WHEN SHE WAS little, Evelyn was scared of the dark. She hated how it would encase the area around her, that she couldn't see far into the distance without a candle lighting up only so far.
She hated that the smallest amount of light would form shadows upon the ground, making a distorted figure of the object that cast it. She always thought that the shadows would move by themselves, that there were monsters lurking in the darkness that she could not see. Her aunt Polly used to tell her to quit being silly, but as she grew older – Evelyn understood that there really was evil lurking in the shadows that she had to be aware of.
It was late by the time that Evelyn had begun to lock up the speakeasy, shutting the double doors behind her as she began to walk towards Alfie's distillery at the end of the street. Her velvet purple heels clicked against the cobblestone as she skipped to avoid potholes full of rainwater and mud.
It wasn't until she heard the footsteps behind her that Evelyn began to speed up her own steps. Her hand rested on the handle of her handgun that was tucked into the waistband of her skirt, pushing herself through the doors to the distillery before shutting them with a bang behind her.
She watched from the small window panel in the door as a man dressed in all black stood in a few feet away from the distillery doors for a minute before he hastily walked away. Evelyn let out a shaky breath she was holding in, trying to catch anything identifiable about the man – only to come up empty. It was as if he was a shadow.
"Eve? What's fuckin' goin' on?" Jumping in shock, Evelyn turned around with her hand hovering over her heart – catching sight of a very confused Alfie.
"Just-" Evelyn stopped herself, looking back out the window in-case the man came back before she rushed over to Alfie; flinging her arms around him.
Alfie let out a soft grunt at the sudden contact before wrapping his arms tightly around her, pressing his lips to the crown of her head before he grabbed her cheeks and gently tilted her head up to look at him.
"Yer' alright, love?"
"Yeah, I just thought someone was following me. I think it was just a drunk lingering around from the night he had," she laughed off, although she knew that she definitely wasn't imagining the mysterious man.
Alfie hummed and Evelyn knew that he didn't quite believe her as his eyes darted to the door, before he took her hand in his and pulled the pair of them into his office – locking the door behind him.
"Not goin' to lie, yeah, but you slammin' that fuckin' door scared me out of me fuckin' wits," Alfie laughed, taking a seat in his chair before tugging Evelyn down onto his lap. "Sorry I didn't make it in time, Ollie dumped a load of fuckin' paperwork for yer' brothers new bookies and I had to get them filled before Tommy stormed in 'ere."
Evelyn shook her head before she began to mindlessly play with the buttons of Alfie's shirt as she took him in. She softly smiled when she noticed that the scaring on his cheek wasn't as bright and angry anymore.
"I think the cream's working," she chuffed referring to the prescription he hadn't used since his first doctors appointment – until Evelyn basically forced him to. Alfie gave her hips a squeeze in response before he spoke.
"Doesn't feel like I got kicked in the face by a fuckin' kangaroo anymore," he shrugged with a light chuckle, tugging Evelyn impossibly closer. "How are yer' feelin' now? What did Polly say?"
She knew that he was referring to the way she threw up early that morning – telling her to speak to her aunt about it. Evelyn only let out a soft sigh.
"Pol said to come down to Small Heath tomorrow, said that she thinks the bug I had the week that Changretta was killed has come back," Evelyn explained the phone call she had with her aunt before she left to open the club. "Matya said she'll do all the work tomorrow while I'm gone."
Alfie brushed his calloused fingers through Evelyn's neat hair, snickering to himself when she let out an exasperated huff and tried to fix it. Leaning forward, Alfie began to trail his lips down Evelyn's neck causing her to let out a small moan.
"Alf-" she breathlessly spoke as his hands made their way under her skirt, slowly trailing up her thighs.
"There's nobody 'ere, love. I've got to make it up to you, yeah? For not comin' tonight," he muttered against her skin before letting out a groan when Evelyn shift in his lap. "Let's fuck."
