'Reach for the healing from emotional pain and physical injury, for emotional and spiritual intelligence, for surviving through all challenges and difficulties, for long lasting happiness and youthful joy, for getting your wish fulfilled... Reach fo...
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Sadie sat at the table in black, her eyes red from the restless sleep without Michael. James and Will sat either side of her, Edward and Flossie standing behind them. The family and kin were stuffed in the small back room of the betting den, waiting for Thomas to arrive. She sipped at her drink of whiskey, going between it and her cigarette. Her gaze moved to the doorway when she heard footsteps, Thomas appearing moments later as he came to stand just inside the room.
'John is dead,' He stated; 'Esme has gone on the road with the Lees... She's taken the kids. Michael is badly wounded. They say it's sixty, forty in his favour.'
'There's no number, there's no percentages,' Polly rattled on; 'There's only the hand. The hand beneath him stops him falling. I spoke to someone. My son'll live.'
Thomas stood silent for a second, 'Michael and John were shot because we killed someone. Vicente Changretta. His son, Luca, has come to take revenge. Men from New York and Sicily here in Birmingham. These men will not leave our city until our whole family is dead. That's how it works, an eye for an eye. It's called vendetta.'
'Yeh,' Arthur spoke up as he held a bullet between his fingers; 'The bullet's been written. It says, Luca. When the time comes... And it will come... I, as the oldest brother, I will put this bullet into his fucking head.'
He placed it down on the table, but Sadie could hardly look at it as she stared at the amused smirk on Polly's face.
'There's been some bad blood between us,' Thomas spoke lowly.
She clenched her teeth as the woman began to laugh as though it was the funniest thing she had heard, her hand closing around her glass.
'Polly, please,' Finn muttered.
'Polly,' Edward added when she continued to laugh.
'Until this business is settled, we stay together,' The middle Shelby continued; 'And we stay here. Small Heath, Bordesley, Hay Mills, down to Greet. We know every face and every man is a soldier in this army... These men are professionals, they're good at what they do, so we're going to need more than we have. I've sent a message to Aberama Gold.'
'No,' Johnny Dogs looked at his with disbelief; 'No, Tom. I'll get you fifty Lee boys. Good men, Tom.'
'I don't need good men, Johnny. For this, I need bad men.'
'Tommy, his people are fucking savages. You know? Heathens, Tom. They don't even let them in the fair, so they come and steal our horses. You know, stealing from their own, Tom.'
'So this the plan, Thomas?' Polly drawled as she sat up; 'This is the plan? A bullet with a name on it, help from a bunch of savages?'
