𝐃𝐨 𝐈 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰? , ᵐⁱᶜʰᵉᵃˡ ᵍʳᵃʸ

26. Bonnie Gold

EVERYONE GATHERED, watching the two boys in the ring. "Hit him Bonnie!" Arthur shouted. "Come on Bonnie!" Polly shouted, watching as the other boy fell down.

"Bonnie, Bonnie" Aberama smiled. "Your okay. It's under control."

"I'll take it to the fourth" Bonnie nodded.

"Where's Solomons?" Arthur asked Tommy. "Apparently he doesn't watch" Tommy sighed. "Look at that corner, look" Arthur pointed to beside Bonnie. "Them men there, they don't know fighters"

Tommy looked over. "I don't like it. You feel it though, Tom, don't you?"

"I feel it, we're alright. We're surrounded by soldiers, Arthur, Alfie's men were strip searched"

Bonnie stood again for round two, sending punches toward the other boy.

Lizzie stood in the lavatory, fixing their makeup and Polly walked in.

Polly nodded, walking into a stall. "So, Lizzie, what did Tommy say when you told him?" she asked. "He said i'd get a weekly allowance" Lizzie sighed. "Oh he can be romantic" Polly joked. "Of course as company treasurer, i shall be questioning that expense"

"He said something like 'we've had enough death let's have some life" she quoted.

"Pol," Ada said, joining them. "This fight is fixed isn't it?" she asked. "Poor gypsy boy is getting battered out there. Right, you said you have news" she asked, sitting on the counter.

"Lizzie has some news"

Ada looked at her. "Polly" Lizzie turned. "Well, tell them, now" Polly lit a cigarette. "While the men are screaming for blood" Polly passed Ada a bottle. "Have a swig, you're gonna need it"

"I'm up the duff" Lizzie said. Ada swigged the bottle, wide eyed.

"And it's Tommys"

"How far gone are you?" Ada asked. "If i were going to London, i'd be in Coventry" Lizzie said.

"And are you carrying on past coventry?"

"All the way to Piccadilly Circus" She sighed. "You found out if she's having a boy or girl, Pol?" Ada asked.

"No"

"Go on then"

Polly stepped forward, feeling Lizzie's breasts, causing them all to laugh. "It's a girl. Call her Ruby, Ruby Shelby, she'll be a star in a Hollywood movie" Polly smiled.

Ada wrapped her arms around Lizzie.

-

The girls took their seats again, watching the fight as the crowd cheered. Bonnie grinned, stepping away as the bell rang. "Look at the men in his corner, look, they don't know fighters. They don't know the fucking ropes" Arthur looked. "It's the pills and the booze spooking you, Arthur" Tommy said.

The bell rang again and the two boys stood.

"Ah look at them, they don't stand right, they don't move right" Arthur observed as the men whispered to each other. "They don't even care if he fucking wins" he shouted.

"It's the fucking pills brother, all right?"

"Go on Bonnie!" Lizzie and Polly shouted.

"Fuck are they laughing at?" Tommy referred to the women.

"It's a new batch, too strong" Arthur said, referring to the alcohol they were drinking. "Come on Bonnie" Polly urged.

Arthur watched as the man across the room, stood up, walking off. Arthur got on his feet. "Arthur leave it" Tommy shouted. "Where is he going?" Arthur asked, following after. "Sit down and watch the fight, eh, Arthur?"

He ignored him and kept walking. "Let me do my fucking job"

Arthur walked up the dark hallway and into the blue light, sniffing. He heard noise coming from the changing room and he took his gun from his pocket, looking around. He slowly stepped into the room, "right" he whispered.

He walked through, his gun at the ready. He placed a hand on the wall, exhaling.

Tommy left his seat, following after. "Arthur?" he shouted, walking down the hall.

The man came from behind, pressing the wire into Arthur's neck and Arthur's gun fired. Tommy grabbed his own gun and ran down the hall.

Blood poured from Arthur's neck as he threw him down to the floor.

The man picked up the gun, pointing it to Arthur's head. But as he went to fire it, Tommy had shot the man.

Polly stopped at the end of the hall, hearing the shot.

"Arthur" Tommy shouted, kneeling beside his brother and pulling him up to his chest. Tommy leaned back, looking at Arthur and placing two fingers on his neck. He placed his head on Arthur's chest, his eyes wide.

Tommy walked out of the room, freezing when he saw the woman. "Arthur's dead" He said. "No" She whispered.

-

"Tommy what's happened?" Lizzie asked. "Arthur's dead, he's dead" he whispered.

Lizzie eyes widened. They saw Polly return,

Tommy quickly walked back toward the hall where Finn and Isiah had went searching for the other man who'd disappeared.

"Tommy, we have the other wop" Isiah spoke, "Cunt had a wire in his pocket"

Finn had a gun pointed at the man's head, breath shaky as he stared down at him.

Tommy punched the man, sending him to the floor. "Go on, Finn, take his eyes, for Arthur"

"Do it for Arthur," he shouted

Finn hesitated but grabbed his cap and sliced the man's eyes. Finn shook as he dropped the cap, he didn't want to do it. Finn wasn't made to be like his brothers, he had no clue what if felt to live the life they did with all the guilt and blood.

Tommy went back to the ring, climbing onto it. He fired shots into the air. "Close the doors" he shouted over the screams. "No one fucking leaves"

He fired again. "My brother is dead, you hear me? My brother is dead" he shouted.

-

Cassidy put the phone down, not sure what to think. Arthur was dead. He'd been murdered. By one of Luca Changretta's men. This was the confirmation she had to go to Tommy with her idea of killing the man. She wanted to do it for Micheal, for the Shelby family. She wanted peace.

At that moment, she had nobody to go to. Polly had sent Micheal to live somewhere else for a few days, 'for his own safety'