THE RUMBLE OF a car engine woke Evelyn, the booming call of her name from Arthur causing her to exit her bedroom and enter the living room. There stood her family, Tommy leaning against the wall in the hallway near the front door as he watched his sister look around the room before her attention landed on him.
"Mr. Solomons has arrived," he grunted out while opening the front door, gesturing for Evelyn to leave the house first.
Evelyn didn't speak as she walked out onto the street of Watery Lane, the gravel scratching the soles of her shoes. The sound of Alfie's enthusiastic voice echoing throughout the area caused Evelyn to chuckle lightly when she turned in his direction to see a disgruntled appearance on his face.
"Fuckin' 'ell!" The man cursed, hitting the bottom of his walking stick on the ground. "Smells like fuckin' pig 'round here, innit?"
Evelyn found herself holding her laughter as she watched her boyfriend complain to the bearded man who had tagged along on his journey; the gangsters hands flying out around him as if to prove his point. Sensing that someone was staring at him, Alfie's head turned in Evelyn's direction; a beaming smile gracing his face when he saw the girl.
Walking towards her, he continued with his dramatics. "Come to Small Heath! You will go to hell for fuckin' breathing!"
"I told you that you'd hate it, Mr. Solomons," Evelyn teased, forgetting that her older brother was behind her watching the exchange.
"I don't understand how a doll like you grew up here, fuckin' tragic that is."
"I think I turned out alright," Evelyn shrugged, Alfie quick to agree with her before turning his attention to Tommy who was adjusting his glasses in annoyance.
"Tommy, long time no see!" The buff man joked, resting one of his hands in his coat pocket. "Can't believe, right, that you made me fuckin' come all the way out here to have a fuckin' meeting. Can you believe that, love?" Alfie asked Evelyn who shrugged in response before looking at her brother.
"No, I can not believe it, Mr. Solomons," Evelyn raised a brow towards Tommy. "He was already in London; could have just done it there."
Shaking his head, Tommy gestured for the pair to come inside. "I wanted to inform everyone at the same time."
Following a grouchy Tommy into the house, Evelyn took Alfie's coat and hung it on the hooks on the wall before motioning for him to enter the betting shop; her family having moved themselves in there as they awaited the meeting.
"Well if it isn't more fuckin' Shelby's," Alfie mocked, Evelyn only then noticing that John had brought along Esme and the kids who were playing in the corner of the room with Charlie. Polly seeming to have arrived as well. "There seems to another one of yer' every time I fuckin' blink."
"Alf," Evelyn whispered, elbowing him in the side of his torso; trying to hide a laugh.
"Right!" Tommy began, his eyes never once leaving the figures of both Alfie and Evelyn. "Now that we have everyone here, we can fucking begin. I've called a family meeting so we can talk about the deal I made with the Russians."
"I'm flattered-" Alfie began, before Evelyn shot him a look to tell him to shut up – the entire family watching their exchange, Tommy choosing to ignore it and continue his speech.
"We're going to pull off a heist. Mr. Solomons is going to accompany me to choose jewels as an appraiser, with his expertise we will only obtain those of a high value. They plan to stiff us on the bill, so we are going to break into their vault."
"We're robbing 'em?" John pipped up while Esme came to rest her hand on his shoulder. Tommy rubbed his bottom lip before speaking.
"I have a seperate job for you and Arthur. I need you two to come along with me when I visit them. Evelyn, I want you and Finn to stay by the train station; an explosion has been prepared and I want you to make sure it's seen through."
"Tom-"
Before Arthur could say his piece Tommy held up his hand to silence his older brother, his stare flitting over to where Evelyn had placed her palm on Alfie's lower hip – rubbing small circles to help keep him calm.
"I don't want to hear any complaints," he spoke before clenching his teeth; eyes never leaving his sister and Alfie. "You will all do your part and not complain."
Knowing there was no way that Tommy was going to change his mind that was made up and set in stone, everyone in the room sat in silence before Alfie decided to fill it. Turning so he could look at his girlfriend who was nervously bitting her nails; a habit that he had tried to make her stop.
Pulling her hand away from her mouth, Alfie looked down at her. "Right, well, while I'm in your fuckin' pigs-tai of a town, I would love a fuckin' drink, yeah?"
