𝐌𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐛𝐲 | 𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐇𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐁𝐘

Chapter 4 | Four

'Chapter 4 | Four | Pikey'

•••••

"Who did ya say you were lookin' for?" I hear Esme shout in a somewhat aggressive tone.

"Jackson fuckin' Lovell, is the prick here or not?" A cavernous voice booms.

"I'm afraid you've come to the wrong campsite lads." Esme says through gritted teeth, I can see her jaw clenched as she comes into view.

"Eh, ain't you the Pikey's sister?" Another bloke calls from behind the first, now speaking to me.

I merely look the man up and down before returning to Esme. Opening my mouth to speak, the man pipes up again.

"Oi, I was talkin' to ya!" He snaps.

"Listen, luv, are you the Pikey's sister or not?" The first one calls patronisingly, making me feel uncomfortable when he called me 'luv', nothing like when Mr Shelby does it.

"Once you pricks have rephrased the question, I might answer it." I glare.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Esme's father hollers, emerging from his caravan.

"We are looking for a Jackson Lovell, you Pikey's slow or somethin'?" The, clearly drunk, somehow man speaks slowly and clearly as if he were talking to someone who wasn't exactly the full ticket.

"Oh no, mate, ya got it all wrong." Esme's father slowly edges forwards. "Ya see us Pikey's hear ya loud and clear, we just couldn't give a shit as to what it is you're sayin'."

"I wanna fight Jackson and I wanna fight 'im, NOW." Angry, the man starts to jump around, as if preparing himself for a boxing match.

"May I ask why?" I cross my arms.

"Eh?"

"Why?" I shout.

"I'll tell ya why, 'cause that scumbag hustled me."

"Oh really?"

"In the fuckin' Garrison, since he knew he was under the protection of them Blinders for as long as he was in there." He comes closer to me, Esme's father sticking nearby, ready for anything. The man starts to speak in a whisper, eyes filled with rage. "But guess what? They can't protect 'im out here."

"Get out of her face, Martin." A new voice joins the conversation.

"Would ya look at that? It ain't star of the show but his best mate is the next best thing." The drunk yells.

"Do ya really think ya should be fighting in your condition, mate?" Jackson asks smugly moving out from behind Reggie while Danny and Billy, Cowboy's son, stand behind them, outnumbering 'Martins' two.

"You and me Pikey, since ya won't give me my money back, I'll have to get satisfaction in a different way, eh?" He stops bouncing before saying; "Or maybe I should just marry whoever's precious little sister this is?"

That was all it took for Reggie to swing, a clean connection hitting Martin straight in the jaw. However the sound of glass shattering causes my eyes to widen, blood dripping down Reggie's face as he continues to fight. The whole scenario causes Teddy to be frightened, the rumble unravelling before my eyes causes Esme's mum and another man to pile out of her caravan.

I rush over to a sacred Teddy, as I'm sadly not phased by the sight of Reggie fighting. Ted clutches onto me and Zilpha, Esme's mum, wanders over, not peeling her eyes away from the fight.

"What happened?" She asks sternly.

"Apparently, Jackson hustled him in the Garrison, recently, the man started to talk about marrying me and that's when Reg stepped in." I explain and she nods, walking back over to the man she was in the caravan with, an attractive man with bright blue eyes, as striking as Arthur's. He's another Peaky Blinder, but which one?

|| Time Skip ||

•••••

"I fuckin' won didn't I?" Reggie reasons to Pa.

"It doesn't matter, Jackson took advantage of the Shelby's loyalty!" Pop slams his fists onto the table.

"We needed a few extra quid, I did what any man should do, so what I hustled him? He's a twat anyway!" Jackson adds.

"Since you think you're such a man you can go and apologise to the Shelby's in an manly manner, eh?!" Pop shouts.

"I don't see the need." Jackson argues through gritted teeth, stood behind Reg who is sat on the seat beside me at the table.

"Don't see the need?! Don't see the fuckin' need?!" My father rather abruptly goes calm, shit.

Me and Ma exchange looks of concern as we both know it's all about to kick off.

"Jackson go for a walk." Ma demands.

"But-"

"Go for a walk Jack." She says more sternly, and Jack storms away.

"Why's he ya mate?" Danny rolls his eyes, of course a rifle in his hand, seeming to be what looks like cleaning the barrel.

I stand up and gesture for Pa to sit in my seat in which he throws himself into, pouring him a cup of tea (with a bit of whiskey in it), he presses a kiss to my temple.

"Vin," Ma gains his attention. "Surely it ain't that big of a deal?"

"You don't know them Shelby's like I do, Chels. They care about how people perceive them, if Martin was to go around sayin' that they protect hustlin' bastards like Jack, they won't stand for it."

"He'll apologise to them, I know he will." Reg tries to defend his bestfriend, a cloth pressed to his new cut.

"Oh I know he will, the little shit has to." Pop says while lighting up a cigarette.

"He's not that bad." Mariette mumbles, leaning up against the side of the vardo.

"Don't start defending the prick." Danny spits while subconsciously pointing his gun at her, Ma gently guiding the barrel to point back to the floor, Danny looking regretful at accidentally pointing a gun towards his youngest sister.

"I mean it!" She defends.

I raise an eyebrow, confused at Mariette's outburst over Jackson.

"What are you defending him for? He's my best mate, not yours." Reg challenges.

"Yeah well he's my bloody fiancé." She screams before storming off into the same direction Jackson went in.

Silence.

That's what we are sitting in.

Complete and utter silence.

"Fuckin' hell." I say under my breath, sighing and running my hands through my hair, leaning against the table.

Suddenly, Uncle Charlie bursts out laughing, emerging from behind another vardo.

"Jesus Christ, I've tried to escape my rowdy lot for the afternoon but you guys ain't no better." He chuckles, pushing Teddy's glasses further up on his little nose.

Uncle Charlie continues in a fit of giggles, Reggie joining him, me and Ma following and then reluctantly after a while Pop cracks a smile.

"Women." Pa rolls his eyes whilst chuckling softly to himself.

"Gorgeous ain't we?" Ma winks at him, only causing Pa to burst out laughing even more.