"I'm sorry, Mr. Shelby, but I don't see you on Mr. Solomons' list for this morning." One of 'em Jews looked through his papers outside of the distillery.
Tommy only gave him a 'are you fuckin' kidding me' look, while John pulled out a gun towards the young man and whispered, "Check again."
"John." Tommy gave him a warning look and pulled his arm down. The younger of the three Shelbys was always getting down to business without thinking.
Tommy often admired his spirit, but as always, he had to act as the brain of the situation in order to get anywhere with this gang of Jews.
Alfie Solomons didn't have a list of people he was expecting that day, he didn't have a schedule and he rarely sent out invites.
What this lad wanted to hear was the proposition itself, or a little taste of something that would make the great Alfie Solomons want to see him. Tommy admired Alfie for his cleverness but he sure had a way of making his enemies and even his potential allies annoyed.
Calmly, Tommy stepped in front of Arthur and John and told the Jew, "Tell Alfie to stop fuckin' around and that Tommy Shelby is prepared to give him fifty percent of Shelby Company Limited, instead of the thirty-five he already owns, in exchange for a favor. If he is not out here in five minutes in person, the deal is off."
Both Arthur and John gaped at Tommy when they realized what their brother was doing. The Jew's eyes widened, rushing inside without saying anything more to them.
Most likely, he was going to inform Alfie of the offer.
"What're you talking about?" John hissed when they were finally alone, clearly upset that Tommy would make such a decision without consulting the rest of the family, or at least his two brothers.
They had divided the shares equally between the three of them.
"Yea, Tom. You can't just do that. We ain't…" Arthur was prepared to raise his voice out on the street.
"Calm down, eh? I'm not giving away half the business. I am using this as bait to get Alfie out here. And he will bite out of curiosity. He knows I would never settle for half the business."
"Why would he get out here if he knows yer lying?" John asked him, his hand rubbing at the back of his neck, in confusion. He could admit that his head was not in the game right now, not even to attempt to figure out what Tommy was thinking when he made that move.
The young barmaid's rejection made him unnerved and somewhat afraid for the next time he would see her. And he would see her at the Garrison soon.
Hopefully, she wouldn't tell Jeremiah or Arthur about what happened the other night. Word would eventually reach Tommy and even Esme. He didn't need his attraction for the girl ruining his chances at defeating the wops.
The moment Esme finds out about her, he wouldn't have any peace in the fuckin' house…or anywhere. And as for Tommy…he would pull him out of the game for sure. Not to mention make him deal with the disgraced Lee boys all on his own.
Emily Wright…American. She revealed to him something she ain't told anyone since she arrived. She confided in him. Why reject him, then? He offered her his family's protection.
She could be a little fuckin' grateful. That's what he would tell her next time he sees her. She would be his…one way or another!
"John!" Tommy called out, a little louder than before. John suddenly realized that his had been rubbing his forehead and his eyes while deep in thought about the barmaid, not present in the current discussion between his brothers.
Turning his head away so as to not look as embarrassed as he felt, John rubbed at her ear, trying to get through the conversation.
"Yea, yea…whatever Arthur said." He mumbled and turned to look at the front doors of the distillery. They were slowly opening and the Shelby brothers got into position.
Alfie Solomons made his way out the door, the young Jew following behind, with a notepad in his hands.
He was rubbing his beard and a smirk played on his lips when he saw the brothers. Tommy positioned his peaky cap on right and nodded towards the leader of the Jew gang.
"Alfie. Glad to see you being hospitable." He nodded in acknowledgement of his appearance. Arthur and John, stood by his brother as the two pillars of strength that they were.
"Tommy! My good friend! How's about we take this inside, mate?" Alfie held out his hands and turned around, opening the doors and entering back to safety, not even bothering to see if the Shelby brothers were following.
When they were finally inside, in his so-called office, Tommy took a seat in front of Alfie's desk. Arthur and John have decided to stand, right behind him.
