Crown of a Prince (Finn Shelby)

66.

The men sat in silence for a moment, all eyes on the young woman who didn’t look back at them. She was quiet and pensive, not sure what her dreams meant or why Tommy was having dreams now too.
 
“Dreams aren’t always right, are they brother?” Arthur looked at Tommy, more to convince himself than to convince anyone else.
 
Tommy didn’t answer. He stared at Ailbhe for a moment longer. Dreams meant a lot more than people thought.
 
“Finn, you’re running the book for the fight tonight. Don’t be late” Tommy reminded them, standing up from the table as if he had processed all that Ailbhe had said and would simply have to move on with his day.
 
Bonnie had his fight tonight, another fighter from London that was bound to end up losing. Bonnie was unbeatable so far and he was only getting better.
 
“Another thing, Tom” Ailbhe piped up, breaking out of her trance and knowing Tom should hear it.
 
“Bonnie and Jade Jesus got married last night” She told them.
 
Of course, Finn already knew and apparently so did Tommy. Liam and Arthur hadn’t known nor had they suspected anything. Then again, they were quite clueless when it came to matters of the heart.
“I know” Tommy nodded, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it between his lips.
 
Aberama Gold had told him. Aberama had come to Tommy’s office one day, months prior and asking about Jade. He wanted to know what kind of girl she was and if she was right for Bonnie. Of course, Jade had been sitting at her desk outside Tommy’s office when Aberama arrived and he had to admit that she was as charming as she was beautiful. But Aberama needed to know she was a woman of substance, of qualities more than skin deep. Tommy vouched for her, knowing her since she was a little girl.
 
“Jade Jesus, married to Bonnie Gold. Fucking hell” Arthur laughed, shocked by the news.
 
“It’s good... Bonnie is now Jeremiah’s son, Jade is now Aberama’s daughter and there is a blood tie between our families.” Tommy explained, pulling on his coat and leaving the cigarette between his lips for a moment.
 
Tommy had many other things to preoccupy his mind and didn’t have room in is head to wonder how Bonnie Gold had wooed Jade. It just helped ease his mind that the Golds and the Jesus’ were now united and they were now both families he could fully trust in his corner.
 
Taking the cigarette from his lips he shook his head exasperatingly.
 
“All my fucking secretaries... they all up and get married.” He sighed.
 
Liam shook his head, smirking up at Tommy.
 
“Yeah at least poor Jade won’t be marrying you” Liam rolled his eyes, a devilish grin on his face as he stood from the table and headed out the back door before Tommy could come back at him with a clever remark.
 
“Tonight. Don’t be late” Tommy warned Finn once, pulling on his hat and disappearing out the door with Arthur hot on his heels.
 
“You alright?” Finn asked her, standing up and stretching.
 
He leaned against one of the columns, lighting a cigarette and offering it to her naturally. She refused, shaking her head, feeling like the nerves she had couldn’t be eased by nicotine.
 
“I don’t know Finn...” She admitted.
 
There was a type of ache in her head since New York that she couldn’t shake. It wasn’t painful, more like a feeling of unease. It was like something was coming and she just couldn’t see it clearly, couldn’t stop it or predict it.
 
She also had this sense of pressure, a weight on her shoulders. As if interpreting dreams was now all she was good for.
 
“You’ll come tonight? Won’t you?” He asked her, hoping she would say yes.
 
Life seemed so serious, so intense and strict now with Billy Boys and IRA, with Michael and Mosley there seemed no time for them to just be. He wanted to go out, to laugh and have fun, to hear her laughing and having fun. Maybe then she could relax a little.
 
She nodded and smiled; it was a tired smile but still a smile.
 
“Come here” he nodded at her, holding his hand out to her and putting out his cigarette with the other.
 
She took it, feeling his big warm hand around hers and pull her towards him until she bumped into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her in close so her cheek was against his chest and she inhaled deeply. He smelt like smoke and whiskey, like cologne and Finn.
 
Whatever it was about Finn Shelby, he could slow her down, reel her back in. She could be paused and breathe and focus in on exactly what was important. Whatever it was about Finn Shelby, she knew she needed him.
 
“You’re not a fortune teller Alv, nobody expects you to read minds or stop fate... its not your job to do that.”
 
He reminded her, knowing that Ailbhe was starting to force her gift, starting to force herself to have dreams and see things around people but Polly had warned them, no gift works like that.
 
“I missed you in New York” She sighed, wrapping her arms around his middle.
 
For a man who had quit school as early as possible and didn’t read more than he had to. Finn could almost always use the right words with her. He was right. She had to stop hoping she could read minds and predict the future from her abstract dreams. She could do neither. Her gift of second sight was a precarious and finicky thing, completely changeable and subjective.
 
