BLINDING LIGHTS || T. SHELBY (2)

TWENTY-SIX (RE-EDITED)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: the End of a Another War

CHANGRETTA HAD TO BELIEVE ARTHUR WAS DEAD FOR THOMAS' PLAN TO WORK.

On the day of the boxing match between Bonnie Gold and Alfie Solomon's champion Goliath. Most of the men in Birmingham were there, placing bets on who would win. In the beginning rounds, Goliath was beating Bonnie as Tabitha, Polly, Ada, Lizzie, Theo, and Linda were cheering Bonnie on. Tabitha had never been to a boxing fight, so she was excited, and that made Thomas smile.

Arthur knew something was off with Goliath's coaches, but Thomas shrugged it off because Arthur had snorted up cocaine. Though, Tabitha agreed with Arthur, her gypsy sense were tingling and they knew something was wrong. Arthur went off on his own to investigate, and Tabitha convinced Thomas to go after him before she knew something bad was going to happen.

When Thomas left, she joined Polly, telling her what was going on with Arthur and Thomas. Polly went to investigate with Tabitha following behind her, drawing the small guns from their purses. They walked down the hall and Thomas came out of one of the rooms.

"Arthur's been injured, but he's alright. We need to make them believe that he's dead. To everyone but you two, me, and Linda, Arthur Shelby is dead. I've got it all worked out. We can use his death to win this war."

The next day, they had a funeral set up for Arthur as he was in hiding. No one else knew he was alive except Thomas, Tabitha, Polly, and Linda. Mrs Changretta came to the Shelby home with a white flag, seeing Luca would let them live if they handed over all their businesses. Michael had hopped on a train to New York on his own, a part of Thomas' plan.

Later that afternoon, Thomas went down to the distillery to sign the papers with Luca Changretta. Polly and Finn were there as well as pregnant Tabitha, even though Thomas wanted her to stay at the house with Charlie and Ada. He told her she could stay if she stood with Polly and Finn for her and the baby's safety. Thomas looked down at his bottle of gin and it said:

DISTILLED FOR THE ERADICATION OF SEEMINGLY INCURABLE SADNESS.

Thomas put the bottle down as Luca Changretta and his men armed with tommy guns entered the lab. Tabitha and Polly had their arms linked with Finn standing close beside her, like a brother protecting his sister. Changretta approached the table and met Thomas' face, speaking Italian to his men.

"All that's left of the Peaky fucking Blinders," Luca said.

Then he stepped in front of Thomas, and snapped his fingers. A man in a fedora began setting down documents in the table as Luca walked back to him.

"I've had my lawyer draw up these papers," Luca said. "Cover every enterprise in your possession. Bars, restaurants, warehouses. Every fucking thing that you've taken all these years to gather together. You will sign them all over...to my family..." Luca began walking back to Thomas. "...or you're gonna die. Right here. I would've buried you all, but my mother, she, uh...she knows you. She said, it'll be worse for you if I let you live...and take away everything you have."

Luca grabbed Thomas' coat, and pulled out the gun Thomas hid in it.

"Search them," Luca told his goons.

They walked over to check Tabitha and Finn while Luca walked towards Polly.

"Especially don't trust his bitch," Luca then said.

He ripped Polly's blouse open, showing a part of her bra as the men patted Tabitha down for weapons. Luca grabbed a black pen and held it up to Thomas.

"So...sign," Luca said, tossing the pen on the table. "Every fucking one of them. You can sign them on your knees. On the floor."