Alfie took off his coat while saying, "So…fifty percent of yer business? You didn't really think I would fall for a trick like that, did ya, mate?"
"You didn't give me much of a choice. And I don't have time to play games. I am ready to do business. And I do have something to offer…but more for the long run." Tommy explained, while lighting himself a cigarette.
Alfie fisted his hands and placed them to his lips in thought, and then started pointing with one index finger to the table.
"Is that right? Well, I'm sorry Tommy but I need a clear offer on this fuckin' table if you expect me to mellow in your shit problems again. The last time…"
"Last time you fucked me over, Alfie. You fucked me over." Tommy whispered, blowing out smoke from his cigarette, silencing him for a moment.
John smirked but said nothing, as was expected. Arthur looked like he was ready to beat the shit out of the Jew at any second, still not very forgiving for the way he betrayed them.
Tommy continued and pointed his cigarette at his bearded friend slash opponent.
"You fucked me over and then…when Sabini turned his back on you, as expected, you turned back to me. And you still had the balls to ask me for thirty-five percent of my hard-earned legitimate business. I know we do not hold honor in such high regard as the Italians in this business…but you need to be a little reasonable here, Alfie. You owe me. And I am still prepared to offer you something for your help."
Alfie scratched his head under his hat and said, "Alright…yeah…let's say I fuckin' owe you, friend. But what's in it for me? Not fifty percent of the business, you made that fuckin' clear."
"I hear you want your rum imported in America…I can promise to make that happen." Tommy offered, making both Arthur and John turn their heads to look at each other in confusion. Once again, they had no idea what Tommy was planning.
"And when can you promise to make that happen? In two…five…ten fuckin' years, mate?" Alfie asked, the sarcasm oozing out of him.
"As soon as the Italian business is finished. As soon as Luca Changretta is dead." Tommy responded.
Alfie shook his head and put his head in his hands, "Yer gonna have to be more specific, Tommy. Right now, you're sitting here before me like a fuckin' pigeon, mate. Yer waitin' for wha'? A handout from a good friend?"
"I can't enter into details. All I can say is that Luca Changretta is head of a legitimate business and he handles all the imported rum in New York."
"Then I'll be sure to enter into business with him as soon as he gets here." Alfie responded, making it clear to Tommy that he didn't need to bother to enter into details about what he wanted.
Alfie already had all the information from necessary sources that the Shelbys were at war with the Changretta family. Alfie Solomons didn't want to get involved, necessarily. But he would for the right price. And maybe this time, Tommy Shelby hadn't enough to offer.
"Yer sure askin' for it, lad." Arthur warned and stepped forwards, alerting all the Jews in the room, who stood on their feet, prepared to protect their boss.
Tommy, instead, put his hand out to Arthur, stopping him in his tracks.
"You could do that, Alfie. Strike a deal with Changretta for a limited number of rum bottles imported in New York. Or…you could wait until he's dead…help out even…and with the help of another Mafia head, you could have your rum imported in New York and Chicago, and potentially other states."
Tommy finally had Alfie right where he wanted him. He was interested in such an offer, but still needed a little push forward.
"And who are you planning on dragging into your business to make that happen, mate?"
Letting out a final puff of smoke, Tommy dropped the cigarette and stepped on it in a crude way, before telling him the two words which surprised even his own brothers.
"Alphonse Capone."
…
No one in the hotel would have expected that the woman walking around the halls in a hurry was a former Russian duchess.
Tatiana decided to keep her hair down so as to avoid questions about her appearance and before she left the room in a hurry, she found one of Changretta's coats and put it on to hide her ripped clothes. She also needed a good place to stash her gun.
The escape has been somewhat easy. Only one young Italian waiting on her, and she was able to tackle him without much effort. It was making her feel uneasy…that maybe this wasn't the grand escape she was hoping for.
Nevertheless, whether this was a pure accident at the fault of the Italians or a trap, Tatiana knew what she needed to do. She needed to find a doctor here in London, who would help her get rid of her baby.
