Only Time Will Tell - A Peaky Blinders Story

Chapter 30 - What happens in battle, stays in battle

"There they are. Are you sure you want to do this?" Cass says, pointing to the group of men in the middle of the road. "Yes. It's now or never." Ada replies with a very strong look of determination. "Alright then, let's go." Cass says with a nod before falling into step with her sister. They might not get along, but when their brothers are in trouble, they're a force to be reckoned with.

"Move!" Ada yells as she pushes through Kimber's men and stands in between the two 'armies'. "Ada what the hell are you doing?" Freddie asks in shock. "Shut up and listen." Ada says plainly, taking off her hat and resting it on the baby's pushchair. "Cass, move!" Tommy yells, shutting up when she sends him a glare that could kill.

"I believe you men call this no man's land. Well, I was never in France, but I assume most of you were, like my sister here. I'm guessing you all know what happens next." Ada starts, facing Kimber's men and gesturing towards Cass. "Ada! Get over here now!" Freddie pleads, worried for his wife and son's safety. "She said shut up!" Cass yells back, raising her gun and shooting it into the air. The pair watch as every man jumps slightly at the noise, but neither of them flinch.

"We have a family here. Brothers. I have a husband as well. I'm wearing black in preparation. Who's going to wear black for all of you?" Ada then asks Kimber with an evil smirk. "She's not wearing black." Kimber replies cockily. "No I'm not, because you ruined my chance to wear this to the races. I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to show it off." Cass replies, stepping closer to Kimber with a sly smile. "Now, go ahead and fight all you want. But we're not moving from this spot, and neither is that baby." Ada announces, standing strongly next to her sister.

"They're right, you know. Why should all you men die when there's only one man here responsible?" Kimber says to his men. That's when everything goes into slow motion for Cass. She watches as Kimber pulls his gun out of his blazer and shoots Tommy in the shoulder. Seeing Tommy fall to the floor ignites something in Cass. She instantly aims her gun and shoots Kimber in the head without a second thought. She's never been a very violent person, but when it comes to her family, she will kill any and every mother fucker who dare try and bring them down.

Everyone stands in shock for a moment. The Shelby brothers never though Cassie had it in her to kill someone like that. Cass stands staring at Kimber's lifeless body. She didn't think killing him would feel this easy, especially after her experiences in the war. In the uproar of everything, she didn't notice that Danny had been shot down. She turns to see his body lying in the mud, a puddle of blood surrounding him. That's when it hits her what she's done.

She immediately drops the gun on the floor and stares at John's face as he comes towards her, not hearing anything he is saying to her. Tommy yells something to Kimber's men before he goes to place a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugs him away. She turns to Arthur and John who are now stood next to them both. "Get him to the Garrison. I'll fix him up." She says bluntly before walking through the group and into the pub.

~

Tom is held in place on a chair in the empty pub. He is screaming all sorts of profanity as Casandra digs through his shoulder for the bullet. When she pulls it out, she places it in an empty glass and grabs a bottle of rum from behind the bar. "Breathe in, Tom." She says before pouring the liquid over his wound, causing him to scream. She wraps his shoulder with a bandage before gesturing for Arthur and John to release him. Everyone starts to calm down as the realisation sets in that Cass actually killed Kimber.

"Arthur, get everyone a drink." Tommy says, his voice croaking from the screams. "I need to wash my hands." Cass says, not liking how all eyes were on her. She makes her way to the back of the pub, out of sight. She carefully washes her hands under the water, wiping away all of her brother's blood.

As she turns to dry them with a towel, she is met with Tommy's piercing eyes causing her to jump. "Tommy, Jesus. Scared the shit out of me." She tries to joke as she places the towel on the table. "That wasn't your first time killing someone, was it?" Tommy asks carefully. Cass avoids his gaze and looks to the floor. "Are you disappointed in me?" She asks, slightly ashamed. "Absolutely not. I'm grateful." Tommy says, causing his sister to look up at him in shock.

"Look, I don't know what happened to you during the war, but I'm thankful that it did. If you hadn't have gone through that, I might not still be here. So, thank you. Thank you for saving my life." Tommy then says, pulling Cass in for a hug. "I couldn't save everyone, though." Cass says sadly into his chest. "No one could have. Danny's in a better place." Tom says. "I know." His sister whispers in reply.

"I'm sorry about Grace. I really wanted to be wrong about her." Cass says after a few moments of silence. "It's alright." Tommy replies bluntly, pulling away from their hug with a stoic expression. "Come on, let's celebrate with the others. We don't want Arthur drinking all the booze before we get a chance to have some, do we?" He then says with a small smile. Cass can't help but chuckle. The day is theirs, so a celebration it will be.