wanted to ask. She tried to scholar her features into an innocent look.

"You were with the Shelby's last night," she stated, trying to make it sound casual. I blinked.

Her cheeks flushed a little red. "I mean, I was just curious. Are you here to do business with them?"

Why did she care?

"I'm in the means of negotiating business with the Shelby's," I merely said.

She opened her mouth to answer, but at that moment the doors of the pub opened and Thomas Shelby barged it.

Speaking of the devil.

Without sparing me a glance, he nodded at Grace.

"I need a bottle o' rum."

Harry who had been watching from the other side of the room, quickly scurried over. He whispered something in Grace's ear and I bent a little closer to catch the words.

"Grace, whatever it is, it's on the 'ouse."

Grace looked a little startled, but didn't question it.

"A whole bottle?" she asked Thomas who nodded.

"White or dark rum?" She asked.

"Don't care." I glanced sideways at the Shelby brother. He looked a little dishevelled - he didn't have his cap on and his dark hair which was longer at the top stood a little upright.

Grace handed him the bottle. "Harry says it's on the house," she told him. Thomas paused for a second with the bottle in his hand and looked her over.

"Are you a whore?"

I choked on the sip of water I took and it's only then that Thomas noticed me.

"You can't ask a lady that, Mr. Shelby." His blue eyes flickered from Grace to me and he looked a little amused.

Grace pressed her lips together at the question and annoyance was written all over her face.

"Y'er gonna drink that whole bottle by yourself?" I asked with my eyes staring straight ahead. I took another sip of my water, trying not to spit it out this time.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw him move closer placing the bottle on the bar for a moment.

Grace had walked off to help another customer.

With him drafted over the scent of smoke and something else, something that I noticed before belonged to Thomas Shelby, it smelled of spices and whiskey.

I could get addicted to this scent. I tried not to sniff too loudly.

"Why? Are you offering to join me?" His voice was husky and I smiled, still not meeting his eyes and liking this game we were playing.

"Maybe next time if the bottle is more expensive and if it's whiskey instead."

As if remembering why he was here, he took the bottle again and stepped back.

"Well, it's not for drinking tonight, Ms. Kelly. It's actually for my brother."

I processed his words and finally turned in my seat, meeting his eyes. "Which one? Is he alright?"

"He will be," He took another step back towards the door before stopping again.

"Actually, you might be of help, Ms. Kelly, you still remember your nurse training?"

I nodded, all thoughts of the game we were playing forgotten and stood up.

"Let me get my bag."

I was halfway up the stairs when Thomas yelled from downstairs: "Come to Watery Lane, Ms. Kelly!"

A/N:

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