LIZZIE AND LINDA WALKED TO WHERE Johns body lay, placing roses beside it. "We're like sitting ducks here if the wops come" Finn told Charlie.
"Yeah well Tommy said we should do it out in the open."
"This is how John wanted to go. On the smoke, and the truth is, we died together once before. Arthur, me, Danny Whiz-Bang, Freddie Thorne, Jeremiah. And John" he spoke.
"We were cut off from the retreat, no billets left, waiting for the Prussian cavalry to come finish us off. And while we waited, Jeremiah said we should sing in the bleak midwinter" he nodded. "But we were spared, the enemy never came. And we all agreed, that everything after that was extra. And when our time came we would all remember"
"You'd remember that God spared you" Polly's lip trembled. "But what did you do with that extra time that he gave you, eh, Thomas?"
He ignored her and helped Arthur light the wood on fire.
Through the smoke, men stood in the trees, staring at them. Suddenly a shot fired, everyone dropped to the floor.
"At ease, at ease" Tommy shouted. "Do not return fire" he said. "I repeat, do not return fire. Stand down"
Polly looked around.
"The men doing the firing, are on our side. I took the trouble of getting an invitation to Aberama Gold"
"Ah fuck, now it's begun" Johnny whispered.
"You put us out in the open on purpose" Polly said. "You bastard, you used Johns funeral as a fucking beacon" She raised her voice.
"We were never in any danger, Pol" Arthur said. "You set a trap" Polly shouted.
"Finn. Go to the yard and light the fires" Tommy said.
"You set a trap with us as fucking bait" Polly shouted. "Who is dead?" she asked. "Our enemies, Pol"
"Who's dead?" she asked again. "You wanna know Pol? Two fucking Italians who heard about the vendetta, trying to make a fucking name for themselves, that's who"
"We got word to them, about the funeral" Arthur nodded, "the where, the when..told em where to stand for the best shot"
"And Aberama Gold will do the rest" Tommy nodded toward the two people on horses, approaching. "That's the language of Vendetta"
"They take one of ours, we take two of theirs"
"You used your own brothers funeral" she spat. "When did we vote on this, Tommy?" she asked.
"Curly get the boat ready to take the bodies to the city. And another for anyone who wants no more part of this" he shouted. "Cause this is how it's gonna be"
-
Cassidy sat on the chair at the table beside Michael's bed as tiredness washed over her. A door opened and she jumped, waking. "Isiah, you scared the shit out of me," she whispered.
"Sorry," he apologised, taking a quick look at his best friend. "Will he be okay?"
"The doctors think so." She said, wiping her eyes as they adjusted to the light.
"How long have you been here?"
"All day. Haven't slept since yesterday." She admitted, leaning back.
"It won't kill him if you're not here, you know." He said, trying to lighten her mood but it only made her tense up, staring at him with a cold look.
"Right..not the time. Sorry." He said awkwardly.
"Isiah, i don't think i've ever been so scared of losing someone..ever. I've never felt such fear in my life. And it's so stupid to say but it's true," Cassidy spoke, getting frustrated with herself. "Twice. Two times i've almost lost him."
Isiah stared down at her, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Well all that matters is that he's still alive, yeah?"
-
The door to Tommys office opened, his head shot toward it. "Mr Shelby, this is Monsieur Paz, from Paris" his assistant nodded. A man followed behind him. Tommys expression dropped slightly. "I heard you had trouble" the man spoke with a thick accent. "It's good of you to see me"
"You just came from Paris, eh?" Tommy asked.
The man unbuttoned his jacket, sitting down. "You know Paris?" he asked. "I left Paris in a cattle truck. And they said you were french" Tommy cleared his throat.
"Well, i came here from Paris..that does not mean i'm french" he leaned forward. "Guess where i'm from"
Tommy nodded, grabbing his cigarette. "Well, in my cattle truck in Paris, there were American soldiers who played cards." he said, lighting the cigarette. "They sound like you"
"Yeah. But did you win?"
"You didn't come on a train. Your suit is pressed, shoes are clean" Tommy observed. "Where do you get your suits made?"
"I have a tailor in New York City" the man pulled the jacket to the sides. "Look, Funacci, Italian, hm. He's my uncle. He makes suits in a basement of Mott Street. He is my uncle so every stitch, stitched with blood"
"I heard you dress well Mr Shelby, but now i see, not so well as me"
Tommy stayed quiet, staring at him coldly. "You know i have uncles as well" he finally spoke. "But they're not the sort of men who would work in a basement with a needle and thread,"
"Mr Changretta" Tommy said. He looked at Tommy, grinning.
"I am surprised how easy it was to get into a room with you."
Tommy pulled out his gun, pointing it at him. "And now?" Tommy asked. "And now you should know that during the trouble you had earlier on your factory floor, i sent an accomplice into your office in overalls, we found your gun" he whispered, pulling out bullets from his pocket.
Tommy double checked the gun.
He placed a bullet down. "Arthur Shelby" he whispered. He placed another. "Polly Gray" he continued, "Micheal Gray" he placed down more. "John Shelby" he knocked that bullet letting it roll across the table.
"Spent" he whispered. "Ada Thorne, and finally Tommy Shelby" he let out a slight laugh, standing. "None of you will survive" he whispered.
-
Luca thanked the woman who placed down the food. "Send my guests in" he said. She nodded and left. He read over the information sheets about each Shelby member, looking up as the two boys walked in. "They didn't come back. Arthur Shelby is still alive" he said, referring to the attack they had planned on the eldest Shelby.
The two men looked down.
"Wire his village and tell them" Luca leaned forward handing one of them a file. "You wire Polo and let him tell the family" he pointed at the other.
"He has four kids. Don't you two have any other clothes to wear? You walk around this little place dressed like big city hoodlums" Luca insulted. "Now look at me, i'm here as a lover of theatre,"
"None of my clothes fit anymore" one spoke in Italian. "I can't eat anything it's all shit. It's inedible it's disgusting" he complained. Luca sat forward.
"They killed two of our men and you complain about ya fucking belly"
"Luca, with respect, you raised,"
"With respect?" Luca asked, grabbing a scone off the table and shoving it into the man's mouth. "You fucking dress like them, you can eat like them. Don't fucking talk to me about 'with respect" he shouted. "Let's get this business finished then we can all go home and then we can eat some decent food" Luca scoffed. "Sit down"
He placed a tooth pick in his mouth. "What do you have?"
"We found another enemy, this family has a lot of enemies." the smaller one spoke.
"She lives inside our territory" the other, Matteo spoke. "Arthur Shelby killed her son in a boxing ring four years ago, she says he's crazy in the head"
"To compensate her they look after her and her other kids" Matteo interpreted.
"She thinks if she asks one of the brothers to come to her house they'll come"
Luca nodded. "Shed do that for us?" he asked. "So she says. People in this place hate forever, like Sicilians."