Shelby's spy

4.

Charlie had leapt to her feat and turned in a heartbeat, dread thrumming through her veins and who she might find behind her. She had no time to theorise who might have found her, who might have known about her and Ronnie's arrangement. Regardless, nothing could have prepared her to meet the same steel eyes that had been haunting her since last night. The eyes of Thomas Shelby.

He stood no less that five feet away from her, hands tucked casually into the pocks of his tailored grey slacks. His relaxed stance made him appear no less threatening, the cool, calculating glint in his eye as bright as the silver razor she could just about see tucked into the tip of his cap.

"An inspectors pocket-watch?" he had said. The words blunt yet lethal. 

He had come here knowing she would have it, knowing she was hear to hand it over the Ronnie. Ronnie who was no where to be seen.

Swallowing the bile that threatened to rise, Charlie rose her chin and looked the Blinder straight in the eye.

"wheres Ronnie?"

She tried to sound brave but there was no hiding the slight tremor in her voice. She could tell he knew exactly how much fear he inflicted and she could tell he took some pleasure from it. She would not back down though, for Ronnie she would stand her ground in front of this monster.

Thomas Shelby's eyes pierced her own before travelling down, examining the rest of her, taking in the slacks rolled to the ankle, the shirt tucked at the waist and billowing outwards around her skinny frame. For a second she swore his eyes saw right through the material of her pocket and to the watch that laid within. Unconsciously her hand went to rest against it, to check it really did still sit there and from the amused glimmer in Shelby's eyes that followed she knew she had just given herself away. Such cunningness from the brain that no doubt was responsible for the success of the Peaky Blinders gang.  

Rather than answering her question he reached into the pocket of his long coat and pulled out a cigarette and lighter.  The flame as his lit up illuminated the viscous, sharp features of his face and it was as though he had been carved by the very blade he had blinded so many with. Taking a long drag his gaze then moved to their surroundings, the canal she had just been gazing into debating how many bodies this very man had tossed into it.

He looked bored, she thought, as he exhaled a plume of smoke before immediately taking another long drag. Perhaps he was. He certainly had done more exciting things that cornering teenagers under dark bridges if his reputation was anything to go by. 

But he had come here himself, not sent a lackey, which meant he likely didn't want to kill her. Not yet at least. That meant he wanted something, something more than the pocket-watch still sitting in her pocket.

The silence between them stretched on for a ominously long moment , only the distant sounds of the city and Charlies thudding heart audible. It was clear the man had no intentions of explaining himself any time soon and so she prodded again.

"If you wanted the watch you woulda just taken it. so what is it that you're here for Blinder?"

He seemed to consider this for a moment, gazed still locked on the dark waters and when he finally spoke with a hand pointed towards the cut it was only to ask:

"do you know what these are used for?"

Charlie turned to consider the water for herself. Did he think her stupid?

"course i do. Boats take coal and stuff to other factories in other places"

Thomas nodded in confirmation, another large plume of smoke escaping his lips as he responded,