Since she didn't have anything to bargain with except her natural good looks, Tatiana realized that she would have no choice but threaten the use of her newly acquired gun.
The baby was what was tying her to the Shelbys. The baby got her kidnapped and held hostage for this long. As soon as she got rid of it, the Mafia would no longer be at her heels. There would be no point. She had nothing else that Tommy Shelby wanted.
Her heart was beating inside her chest as she left the expensive hotel and started walking on the streets in a way that did not attract much attention to herself.
Even though she had been well fed during her capture in order to nourish the baby these bastards needed to keep the great Thomas Shelby in line, she was still tired, three-months pregnant and didn't exactly know where she was heading.
The best place she could go to for the moment would be a hospital. But Tatiana realized that the public hospitals would be the first places where they would look.
Trying to get lost through the crowds, Tatiana asked around some people for the train station. Maybe the best solution for her would be to get out of London immediately.
Where, she didn't know. She hadn't been anywhere but in London during her representation of the White Movement here in England.
At the train station, there were plenty of places to choose from. But how would she pay for a ticket?
Looking around and seeing coppers lurking about, Tatiana realized that pulling out a gun at the register might not be a good idea, so she decided she would use her charm to get herself a free ticket to…where? Where could she go?
Her fingers trembled a little as she placed them on her lips and closed her eyes. She was tired, not cold, despite the November weather. She thought about just randomly choosing a city, but that would be absurd. Where could she go? What could she do all on her own?
Looking down, she grazed her other hand over her baby and whispered, "What am I going to do with you, detka?"
Terminating the pregnancy all on her own did cross her mind. But it would be too painful for her to handle on her own. Time was running out. What could she do?
She thought about Tommy…maybe he really was her only chance at survival. And she knew where he was. Birmingham.
Taking a deep breath, Tatiana realized she made her choice. She would go to Birmingham. Once she got there, away from London's troubles, she would figure out what to do with the baby.
Keeping her gun hidden, Tatiana used her charm and the bruises on her face in order to be convincing enough to get herself a ticket to Birmingham.
But as soon as she got her hands on the ticket, a hand grabbed her wrist firmly, pulling her back. Letting out a gasp, Tatiana turned around, only to come face to face with Luca Changretta.
The sly mob leader used his other hand to grab a fistful of her hair and whisper, "I see you have your ticket, bella. Good girl…that is exactly where we are heading."
…
"Yer a genius, Tommy! He fuckin' fell for it! You doin' business with Alphonse Capone." Arthur hissed out a laugh, patting his younger brother on the back.
"He wasn't tricked, Arthur. I am planning on doing business with Alphonse Capone when the time is right. Now that Alfie knows that, I think he is starting to understand why it would benefit him to do business with me and not with Changretta." Tommy explained, as the three brothers were heading to the Garrison that night, all dressed in their usual suits and razor blades intact in their caps.
John did not say a word, as he staggered alongside his brothers.
He was partially annoyed that he was being left out of Tommy's secret plans once again and partially nervous at seeing the barmaid, after accepting her rejection the night before.
Tommy sensed his younger brother's silence and turned to look at him for a moment. John continued to ignore him, as they walked through the door to the pub, and took off their caps. Jeremiah was waving at them from behind the counter.
Emily could not be seen for the moment, and John was eternally grateful. He didn't know whether he would start treating her like shit or continue to make advancements towards her.
Ordering three whiskies, Tommy, Arthur and John headed at their private table.
"I have been given information…that Luca Changretta and his men have left London. No doubt they are heading here." Tommy whispered, as he pulled out a cigarette, ready to light it.
Jeremiah entered and brought over their drinks, explaining that Emily was running late tonight, needing to deal with some personal problems.
"You tell her that ain't how my pub works! She don't come to work, she don't get paid!" Arthur insisted, with a pointed finger. John opened his mouth to say something to that but Jeremiah cut him off.
"Alright, Arthur. But she's the only barmaid I have. I need her here. I don't want her to leave."
