Laguna's Hotel

Grand Pianos and Crepes

Photo of Lucy Laguna played by Arterton Gemma

Bristol's gangs were no joke. Tussle with a few of the youths, you'd have been calling for your death instantly. Among these gangs was a group known as the Laguna. The laguna was one of the toughest and most well known gang of Bristol and the word that a member of the family was close by could clear a street.

A "family" gang, small in numbers but deadly in force. The ring leader, the toughest you'd ever seen. Miss Lucy Laguna, the meanest woman in England.

Today Miss Laguna sat in a bar, poking at her crepe and listening to the piano player intently. "That chord is wrong."

The pianist stopped suddenly, glancing around in fear.

"It's a G# major, you played the third as a minor," she pushed away the crepes and frowned at the pianist unpleasantly.

"Sorry, Ma'm. Is there anything I could play for you, then?" the man asked, adjusting his vest. The bar was mostly empty besides the tender, the pianist, and a stray drunkard.

"Don't play. Bad grand piano music doesn't go well with crepes," the woman pushed back her onyx hair and took a bite of the crepe. The air stifled the pianist and the slow clink of the fork on the plate slowly drove him to insanity.

"Next time, don't play a wrong chord."

Lucy dropped a coin into the tip tin and made her way to the door of the bar. "Thank's Tim!" she shouted as the door swung shut. Even the drunkard looked up in confusion and awe.

The red dress she wore that day was no indication of her mood; murder was not on the agenda for the day. Rather, a family meeting, to discuss the plans for the next month.

"What are the results on the Styleson fraud?" Lucy Laguna.

Charlie Laguna looked up in disappointment, "my dumbarses don't know from nothin'," he mumbled in his gruff voice.

"I wanted results. Not 'nothing'. You go and tell those dumbarses that I'm giving them two more days, and if I don't get results, there will be chunks of ear taken away from them," Lucy hit the table and moved on, trying to cool down from Charlie's disappointing news.

"There is literally nothing more important than a signal from the Stylesons, Charlie. We need to know that they aren't a danger. You've put my life on the line for two more days, maybe even more!" Lucy had to take another minute to calm herself down as the family sat in silence. As she looked down the agenda, she lit up once more.

"We aren't having a meeting today, everybody back here, two days. Same time, report and have your shit together," she caught out of the corner of her eye Fred and Wilson laughing in the corner, "and you will pay attention when I speak!"

A dirty, chipped whiskey glass went flying through the air, smashing on the wall next to the two of them. The whole room gasped and watched as Lucy Laguna stormed out of the doors, slamming them behind her.

There was not enough whisky in the world for Lucy Laguna's terrible condition.

***Comment, vote, and fan if you want to see more of this book! Inspired by Peaky Blinders, an awesome show that you should all watch