𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃, ⁱˢⁱᵃʰ ʲᵉˢᵘˢ

25

Florence walked upstairs, humming slightly as she pushed open her door, stopping when she saw Micheal sat on her bed. "What the fuck are you doing in here" she chuckled, turning on the lamp.

Her eyes fell on the money and gun sat beside him. "Why have you went through my stuff, Micheal"

"Where's the money came from?" he asked. "Oh, and the two fucking guns"

She bit her tongue, looking away. "The money is off a friend, we made a bet and he lost. He owed me money" she lied, crossing her arms.

"And the guns?"

"I got them off Arthur, he had an episode and told me to take them away. He'd scared himself" She huffed, lying again.

Micheal squinted, trying to read her. She laughed at him. "Don't even try, Micheal"

Florence looked into the mirror. "Why the fuck would Arthur Shelby give you two guns. And even if he did, he'd ask for them back" Micheal stood.

"What's going on, Juliet"

Her mouth parted slightly at the use of her old name. "Get your hands off me" she said quietly, shrugging his hands off her.

"Juliet" he said loudly. "My name..is not Juliet" she responded, growing annoyed. "My name is Florence and I got them guns off Arthur, end of story. Get out of my room"

"Why did Tommy want to see you today?" he questions.

"Will you stop interrogating me" Florence said, throwing herself onto the bed. "That was a private matter"

"Florence."

"He was speaking to me about how i killed that man, okay? The night Grace died. He offered to help me out, give me pills. But i refused them because they fuck with my head"

She lied again. Florence was an impeccable liar. She got away with it every time. Her mind worked like a machine, thinking of sentences and lies in seconds.

Micheal bit his cheek, pushing his hands into his pockets. 

"Now please, get out of my room" She begged.

-

"He has people all over the docks. If it's going to happen, it will happen now." Mr Changretta whispered to his wife. "We'll be alright" she said to him.

"Why don't these Irish fill in their papers in advance?" he asked. "Think about Mott Street, the café, the smell of the coffee." she reminded him.

He looked behind him at the men approaching, fear filling him.

"Police! Help! Police! Officer, there are some men, they mean us harm. We are in danger here. Can you escort us to the dock? Please." he begged the officer.

"Come with me." he agreed. A man stopped Mr Changretta as he grabbed his bags. "Excuse me, brother. You got a light?" he ignored him and returned to the officer.

Florence walked in the middle of Arthur and John, checking her gun and placing it back in the holster. She watched as Arthur swigged from his flask, offering her some. "It's best if i don't, it fucks with my head"

"Florence, your head is already fucked" he winked. "Just like mine"

"Yeah but i can't work if my minds all foggy, can i?" she whispered. "And neither can you, give me that" she hissed, pouring the liquid onto the sand.

The Changretta's walked for a while, underneath a bridge, calming slightly. Only to panic once more when they both saw John and Arthur Shelby in front of them.

They dropped their bags and Audrey grabbed her husband with fright. Her eyes widened.

"John Shelby. Is that the lad I used to teach? John Shelby, I smacked your arse."

"Let him go." John said to her.

"Please. Please, let her go." Mr Changretta begged them. "Arthur? How many times I looked the other way because of your sweet smile." she spoke.

"I said, let him go. He's coming with
us."

"Not until I know my wife is safe." he argued. "She's safe. We're not going to harm her. Let's just get a move on." John promised.

"Let him go," Florence sighed, slowly grabbing her gun but pointing it to the floor.

"Look, we're disobeying Tommy's orders just by talking to you. Don't push it, please. Come with us. Let him go."

"Let him go, too. Say it's done. Say he's in the harbour. He can do you no harm from New York." She pleased. "Mrs Changretta, we all know that's not possible" Florence spoke.

"I can't do that, Mrs Changretta. I can't do that. Sorry." Arthur apologised. "Ok, ok. Audrey, listen." Mr Changretta began.

"No!"

"Listen to me! Go to the café in Mott Street. Bonito will take care of you." he told his wife. "Let him go, too. He's an old man. I gave you sweets and cakes."

"Mrs Changretta, there are rules. Your husband knows the rules. Come on, old man."

"No." she begged. "Sorry." John cocked his gun. "We're disobeying orders here. Let him fսck¡ng go!" he shouted.

"You have 10 seconds, or Tommy's orders stand. They stand. One! Two!" Florence told them. "Please!" she shouted. "Three."

"I love you forever." he whispered to Audrey. "Four." he stepped away from her.

"No, no, no!" she sobbed, John grabbed her.  "America." he began.  "A new life. A new love."

"You two go on, take him to where Tommy said" John peered over his shoulder. "John if i don't here your gun fire whilst i'm walking away, i'll come back and shoot her myself"

He nodded, waving her away, watching as brother her and Arthur walked back over the sand. Mrs Changretta stared at him with fear. He placed his fingers to his lips, pointing his gun into the air and firing it.

The sound echoed.

-

"Do you know what time it is, old man?" Tommy asked him, sitting in the chair opposite. "I'll tell you."

"It's after seven in the evening, and I'm going to keep you alive until it gets light. I'll not deliver the final cut until we can both hear the blackbirds singing outside." he grabbed him, pulling him closer.

"It's a beautiful sound, which my wife will never hear again." Tommy whispered. "Now, I'm gonna have to choose carefully which part of you I cut away first. Open your eyes. Open your eyes, or I will cut away your fսck¡ng eyelids!" he threatened.

Florence watched carefully, her arms crossed.

"Now look at me. Look at me. This is the end. This is the end. It was your tongue that gave the order. I'll take your tongue first." He grabbed the man's face. "Then I'll take your ears. Then I'll take your fingers. Then your fսcking toes. See, I take your balls first, you drain too fast like you fuckers do."

"No, I think tongue first. Tongue first.Tongue first." he repeated, "If I take your tongue, you won't be able to explain, and I want you to explain. I want you to fսcking explain."

John and Florence looked at each other. She frowned at how long Tommy was taking.

"Come on, Tommy. I forget who I am. I forget who I am. I'm a Blinder. I'll take your fսcking eyes first!" Tommy corrected.

He stopped when he heard a gunshot.

"I heard the blackbird sing." Arthur said, standing beside Mr Changretta who he had just shot.

"And we let his wife board the immigrant ship to New York. We didn't kill Mrs Changretta." John said.

"And tonight... We're not those kind of men."

"You fucking what" She shouted at John. "You told me you'd shot her, John, what are you doing. Do you know what damage that could of caused"

Tommy stared at the floor, wide eyes whilst Arthur left. "You get rid of the body, John. Get rid of those for good. All gone."