The Angel of Small Heath

After billy the kid

unedited

***

"This had better be good to interrupt my holiday" Polly warned as she placed her coat onto a vacant desk standing in the corner of the betting den. 

"Where's the boy? and Anna?"

"In the back room, Anna's with Aurora trying to settle down Tommy's hoard because thanks to John they're high on sugar" Polly replied with a twinge of amusement. "We're going to the museum after, Aurora's said your minding the kids today Tom"

Tommy closed his eyes for a brief moment of silence, he had forgotten Aurora was meeting up with her school friends for a girls night out. He was being left to look after their five little hooligans who were enough energy to send even the sanest man over the edge. The triplets took great pleasure in tormenting their uncles and little Harry and Tom were not far behind they had been experiencing their first uncontrollable magic this week.

"He wanted to come and say hello" John added snapping Tommy out of his thoughts.

"Shut up John, you've done enough today!" Polly spat back indignation, her boy wasn't going to get involved with the Peaky Blinders. "There is nothing of interest to Micheal, or Anna here"

"Tommy, get on with it"

"Last night, one of our men had his throat cut in Winson Green. This morning, I had a telegram saying it was Sabini's order it" Tommy revealed getting straight to the point as always.

"And it says here that Tommy Shelby is next, among other things" Arthur grumbled as he ripped the telegram apart without hesitation. Only Tommy and himself knew of the threat against Aurora's life, they wouldn't let it go unanswered, no one threatened Aurora Shelby and lived another day.

"If our men think we can't look after them in prison, they'll not work for us. Sabini knows that, so we need to get the Green sorted out" Tommy told his group of loyal Peaky Blinders, they would have to be caution from now on.

"Scudboat, you and one of the boys break a couple of windows and get arrested and if our coppers get you into the Green you find out the b*stards who did it"

"Instead, can't we pinch a car?"

"What?"

"Well everybody else is getting a car and I'm still on a donkey" Scudboat replied raising a laugh from a couple of the boys. 

"Just get yourself arrested, it doesn't matter how, and before you all laugh a boy is dead! He as just a kid. Aurora looked after his family during the war, she doesn't know yet so don't mention it in her presence" Tommy ordered, knowing very well his men wouldn't strike up a conversation with his wife unless she instigated it first.

"We'll start a fund for his family, Pol?"

"Agreed" Polly nodded her head solemnly, she couldn't imagine loosing her son to the Peaky Blinders. 

"Is that it? Can I go now?"

"Well as company treasurer, I need your permission to spend a thousand guineas"

"On what?"

"On a horse"  

"A thousand guineas on a horse?" Pol laughed hoping he was joking. 

"That's right" 

"When was this decided? Hmm.." Polly asked with a slight tremor in her voice, the men didn't know if it was anger or disbelief, probably both.

"You've been busy with Micheal and Anna"

"Oh my god! So in the absence of common sense, you boys have had an idea? eh?"