"Ah…a whore would accept half pay to work here. You just remind her." Arthur responded, swatting away at Jeremiah, as he left them.
"A little harsh, eh Arthur?" Tommy took a swig of his whisky before returning to his smoking. John himself pulled out a thick cigar and lit it.
"My pub, my rules, Tommy. The Garrison gives us a big profit. I need good workin' people. Not women who don' know what's good for 'em." Arthur responded, as he already finished his drink.
Silence followed. John was deep in thought as he smoked his cigar, and Arthur took advantage of that to steal his whisky.
Tommy cleared his throat and whispered, "They'll be here by morning. We got Aberama Gold on board. Michael is handling business with Bonnie. Alfie Solomons…has agreed to work with us."
"Ya still trust 'im?" John mumbled.
Tommy leaned over the table, closer to his brother and said, "Yeah…I do, John. Because right now, when our survival is stake, trust is important. And I know who to trust this time. Alfie Solomons, yes. Them Lee brothers…no."
John's frown was proceeded by, "What are you fuckin' talking about?"
"I sent word to Johnny Dogs to assemble the Lees for tomorrow. I got no response. That is never a good sign, brother. That is why I need to know what you and Esme have discussed."
"We discussed nothin'. She's busy with the kids and hating me for getting back in business with you." John responded, rubbing his forehead.
Sighing, Tommy looked over his brother and shook his head, almost in disappointment.
"Something happened with that barmaid, didn't it? Esme found out…"
"She knows nothing!" John argued, a little too loudly.
"Ah…so you confirm that something did happen with…Emily Wright, is it?" Tommy asked and looked at Arthur for confirmation on her name, who nodded in response, but his eyes were firmly lain on John.
Before John could respond, there was a young woman's scream which could be heard from outside their private room. Some chairs could be heard being thrown around there.
The three brothers looked at each other for a moment, before standing up and pulling out their revolvers. Tommy stepped in front, Arthur behind him and John at the back, as they slowly opened the door to reveal an old war veteran going mad and attacking Emily.
No one was helping her. They were all watching the scene and Jeremiah was nowhere in sight to stop the racket. Before Tommy could instruct his brothers on the proper precautions, John had pushed past him and Arthur and headed straight for the mad man.
Just like Danny, this man was clearly experiencing traumatic events from the war…even if six years had passed since the end of it.
Emily was on the floor, some blood on her cheek, her eyes wide in shock and her apron had been ripped to shreds, as she tried to get away by crawling.
All the other men had backed away from the scene when they saw the Shelby brothers approaching.
John put away his revolver, knowing that there was no point in shooting this man and dogged a punch from him. Emily had successfully pulled herself up on her feet, and placed herself against the wall, in clear view of how John was handling the situation.
Tommy and Arthur were watching the whole scene like spectators. Arthur was clearly amused but Tommy was not, as he glanced over at Emily.
Finally, John managed to get good at the fight and punch the man directly in the face, knocking him unconscious.
Some other men held out their beers and whiskies and cheered for him, while the others finally got up the courage to do something and take the poor unconscious guy outta there.
John pulled himself together, brushing away at his well-pressed dark suit, while looking over at Emily, who was still pressed against the wall.
He was expecting to see her shocked…revolted…angry towards such violence. But she was just…relieved. Her green eyes met John's and she just nodded once in thanks, her hand on her chest, trying to still the beat of her heart.
When she saw John coming towards her, somehow unsure of himself, she stepped away from the wall and walked to meet him as well.
"Thank you." She whispered, unsure of what else there was to say, especially after the other night. John looked at her seriously without saying a word, before turning back to look at his brothers.
Tommy and Arthur were heading for the exit after seeing the display of violence, but their eyes were still on John and Emily.
"John!" Tommy exclaimed over the crowd, a little more firmly than usual, as if indicating that he should follow them. Arthur was looking at him expectantly too.
But John did not budge, shaking his head slightly, showing his brothers the intention to stay at the Garrison for a while longer, before taking Emily's hand and heading to the private room.
