Chapter Text
. . .
Tommy felt like an idiot for staying at Alfie’s, waiting on him. They had a row earlier about Tommy choosing to keep the boy around instead of having him killed, and Alfie hadn’t liked that decision that he had made.
He was leaning against the wall, waiting for the other man to return from the factory, but inside he was fighting the urge to jump on a boat and head back to Birmingham. He didn’t want to have this discussion with Alfie Solomons, at all, but he figured maybe it was best to get their thoughts out in the open, regardless.
He didn’t have to wait too much longer before he heard the door open and close again. He moved out of the kitchen and walked into the living room; if they were going to have another row, then at least he’d be warm.
Alfie walked into the living area where Tommy stood in front of the hearth and he walked over to him, looking at him expectantly, but his eyes looked conflicted.
“Well, let’s have it, then, eh?” Tommy urged, wanting this to get over and done with. He wasn’t sure what to expect; Alfie was either going to banish him back home, kill him, or threaten him.
Alfie sniffed and squared up to look at him. “Right, well… I suppose you shouldn’t have fuckin’ gave him paperwork to make him an employee, shouldn’t you have? That wasn’t your place, right, Tom.”
Tommy was prepared for this. He knew that Alfie would say something along those lines. “W-What is it that you would’ve preferred that I d-do with the boy, eh, Alfie? Did you want me to fucking cut him, right there in your office?”
Alfie sighed and clenched his jaw. “Preferably, yes, Tom.”
Tommy shook his head in disbelief. “If you wanted him dead so badly, why couldn’t you do it, Alfie? You had the gun in your hand, aimed right at his head. You couldn’t kill him, though. Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t fucking know, do I?” Alfie threw his arms up impatiently. “I… I fucking choked, right. I choked… I should’ve killed him, but… I couldn’t do it. That’s why I wanted you to! I told you to get rid of him!”
“No,” Tommy corrected, shaking his head, and pointing an accusatory finger at Alfie. “You told me to take care of it, Alfie. Well, I fucking took care of it. He’s Finn’s age, for fuck’s sake. I’m not going to kill him, because that’s what Sabini wants.”
“I don’t give a shit what Sabini fucking wants!” Alfie roared now, stepping threateningly towards Tommy, but then took a step back and sighed heavily, as if he remembered what the two of them were.
They weren’t just business partners anymore.
They were lovers.
They were in love.
Tommy didn’t move or flinch at Alfie’s outburst. He had expected that as well. He searched his face and saw frustration spread on it, but the Camden man wasn’t saying anything else, so Thomas Shelby took this chance to explain himself.
“That’s what he wants,” Tommy repeated again. “He wants you to k-kill that kid, to prove that you could do it in the first place. He wants revenge for what your man did to his in that fight. Sabini isn’t going to stop there, though. No… once you kill Mr. David Rossi, Sabini will make you k-kill your own man. It’s never to going to fucking stop,”
Alfie was listening intently, letting Tommy continue talking.
“You can use him, in your ranks. Let him live, and he can be valuable to you, Alfie.”
Alfie stroked his beard in thought. “Valuable, right… valuable how, exactly?”
“He’s going to fill out that employee sheet with a different name. He doesn’t want to go back to Sabini. He told me he wants to stay alive, and he wants to stay here. He has problems with his own. He’ll be loyal to you, Alfie. Give him work to do, he can spy on Sabini’s men for you without being noticed. He’s a smart lad. He’ll do what you tell him.”
Alfie nodded and ran his hand over his face. “I’m still quite upset at you, Tommy. I have too many other problems to think about right now though, don’t I? For example, I have Sabini’s men fucking shooting fire at mine, right. What am I supposed to do to stop this, Tom, go out there waving a white fucking flag?”
“Depends,” Tommy lit a cigarette, much to Alfie’s visible disapproval now. “D-Do you want peace, or do you want a war?”
Alfie rubbed the bridge of his nose exhaustedly and threw his hands up again. “I want peace, but I don’t want his foot on my fucking neck either. He barely even knew you and he knocked loose your teeth, didn’t he? He’s a fucking’ headache.”
