No escape from the past (book 1)

Chapter five

'Right, I've called this family meeting, because I've got some very important news,' Arthur says and I stand in the background looking at the whole Shelby family. 'Also I would like to welcome Mila into our family. A lot of you have met her today, for the ones that didn't, this is Mila.'

'Haii,' I say slowly and wave awkwardly to the others. I really do not know what to do in this situation. There are two men standing behind Arthur and I look at my hands. This is my first time being part of a family again. And this family isn't just a family, so I really don't know if I will ever fit in.

'Scud boat and Love lock got back from Belfast last night,' Arthur says, pointing to the two men behind him. 'They were buying a stallion to cover their mares. They were in a pub on Shank hill Road yesterday and in that pub there was a copper. Handing out these.'

Arthur crabs stocks from the table and begins to hand them out.

'If you're over five feet and can fight, come to Birmingham,' John reads outloud. I stay silent and in the background. Tommy looks at me and I look away. I don't know why I'm so anxious right now, maybe I just don't like coppers or something. I don't really know.

'They're recruiting Protestant Irishmen to come over here as Specials,' Arthur says and I look up again.

'To do what?' Ada says, the sister of the four brothers.

'To clean up the city, Ada,' Thomas says and looks at the paper. 'He's a Chief Inspector. The last four years he's been clearing the IRA out of Belfast.'

'How do you know so bloody much?' Arthur asks suspiciously, I don't blame him, but I trust that Tommy knows what he's doing, even though I don't really know this man, who is now my father, I guess.

"Cause I asked the coppers on our payroll,' Thomas says casually and looks at me for a short second.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Arthur asks and Thomas and him keep eye contact.

'I'm telling you,' Thomas answers and Arthur puts a whiskey bottle to his mouth.

'Why are they sending him to Birmingham?' Aunt Polly asks Thomas.

'There's been all these bloody strikes at the BSA and the Austin works lately,' Thomas answers. 'Now the papers are talking about sedition. And revolution. I reckon it's communists he's after.'

'So this copper is gonna leave us alone, right?' Aunt Polly asks and looks at Thomas. I glance at Ada and see that she's feeling nervous, but not in a good way.

'There are Irishmen in Green Lanes who left Belfast to get away from him,' Thomas says slowly and looks at his family. 'Catholic man who crossed him used to disappear in the night.'

'Yeah, but we ain't IRA. We bloody fought for the king,' John says and looks at Thomas. Thomas slightly looks at me, but then looks at John. 'Anyway, we're Peaky Blinders. We're not scared of coppers.'

I look at Thomas and I know he's hiding something. He is really good at hiding it, but I know that this copper is after something and not just the IRA. Maybe he's even after me, even though they won't know my name, I got a German name and no one really knows it, only me and the men who brought me to England.

'He's right,' Arthur says in agreement to John.

'We're not scared of coppers,' John says and looks at all of us. 'If they come for us, we'll cut them a smile each.'

'So, Arthur, is that it?' Thomas asks and looks at Arthur. I need to know what he's hiding.

'What do you think, Aunt Pol?' Arthur asks and Polly breaths out some smoke from her cigarette.