𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥'𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 ᵖᵉᵃᵏʸ ᵇˡⁱⁿᵈᵉʳˢ

𝟒𝟎

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟒𝟎

Arthur sat on a chair on Charlie's Yard and placed a cloth over a small table. John looked around.

"Arthur for fucks sake what is it?" He asked. "Nope, we wait for Tommy." Arthur refused, placing things onto the table.

"I've got a stolen statue back there with its dick hanging out..waiting to be melted down. Tell us, tell Tommy later." Charlie said in frustration. "Yeah he's not here. He's not here, i'm going." John stood.

"Hold your horses, there he is." Arthur nodded.

"Alright, what is it?" Tommy asked, walking toward them. "He's fucking giving us all this shit." John said, trying to go past Tommy but he shook his head, "come on."

"Right." Arthur began trying to take the cork out of the bottle of champagne with his teeth.

John huffed. "Arthur you've got wire on the fucking cork. Give it here." John snatched the bottle and Arthur jumped up onto the chair. "Gentlemen!" He began. "Linda is up the swanny, i'm gonna be a fucking dad."

Tommy stared at him blankly and John laughed. "Fuck off."

"Yeah." Arthur smiled widely, stepping down off the chair and waiting for Tommy to say something."Arthur i knew you had it in ya, i knew." Charlie pulled him into a hug.

"Yeah, September she reckons. Her tits feel different already." He told them.

"That ain't the only thing that's gonna be different." John teased. "You're fucked now man. Absolutely fucked."

"No, nothings gonna change John."

"Goodbye Arthur," Tommy spoke, "i've a meeting i have to go to." He pulled Arthur into a hug. "Yeah of course you do. Yeah you go to your meeting." Arthur mumbled. "Congratulations, i'm proud of you." Tommy nodded.

And with that he walked off. John was about to but then he stopped and turned around. "Er..Arthur." He began, "what about Maeve?"

"What about her?"

"Does she know? Have you told her?" He asked, pulling his cap onto his head. Arthur looked down and cleared his throat. "No. No i've not told her, not yet."

"Well you need to fucking tell her. She needs to know."

"Yeah ill tell her when the time is right." Arthur sniffed, taking the bottle of champagne and drinking it from the bottle.

"When the fucking time is right." John scoffed, "she'll kill you, Artha. She bloody will."

-

Maeve got out of the car, thanking the driver and closing the door. It had been a while since she was last in Small Heath. "Aunt Pol, you home?" She asked, opening the front door to the woman's home.

"In here, love." She responded from the den where Finn sat working with Isiah. Maeve mumbled a few things to herself but knew she couldn't leave now. "Hi Finn," she greeted, ignoring Isiah and walking through to John's office to get a pack of cigarettes.

"What're you doing in there?" Polly called out from the phone. "Nothing." Maeve responded, taking three cigarettes and shoving them into her pockets.