"Eve," Tommy spoke, a frustrated air floating around him. "Take Mr. Solomons to the Garrison. This is all happening after dark – don't be fucking late."
With a small 'okay,' Evelyn led Alfie back out of the house; her brothers all watching and waiting until they heard the front door slam shut.
"Fucking hell," Polly spat, flicking the end of her cigarette before pointing it at her nephew, Tommy lighting his own cig. "You were right, she is fucking Solomons."
~~~~~~~~
Relief flooded Alfie's veins as he entered the Garrison with Evelyn holding his hand. The pub was empty, but Evelyn made her way around the bar – her actions seeming natural as she pulled out a bottle of rum and two glasses; filling them before sliding one along the countertop to Alfie.
"I've got a bad feeling 'bout tonight, Eve," Alfie muttered, downing the drink. "Fuckin' with the Russians ain't going to end well."
Evelyn sighed. "Me too, but there's no way my brother is giving up now that he's this far along with the plan."
The pair sat in a comfortable silence, Evelyn pouring Alfie another drink while she took sips of her own. With a deep exhale, Alfie gestured with two fingers for Evelyn to come back around the counter; his hands instinctively finding their way to the dips of her hips.
"My mum, yeah, had to flee from persecution in Russia; they hunted her down with fuckin' dogs. My fuckin' father though, right, he was one of those people who was born bad, yeah. He was a fuckin' adulterer, had a whole lot of children and didn't stay to help raise them," Alfie told the girl who had began running a hand through his hair, his head resting against her chest.
"At least that is what I've been told, yeah, so I'm fuckin' told because all I ever saw of him was his fuckin' hat. My mother hung it on the wall above the sink where she washed people's laundry. A holy fuckin' relic."
Evelyn didn't know what to say, in the time she had taken to get to know Alfie he had only ever told her of his mother. The way he spoke of her made Evelyn believe the woman was an angel sent down to grace earth; but he had never spoken about his father – only telling her that he was a "fuckin' bastard." That was something she was awfully familiar with.
"It's the one I wear," Alfie added, gesturing to the hat that was on the counter next to them without raising his head. "It still smells of fuckin' Portugal water when I wear it. Can yer' believe that, right, my ma washed bedsheets and my father was a fuckin' hat."
Evelyn could relate to the resentment Alfie had towards his father; Arthur Shelby Sr. was a piece of shit who she could never forgive. Cupping Alfie's face in her palms, Evelyn gently lifted his head so she could look at his eyes; the pretty turquoise was clouded with tears that he forced himself not to shed.
"My father was a piece of shit too," Evelyn spoke, a heavy feeling creeping up on her. "He was a hustler. He stole, was involved with whores and abandoned all of his children while we were still young. I remember being so confused when he left for good, it was just after my mum died so I refused to believe my father was gone too."
Alfie watched intently as Evelyn reached for her glass with a shaky hand, his own quickly covering hers to stop her from spilling her drink over herself; helping her lift it to her lips. With a quiet whisper of 'thank you' Evelyn continued.
"I was heartbroken and trying to process the fact that my mother was gone; a good woman was dead. Polly was quick to take over the motherly role, she had lost both her children – Anna and Michael a few years back. She raised us like her own, that's why I trust her the most out of my family," Evelyn sighed, words getting stuck in her throat.
"My dad died a couple of years ago – Polly and I cursed him so he would eternally feel the pain he put all of his children through in the afterlife. Tom found Michael not too long ago, his twin sister, Anna, passed though."
Pulling his girl onto his lap as he sat on the stool, Alfie and Evelyn held each other; two broken hearts finally feeling whole.
"If anything goes wrong tonight, love," Alfie whispered, brushing a few strands of Evelyn's hair out of her eyes and tucking them behind her ears. "Please don't curse my fuckin' grave, yeah?"
A sound between a sob and laugh rumbled through Evelyn's chest as she swatted Alfie's shoulder. "Shut up!"
"This scares me," Alfie admitted, the words forcing themselves out of his mouth; Alfie Solomons never admitted to being afraid. "I feel like, right, I feel like I can tell you things that I can't even tell myself."
Choosing to show, not tell; Evelyn rested her hand against the back of Alfie's neck before meekly pulling him towards her, encasing his lips in a kiss that told him a thousand more words and emotions than she could ever speak.
He knew he was home when his lips touched hers.