𝐞𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 · 𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧

GROWING UP AUNT Polly had always taught her nieces and nephews about their Gypsy roots, but one of the main tricks that Evelyn could remember her aunt Pol teaching her, was the meanings of her dreams. 

Being raised in a family of gangsters, they learnt pretty early on that a black cat dream often meant that there was a traitor close by – but for Evelyn, black cat dreams often appeared to her when someone she knew was going to come close to death or actually die. 

The night before Johns death Evelyn had a black cat dream – once she found out the news of her brothers passing, she thought that was it, but she was wrong. Everyday for a week after Johns funeral Evelyn continued seeing that damn cat whenever she closed her eyes – the dreams eventually becoming more and more vivid, causing Evelyn to wake up in a cold sweat. 

It wasn't until one afternoon when Evelyn was leaving the distillery after checking on the workers since Alfie was currently out of town in Leeds trying to make a deal with a potential new gang – that she noticed she was being followed by two men in coats. 

They watched her movements with precision, easily blending in with the crowd – if Evelyn wasn't taught how to notice someone following her by her brothers, she was certain that she wouldn't have realised until it was too late.

Speeding up her steps, Evelyn raced up the steps to hers and Alfie's house – shakily pushing the key into the lock, twisting the door knob, shouldering the door open and stepping through the threshold right when the men reached the front gate. Pushing back the curtain to the window next to the door on her right, Evelyn stopped Cyril who had come to greet his mother from coming any closer with a raise of her hand, the bullmastiff's fur sticking up in a defensive pattern immediately sensing that they were in danger. 

Peeking through the gap that she had made, Evelyn's eyes darted at the two figures watching as a third one came out from behind the apple tree in the front yard meaning that they already knew that she lived here, they were trying to scare her before doing anything. 

Trying to make out if she knew them when she caught sight of a young man that made her heart stop. It was him. The guard from when she was in jail. 

Evelyn felt her heart rate speed up and her stomach twist as she tried to recognise the man he was stood next to – the pair of them switching their pistols for automatics. With furrowed eyebrows Evelyn lifted her pencil skirt and pulled out the handgun that Alfie had made sure she always had strapped to her thigh when she went out with or without him.

"Need to know yer' safe," he had told her, while he was knelt in front of her – helping her tighten the gun holster on her thigh. "Yer' about to become a Solomons and yer' the sister of Tommy fuckin' Shelby. Got to make sure you have a gun incase me or yer' fuckin' imbeciles of brothers aren't there."

Silently thanking Alfie for being so protective of her, Evelyn made sure the gun was loaded before removing the safety. Six bullets against two machine gun rounds – her chances were the lowest they would ever be. She had to warn someone incase she didn't make it out of this.

A quickly as she could, Evelyn made her way into the kitchen – avoiding the windows, Cyril rushed after her. Reaching the phone, Evelyn quickly made work of dialling the only number that entered her mind. The sound of the front door reverberating from someone kicking it caused Evelyn to jump, while Cyril started to bark manically – taking a protective stance in front of her.

"Hello?"

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn's voice cracked when she heard the front door slam against the wall – tears began to swarm in her eyes. 

"Tommy, please hurry," Evelyn whispered, her right hand clasping her gun tightly as she pointed in the direction of the living room. "I- I don't think I'm going to make it. Please help me, Tom."