She closed her eyes, finally feeling her mind reel back to normal and think at a pace she could keep up with. Sometimes it felt like a whirlwind inside her own head, like a tornado that she was caught in the middle of.
 
“You’ve no idea how much I missed you” Finn whispered in reply, almost laughing dryly.
 
He didn’t know how to explain it, how to tell someone you aren’t yourself without them so he just looked down at her, knowing she felt it too.
 
She stretched up on her toes, meeting his lips with hers and kissing him so softly it felt almost fragile. Her hands slid up his chest, around his neck while she felt his slide down her body, wrapping around her waist and keeping them pressed against each other.
 
He was leaning against the column, his legs jutting out a little and she stood between them, glad he was leaning so she didn’t have to stretch up too much. As Finn’s hand encircled her neck, the pressure from his long slender fingers making Ailbhe want more from him the door banged again. The couple pulled away from each other’s lips quickly but he had already seen them.
 
“Oh, Jesus. I’m sorry Mr Shelby, excuse me!” The man at the door exclaimed, putting his hands up in apology and turning to leave again.
 
“You’re alright, come in Mickey. We were just leaving” Finn told him, beckoning him in with his hand.
 
The man was probably around thirty and he was Irish by the sounds of his accent. He was tall and broad, a peaky cap in his hands along with keys to the pub. He must be the new bartender that Polly had told her about.
 
Finn stood up straight, grabbing his hat and pulling it on as Mickey came in, a little nervously as he looked at Ailbhe. He wasn’t sure how to act around the Shelby’s yet. He was relatively new to Small Heath and he just wanted to stay on their good side.
 
“Mickey, this is Ailbhe Kennedy” Finn introduced them, gesturing towards the girl he had been wrapped around moments before.
 
Mickey nodded politely, blue eyes wide and popping. Ailbhe stepped forward, reaching out her hand. He shook it, gratefully. He seemed innocent, perhaps too innocent for the likes of Small Heath but he would soon learn Ailbhe was sure. She had learnt, hadn’t she?
 
“Lovely to meet you, Mickey. Where are you from?”
 
Ailbhe asked, smiling genuinely. It was always nice to see more Irish in Birmingham and yet a little sad too. If they were leaving Ireland it meant that things were worse for the normal people than the biased newspapers suggested.
 
“Galway” Mickey answered, almost nervously to meet the infamous Ailbhe Kennedy.
 
He had heard about her, even before her untimely return to Birmingham. It was rumoured she could see things, just like Polly Gray. Everyone knew the stories of how Ailbhe Kennedy grew up with the Shelby brothers, how she was a member of the board for the company and how she was Finn Sheby’s girl. All of the above information meant that if you wanted to keep your eyes, you would stay away from Ailbhe Kennedy and if that wasn’t possible you would not insult nor offend her.
 
And yet there she was, in his pub smiling and making small talk. That was the rumour too. Face of an angel, mind of the devil. On the side of the angels with brothers on the side of the devil.
 
“So was my grandmother” Ailbhe replied, knowing his home well.
 
Finn pulled on his long coat, straightening the collar and lighting a cigarette.
 
“We’ll leave you to it Mickey” He stated, holding out his hand to Ailbhe who took it and left with him. Finn could see the nervousness and panic on Mickey’s face and wanted to put him out of his misery.
 
Mickey took a deep breath once the door had shut behind them. While the Shelby brothers were frightening, ruthless and cutthroat. There was something about the women in that family. Mickey felt like Ailbhe had rifled through his mind, deciding whether or not he could be trusted all the while making small talk with him and smiling.
 
Outside the door Finn laughed, shaking his head at the girl he loved. He passed the cigarette to her as they walked down the paths behind the factories, back to where the offices were and where Ailbhe’s work sat waiting for her.
 
“What?” She asked, knowing Finn was laughing at her but not knowing why.
 
She didn’t care really. He looked so handsome when he laughed.
 
“You have no idea, do you?” He asked her incredulously, admiring her pretty face as she smiled.
 
Not even the smoke and shit of Small Heath could make her seem dull.
 
“No idea of what?” She asked, pestering him to just tell her what was so funny.
 
Finn threw the finished cigarette aside, barely noticing the people who passed staring at them and nodding, saluting and saying good afternoon.
 
“The effect you have on people. Mickey almost just shit himself he was so scared” Finn told her, knowing she had no idea.
 
She looked back at him, raising an arched eyebrow.
 
“Good” she replied, smirking devilishly and leaning in.

She pressed a kiss to his lips quickly before pushing open the door to Shelby Company Ltd and leaving Finn on the street knowing he wouldn’t ever get tired of her, get bored with her. She was enough for him and yet he couldn’t get enough of her at the same time. His favourite addiction.