Defiance (Finn Shelby)

Part 15

Finn, Isaiah and Bunty were in charge of escorting Vicente and his friends to Arthur and John to have tea and to talk business. The three of them were leaning against the bars at the yard until they caught sight of the man and his two associates. Bunty flicked her cigarette to the floor and snuffed it out as she and the boys checked over the men to see if they were carrying weapons. "Are you a girl?" The man Bunty was checking asked.

"I am" Bunty replied hotly, "can't you see I've got tits?" She questioned, she heard Isaiah and Finn snickering.

"Yes, but um..."

"He's good, nothing on him" Bunty announced, averting the conversation. The other men were also clear and the three of them took the Italians to the quaint little table Curly had set up with teacups and little matching plates.

"You asked for a meeting out in the open, fresh air and the fine aroma of shit," Arthur told his guest, the Shelby brothers and Bunty chuckled. "Neutral ground," you said."

"This is hardly neutral ground," Vicente said, looking around the place.

"Well, it's what you've got. So, por favor, sit down" Arthur said, sitting down at the table with John who was smiling to himself.

"Where is Thomas?" Vicente questioned, not sitting down.

"He got called away" John replied simply.

"He'd said he'd be here"

"Yeah, he is busy," Arthur said, scratching his chin.

"And I just told you he got called away. What do you want?" John added.

"There has been a peace between the Peaky Blinders and the Changretta family for two years now" Vicente Changretta started but got interrupted by John.

"Do you want some tea or not?" He asked, "here, Finn, pour the Italians some English tea. Go on" John told his younger brother, Finn went forwards and grabbed the teapot and poured some into the cups.

"We don't want fucking tea!" Vicente snapped, "we want an explanation." Finn then stepped back next to Bunty.

"Well, I'll have fucking tea," Arthur said, leaning forwards and grabbing a cup. Bunty wanted to shake her head and scold the boys, they were being extremely disrespectful, this could end badly, she thought.

"Explanation for what?" John questioned, looking unbothered about the subject.

"The little Venice restaurant on Forge street was burnt down" he started, and once more, John interrupted.

"No. No. No. Couldn't have been us, we were at a wedding" John told him.

"You burnt it down to stop my son being at that same wedding"

"He wasn't missed" Arthur quipped before sipping his tea and John laughed.

Vicente flatly laughed, "you are such big boys now. But once you borrowed clothes from us to look like men"

"How's the tea, Arthur? Is it.." John questioned when Arthur shrugged and tipped it onto the ground.

"It's cold"

Vicente sighed, he was beginning to show his irritation, "please tell Tommy, that we pay him whatever he asks us to pay. We stay out of the city and off the tracks. But you tell him from me, that my son will walk with any woman in this city." His voice then rose, "any woman he chooses. Even if that woman works for the emperor, Thomas Shelby" Bunty saw John smiling to himself again, "my son is in love"

John snorted, chuckling to himself, "sorry, do excuse me" he sniffed, composing himself, "carry on"

"And if he wishes, he will walk with the woman he loves"