𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑬𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒔, thomas shelby

second shot.

(second shot)

02 | in which there are losses and the beginning of her business.

They were dressed in black, Meredith had just been buried. 

Nina's eyes were red with tears and Bella was standing in front of her, eyes dry and serious.

In the corner of the room, a ginger woman waited for the other two to talk.

"Tina is going to Amsterdam," she said and folded her arms and looked quickly at the ginger. "You will live with her, and you will behave while you are there."

Nina wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"I can't stay with you?"

Bella denied it.

"You have to go, Grandma would do that too."

"But ... Bell, I don't want to go."

"We girls have to make tough choices and that's why we have to be strong." Bella bent to level her heights. "You and I are strong, Nina, and after all that you've been through, you're stronger than I am."

"I know," she cried. "But I want to be with you, Bell."

Swallowing dry, she denied it again. She pulled the girl into a hug and kissed her cheek, Nina returned her embrace.

"We have to go, the ship is leaving in an hour," Tina said.

"I love you, Bell." Nina said and Bella smiled, putting the blonde strands of the girl's hair behind her ear.

"I love you too, be a good girl."

Nina nodded, and Tina reached for the child to pick up.

"Goodbye, Bella," her red-haired cousin said, giving the girl a sad smile.

"Take care of her." Bella spoke to Tina, and nodded to Nina one last time.

When the house was empty, Bella hated the feeling, putting both hands on her face and growling in frustration.

The instinct was to cry, but she had too much shit to do and couldn't have decent grief.

Bella's grandmother didn't leave much debt, she had a home of her own, but everyone knew who she was after her face appeared on the front page of the newspaper. She killed her fiancé because he raped her niece, a fair exchange full of consequences.

Tommy said that she would pay for it later, he was right, Bella was really paying dearly.

But she didn't regret it, needed more energy to pay off her debt and needed to earn money to support herself.

Bella started pacing back and forth, her pantry was empty and there was no way she could fill it. She didn't get a job at The Garrison because there was a waiter working there, there were no jobs to gang up like the men did because she was a woman.

If she were a man, she could be a blinder like her father, Polly wouldn't mind giving her a job if she were a man, and a man with a history of murder.

Not wanting to rest and trying to avoid her depressing thoughts, she pulled the shawl over her shoulders and left, closing the door of her house. The heel of her leather boot entered the damp, dirty soil of Small Heath.

Bella went to church, prayed even though she didn't know honestly if anyone was listening. She pressed the rosary so tightly that the cross marked her hand.