"In your office?" Evelyn questioned, pulling away slightly only to see the cocky smirk that Alfie held. "Fine. Make it quick though, I want to go home."
Alfie let out a hearty laugh before bunching Evelyn's skirt up her hips – his hands quickly pushing down her panties. Pulling her off his lap, Alfie watched as Evelyn stepped out of the soft material, before he stood up himself and loosened his belt.
"Gonna fuck yer' over my desk," he turned her around, gently pushing her over the surface of his desk. "Good girl."
Evelyn could only get lost in the feeling of Alfie's hands gripping her waist, her soft moans mixing with his grunts – both getting tangled in the feeling of bliss and each other.
However, even as distracted as she was, she couldn't help the feeling of being watched creep over her.
~~~~~~~
Evelyn's knuckles racked on the door of her aunt Polly's huge house, waiting a few seconds before it swung open and the familiar face of her aunt greeted her with a wide smile.
"Eve," Polly grinned, pulling her niece into her arms. "Come in."
Evelyn trailed behind her aunt, walking into the dining room – where a cup of tea and some fresh scones were waiting on the table for her. Polly gestured for Evelyn to have a seat as both women sat across from each other.
"So tell me what's going on," Polly instructed, picking up her glass before taking a sip of the steaming liquid. "Is it the same sickness as last time?"
"It's the same symptoms, just feels different – I don't know how to describe it, Pol."
"How about cravings?"
Evelyn furrowed her features in thought, her bottom lip taken between her teeth, before she shook her head.
"I've been eating a few more apples than normal, but that's really nothing," she shrugged. "Have been having weird dreams right before I wake up to be sick."
Placing her cup down on the table, Polly had a strange look on her face as she questioned Evelyn. "Dreams of what?"
"A stork. It stands in that pond that I used to ride my horse Penny to and it just looks at me, before flying off. I wake after that in a cold sweat and then I have to throw up."
Polly was silent for a few seconds before she stood up, pulling Evelyn up with her. Evelyn stared at her aunt in confusion as the woman turned her to face side-on, letting out a squeal in shock when Polly grabbed her left breast.
"Pol, why the fuck did you do that? You don't see me randomly grabbing your tits!"
Polly shot Evelyn an unamused expression before a fond smile grew on the older woman's face. Evelyn raised a pointed brow at her aunt, tilting her head in a silent question.
"Your mother dreamt of a stork when she was pregnant with you," Polly mused, sitting back down as she watched her niece take in her words – raising a brow when Evelyn began to pace and run her hands through her hair.
"I-I'm not! I can't be Pol," Evelyn rushed out, refusing to believe her aunts words. "We only just got back together – it's too soon for me to be up the duff."
"When was the last time you and Alfie fucked?"
A pink flush quickly grew on Evelyn's cheeks at her aunts brazen question – her words getting stuck in her throat as she looked everywhere but at her aunt.
"Fucking hell," Polly sniggered. "You two get back together and in a month you're getting married again and now you're pregnant because you go at it like fucking rabbits. I will never understand the pair of you."
"We don't know that I'm pregnant and how did you know that Alfie proposed?" Evelyn shyly spoke, sitting back down as she pouted her lips and crossed her arms like a petulant child. Polly quirked her lips at how the girl was still as stubborn as a mule no matter how old she got.
"Because I'm perceptive and that diamond on your finger isn't exactly small. Now, do you use protection?" Evelyn only glanced down at her shoes, giving Polly her answer. "If you're not safe then there's always a chance of you being pregnant. Fucks sake, grab your coat – we're catching the next train to Cardiff to make sure."
Evelyn could only groan and follow her aunts instructions, knowing that there was no talking Polly Gray out of something once she set her mind on it – she had picked that trait up from her aunt and now she understood how people felt when she was as Polly.
"I'm not pregnant, Pol," Evelyn shook her head as she linked her arm with the older woman's as they made their way out of the house.
"I'm never wrong, Eve," Polly prided herself as she led them both down the street. "Never wrong."