It's the roaring twenties in Birmingham, the Peaky Blinders exist alongside God but they were much, much closer at hand than Him. Mercedes de Silva, thornless withered rose, petals filled with sorrow. Thomas Shelby, ruthlessly ambitious, conflicted...
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Langham Hotel, London
1924
A single bell rang throughout the hall as the master of ceremonies began his speech, "The loyalty toast, to His Majesty the King!"
"I can get used to this, all right" the young Soledad de Silva flashed a toothy grin at Katie as they both raised their cocktail glasses, "And next thing you know, you're already an alcoholic," the Shelby girl laughed, clinking her choice of poison against Sol's.
"Mhmm, guess it sure does run in the family," Sol answered with a laugh, her gaze drifting to a certain young lad who never failed to get on her nerves. Finn Shelby caught her eyes and instantly stuck out his tongue, Soledad looked around her first to see if her sister is anywhere nearby before giving him a middle finger.
Of course, Finn being Finn, he returned it with two middle fingers causing him to get a slap on the head from his brother John. A smirk crept on her lips as she saw the defeated look on his face. They have been at each other's throats ever since she moved to England and if given the chance, they would certainly try to strangle one another.
If you asked anyone, they'd just confirm the fact that these two hated each other's presence and guts, even hearing the faintest sound of their breathing was abominable for them. They didn't bother putting up a façade around Mercy or Thomas about the hate they have for each other.
"Dinner is served!" the man in the middle added, "Ugh! Finally, I aven't eaten anything since yesterday so ya know I could fit into this dress," Katie grumbled as she placed down the martini on the table, "Come on, sunshine, 'm fucking starving aright?" she added, nudging Soledad on her arms.
"Yeah, wait, I can't see my ate," Soledad bobbed her head, glancing around the room as the crowd dispersed, "Oh there she is...yuck," a disturbed look etched on the young gals' faces as they witness the passionate kiss the couple shared.
"I think I lost me appetite," Katie murmured, harshly grabbing the glass once more before gulping it down.
"Honestly, I feel the same. Come on, let's head inside before I throw up my breakfast," Soledad grimaced as she clung her hands to Katie's arm. The very second they walked, a loud bang followed by a series of screams echoed throughout the hall.
A wave of people crashed through the gals, attempting to flee the area—with her heart racing, Soledad frantically glanced around, and there was her sister, swimming in a pool of her own blood as Thomas Shelby cradled her like an infant. Her body went numb, and she could hear scratching in her ears as if someone was scraping her insides.
A man running in her direction bumped into her body, knocking her down, "Soli! Stand up, come on!" Katie tried to pull her up, but the de Silva girl's mind just went blank, unable to hear anything around her. With weak knees, Soledad stood on her own, lightly pushing the girl away from her.
Soledad staggered at the sight, taking in the crumbled world around her. On her left side were the Shelby brothers pounding on the assailant, but that didn't matter to her--nothing mattered anymore, and no one mattered anymore except her sister.
Soledad dropped to her knees, and immediately placed her hand on Mercy's chest, pressing it down, "You're going to be okay, ate, everything's going to be okay," a lump appeared in her throat, her lips pursing as she held back emotion. She didn't want to cry in front of her sister, she didn't want to make her sad.
"Call the fucking ambulance, Thomas!" she shouted in panic and anger as resentment slowly swelled in her. Tears were in his eyes, but Thomas, he tried to look brave. His eyes never left the love of his life, afraid that the gods might take her any second from now on. He stroked her black hair and kissed her forehead, while tears coursed down her cheeks as well.
"Help is on the way, my love," Thomas gently spoke, weakly, Mercy cracked a smile before turning her face towards her sister, the blood seeping out of her chest "Don't...don't cry please..." the de Silva woman begged between gasps of air.
Soledad nodded as the tears continued to seep down her cheeks, but she didn't sob. "Please don't leave me..." she whispered, her bloodied hands still on her sister's chest, "You can't leave me, Ate...you promised you'd never leave me again..."
Soledad de Silva stared at the man who had brought this upon her, who had ruined the little life her sister had left. Her emotions were at odds with one another: sadness, anger, loss, despair, regret, and loneliness. The rain that fed her and lovingly embraced her had left, gone into the air.
She was just here with her, but now she was gone.
𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐀 𝐄𝐈𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘 as Soledad de Silva
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𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐔𝐍 𝐃𝐎𝐄𝐒𝐍'𝐓 𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄 is a sequel of No Mercy, the story focuses on Soledad de Silva and her sunless life after the passing of her sister.