"Tommy, wha'…?" Arthur asked, turning to his brother in confusion.
"We're going to Polly's. John will meet us there when he's finished. We stick to the plan." Tommy responded, putting on his peaky and leaving out the door.
He was disappointed in John's behavior, but he realized that this constant disobedience was a direct result of what he endured in prison those past months.
John's rebellious state and failure to comply with Tommy's orders would cost them all. They might cost his unborn child.
Meanwhile, John had pulled Emily somewhere private where they could be alone. She was rubbing her hands over her arms in nervousness.
"I appreciate your help and I know I owe you…but please, don't ask too much of me." Emily whispered. She was referring to what happened the other night, when she thought that he would force himself on her.
John said nothing. He stepped closer to her, trapping her between his arms like the last time, and leaned forward to caress her cheek in comfort. She liked the touch, craved it.
For such a violent man, belonging to a violent gang, she saw that he was capable of being gentle, and she was mesmerized for the moment, enough to cover his hand with her own.
When he leaned forward, his eyes on her lips, she didn't protest like the last time. She let him kiss her with a passion unbeknownst to her.
He pushed her back against the wall, one hand remaining on her cheek, while the other was caressing her side gently. She wrapped her hands around his neck and felt the small hairs of his undercut.
When he finally let her go, they were both breathing heavily.
"Fuck…" he mumbled, closing his eyes and he placed his forehead on the wall, right next to her cheek. Her eyes were also closed and he felt her breathing in and out heavily. What was he going to do with her? She would always be here as the pub's barmaid, but how would he go on seeing her without being able to touch her?
What will Tommy say? He saw everything that happened before. He must have realized how strongly his brother felt for this girl. John was marking her as his, and he wanted everyone to know it.
But what would Esme say? His children with Martha were in her care. He was afraid that if she knew…she would take it out on them. Katie, Mildred, Anne and John Jr. would face her wrath.
"You have to go." Emily whispered, realizing his struggle, but without actually knowing why he was struggling.
Pulling his head back from the wall, he asked her, "You'll stay here, right? At the bar? You won't leave…run back to America or anythin' like that, right?"
He realized he hadn't told anyone about where she came from yet. And he wasn't sure if he was planning on telling anyone.
"I won't leave." She assured him, her eyes never leaving his for a moment. Sighing in relief, John nodded, cupping her cheeks and whispered, "Good."
This was madness. They barely knew each other, but he was certain now that he wanted to know her, if only he had the time. She didn't know about the vendetta.
Of course…how could she know? It was better for her to stay out of this. For her safety…and his sanity.
"That man. He was mumbling about what happened to him during the war." She noticed.
"Never mind that fucker. We all got shit in our heads after the bloody war. But some can handle it better than others. He hurt you." John insisted.
Emily smiled and told him softly, "Thank you for caring." Biting her lip from the inside, she said, "But I think your brothers are waiting for you now. I don't want to keep you from something important. Go."
Taking a breath, John kissed her sweetly once more before heading out of the bar.
The young barmaid never imagined she would be so attracted to a Peaky Blinder, but here she was. She never liked violence, but there was something about this John Shelby that excited her, enchanted her, and thus she didn't mind the aggressive behavior.
With a smile on her lips, she cleared off the table from the private room and headed out, bumping into Jeremiah.
"Emily! I heard about what happened. Are you alright?" The girl smiled and nodded. "Yes. John Shelby saved me from that man. He was really nice."
Jeremiah smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Peaky Blinders offer protection to our people of Small Heath." He looked over at his pocket watch and said, "Wait till he gets home, though. His wife will yell his brains off for being out this late again."
He didn't notice the way Emily almost dropped the two glasses she was holding. "His wife?" she managed to ask without any tremor being noticed in her voice.
"Yeah! Imagine that woman handling them six kids all on her own late into the night."
Emily's lips finally trembled when she heard the other bit of shocking news. "Six?"
…
As soon as John entered Polly's place, Michael and Esme were there to "greet" him. Michael looked pissed and Esme looked mad as a hatter.
