Heavy is the Head ||A Peaky Blinder Fanfic||

22| The Plan

She followed Arthur into the drawing room, walking into the back of him when he stopped at the door. Then he spun on his heel, grabbing Mollie Mays arm and pushing her out through the door before she could see who was in the room.

"Arthur!" she heard the unmistakable voice of Alfie Solomons and her blood chilled. "Shalom!" Alfie continued in his usual loud mumbles as Tommy called Arthur back into the room. Arthur groaned before closing the door to the drawing room, his hand still firmly on Mollie Mays arms.

"Arthur, shalom." "Alfie." Arthur greeted him with a grumble and Mollie May broke from his grip, choosing to linger at the back of the room. She hadn't seen Alfie for almost a year, since he had framed Arthur for murder and ratted her out to Sabini. Her right hand rested on her side where Sabini had shot her last year. She could recall the searing pain too easily, the sickening sight of the crimson blood, the staggering pain as she tried to walk and the hot blood seeping through her fingers. She snatched her hand back quickly as her stomach began to churn.

"Shalom. Come here. Come. Lets sit down." Alfie told Arthur, leading him to the two chairs in front of Tommy's desk. "I owe you a little something, don't I?" Alfie continued and Mollie May rubbed her eyebrow, feeling a little uncomfortable at Alfie's sudden warmness and apologises to them.

"I do. Come on. Sit down. Right, listen Arthur. I want you to know that whatever happened between us back then, that was business. It was just business, all right?" Alfie looked back to Mollie May who glared at him in return.

Alfie shuddered under her look and turned back to Arthur, "And I also want you to know that I have made my apologies via my own God, for abusing a very holy day to get you clinked up and battered, which I did." He looked back again at Mollie May, "And for passing information to get your friend, Maggie Jay, captured by Sabini." Mollie May scoffed. He wasn't sorry at all, he was saying what was necessary to wriggle out of a hole. He didn't even remember her name!

"Not that I was one hundred percent sure you were their sister." Alfie continued in his regular, obnoxious loud tone. "You sure you weren't like, given away or somethin and none of yous have realised she's your sister." Mollie May narrowed her deep blue eyes at him and he continued, muttering under his breath, "Not that I heard Sabini let you go anyway."

"Her names Mollie May." Arthur growled, his eyes still fixed on Tommy. "Aight, yeah, that's what I said, Maggie Jay." Alfie said merrily, trying to provoke Arthur. "And now, I would like to extend my personal apologies unto you, and to Maggie Jay I suppose." Arthur turned to looked at Alfie for the first time since he entered the room.

Alfie looked to Tommy, "All right?" Tommy said nothing, his face as blank as ever. "I hear you have allowed Jesus to come into your life. Eh?" "Oh, you heard then."

"Yeah, that's beautiful, that's wonderful. That's lovely, isn't it? That's lovely." Alfie started to ramble and Mollie May rolled her eyes, still watching Arthur carefully, hoping he didn't explode.

"I was wondering, how does that work for you on a day to day, considering your line of work, mate?" Alfies voice darkened. There was a long silence as Arthur bit his tongue, his eyes still on Tommy. "Your apology is accepted." But Alfie wasn't for letting it go, "I hear you're a right fucking nuisance with it." Mollie May squeezed her eyes shut, praying Arthur would do nothing. She heard Arthur taking deep breaths and then the clinking of a glass ashtray being lifted from the side table. She looked up to see Arthurs red face strained "You see, all I'm saying is that every man, he craves certainty, doesnt he? He craves a certainty even if that certainty of yours, right. Well, I mean, its fucking fanciful mate, isnt it?" Alfie continued.

Arthur put the ashtray down and Mollie May could breath again. He turned to look Alfie dead in the eye, "I'm Old Testament." He growled.

"Fucking hell. Look at that. Now, that, that scares me more." He said gesturing at Arthur. "Yeah. Congratulations, Tommy, you now have the finished article right here, don't you? See that man, he will murder and maim for you, with God on his side." Alfie told Tommy, waving a triumphant fist. "You don't want to let him go."