"If you knew better, boy you would do better, can't nobody love you like I do baby I could do better. Cause if you knew better, you would do better, baby if you love me like I love you maybe we could be together, cause aint nobody like me," -Ariana Grande-Butera
Giorgia and Tommy sat in the gardens, eyes closed taking in the peace and quiet for as long as they could. The fresh air was something Giorgia was grateful for, she couldn't remember the last time she was just able to relax and take in her surroundings.
But, with a three-year-old, it proved quite difficult.
"Mumma, come look!" Charlie exclaimed, Gia pulling her eyes open with all her strength to look for the little boy who was sat at the edge of the garden by the bushes. Pulling herself up she walked over to the little boy, her bare feet against the grass in nothing but one of Tommy's old t-shirts.
He would have cursed if anyone had seen her how she was, and he would never allow it, only wanting himself to be the only one to see her in such a way. She was scarily independent and wouldn't let anyone tell her what to do, which in turn he admired, but he was worried about other men and their intentions.
His brothers were some of them.
Opening his right eye, he could see his girlfriend and son sat at the edge of the garden, looking down at something. The little boy giggled with excitement as he was only inches away from Giorgia, always wanting to be as close to her as he possibly could.
Smiling to himself at the sight and the noise of his son giggling away, Tommy shut his eyes once more after taking a swig of his whiskey and took in the peace and quiet while it lasted. Since his accident, he'd appreciated being able to relax with his family more. He was a busybody, always doing something and if he wasn't, his brain was running one hundred miles an hour, but as he sat and took in the surroundings of his abnormally large house, with sights he never knew existed in his own home, he was able to breathe normally. He was able to shut out the picks and the shovels, the screams of dying shoulders and the grenades blowing beneath him.
Giorgia was the same. As she watched the bee that Charlie had found in the garden, and watched as it settled itself upon Charlie's hand, causing little squeals and giggles from the boy. She was amazed, usually, a child would run a mile, but he didn't. He admired the bumblebee and let it roam around his hand gently, Charlie amazed by every little movement.
"Mumma, look," Charlie gasped, his free hand gripping onto the shirt she was wearing.
"He likes you," Gia smiled, planting a kiss on the boy's forehead.
"Will it sting me?" He looked up at his mother, his big blue eyes contrasting in her dark brown ones.
"Not if you're really careful," she smiled lightly. Turning around at the sound of Johnny Dogs, Gia pulled herself up and watched as Charlie placed down the bee back on a flower and jumped up into her arms.
He hadn't realised Johnny was there, but as soon as he saw him, Charlie scrambled out of Gia's arms and ran towards his uncle. "Uncle Johnny!" He exclaimed as he ran up to Johnny who picked the boy up and gave him a hug.
"How are ya boy?" He spoke through his thick Irish accent.
"Good, me and mummy found a bee, but she made it better!"
Giorgia laughed at the little boy's enthusiasm as she caught up with him. "With the help of my favourite assistant," she smiled, saying hello to the Irish man with two kisses.
"How are ya lass? You're looking well," Johnny commented.
"Never been better," she laughed as she took a sip from Tommy's whiskey who was still slumped in his chair. "I'll leave you two to it," she smiled, taking Charlie. "I'll see you two inside."
"Bye darlin'," Johnny called as he sat down where Giorgia once was. "You know some mornings I wake up and think I've died and gone to heaven, Tom," he laughed, taking a cigarette from Tommy. "I mean the wives and the children camped out in the valley not being moved on. Charmay, myself. I'm surrounded by maids and food and booze."
Tommy, with his eyes still shut, pointed to his right. "You see that line there?"
"No?"
"That's the edge of heaven, the border between Birmingham and paradise," Tommy opened his eyes, squinting. "Today my friend, you're going to step over that line, back into the world."
"You mean you have something for me to do, Tom?"
"You ever heard of Hampton Court Palace, Johnny?"
"No," Johnny shrugged. "I can't say I have."
"You and three families of the Lee's are going to set up camp one hundred yards from the gate of the palace," Tommy explained with a cigarette in hand, his shirt scruffy under his waistcoat. "You won't be moved on because I've just brought the land." He spoke. "You will be joined by some old friends of mine of an open hole under your tents and caravans."
Johnny looked dumbfounded. "You know this blow to the head you took Tom?-"
"And for allowing the hole to be dug you will get five thousand pounds which you will split between the three Lee families."
That soon shut Johnny Dogs up.
"I take it a lot of this money is to do with not asking questions Tommy?"
"Dead right, Johnny," Tommy smirked. "And when the hole is filled back up again, you can go back to paradise."
The two sat with a smirk on their face as they smoked and drank whiskey, until Mary, Tommy's maid, walked out into the gardens. "Mr. Shelby," she called, "your brothers are here and there's someone who described himself as the 'wandering Jew'."
Tommy let out an exasperated sigh as he sat up, saying, "take the Jewish gentlemen to the drawing room," he took a drag of his cigarette, "and take my brothers to the kitchen and give them tea and rum."
"Yes, sir."
---
"Good morning Mr. Solomons," Tommy greeted as he poured himself a drink.
"Yeah, it is," Alfie replied bluntly. "Nice little place you've got here Thomas, what is it? A foreclosure of a gambling debt from some poor Lord who you pumped full of opium in one of your casino's? Or is that just tittle-tattle?"
"Drink?"
"Na I don't touch it mate," Alfie replied as he walked towards the Brummy man. "Your housekeeper said you're not allowed to drink," he said pointedly. "Eh? She said that you're suffering from so many ancient injuries from your sporting life that your head is some sort of smashed vase that has been put back together by an 'orse."