"Where the fuck, have you been? Your damn brothers wouldn't say a word!" Esme was outraged as she hit John with her fist.
John defended himself and wrapped his hands around her wrists to stop her aggression, to tired to put up a fight.
Michael had to intervene, saying, "Alright, alright. Go look after the kids in the other room, Esme. Linda is waiting for help with Billy."
Her eyes bloodshot, the woman turned to look at young Gray and hissed, "You don't get to order to me around."
"Go, Esme!" Tommy called out from the family room. He was sitting in an armchair, by the fireplace in the dead night.
His son, Charlie, was right on his lap, playing with a horse toy. He watched the way Esme obeyed him at least, but not without throwing him a dirty look. Tommy was growing tired of her. But since he needed the Lee boys now more than ever to fight with them…
"Tommy said you're doing something stupid that could cost us all our lives." Michael whispered to John as soon as Esme was out of earshot.
"Oh…yeah…so you are his fuckin' message boy now, is that it, Michael?" John challenged.
When his cousin said nothing, John whispered, "Both you and Tommy need to mind your own fuckin' business. I ain't butting into your lives."
"John, come here!" Tommy called out to him, not getting up from his armchair.
Taking a deep breath, John threw Michael one more look before heading over to the family room where he saw Tommy near the fireplace with Charlie.
Standing in the room with him in the dim light of the fireplace were also Polly, Arthur, Ada and Lizzie.
"What do you think you're doin', eh? You're married."
Tommy stood up from the chair and handed Charlie over to Ada, approaching John more cautiously and saying more softly, "I need the Lee brothers to fight with us. And they won't fight with us if they think you're fuckin' over your wife. If you want to fuck that barmaid this badly, wait till the vendetta is over, eh?"
"I don't want to fuck her! I want her!" John snapped and revealed to his brother much deeper intentions for that girl than just to have a new bed playmate.
Emily Wright was something, and he wanted to know more. It wasn't just physical attraction and John knew.
His marriage with Esme had been a marriage of convenience. It's true that they got along great for a while but it remained an alliance for a higher purpose, to join the Shelbys with the Lee family.
Tommy had made the decision for him. He didn't have a fuckin' choice in the matter, and Tommy realized that maybe this was partially the reason why John wanted to try a new relationship…that was his choice.
With her delicate features, soft doe-like eyes the color of emeralds, her natural dark pink lips, the freckles and the chocolate-brown hair, Tommy realized why John was attracted to this Emily Wright so much.
Her attitude and manner of speaking resembled Martha. It was obvious that John had a type. And just like Tommy and Arthur made their own choices when it came to women, their brother wanted that too.
Placing his arm over his younger brother's shoulders, Tommy felt the need to console John…to make peace with him after they have been at odds for a long while.
He leaned forward and hugged his brother tightly.
"Alright, John. Alright." Tommy whispered, patting his back, gently. He would let John make this choice if he desperately needed to. If he no longer loved Esme, or if he felt he never truly loved her…Tommy would approve of John to find his happiness. But after the vendetta was over and done with.
The brotherly moment was ruined with a knock on the door. The housekeeper Mary went over to open it, just as Polly mumbled, "Johnny Dogs. He's expected."
Taking off his hat, Johnny Dogs entered the premises and saw Tommy, John, Arthur, Polly, Ada and Lizzie in the family room.
"Johnny Dogs. Been waitin' to hear an answer for a while now. The Lee boys busy or drunk?" Tommy asked him with a slight smirk, but the touch of annoyance was not missed in his voice.
Mumbling and barely making himself clear, Johnny Dogs said, "I'm sorry, Tommy. I talked to the boys. They ain't joinin' you in this fight."
…
The Lee family's betrayal is going to build a real brick wall between Esme and the Shelby family, while John is planning in developing his relationship with Emily. Now, Tommy is going to have to choose a pack of new allies to fight the Italians and he will reveal them as part of his secret plan to his family next chapter.
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