When The Boys Are Away

Part 42

"Who's this then?" Alfie quizzed almost instantly after the trio had sat down at his desk. Harlow looked between Alfie and Michael, placing her hands on her crossed knees which were covered in the velvet material of her black dress. 

"This is Michael Gray, he's Tommy's cousin. He's becoming more involved in the business." Harlow explained softly, sending the Gray a soft smile of reassurance as he settled in his wooden chair beside her. Michael was still extremely intrigued by the Solomons territory, but it was always nerve wracking visiting somewhere that dangerous for the first time.

"Fucking hell, there's more of you." Alfie responded as he dramatically leant towards his messy  desk, narrowing his shining eyes to get a closer look at the young man as though he was an imaginary creature from another planet. 

"It seems there are." Michael answered bravely, watching as Alfie raised an eyebrow before turning back to Harlow with a faintly impressed look on his face, "I like this one." He announced, failing to notice the confident smile Harlow sent Michael as Alfie began to flick through some papers. 

There were stacks after stacks of flimsy, white sheets; some covered in dark, curving ink, others waiting to be decorated in a similar fashion. Harlow didn't know what he was looking for, nor did she really care, she was much more desperate to find out where he stood on their plans to take on London. 

"So what brings you here today, my love?" Alfie started, dropping a bursting file down on the floor beside him with a slight bang which regurgitated around the room fiercely. 

Harlow narrowed her eyes subtly, "Firstly, you can't stop with that now, Tommy's not here for you to annoy him, nor am I with him anymore." This seemed to grab Alfie's attention instantly as his stern figure sat up tall in his chair, a hint of surprise on his face. 

"Didn't expect that to happen." Alfie smirked, stroking his stubbled beard lightly as he monitored Harlow's body language. "Although I did always tell him you were too good for him." 

Harlow let out a singular, bitter laugh, tilting her head to the side as she stared carefully at the London gangster, "Back to the point Alfie, I need to know where you stand." 

"Well darling," He started in his thick London accent, juggling a black pen in his fingers jovially, "Right now I don't stand anywhere. In fact, I'm sat." Alfie motioned to the chair he was perched in as Harlow couldn't help but pull a face in annoyance. 

"You know that's not what I mean." She challenged, groaning inwardly at his childishness. She didn't have the energy, or the patience for it, not today. 

"Where do I stand on what?" Alfie relaxed, relieving the pair of his infantile ways for a while as his business persona took over. That side of Alfie was much more terrifying. 

"If the Peaky Blinders were to make a move on Sabini. How would you feel on us being in London alongside you?" Harlow explained cautiously, consciously trying not to tap her foot against the floor as the heel was sure to clatter against the wooden boards. 

Alfie took a few moments to process, leaving an eerie silence which covered the room, thickening the air like smoke. Michael almost found it difficult to breath, he wasn't used to an atmosphere that tense.

"I am guessing that this is more a case of when, not if." Alfie queried, narrowing his dark eyes at Harlow as she bit her bottom lip in anticipation. She knew it wouldn't take Solomons long to catch on to their plan, but with the boys already at Sabini's clubs, there wasn't much he could do about stopping them now. 

"You want to know where I stand?" Alfie questioned, sitting up straight in a serious tone, clasping his hands together on the desk in front of him. In response, Harlow leant forwards, already dreading the list of demands he was bound to request for allowing them to cohabitate in the capital.