Tommy thought for a moment. He knew what Alfie was asking without even being asked; he wanted the Peaky Blinders to step in and clear Sabini out of the territory, and wipe him off the face of the earth.
Now this was delicate territory for him. If he didn’t help Alfie do this, then he might lose Alfie as both a lover and a business associate. If he helped Alfie though, his own people back in Birmingham might not like that he’s helping out a man like Alfie. Worse yet, he knew that they wouldn’t come out of this injury free.
They would lose men.
There would be men lost on both sides of this war, but the real question here was: Were his men more disposable than Alfie’s?
“Tommy, say something.”
Tommy took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled. “I have to have a family meeting first, but… the decision will be on the table to help you.”
Alfie looked almost relieved but there was more conflict behind his eyes. “I could take Sabini on, right, with all my men, but… chances are decent I’ll lose more than half of them. They’re young and not so experienced yet.”
“Making excuses, Alfie?”
The other man looked at him and shook his head. “I’m just fuckin’ tellin’ it like it is, aren’t I? Sabini is an insane fuckin’ monster put on this earth by some hot blooded devil. He doesn’t deserve to live. I mean, look what he did to you, right? He knocked your teeth out of your skull!”
“Are you doing this for your men, or is this some revenge for what he d-did to me?” Tommy asked him neutrally, taking another drag.
Alfie thought for a moment and he shrugged shyly. “Why can’t it be both?”
Tommy felt his heart swell in his ribcage, and he gave a nod. He wouldn’t let Alfie Solomons know how touched he was by the gesture, because he still would need to talk to his kin about this. He took another drag from his fag and searched Alfie’s eyes.
“My people will help t-take out his men, but you need to be the one to kill Sabini,” he spoke firmly. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the Italian because Thomas Shelby wasn’t. It was simply a matter of putting things to rest with this gang.
This wasn’t Tommy’s war, even though he found himself finding in it. It was Alfie who was being targeted.
“Don’t worry, Tom. I’ll kill the wop. You and your kin just help my lads wipe out Sabini’s men.” Alfie reached over and took Tommy’s cigarette, and threw it into the fireplace.
Tommy wasn’t upset. He smirked, finding Alfie’s annoyance towards Tom for smoking amusing. He looked up at him now. “So are we all right then, Alfie?”
The other man gave a nod. “We’re fine, Tom. I suppose you’ll be heading back home now, though, won’t you?”
“I c-can leave tomorrow morning,” he smiled slightly, watching Alfie inch closer to him. “Did you wish to talk about business, or pleasure?”
Alfie gave a dry laugh and started to undo the buttons on his shirt. “Right, I think I’d prefer it if you put that pretty mouth of yours to better use, sweetheart.”
“Is that so?” Tommy chuckled now, smiling.
“Yeah, it’s so, Tom.”
He shook his head but shrugged his jacket off, laying it on the chair. He let Alfie take his shirt off, and then began to undo his shirt as well. The more clothes that came off, the more eager both of them became, passionately pressing their lips together in rough kisses.
Their breathing hitched when their bare bodies were finally touching, Tommy on his knees in front of Alfie in a submissive pose, probably the only time that Thomas Shelby would ever get on his knees for any man.
He looked up at Alfie who smirked down at him, love apparent in his eyes. Alfie tenderly ran his fingers through Tommy’s dark hair.
“Go on, Tom. Show me how well you can use that mouth of yours.”
………. … ……..
Tommy stepped off the boat by late afternoon the next day, and felt a heaviness in the pit of his stomach. He called the family meeting and explained the situation to them in the most neutral way he possibly could, and his family’s reactions were exactly what he had expected they would be.
Aunt Polly was vehemently opposed.
John was willing, as long as they would get something out of this.
Arthur was hesitant and unsure.
Esme, Ada, and Lizzie were against it as well.
Finn, Isiah, and Jeremiah agreed to helping Alfie.
And now they were all looking at Tommy, the majority of his family outnumbering him as they swung the vote in their favor. He needed to change their minds without giving himself away.
