The War to End All Wars

Chapter 24 - Tommy Can Suck My Ass

"Yes, it is."

"Can we get back to the matter at hand." Vincente interrupted.

"Please do, I am so over this conversation."

"Now there has been peace between the Peaky Blinders and the Changretta family for two years now–"

"Do you want some tea or not?" John interrupted and Lillian rolled her eyes. "Here Finn, pour the Italians some English tea. Go on."

"Do it yourself John." Lillian muttered but he ignored her. Finn doing as he's told walks forward, grabbing the teapot.

"We don't want fucking tea. We want an explanation." Vincente shouted.

"Well I want fucking tea." Arthur ignored the man, leaning forward and grabbing the teapot.

"Explanation for what?" John asked but he already knew.

"The little Venice restaurant on forge street was burnt down..."

"No. No, couldn't have been us, we was at a wedding." John defended.

"You burnt it down to stop my son being at that same wedding." Vincente argued.

"He wasn't missed." Arthur responded and Lillian hit his chest.

"Why did you have to burn down that place. I liked that restaurant, I took Charlie there all the time and you burnt it down! You're a bunch of idiots you know that." Lillian scolded.

"Lillian you're not allowed to go into that part of town." Arthur reminded her.

"Eh yes I can, I have Italian roots, I can do what I want." She replied.

"Yes, but Charlie is a Shelby blood." John said and Lillian rolled her eyes.

"And he also part Italian. Which means we can go, and Tommy is gone all day anyway he doesn't know what I do every day. I certainly don't hang around the house waiting on his ass to come home." Lillian told them and she turned to Vincente. "I'd like to point out that even though I am now a Shelby, I had no part of this."

"What are you doing?"

"Throwing you under the bus." She said obviously.

"You are such big boys now." Vincente said. "But once you borrowed clothes from us to look like men."

"How's the tea Arthur, is it –"

"It's cold." Arthur said, throwing it away.

"Please tell Tommy, that we pay him whatever he asks us to pay. We stay out of the city and off the tracks, but you tell him from me that my son will walk with any woman in this city, any woman he chooses. Even if he works for the emperor, Thomas Shelby. My son is in love –" Vincente told us, but John snorted, clearing his throat to keep him from laughing.

"Sorry. Do excuse me. Carry on."

"I don't know why you're laughing John, you were in love with the same woman you tosser."

"We do not speak about that."

"Fuck off John."

"And if he wishes, he will walk with the women he loves." Vincente finishes.

"Okay, you know, it would be hard for you son to walk anywhere with a bullet in each knee, wouldn't it." John said causally and Lillian looked at him in disgust.

"Too much. You said too much my friend. Sabini says suck and swallow."

"My motto." Lillian said and the boys looked at her. "Sorry."