"Mr Shelby" Jimmy began, "My bullets ache to get inside your tinker head" he said, standing on his boat and singing. Tommy raised an eyebrow, watching as he pointing his gun at him.
Jimmy put the gun back, grabbing a white flag and stepping off the boat.
"You know it's a pity, i was looking forward to killing you" he said. "You're at the back of a long queue" Tommy sighed. "My white flag is a flag of truce, yours is more a flag of surrender"
"Whatever you say Mr McCavern, the colour is the same, the outcome is the same. I believe we have friends in common. We should postpone our war"
"Your brother left me a hand grenade"
"He sends his apologies. You left me land mines"
"For which i too apologise"
"Peace it is" Tommy nodded. "Your message says you wanted to seal our peace with some business"
"Since we're men of similar interests and distribution networks, i thought we might use our temporary settlement for our mutual benefit" Tommy began. "You stand in a yard full of scrap metal and stolen goods, and you talk like a politician"
"No, nothing here is stolen, Mr McCavern. Charlie simply finds things before they're lost" Tommy corrected, pulling out a piece of appear. "The nature of the deal is explained in my proposal, i've booked you a suite at the Midland Hotel, if you need anything in this city, just mention my name"
"So you want to impress me, Mr Shelby?" he asked. "Isiah" he shouted, pointing to the boy on the hill. "Also in the envelope i'd a cheque, for £500 for your wife. She can use it to buy a black dress, rent a black horse with black feathers to pull a black carriage with your body in it should you break the terms of the white flag"
"Now please, enjoy the city, it's my honour to represent"
Tommy nodded at Isaiah and walked away, leaving Jimmy alone.
-
"This well, i managed to get to the people, York and Lincoln City. I mean they're teams that will lose. I got to the.." Billy spoke quick.
"All right take your time" Arthur nodded. Billy inhaled.
"I got to the goalkeepers. They all said five pounds is enough. I..erm..I've written to the people at Tranmere Rovers because the phone you've put into my house stopped working. So i'm gonna need another one of those" He said shakily.
"Okay" Arthur hummed. "Once we've got that fixed, eh, then we'll have all the names and numbers of the first division referees."
"The first?"
"Yeah"
"Shit" he repeated multiple times. Arthur placed a hand on his shoulder. "Billy, come on, come on, listen to me. Come on now, no need for that, hm"
"Yeah" he whispered.
"We need you to find out what they like. You know, what gets em going. Cause a lot of them are comfortable. A fivers nothing to them. We need you to find out what they really like, Billy. Cause we can offer them that. Yeah, Shelby Company Limited, we can offer them all the lovely things people like"
"We can also offer them protection, from the things they don't like"
"You ever touch my family, ever," Billy whispered.
"York, Lincoln. Hm. Tranmere Rovers" Arthur stood. Finn chuckled. "Bye Finn,"
-
Isiah pushed the door open. "Finn"
"Yeah"
"Your lunchtime delivery" he said. "Bring her in" Finn nodded, watching as the girl walked in.
-
"Chinese in our pub?" Arthur asked. "All right, slowly Mickey let him in" he nodded. "Three little birds, eh, Tommy, Finn and Arthur"
"Mr Thomas" The man said, opening the door. "Mr Arthur" he nodded. His eyes landed on her.
The man sighed, sitting down. "My name is Brilliant Chang" he said. "Brilliant Chang is dead" Arthur corrected. "Perhaps, sometimes i wonder, is this heaven" he scoffed. "Doesn't smell like heaven so i would say i have survived"
-
"What happened to Maggie?" Finn asked in a panic. "You don't like me?" The girl asked, placing her coat on the chair. He sighed, sitting down. "I like everything" he said, watching as she sat on the table.
" I like fucking everything" he said. She pulled a gun, pressing it to his neck.
-
The phone rang. "You should answer the phone, Mr Shelby" he said. "Mickey bring that phone here now" Arthur said.
He picked it up. "Hello?"
"Arthur, Arthur," Finn noted. Arthur pulled his gun, pointing it at Chang, "I sent a woman with a gun to your youngest brothers office"
"All right Finn," Arthur began. "Wait, wait, what the fuck is going on." Finn asked.
"Do you want to die again Chang, hm?" Arthur asked.
"Good, the guns are pointed, now we are all concentrating. The moment is now pure." Chang said. "Purity is not necessary, displays are not necessary" Tommy shrugged.
"They said 'Tommy Shelby. That door will need some kicking down'" he said.
Tommy leaned forward. "When you walked through that door it was open. You don't need to do anything to get my attention, now what exactly do you want?"
Arthur cocked his gun slowly.
"Do you have a match, Mr Shelby?" he asked.
"Anything happens to my brother, Chang" Arthur said. "You die"
Tommy leaned forward, lighting the man's cigarette.
"If you die here today we'll bury you face down with no hands, sending you straight to hell"
"I don't care about rituals. I am a rationalist, Mr Shelby"
"We'll tell your friend on the phone, to put her gun down and we can all have a talk. Or i'll send Arthur over" he threatened. A gun sounded over the phone, Arthur stepped forward.
"Hold your fire brother"
Finn breathed heavily as she shot into the air. "I'm alright she fired into the ceiling"
"Finns all right, he's okay"
"Give me the order, hm" Arthur said angrily. "Give me the order Tommy, yes or no"
"At ease. I said at ease"
Arthur lowered his gun. "May i take something from my pocket, Mr Shelby?"
He reached down, pulled out a small envelope and pouring the contents onto the table.
"It is the purest Opium that has ever arrived in Europe. No salt, no flour, no lies. Pure truth"
"Came off a ship called the Capital, out of Shanghai" Tommy said. "Docked at Poplar a week ago, Stevedores were held at gunpoint. Chinese unloaded the cargo by the light of lanterns. A foreman at the dock estimated there was seven tons of that stuff"
Chang scoffed.
"I made a note at the time. I spoke to that particular foreman, and i worked out that seven tons of pure opium crystals would be worth"
"Approximately £1,190,000" Arthur clapped his hands together. "On international markets"
Chang chuckle. "The big crash, hm? Wall street, now we all keep our ears open for opportunities"
Finn burst in. "What the fuck is going on" he shouted, pointing his gun. "What are you doing" Arthur asked, him and Tommy pushing him to the wall.
"Finn, we are conducting a piece of business"
"She had a gun to my fucking head" he said. "But your trousers are dry, you didn't piss yourself, he didn't piss himself Arthur"
"Well done Finn" Arthur teased. "You had a dispute with a lady and you didn't piss yourself and Arthur here tells me we should put you on the tracks. It'll be a good day for you after all Finn"
"Always have your whores searched at the door" Tommy pointed. "If i see that bitch on the street, I'll fucking cut her" he shouted.
"This is a gift, Mr Shelby, gesture of goodwill" Chang said, giving him the envelope. "I'll throw it in the canal"
"Canals are the idea, Right chang?"