The Angel of Small Heath

Billy the Kid

****

The morning after the Garrison reopening business returned as the hard workers came in for their liquid breakfast after a long night of work. 

Finn Shelby leaned casually against the Garrisons hub wall as he waited to send the next man in. The boy was visibly tired after a long night of singing and dancing, he didn't manage to get another drink but the Butterbeer was enough for him.

"Next" Arthur's yelled his voice muffled from within the Shelby's private room.

"Go"

A young man nervously got to his feet and entered the Shelby hub. The boy twitched anxiously when he came face to face with the notorious gangster, Thomas Shelby. 

"Alright then"

"Name?" John asked tiredly after a night out on the lash the Shelby brother had yet to recover. His head ached in a dull pain that was slowly moving behind his eyes.

"The Digbeth kid"

"The Dig... what are you? A boxer?" Arthur chuckled his eyes flickering over to John in amusement.

"Digbeth Kid, like Billy the Kid"

"Huh"

"Spend a lot of time at the pictures, eh?"

The boy nodded sheepishly when Tommy addressed him.

"Cowboy pictures? Tom Mix? Yeah?"

"Yeah" he nodded before pulling out his own gun proudly. The boys reacted on instinct pulling their own guns in retaliation. "What are you--?!"

"Wait! Wait! It's not a real gun"

"Let's have a look then" Tommy sighed before standing up to full attention.

"It's made of wood"

Tommy chuckles in amusement he would have to get his boys one of these, "Bang" he jokes pointing the gun toward Arthur's head before turning to John, "Bang"

"Very nice. Where'd you get the gun belt?"

"My sister made it out of an old blacksmiths apron. My mom did most of the stitching, well she's not my real mom but..."

"But she does what mothers do" Tommy nodded his mind fleeting to memories of Aurora. " So she made you a gun belt"

"All right there, mothers boy. There's the door, on you go. We're looking fo--" Arthur paused mid sentence the moment Tommy raised his hand.

"Have you ever been arrested?"

"Yeah"

"Yeah?"

"No" he denied with a shameful look, it was uncommon that a boy his age had no run ins with the law especially in Small Heath.

"Good. You're the first bloke in here today with no criminal record. Arthur, we can stand him up. You know what that means?"

"No" the boy nervously shook his head watching the eldest Shelby brother close over his newspaper.

"The new home secretary wants something done about illegal gambling"

"Damn right!"

"So we help our coppers make their quotas of convictions by having men stood up to be arrested. First offense, you'll get a week inside. We'll give you five quid for your trouble"

The Digbeth kid's eyes widened at the sound of five pounds, he couldn't help but lick his lips.

"How does that sound, cowboy?"