Tommy smirked before sitting down, Alfie following suit. "Now, the word in London is that you can be found wandering the streets of Birmingham stark naked throwing away money," Alfie spoke "You talk to dead people, also you believe that you are powerful enough to summon up... Jews," he tilted his head, studying Tommy. "Of a very particular standing, up to the gentile wilderness wherein, you live in order to do your fucking digging, mate."
Tommy sighed, taking in what Alfie said but not listening. "Yet still you came."
"Yeah well you know I was passing weren't I?"
"Do you know something, Alfie?" Thomas asked rhetorically. "This morning I tried to read the paper, and I realized that the only consequence of my terrible accident is that I now need glasses."
"Right," Alfie spoke. "Right well, I know a man right who can make you a pair, he's a magician mate. He is a magician. So not only will you be able to read your newspaper, but you will also be able to see into the future. Now I know this right because he made this pair here for me," Alfie warned. "So you don't have to worry about telling me what this is all about do you? Because I have already seen it."
He put his glasses away and took a breath. "You're fucking about with the Russian's ain't ya you silly boy."
Tommy let out a laugh before a knock on the door interrupted their silence. "Come."
Giorgia walked in, thankfully with clothes on this time. "My oh my," Aflie breathed. "If it isn't the fucking animal of Miss Giorgia Capone!"
"Alfie," Giorgia spoke, walking towards the man, her seven-inch heels clicking along the floor. "You're looking..." she looked him up and down, "well like fucking shit."
"You see Tommy? An animal," Alfie teased, welcoming the Italian.
Tommy cleared his throat, unsure of the interaction that took place in front of him. "Uh, you two know each other?"
"Oh yes," Alfie cheered. "This little beauty right here saved my life in France, ain't that right G?"
Tommy became infuriated at someone else called her 'G'. If anything he wanted them to call her Miss Capone, and one day Mrs. Shelby. He didn't like sharing her nicknames with anyone else, especially Alfie fucking Solomons.
Tommy tilted his head to Giorgia who had that scarily dark look in her eyes. He knew not to question her yet. "So what the fuck are you doing here?"
"I, uh-"
"Tell me you're not fucking this gypsy?" Alfie asked, but before anyone could say anything, he answered for them. "Small world init, mate," he spoke to Tommy who narrowed his eyes at the Jew.
"Small world," Tommy replied, instead his focus on Giorgia. "Giorgia, a word."
Giorgia bid a farewell to Alfie and walked out the drawing room, but was grabbed by the arm and led into one of the many rooms in Tommy's house that wasn't used. "Alfie Solomons? Really Giorgia?" He hissed.
"I didn't know he was going to turn up on your fucking doorstep did I?"
"You knew I had business with him."
"Tommy," Gia breathed, "Tommy sweetheart, I saved his ass in France, that's it."
Tommy's heart settled, but he still was hard as stone on the exterior. "Who else do you have connections with that I have business with, hm? First Sabini, then the Changretta's, then Tatiana and now Alfie."
"You better watch that fucking mouth of yours before you're on the receiving end of those blades," she spat walking away from Thomas, but he grabbed her arm quick enough for her not to move.
"Anything else I should know? About France, eh?"
"No, nothing," she hissed, looking dead into his icy orbs. She took a breath and laughed before she realized. "You think I fucked him in France, don't you?"
"I don't know with you anymore," he spoke but soon realized it sounded very wrong. "G-"
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"I didn't mean th-"
"No I know exactly what you meant," she cut him off. "Fine, I didn't tell you about France, or my daughter, or my past life for that matter. But what happened there is old news. France was a long time ago, I shut the door on it. I saved a lot of soldiers, heck I probably treated some of your comrades, will you accuse me of fucking them too?"
"Giorgia," Tommy warned, his eyes piercing through her.
"I didn't fuck him, but you believe what you want."
With that, she walked away and Tommy let her. He hated arguing with her, in fact, it was their first argument. He pinched his nose as he watched her walk away, yet still admired everything about her. It annoyed him how secretive she was, and whether or not it was a good thing he didn't know, but it drove him fucking insane. Sure he wasn't the most open of people, in fact, he was probably the most closed out of them all.
He wanted to protect her, he wanted to love her, make her safe, but every time he always seemed to find something new about her that he didn't like. Thomas was a proud man, and it was safe to say he let his power and money go to his head, even when his family warned him not to let it.
He'd always been the most powerful, the most dominant.
But he'd soon realized that the Italian girl before him was a lot more powerful than him in many ways and it was something he didn't like. She had so much power over him it has his knees buckling.
She'd say jump and he'd say how high.
"Giorgia?" Polly called after her. "Where are you going?"
"Away from your cunt of a nephew," she spoke, trudging on her fur jacket.
"What's he done now?"
"Oh let's see," she suppressed a laugh. "Accused me of being a liar, accusing me of sleeping with Alfie Solomons and now he's implying that every enemy he has, I'm associated with," he smiled sarcastically. Polly had to sigh at her nephew's stupidity.
"My god boy," she sighed.
"So you tell him from me," she warned. "He ever accuses me of shit like that again, I swear on God all hell will break loose."
---
hi so I know I promised smut in this chapter but it would have been sooooooo long so I broke it into two I promise it's in the next chapter pls don't hate me
ily hope you're all well and keeping safe
see u next time (probs in a couple of hours cos wanna get it up for u asap)
ly bye