"I like you, Thomas Shelby. If you weren't a murderous gangster, we might be friends."
"And if you didn't whisk out knives and threaten to cut my neck. I think we might be friends, too."
[ Peaky Blinders 1-2 ]
[ Book 1 of 3 ]
cover by @riosmemoirs
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THE MEN IN THE PRIVATE ROOM OF GARRISON continued to groan as they attempted to tune out the drunken singing happening in the bar. The Shelby brothers were playing card and drinking.
Hearing the door open, Tommy looked up to see the familiar blonde, Grace, enter the private room carrying a bucket of mild beer. "Did you want whiskey as well?" the barmaid questioned.
"No. Just beer." Thomas replied and Grace started to fill in the empty glasses.
"Why no whiskey, Tommy?" the eldest brother questioned. "Are you expecting trouble?"
Thomas just looked at his cards but doesn't answer his question.
John looked his brother with mischievous grin. "Jesus Christ, Tommy, what the hell made you let them sing?" he then nudged Arthur. "It's like they're strangling cats out there." The brothers all laughed as now they could clearly hear the singing coming from the other room as the door was open.
"All right, 20 to play. Come on." Arthur spoke as he watched Grace leave the room. "And what did make you change your mind though, Tommy?"
"It's about a time, Tommy." John added as the brother's stared him waiting for his response.
"Time for what?" Tommy shrugged.
"Time you took yourself a woman."
"Just play the bloody hands." he gave them a warning look and took another drag from his cigarette.
"Or is it even the blond barmaid after all?" Arthur questioned and Thomas froze. "Or is it the lovely Chinese woman?" He gave his older brother a warning look as he mentioned Julie who Thomas still hadn't told his family about, he had briefly mentioned that he would be taking her to the races and when they asked him questions, he ignored them in a familiar habit.
"You stay the way you are, Tommy. Remember what dad used to say 'Fast women and slow horses -" Arthur trailed of before John joined him.
"Will ruin your life."
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Mr. Zhang was an owner of a Chinese brothel-dry cleaning den. While the men are paying for the girls, their clothes are being washed and dried. It wasn't the brothel Julie had worked but still it reminded of the things she used to do before.
