𝐞𝐠𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 · 𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨

FIGHTING WAS A last resort, at least that's what Tommy used to tell Evelyn when she had taken up those boxing lessons with Arthur.

"You can't just fight your way out when you don't get your way," Tommy had told his sister who came home from school after punching a boy in her class who told her that she couldn't play football with them because she was a girl.

The younger version of Evelyn frowned, stubbornly stomping her foot as she crossed her arms and looked up at her older brother who was waiting for her temper tantrum to be done with an unamused expression.

"You've got to be smarter than them, Eve. Your brain is your greatest weapon, use it before you use your fists," he advised, kneeling to be eye-to-eye with his sister. "Fighting is always a last resort."

Sometimes Evelyn wondered why Tommy never took his own advice. She had seen the man shoot first and ask questions later on multiple occasions, so at the time she wasn't quite sure why he had told her different. However, as she charged into her speakeasy with Alfie and Ollie hot on her trail – Evelyn finally understood why.

She watched as men punched each other and held guns towards her performers and customers who hugged each other in fright – scared that they were going to be shot. She realised that she had to use her brain as her weapon because men would always use their fists first – thinking that their strength meant power.

"What the fuck is going on?" She bellowed, causing the loud uproar to quieten. "Why is there fighting inside my fucking club?"

Upon receiving no response, Evelyn looked around the crowd – eyes landing on Matya who was being held at gun point and Evelyn couldn't stop the rage that course through her body as she marched towards the man scaring her friend despite Alfie trying to reach out and stop her.

She didn't think twice as she snatched the weapon out of his un-expecting hands, gripping his chin aggressively with her free hand.

"You want to tell me why you were holding a gun to my friends head?" The man trembled in fright as his eyes darted over Evelyn's shoulder causing her to turn on the balls of her feet to look at where he was standing.

There, holding a pistol in one hand and a knife in the other was Richard Klein. Undoubtedly, the most dangerous weapon he was wielding was that damn minefield of a smile that caused every hair on Evelyn's body to stand up.

"Klein," Evelyn spat as she shoved the man next to her backwards, causing him to fall flat on his ass. "All of you not involved in this go home!"

Evelyn watched as the innocent customers practically sprinted past the men holding them hostage, her performers rushing to the backrooms where Evelyn knew they would lock themselves away to be safe. Her gaze met Alfie's who was still stood in the entry of the club, but he wasn't looking back at her – his attention was solely on Richard who stared him down like a hawk would its pray.

"Look who finally decided to come see his girlfriends club!" Richard taunted Alfie, point the silver hunting knife in his direction. "Couldn't be here on opening night, but has no problem visiting when it involves a potential fight."

"Oh, fuck off will yer' mate?" Alfie spat back, looking completely calm although guns from all directions were pointed towards him.

"What the fuck are you doing here Richard? Why are you raiding my club?" Evelyn interrupted.

Klein took his time turning towards Evelyn, a sickening smirk growing on his face before he gestured between Evelyn and Alfie with his gun.

"You see, there's something that your precious Alfie didn't tell you, love," his words were confident, knowing that he held a piece of information that Evelyn didn't know. "You want to tell her or should I?" He asked Alfie.

"Tell me fucking what?"

Alfie didn't meet Evelyn's intense stare, only pulling out his own gun to point it lazily towards Richard.

"You see, Alfie was the reason that Amelia my ex-wife that I told you about, left me!" Richard gritted, spit flying from the corner of his mouth. "See Amelia fucking hated my family, was only with me for the money. My dad, however, loved her – yet she was the one who made a deal to have him killed.

"She went straight to Alfie Solomons with her pearls and gold, offering them to him if he killed my father. Made some story up about how he hurt her and he believed it because he's a stand up guy, Evelyn! You should consider yourself lucky! You've got a man who believes in women's rights!"

Evelyn could only watch as Richard became manic, his hands flying around them as she gestured for Matya to duck beneath the bar – scared that he was going to accidentally fire a shot.

"Yer' existence is giving me a headache," Alfie remained calm and Evelyn didn't know how he did it because she was quickly becoming overwhelmed. "Why don't yer' go stand over there like a good boy, yeah?"

It was as if Alfie's words only angered Richard more, the man firing a shot into the ceiling.

"You shut your smart-ass mouth up! Evelyn, Alfie here somehow got Amelia to fall in love with him – only to break her heart when he told her that he didn't feel the same way. I told you that I didn't know where she is, but truth is I do!  She's six feet underground because of him. He got her involved with some Persian dealers who shot her as soon as she walked through their front fucking door!"

Faster than anybody could react, Richard had fired a shot towards Alfie – the bullet hitting him in the cheek. Evelyn barely thought about her actions as she used the gun in her hands to shoot Richard through the side of his head, his body jerking before falling to the ground in a heap.

She knew that his men were inexperienced when they all just stared at her as she ran towards Alfie with a pained scream instead of trying to stop her. Dropping to her knees as she pulled him off Ollie's lap and into her own, Evelyn's hands shook as she tried to check if he was still breathing through her tears, her own breath speeding up as one of her hands clutched her chest in pain.

"Call a fucking ambulance!" She screamed towards the men in the room as Ollie tore off his apron and pressed it to Alfie's cheek. "Fucking stop standing there and get help!"

Evelyn didn't know who did what, but she ignored the men who ran past her and onto the street as they yelled out for help, she could hear Matya practically screaming at someone but all she could focus on was how still Alfie was in her arms.

"Wake up," Evelyn cried. "Don't you dare fucking die on me, Alfred. Not when we're having a baby. You wake the fuck up you stubborn asshole! Wake up!"

Evelyn realised in that moment that sometimes Tommy was wrong. Sometimes you needed to fight first and completely forget about asking questions.