𝔹𝕠𝕣𝕟 𝕥𝕠 𝕃𝕠𝕤𝕖 | Tommy Shelby

𝕏𝕍𝕀𝕀. ᴅᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴡᴏʟᴠᴇs

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June 16th, 1931

Summer's coming. It's perceived in the dense and humid air, and the rains are more and more frequent.

A squall took us by surprise this morning when we were heading towards Thomas' mansion, and Ada had to stop the vehicle on the side of the road, waiting for the downpour to subside, thus prolonging a journey that was already too long and too unbearable for both of us: for my friend, because she didn't want me to attend the family meeting invoked by Thomas a week after his assassination attempt. For me, because although I would have preferred not to attend, I felt obliged to do so.

"This is bad", Ada muttered under her breath. "Fucking Tommy. What the hell is going through his mind?", she questioned for the umpteenth time since we got in the car. "Olivia, when it stops raining, we go back to Birmingham".

"No". This was the third or fourth time I had stopped her impulse. "I have to go. I'm the only witness. The only person who was with Tommy when Gina shot him".

"You're wrong", my friend contradicted me. "You're not a witness for anything because you were not in the office when Gina decided to shoot Tommy. God... ". She sighed in distress. "We don't even know if it was Gina who shot him. Tommy has nothing but conjetures".

"I believe him", I said, tense.

"You believe everything he says". Ada didn't blurt that out with the intention of attacking me. "And while you may have already realized because you're not stupid, let me remind you: Tom isn't right in the head. Lately, he suffers from a major persecution mania".

"The shot was not product of his persecution mania, Ada". I turned in my seat to face her but she kept the eyes on the road. Ada was pale. "Gina wanted to kill him and that's the only truth. We already checked the attendance sheet. At that time, all the employees had left the Company so Tommy could only have been shot by someone who doesn't need to register his entry or exit; that is, a member of the Board of Directors".

"You assume the person who wanted to kill him is someone from the Company". I saw Ada shake her head. "You don't know how many people want my brother dead. That they shot him in his office was a mere coincidence".

Lightning streaked across the leaden sky, suddenly blinding us with its bluish light. The rumbling came a couple of seconds later and with it, the rain seemed to get worse.

"Fuck", Ada cursed.

"I know you're trying to protect me", I said, reassuring her, "and I know the lack of evidence isn't the only reason you don't want me to go. It's because of Lizzie", I concluded.

"Olivia, believe me when I tell you that Lizzie is the least of your problems". Apparently, I had only managed to upset Ada even more. "You're about to meet the true face of my family, the way they relate with each other. What you saw at the board meeting was nothing compared to what Peaky Blinders meetings are like. The Company is a hobby for the Shelbys. A fucking hobby. The real shit... happens behind the curtain, and you're about to sneak behind that curtain". Ada gripped the steering wheel hard, as if she wanted to start the car once and for all. "I told Tommy not to get you involved with the Peaky Blinders. I made him promise that he wouldn't..."

"When did you tell him that?", I asked curiously.

"It doesn't matter", Ada snapped, annoyed.

Before I could investigate further, Ada started the engine and stepped on the accelerator, completely forgetting about the danger posed by the waterlogged dirt road. For my part, I decided to remain silent for the rest of the trip as I considered it a risk to upset my friend while she was driving.