If You Play With Fire

Chapter 5

Tommy and the rest of the Peaky Blinders had been waiting in the dull yard all day. Everyone was growing impatient, even the Shelby's themselves at this point. It was almost 4pm in the evening and he'd received no messages and nobody other than a few kids playing had stepped foot in the yard.

The expressions on the little kid's faces were absolutely priceless when John and Arthur Shelby jumped out shouting and waving a gun around in front of them. Although the brothers had apologized after, it could be assumed that the three children would be scarred for life.

When it struck 4pm, Arthur finally spoke up, "Tommy, do you think we should call it a day?" As much as he wanted to hurt these bastards, he also couldn't stand the sound of Isaiah and Finn bickering about the tiniest little things any longer.

Just as Tommy was about to respond, the faint clinking of a horse could be heard. He held up his hand to show that something was coming, making all the men grab their guns securely in front of them.

They watched secretively as one man trotted in on his horse, with eight men following behind him, all armed and all anxious about being in another territory.

"Settle down you idiots." The confident man on the horse spoke to those trailing behind. "The fucking Peaky Blinders are at some kind of Gypsy fair. The stupid Shelby girl let it all slip to Harry, her kid and four others are running around here somewhere. It won't be difficult to find them. Split up, grab them when you see one."

The eight men separated, two strolling right by the stables where the Blinders were hiding. In complete synchronisation, Tommy and Arthur crept out behind them and hit them on the back of the head with their guns, making them fall unconscious immediately. They dragged them into the stables without being spotted and took away the guns.

"Watch them." He muttered to Michael who had begged to come with them in the first place, claiming it to be a good experience. Since Polly had gone, Tommy had agreed, but he knew he had to keep him out of danger at all costs.

"Come on, they aren't here to shoot us, they'll know they're outnumbered so we can just give them a little warning to take back to the Davenports." Tommy muttered, calmly stepping out into the courtyard.

Immediately the rest of them fell into step behind him as Arthur and John joined his side. Their faint tapping on the cobbles was noted as they turned the corner into the open yard area.

Two of the men looked terrified as they saw the group of twenty advancing towards them. They trembled as they held their guns, but Tommy raised one hand to signal for them to stop.
"We're not going to shoot you, call the rest of your men out here." He ordered, watching carefully as the men glanced between themselves.

"Do it." He repeated sternly, and one of the men quickly obeyed him. "Everyone, over here!"

John and Arthur peered suspiciously at one another, internally questioning their brother's strategy. Nobody dared to object, especially not in front of a rival gang.

One by one, the other men appeared until all 6 men stood in front of them in a line. The man on the horse sat silently behind them, waiting for the Shelby's next move. "So, Davenport sent you to take our kids whilst we were away. Well, I have to say that's cowardly to say the least." Tommy announced, "We didn't like that very much, did we boys?"

"No," Arthur voiced, followed by an echo and a wave of shaking heads. "So here's what's going to happen. You and your little posse are going to trot back to Richard Davenport and tell him that we were and always will be two steps ahead of him. And also, you tell him that if he or any of his men ever step into Small Heath ever again, we will not hesitate to kill every fucking one of you."