𝐞𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 · 𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲 𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐞

FOR THE FIRST time in years, Evelyn felt proud of herself. There were a lot of things that Evelyn had failed at over her lifetime thus far, but as she watched the crowd inside of the speakeasy bustle with energy and laughter, she couldn't help the wide grin that grew on her face.

Booming music shook the walls, the dancers capturing everyones attention and drinks were flowing. It was everything she had ever imagined, and yet it was so much more. Wiping down the counter, Evelyn glanced over towards Matya who was pouring drinks left, right and centre. Feeling a pair of hands on her shoulders, Evelyn swung around to face her older brothers – both men with wide smiles on their faces.

"So you finally got your dream eh," Tommy raised a brow, the corners of his mouth threatening to turn into a smile.

"All thanks to you," Evelyn grinned, moving two glasses along the counter towards her brothers. "Thank you both. For everything."

"Just helping you out little sister," Arthur grabbed his glass of whiskey with a wink.

Evelyn chuckled as she poured herself a glass, letting happiness radiate off her in waves as she clicked her cup against her brothers – them all taking a drink. She accepted the warm hugs from both Ada and Polly when they arrived and poured multiple drinks for the young peaky boys when they strolled into the speakeasy with confidence.

This was it. The moment she was waiting for small things to finally begin to be pieced together.

Watching as her family all crowded around one of the tables, Evelyn couldn't help but sigh in relief. They deserved this, a tiny moment of peace and happiness – everyone smiling as drinks were shared and stories were told. Evelyn's moment of contentment was cut short by the sound of a palm knocking against the wooden countertop she was wiping down – her eyes darting to the figure in-front of her, huffing when she saw a cocky Richard Klein.

"Hello Mr. Klein," Evelyn politely greeted him. "Would you like a drink?"

"Miss. Shelby," he nodded, at Evelyn with a sly smile. "I didn't know if I was going to see you again after you abruptly left me the other night, but then I heard you were opening the place and had to come see it for myself."

Evelyn's response was curt. "I had to leave early."

"I noticed," he chuckled. "Saw you leaving with Alfie Solomons – heard a thing or two about you both being together once. Is that still the case?"

"We've had a complicated relationship, I wasn't with him when we met. But we're working through everything."

Richard hummed, loosening his tie before taking a seat on one of the stalls in front of the bar. With a deep frown, he asked Evelyn for a glass of whiskey – to which she poured for him, sliding the glass over.

"Solomon's not here, is he?" Richard questioned, taking a sip of the brown liquid from his glass.

"Not yet, he's got a few things to sort out at work before he's able to clock off and visit the club."

Evelyn watched as Richard downed the drink in one gulp, placing the crystal cup on the counter before rubbing his fingers on the temples of his head.

"My wife was going to open this place," Richard caught the Shelby girl off-guard. "My dad loved her, gifted it to her as a birthday gift. This is exactly what she imagined the place to look like – you remind me of her."

Evelyn's tense expression dropped into one of solace, the girl checking that Matya had everything under control before pouring the solemn man another drink.

"Why didn't she open it?" She inquired, watching as he tapped his knuckles on the wooden bar-top before letting out a scoff.

"She left me, said she loved another man after my dad died. Fucking just packed her life up and left to God knows where."

"Shit. I'm sorry," Evelyn tried to comfort, reaching over to squeeze his arm before retracting her hand.

Richard only offered the girl a soft smile before hastily wiping away a few tears that escaped his eyes. Evelyn couldn't help but feel bad, even though she had no reason to – the speakeasy obviously held sentimental value to Richard, and yet he still gave it to her.

Pursing her lips, she leant across the counter so he could hear her more clearly. "If you come around tomorrow we can sort through a business deal and come to a compromise on you getting a percentage from the profits."

Richard was quick to shake his head, taking a sip of the whiskey that Evelyn had refilled before wiping away the drop that spilled past his lips with the back of his hand.

"The place is yours now, Shelby. Has your name on it, although you brother wrote it as Evelyn Solomons. Were you and Alfie married?"

Evelyn swallowed thickly, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth before releasing it.

"No, but we're going to be," she shrugged. "I did some fucked up things and he took the proposal back, but hopefully now it'll all be alright – we can move past it."

"I heard you faked being dead to avoid being killed by some want-to-be gangsters," Richard muttered, causing Evelyn to nod.

"I did. It was a dumb decision and I almost lost everything, but we're slowly getting over it."

"Do you still want to get married to him in the future? Like, after everything – are you sure it's a good idea?"

Evelyn hummed to herself, the sound being lost behind the loud music before she shrugged. Richard only offered her a small smile, before gesturing to himself.

"I did some pretty fucked up things when I was with Amelia. Once that trust is broken, there's nothing really left. They will always second guess your intentions."

Evelyn's face twisted at Richard's words, but she couldn't help but wonder if he was right. How long would it be before Alfie began to lose trust in her? How long was it until he started questioning their relationship?

Deciding she needed a drink herself, Evelyn grabbed a glass from the shelf behind her and filled it to the brim full of gin. She didn't want her night to be ruined, but as she watched Richard give her a sympathetic smile she knew that he understood the thoughts running through her head. Sculling down the liquid, Evelyn slammed the empty glass on the counter with a heavy sigh before she looked back around the club.

"I should probably get back to serving drinks," she suggested, watching as Richard pulled a few bills out of his pocket – the man grabbing Evelyn's hand to place them in her palm, his hold lingering probably a few seconds too long.

"I'll be seeing you, Miss. Shelby," he winked, putting an emphasis on her last name.

Evelyn could only watch as he slowly let go of her hand as he pulled away, her mouth set in a hard line as her eyes followed his figure until he was out of the speakeasy – only one thought left on her mind.

What the hell was that?