Crown of a Prince (Finn Shelby)

24.

Ailbhe found herself almost laughing. It sounded funny when Linda swore.

"What? You're going to take bets?" Polly asked incredulously.

The gambling den wasn't exactly Linda's natural environment.

"I've always been able to do addition and subtraction without a pen and paper. But I'll need a telephone. Apparently, you have special clients who place bets by telephone" She requested, taking a seat at what used to be Esme's desk.

Ailbhe knew Esme would be fuming to hear that her spot had been taken by none other than Linda, the Madonna of Mosely. She also tried not to laugh out loud when she wondered how Linda would react to know that Esme had taken cocaine off that very desk and she had also had sex with John on top of it probably more times than in their own bed.

"Linda" Polly called her, the two women beside her stepping out to take a proper look and see for themselves if Linda was being serious.

"This is a betting shop" she reminded her in case she had forgotten about the last time she was there.

How she had been as useless as an ash tray on a motorcycle as she refused to handle slips and money. She had been more of a nuisance than a help Ailbhe remembered. She also remembered the day it was; the day Finn had been cut by the Changretta men and needed her help. She felt a pang in her chest at the memory. The way Finn had trusted her to help him and how he had reached for her in his morphine induced sleep.

Linda's raised voice interrupted Ailbhe's trip down memory lane.

"Look, Arthur said yes. Tommy said yes!" She snapped, looking more like a Peaky Blinder ever day now that she was wearing red lipstick and was styling her hair just like Lizzie's not that she'd ever admit it.

"But did God say yes Linda? Gambling is a sin!" Polly reminded her, a mocking expression across her face that made Lizzie and Ailbhe laugh.

"You told me that I was doing the devil's work in taking honest money from honest men. That I was soiling my hands and my soul" Ailbhe reminded her of what Linda had told her the last time she had visited the betting shop.

Linda turned to look at them, a clever look on her face that made Ailbhe worry they were corrupting her

"It's not me that's doing the gambling, I'm just taking the bets" she replied, her usual holier-than-thou expression nowhere to be seen.

Polly rolled her eyes to heaven, wondering what penance they would be forced to carry out for corrupting one of God's messengers.

The door slammed again, another person joining them. It was Finn and Ailbhe had been hoping he wouldn't make an appearance today. She wasn't sure she had the energy for their sniping comments and the staring she had to endure.

"The rule is that that door has to remain locked until 9am" he warned them, coming around the corner and into the area they all stood.

Ailbhe stood against the office door, her arms folded across her chest as she looked Finn up and down. Why he had to be so handsome, she would never know. It made it much harder to hate him. Lizzie smirked, looking at Ailbhe as if to say 'is he fucking serious?'. Ailbhe had always had a gift for reading people but she had known Lizzie long enough to read her with a glance.

Polly was already sitting at her desk and couldn't stop her eyes from rolling as she called out "Oi! Boy" as Finn strode past her, heading for Tommy's office.

"Where are you going?" Polly asked him, her tone telling him not to take the piss.

Finn turned around to look at them, his hands out

"Well Arthur's not coming in today he's taking the day off so" he said as if that explained why he was there and why he was bossing everyone around.

The four women looked him, daring him to carry on speaking.

"So today, Tommy said that I'm in charge" he told them, almost matter of factly and expected them to take it lying down. That wasn't going to happen.

Lizzie looked at Ailbhe, her eyebrows raised. Even Linda didn't look like she believed him.

"Oh, you're in charge?" Polly repeated, her expression was enough to make Ailbhe laugh.

"Yeah, I am Aunt Pol. Tommy's orders" Finn answered, his cocky smirk irritating Ailbhe.

Ailbhe rolled her eyes, throwing her pen down on the desk

"Fuck Tommy's orders" she snapped, making Finn's jaw clench and Lizzie snort in laughter.

"Ailbhe, start writing the runners for Kempton on the board" he ordered her, telling her to do a job that she never was in charge of nor did she want to be in charge of. Ailbhe hated this chore, it always took her ages and she made mistakes almost every few minutes that Scudboat had to fix.

"Suck a dick Finn" Ailbhe snapped back.

The words were out of her lips before she even knew what she was going to say. She pursed her lips, telling herself to shut up as she glared at him. There was a hint of amusement on his face and she couldn't ignore Lizzie and Polly's chuckles.

But she knew just from his expression, the cocky smirk Finn had something to say in return.

"But that's your job Alv and you do it so well!"

Ailbhe's face was a picture. He felt satisfaction as she raised up on the balls of her feet, her fists clenched as his words registered with her. But he wasn't finished.

"Thanks Lizzie, for all the advice you gave her, much appreciated" he winked at Lizzie, pushing his hands into his pockets.

Ailbhe felt her cheeks flush red and her temper flare but Polly cut across them before Ailbhe could say something worse, just as Ailbhe took a step towards Finn, ready to slap the smirk off Finn's face. She had never met anyone she wanted to kiss and slap so much.

"Alright you two, enough" she snapped.

Polly stood from her desk and grabbed the telephone from its socket and planted it in front of Linda.

"Alright sweetheart" She conceded as she turned to look at Finn, standing right in front of him.

She was still shorter than him, in spite of her high heels as she reached up and tapped his cheek lightly

"Let's give our boss a first day he'll never forget" she joked, a wicked smile on her lips.

Finn just rolled his eyes, turning on his heel and going back to Tommy's office, feeling Ailbhe's eyes burning a hole in the back of his head.