ɬῳıʂɬɛɖ - ɬ.ʂɧɛƖცყ

27

The trio walk through Camden Town together, one destination in mind.

"For the next ten minutes you don't do or say anything I haven't told you," Tommy says to James. "Alright? Alright?"

"Yeah," James says.

"Hello Ollie," Tommy says.

"Oi, hang on" Ollie says as Tommy and Iduna prepare to walk straight in. "Just you two, yeah. He stays out here."

"You stay here," Tommy says to James.

They begin walking and Tommy stops to tie his shoelace and Iduna knows.

"So Ollie," Iduna says, distracting the man. "How's life been treating you?"

"It's been really good," Ollie says. "Had a bit of fun a few weeks ago"

"Ah you mean when Alfie made an alliance with Sabini and betrayed us," Iduna says. "How did that feel? To have to join the people you've been trying to conquer?"

"A bit shit," Ollie admits, his eyes on her chest and Iduna nods understandingly. Iduna pats his arm and Tommy stands up. They begin walking again.

Alfie's office is filled with silence until the phone rings.

"That'll probably be for you, won't it?" Alfie asks, pointing at the phone. Tommy takes the phone.

"Hello?" Tommy says. "Arthur?" Iduna smiles. "You're out?"

"Right," Alfie says as Tommy hangs up the phone. "So that will be your side of the street swept up, won't it? Where is mine? What have you got for me?" Tommy pulls out a piece of paper. "Signed by the Minister of the Empire himself"

"Yes" Alfie says, holding his glasses up.

"This means you can put your rum in Tommy's shipments and no one at poplar docks will lift a canvas," Iduna says.

"You know what" Alfie says. "I'm not even going to have my lawyer look at that."

"No, no it's all legal," Tommy says.

"You know what, mate," Alfie says. "I trust you. That's that. Done. So whisky" Alfie goes to pour Iduna a glass but she declines. "You've never turned down a drink" He squints his eyes at her. "You're fucking knocked up again"

"No" Iduna says, Tommy had told her earlier to lie if Alfie asked. "We're at Epsom later with the toffs and I need to blend in, they don't need some ex-toff stumbling around pissed"

"There is one thing though that we do need to discuss," Alfie says.

"What would that be?" Tommy asks.

"It says here 20 percent paid to me of you export business," Alfie says.

"As we agreed on the telephone," Tommy says.

"No, no, no," Alfie says. "You see, I have had my lawyer draw this up for us, just in case. Hear that. It says that, that a hundred percent of your business goes to me"

"So you fuck us over by siding with Sabini," Iduna says. "Kill Billy Kitchen, almost have Arthur hung and you want a hundred percent of Tommy's business? You're fucking deluded if you think that would ever be agreed upon."

"That's funny that is," Tommy says.

"What?" Alfie asks.

"Now that's funny," Tommy says. "I'll give you 100 percent of my business?"

"Yeah," Alfie says.

"Why?" Tommy asks and Ollie moves forward.

Ollie points his gun at Tommy and Iduna points hers at Ollie.