𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙮, John Shelby

- 12

- CHAPTER TWELVE -

- IN WHICH THEY'RE SURPRISED

. . .

"NOW TOMMY-"

Rory, Arthur and John slipped through the doors of the boxing ring building. It wasn't much of a surprise that Thomas had more or less decided that it wasn't worth having; the entire place was practically empty, a single hall being used for the actual reason it was there. But even that wasn't the nicest.

Old paint layered the walls and pillars, thick layers of dust over the top. The ground was simply concrete and the windows were just holes without glass. Various objects had been dumped in there, a few broken wagons in one corner and rusty metals signs in another.

The rings themselves were created by rope, the sturdy string acting to create a medium sized square. And then within that, was simply the concrete floor and which ever idiot was happy enough to die a rather painful death - because if the opposing fighter didn't kill them, a fall to the ground certainly would.

"He's off the bloody rails, he is." John spoke as the trio walked through into the hall, the sounds of cheering men growing louder. "If he'll turn nose on his best mate..."

Rory could just about see an inch or so of the rope that made up a ring, the rest of it all blocked out by the twenty or so men that stood around it. She could hear the pounds of fists coming into contact with skin, the noise reverberating around the room at an alarming rate.

"Bloody neighbours, John." Arthur cut his brother off, Rory listening intently though she wasn't quite sure who they were talking about. Somewhere along the lines her mind had cut out of the current situation. "Snitch behind the curtains."

"Yeah, well, if you think that, you're the only one who does." The trio walked slowly, taking in their surroundings as they listened to the sounds of grunts mixed with enthusiasm. It smelt just as bad the closer they got to the rings, the more they could smell the lingering scent of dried blood mingled with sweat.

"Look at this, look." Arthur came to a stop, the other two stopping beside him as they caught sight of two men in the closest ring. They seemed to have drawn quite the crowd in comparison to the others, both men appearing to be much more skilled. "Bloody raking it in. Who's running this carny?"

One of the men sent a punch in the other one's face, a grunt sounding as his fist came into contact with his nose before he did it on the other side. "This is... interesting." Rory wasn't quite sure how she would describe it. It was violent and brutal in every sense of the word, but she came from a line of work that practically did this exact thing on a weekly basis so there really wasn't much room to talk.

Johnny Dogs appeared by their side, an almighty grin on his face as he and another man spoke to them. "Name of Marston." He explained, completely captivated in the fight. He seemed to be trying to hold back the words of encouragement like many other men were. "Intends on wintering in Small Heath with his ring."

"Does he?" Arthur asked, the trio standing at such an angle that they could talk to the man and watch the fight take place.

"Only heard." John chuckled as they walked away towards the side of the ring. "Nobody in Small Heath craps in a pot without the decree of Tommy Almighty."

Rory wore an amused expression, Arthur choosing to ignore his brother as they continued towards the only man who appeared to be the slightest bit more interested in the papers in his hand than the fight taking place no more than a few metres away.

"Mr Marston, I believe." Arthur called, the group of men surrounding said man dispersing as he straightened up from the post he'd been leaning against. "The ringmaster!"

"Proud I am to say so." He glanced at the Shelby brother, enthusiasm in his tone as he looked from him over to Rory, his gaze lingering before he slipped it over to John.

Feeling the slightest bit uncomfortable with not only him but a few more men looking in her direction, the Miller girl shifted towards John, eyes constantly darting all over the place as she begun to realise she was the only female in the building.

"Yeah, well," Arthur began spinning slowly on the spot, taking a look at the room. "These here are civilised parts. Man wants to set his stall up with fellas lamping each other, he needs himself a license."

John, who'd been listening rather intently at this point until he noticed Rory growing closer to him, glanced over to the group of men who'd recently moved away from Mr Marston. Most of them were eyeing her with a look in their eyes that certainly wasn't normal, and she along with plenty of others had noticed. His own eyes narrowed at them. Surely they all knew he and Arthur were Shelbys, that alone should've been enough to keep them from looking at anyone who walked with them.

"A license?" Mr Marston repeated, a look of both surprise and guilt sitting in his features.

"For a fee." Arthur explained. "From those in charge." He picked up a glass, the one the man had been drinking from moments earlier and poured the whiskey inside of it all over the floor.

Suddenly a loud slam echoed around the room, the cheering and words of encouragement growing louder as one of the men in the boxing ring slammed into the concrete floor.

"Bloody hell." Rory's head whipped round, a worried look on her features. "Why do people find this so exciting to watch?"

John nudged her in the ribs, an enthused grin on his face. "Lighten up, Ror, it's only fun."

The Miller girl shrugged, turning back to Mr Marston and Arthur. "I'll tell you what. How about I keep my money. And you shove a license up your arse crack?" A grin fell onto the man's face, his voice filled with confidence - clearly he had no idea who these people were.

"You don't want to speak to me like that." Arthur stepped closer into the man's face.

"And who the bloody hell do you think you are?" Mr Marston asked in return. Rory rose an apprehensive eyebrow, neither of the men showing any sign of backing down.

"My name is Arthur Shelby!"

Confusion had never settled in her stomach quicker, her entire body swivelling around so quickly that she was sure one part of it would break off from the rest. The Arthur next to her certainly hadn't said that, but whoever was in the ring had.

"Dad?" Arthur took a step towards the ring, the man within taking a sip from a bottle. Her eyebrows dropped into a straight line, the skin between creasing as she looked between the three men. John looked as if he'd seen a ghost whilst Arthur appeared to be rather enthused.

The man turned around, a look of realisation hitting him instantly. A grin grew on his face, taking a sip from his bottle. "Jesus."

Rory wasn't sure whether this reunion was a happy one. But the look John sent her certainly wasn't a positive one.

Perhaps he would only pass by for a day or so, none of them seemed the least bit happy to see him after all.

✧