“Alfie Solomons is a business partner,” Tommy spoke evenly, looking at them. “We need him to continue to build up this business. He’s proven himself trustworthy, and reliable.”
“Why,” Aunt Pol cut in now. “Just because he hasn’t slit your throat yet? Thomas, you don’t even know this man! You’ve been over there drinking and fucking about, making business deals right and left with him, without our knowledge! This is the first time there’s been a vote in months.”
Tommy could feel a headache start to form already. Against his better judgement, he placed a cigarette between his lips and lit it. He carefully scratched his brow with the side of his hand and then looked at the older woman.
“Pol, I haven’t come back to call a family meeting because I didn’t fucking need to. I was able to make business decisions all on my own. I’m doing this for us,” he looked around at the rest of his kin. “For all of us. It’s in our own best interest to help him take out Sabini.” He took another drag.
“Why should we get involved in a gang war that shouldn’t even involve us in the first place?” Esme’s voice came next.
Tommy would be upset at her, angry even, if he didn’t understand where she was coming from. Her family was all about minding their own business and keeping their self to their self unless a personal affront came along. If nothing else, Thomas Shelby at least respected her.
He took another long drag, feeling the tightness start to build up in his throat again from his growing intake of cigarettes again. “We should become involved, because it does involve us, Esme. You’d be smart to think of t-this from a business point of view. If Sabini wipes Alfie and all his men in Camden out, we’re out future profit, as well as a business associate. He’s given us a lot of money to move his rum, and if he’s dead, then there’s no more rum to sell, and no more money to take.”
She had skepticism on her face but the hard look in her eyes softened a bit now. “Is there any way to do this without cutting down anyone?”
He couldn’t blame her for wanting to go about this without inciting unnecessary violence. “I’ve thought about this from different angles, and I don’t believe so. Sabini sure as hell won’t hesitate to p-put us down where we stand. We shouldn’t either.”
Worry touched her eyes, and in that moment, Tommy knew she was thinking of John, but she grew silent again. He looked around at the others before settling his eyes on Arthur.
He cleared his throat. “You’ve b-been awfully quiet, brother,” he nodded in his direction. “What do you think, eh?”
Arthur fidgeted a bit and grumbled incoherently before he looked at Tommy. “I think we should put it to a proper vote… but… I can see things from a business standpoint, Tom.”
He nodded. “Right, I just want to say something else before we vote on it again. Some of us may d-die, but this isn’t any d-different from our past skirmishes with other gangs. None of you know Alfie Solomons like I’ve gotten to know him. He’s intelligent, he was in the war as well, and he’s seen his fair share of blood and bullets, just like the rest of us. Even if no one else agrees to help him, I still plan to, so… take from that what you will. All right, let’s put it to a vote, then, yes?”
His family straightened up now.
“All in favor of helping Alfie Solomons and his men in Camden town take down Sabini and his men, raise your hands,” Thomas instructed.
John, Esme, Arthur, Ada, Lizzie, Finn, Isiah, and Jeremiah all raised their hands.
Tommy looked over at Polly who looked as if she were ready to storm out. “Pol, you, of all people, ought to see the advantage of helping him from a business standpoint. It’s good for business here. Don’t you want fancy dresses and good whiskey?”
The last part was said with an air of teasing, but it was clear she wasn’t in the mood.
“Fuck whiskey. Fuck fancy dresses! You’re willing to feed all these boys to the wolves for money! For some rum maker in London!”
He sighed, truly wanting this decision to be unanimous, but it was apparent that it wouldn’t be. “They’re not boys, Pol. They’re men, and they know that this is w-what we do. This is w-what we do, Pol! We’ve done this before, and we’ll do it until every g-g-gang in England is gone. This has to be done, and when we succeed, then we’ll come out of it even richer. Eventually we’ll get to a point where we won’t have to keep looking over our fucking shoulders all the time!”
Aunt Polly scoffed and shook her head. “That’ll be the fucking day.” She grabbed her coat and walked out of the room.
