When The Boys Are Away

Part 74

Harlow had grown up around powerful men, it was something she had grown used to. She'd seen them win fights and take down gangs. They outsmarted the police and even won a world war. However, never had she seen someone speak with such ferocity as that given by Polly Gray. 

Tucked away in the corner of Tommy's office flicking through one of the profit books, Harlow was thankful to avoid the burning wrath of the fiery matriarch. Although it was almost impossible to block out the frightening voice, she tried her upmost to do so, with no avail. 

"You are supposed to be three of the most powerful men in the country, so fucking do something. Stop leaving the solutions to everybody else to sort out. If you want your reputations, you better fight to keep them, because right now, you're pathetic." 

Harlow glanced up nervously out of the corner of her eye as Polly paced the room with an unescapable gaze. Thomas Shelby, Alfie Solomons and Dale Wentworth stood before her, each one reacting to their reprimanding in different ways. Nonetheless, one feeling they all shared was a shocking realisation that she was correct. 

"You've got Sabini after you. You've got the Russians after you." Polly listed exasperatedly, ticking the names off with her fingers, "You keep starting battles that you have no desire in fighting and now people are going to get hurt." 

Every time Harlow thought Polly's rant was over, it just kept on going. 

"If you get yourselves killed, that is on you," She pointed dramatically towards her nephew before glaring at the other two men either side of him, "But when my family starts getting threatened, I expect you to fucking act, especially when it comes to her." 

Trying not to fidget as Polly's burning eyes flickered over to her, Harlow pretended she had no recognition of her involvement in the one sided conversation. 

"Now, I am going to go back out there and distract the Burgess's from the absence of the groom whilst you lot come up with a plan. I'm not asking, I'm telling." Polly demanded as she sauntered over to the door with an overwhelming air of importance, "I don't want any half-hearted rubbish, I want an assured, precise proposal to stop that threat from ever coming true, and I want it by the end of tonight." 

With that as her last word, Polly slammed the door shut behind her, leaving an astounded silence circling around the room, weaving its way between the books and the gangsters. 

"She's right." Dale announced casually, breaking the silence. Harlow was surprised that any of the three men would be able to admit their faults at all, but at least the Wentworth could face his slight lack of action, even if he was the one who had created the most minimal damage. His white shirt scrunched roughly around his elbows as he crossed his arms across his chest, "We've been waiting around for too long. We're wide open for someone to move in, and the Russians did exactly that. We're just lucky they've given us warning and didn't act before they spoke." 

Dale knew that when a mafia made threats, they weren't to be taken lightly. Tommy's house had easily been invaded today, their visit could so easily have caused fatalities to someone in the manor, and they would have been defenceless to stop it as they were so unprepared. They had grown complacent, and that couldn't happen again. Not unless they wanted a funeral or two or ten.

"The Russians are all talk. They talk a good game, but they can't play for shit." Alfie responded with much less care in his tone. He was used to empty threats being thrown at him, but that was when he was down in Camden Town. He had security there and he ran the streets; Birmingham was completely out of his domain, and yet he didn't seen to appreciate that, not as the Wentworths did. 

"Well, I don't know about you, but that's not a chance I'm willing to take." Dale returned firmly, raising an eyebrow at Solomons' disregard for the threat at hand. Alfie clenched his fist around the table he was leaning against, not wanting to hear another opposing opinion after being shouted at by Tommy's Aunt, "I'm just saying we shouldn't go rushing into things just because some of your women have got their knickers in a twist."