DUNDEE // John Shelby

Chapter One

Ive always been fascinated with how horse races work. You have gangsters here, placing bets in hope for some income. Its a stupid way of income if you ask me. I rather pay somebody to damage property to ensure you get what you want.

Up on the top left balcony is the Peaky Blinders. Thomas, John and Arthur Shelby. Across from them on the right are the Birmingham Boys; aka Billy Kimber and his group of assholes I 'work' with. I'm basically a boy toy.

I saw John Shelby walk towards the drinks, so I started to make my way there. I got to the liquor stand first, ordering a few shots of whiskey. John Shelby was about two feet from the stand when I turned around and spilled all of the liquor on him. It wasn't an accident.

"Es tut mir so Leid, Sir." I apologized in German as I turned around and placed a dry cloth to his front. "Es tut mir Leid," I told him softly as I looked into his eyes. What he didn't know was my hand reaching into his pocket and taking out his time piece.

"It's alright girl. Shit happens." He smiled as he picked up the glasses and handed them to me. I smiled.

"Danke, Sir." I told him. He gave me a small pat on the shoulder and went to go get his own alcohol. From that interaction alone, I probably made myself a couple pounds. I looked at the pocket watch in my hand and smiled. This would definitely cover a meal.

"Dundee, get your ass over here." One of Kimber's men told me. I rolled my eyes and walked towards him, slipping the watch back into my pocket.

"What the hell are you doing around those Shelby's, aye? Are you trying to get us killed?" He asked. I honestly couldn't care less about what happened to Bartholmew. He's as pathetic as they come.

"Oh come on, he's cute." I walked away from him and to the balcony where Kimber and his little fanboy's were. The horses weren't even on the racetrack yet. I know I didn't have to pay to be here, but Jesus Christ was this boring.

I mean, there were a lot of men here that were okay looking. I thought they all looked stupid with that hair thats half shaved off their head. I guess its the style now... for whatever reason. Nonetheless, i think the younger Shelby makes it work with his face.

I sat down in the seat at the end and waited. It was so boring. All Kimber talks about is how he is going to blow the head off of Tommy Shelby and his kin. It's embarrassing really. I mean, they're the Peaky Blinders for god's sake. They're like idiots who get lucky over and over and over again.

"Having fun, Dundee?" Kimber asked me. I rolled my eyes.

"It'd be a lot more eye-catching if there were actually horses on the track." I looked over to him, pulling out one of my cigarettes. He scoffed at my statement.

"You wouldn't know what eye-catching was if it slapped you in the face, girl." he told me with a laugh. I rolled my eyes and looked at the empty dirt pile.

"Well you're definitely not eye-catching," I mumbled as I took a drag from my cigarette. He looked over to me and furrowed his eyebrows.

"What?" that harsh English accent said, all mighty and tough.

"Dont take it to heart, Kimber. You can be ugly and wealthy at the same time." I told him genuinely, not breaking eye contact with him. He scoffed and rolled his eyes at me.

"Youre lucky youre here." he retorted. I simply flicked my cigarette ash on him.

"How about i go sit with the fucking Blinders then, aye? I'm sure they'd love my presence." i got up with a smile and threw my finished cigarette on his suit, intentionally burning a small hole through the fabric.

"Dundee, you take one more fucking step and i will shoot you." He said from behind his chair. I smiled.

"Too bad I have your gun... no?" I twirled the object around my index finger as I walked out the balcony door. Kimber hurriedly searched for his revolver, but couldn't find it since it was now under my skirt. What a fucking loser.

The door was locked behind me and i put a chair underneath the handles to they couldn't get out. As I said, the Birmingham Boys aren't the brightest bulbs in the world. They're more like a shattered bulb.

I turned my blazer inside out, making it red with black details. The silk outer layer of my skirt was thrown away in the nearest garbage can, making my dress red black. My handbag's cover peeled off, making it match the hat. I still had my gold timepiece and money in my pocket.

The Birmingham boys were most likely bursting through the door by now, so i took a sharp left into a random hall i was unfamiliar with. There weren't many people and the floors creaked. There was a powder room though. I thought I'd make good use out of that.

I wedged a piece of wood between the door and the floor so nobody could get in. i wet a paper towel and wiped off the red lipstick and replaced it with a neutral color. My skirt color changed yet again into a silk flower pattern. This was actually one of my favorite skirts. My blazer became white and my heels became flats. Such a nice change.

My hair fell over my shoulders so I could pin it back into a half up half down hairstyle. It was pinned up with one of the few bobby pins I kept on the sleeve of my blazer. I looked brand new already.

Footsteps scurried down the halls, now being discreet at all. They even tugged on the washroom door, which was quite funny. All the grunting in trying to open it was stopped by a small piece of wood. What idiots.

I removed the wood from the floor and opened the door. I didn't expect somebody to be out in the hallway waiting for me, and I sure as hell didn't expect them to cover my mouth and dig their finger into my weak spot until I passed out.