Tommy ran a hand over his face and rubbed his eyes before he looked around to see everyone looking at him expectantly, their hands still raised. “Majority rules. We’re going to war with Sabini. Jeremiah, gather up our b-best men and arm them.”
Jeremiah nodded agreeably and walked out of the betting shop.
“Finn, Isiah, make sure the cars are filled with petrol. We’ll be taking several with us to C-Camden,” he watched as his younger brother and Isiah both hurried out. “Arthur, help Jeremiah with the guns and ammunition. We might need to use a lot of it.”
“Aye, right, Tom.” He stood up and headed out, leaving just the other women in the room with him.
He watched Lizzie smoke quietly, examining his face cautiously, before looking at Ada who gave him an encouraging smile, and then glanced over at Esme, who stood up and walked over to him.
“So what are we supposed to do while you men are in Camden, sit here, taking bets and twiddling our thumbs?”
Tommy smirked gently. “I have no doubt you’ll find something to k-keep yourselves occupied while we’re away. If you want something to do, gather all the alcohol. We might need them to help get bullets out when we come back.”
Esme’s eyes grew big and wide now. “What, you’re already expecting to lose? You’re not doing much for my optimism right now, Thomas.”
He shrugged and looked at her helplessly. “Just planning for the worst, Esme.”
He walked out but as he started for his house, he felt a hand on his arm, stopping him in the street. He turned around to see Ada looking worried.
“Do you really believe you won’t win this time?”
He searched her face, deciding that he needed to lie to her. Now was not a time to not have any hope. “We’ll win, Ada,” he promised, hoping it would come true. “Don’t worry. I’m just trying to think the worst case scenario.”
Ada bit her lip nervously, but she nodded.
He had faith in his men, but every gang war felt different, even just slightly. Different people, different plans, different weapons, different languages. Tommy just wanted to feel prepared.
“Thank you, Ada,” he spoke softly now. “For voting to do this.” The two of them both knew that he didn’t need Ada’s vote to be able to do this, but it meant a lot to him that his sister understood why they needed to help Alfie.
“Of course… don’t know if Polly will ever forgive you for this, but… if we win this, then I can see how we’ll benefit in the long run.”
He nodded gratefully. “I’ve got a phone call to make. Excuse me, sister.” He walked inside his house and grabbed his phone before he dialed Alfie’s number.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings.
Four rings.
“Yes, ‘ello?” a grunted voice asked.
“It’s me, Alfie,” he spoke quietly, event though it was unnecessary. It wasn’t as if anyone on Tommy’s end could hear him.
“Tommy, just couldn’t stay away from me, could you?”
He ignored that. “We voted, and my family has agreed to help you t-take Sabini down. We’re preparing right now, and we should be ready t-to leave for London by week’s end.”
“The week’s end, right… I see. That’s awfully fucking soon, but I’m sure I can prepare my own men here. Will you get to come back here before the war starts, then?”
Tommy felt his heart sink a little. “No, I don’t think I’ll make it. I’ll see you when I bring everyone else over, though. After t-this, I’ll see you when the war is won.”
There was an uneasy silence on the phone and Tommy could almost see Alfie squirming nervously on the other end. “Tom, I just want to say… be careful, all right, mate? Be fucking careful. You need to be alive once all of this is over, right. We still have business to conduct.”
Alfie’s tone had taken a professional turn, and Tommy wondered if maybe Ollie had walked in and now Alfie was being forced to be subtle.
“Right, well, I’ll stay alive if you can promise me t-that you will as well, Alfie.”
“Don’t you worry about me, sweetie,” Alfie’s teasing voice came again. “No one can bury me until I’m good and ready for it.”
“That’s good to hear, Alfie. I’ll see you soon.”
“Yeah, right… see you, Tommy.” Alfie hung up now and Tommy lay on his bed, already regretting getting wrapped up in this.
He was putting all his kin at risk of being taken out by a bunch of mad Italians. If Thomas Shelby wasn’t so hell bent on helping the man he loved, he would definitely reconsider this suicide mission.