Without A Trace

Three.

Hours have passed since the meeting. Its nearly dusk now so I had John throw some wood in the fireplace and get it going before he left for the pub. Ivy had put Pip to bed early since she was so upset from Michael, and Lewis's behavior earlier. Scared the poor thing half to death.

I sit out there and listen to the firewood crackle as the sun sets behind the house. I feel slightly bad for what I said to Tommy earlier, but then again the other giant chunk of me doesn't feel bad whatsoever. Tommy has been a hard one to love since he got back from the war. They all have been proven to be incredibly different and difficult to be around and to be married to since they came back. Theres days where I still see bits and pieces of the man I fell in love with, and then theres days like today where I see a total stranger in the person thats supposed to be my husband.

Anna walks up behind me and bifs the back of my head, "Stop that, I already know what you're thinking about. You're not fuckin leaving Ivy and I alone in this mess of a family. If we have to suffer so do you," she says sitting down next to me handing me a smoke.

"I know I know," I say offering a lighter to her, lighting her cigarette and then mine before taking a long deserved drag from it. "I just want the asshole to love me back," I say grabbing and ashtray and putting it in the middle of us.

"I do love you," Tommys voice sneaks up behind us causing me to turn my head to look at him before looking back at the fire.

"You got a funny way of showing it then eh?" I say with a weary smile watching the logs burn.

Tommy kisses the top of my head before placing a kiss in the crook of my neck and moving up to my ear, "I promise with everything in me, that I burn for you," he whispers into it before placing a passionate kiss on my lips, which I happily return. He pulls away and meets my gaze, "Be safe tonight, I'll be in my office when you get home. I need to know where you put it," he says before walking away.

"Well that was a tad steamy for public eyes if I say so myself," Anna says taking a deep breath with her eyebrows raised before taking a swig from the whiskey bottle.

Ivy comes out and joins us at the patio. She walks over and pulls the crate out of the storage unit, shining a flashlight on the wooden box.

"You've got to be fuckin kidding me," She says sighing. Painted all over the box is the name 'KIMBER', as in Billy Kimber. One man you do not want to fuck with.

Anna groans pinching the bridge of her nose, "Of course its from there, why the fuck not." We get up and take the crate apart, throwing the pieces into the fireplace. I take gasoline and throw it in there causing the fire to roar harder, but also to make sure it burns hotter, turning the boards into nothing but coals and ash.

Ivy takes the packs of snuff and puts it in her bag. I walk up to the girls and give each of them their chest holsters with a loaded pistol in each. They sling it over their shoulders sliding it on before putting on their long coats.

"Well, where are we popping off to?" I ask looking at Ivy and Anna.

"We can't go downtown, theres too many coppers there and this time of night will look suspicious with the bag," Ivy says zipping it up.

"What about the graveyard? Down by the canal?" Anna asks putting her cigarettes in her pocket.

"Thats a good idea. Its right on the boarder to the Irish. We can go underground from the cellar and stash it in their territory, right under their noses," I chime in taking one final swig of whiskey.

"Thats a good idea, we'll just have to be quick. They patrol their boarders at night," Ivy agrees before slinging the bag on her back.

"We'll have to walk, cars make too much noise and draw too much attention," I say handing each of the girls a pair of sneakers as I lace mine up.

Once they're done getting ready we head out through the secret passage from the garden. We walk all the way to the cemetery, only using the light of the moon to guide us on our path.

"Stop," I whisper suddenly holding my arm out to stop them. In the distance coming closer we can hear footsteps and two men talking. Ivy stashes the bag in some bushes off the path by a headstone before coming back to us.

Two men ammerge from around the corner, the end of their cigarettes glow red as they smoke. "Oye, what do we have here?" One of them says as they get closer to us. We stand there quietly, emotionless, waiting for them to make the first move.

"Just a couple of fuckin broads eh? Whats the likes of you doing around this time of night? You fuckin Shelbys," the other man grits through his teeth.

"Just going to the cemetery, is that a crime? If so I guess you're breaking the law too," Ivy says with her hands in her pockets.

One of the men laugh to themselves, "You know what I think? I think it wouldn't be too shabby to get a fuckin piece of what the peaky blinders get any time they please," he says before snatching ahold of Annas face. The other man snatches ahold of Ivy and whips out a gun pointing it to my face. I stand there looking bored of this interaction.

"You're going to sit and watch. This is what real men do to fuckin whores like yourselves," man says before starting to shove his hand down Annas pants. She flicks her wrist up at his neck, causing a knife to retract out of her bracelet, stabbing him right in the temple, causing him to drop to the ground.

At the same time Ivy punches the side of the other mans head, knocking him back a couple steps and kicking the gun out of his hand. I lift my gun and fire a single shot that lands right between his eyes. He falls backwards lifeless.

"Can't we have one night where we can just get done what we need to get done and be over it? Christ," Anna says before looking up on the hill.

"Curly are you up there?" She calls out. A man comes out from behind the tree and makes his way down the hill to us. "Curly get rid of the bodies for us eh?" She asks him before giving him a smile.

"Absolutely love, you go on now, I got it from here," He says assuring us with a smile.

We walk around the corner and make our way through the thicket to the very very back of the cemetery. I kneel down and lift the latch and pull it open, the girls climb down to the cellar and I follow suit shutting it behind me.

I light an oil lamp and hold it out as we make our way through the tunnels. After what feels like an eternity, we make it to our destination.

"Just above here," I say hanging the lamp on a nail in the wall. I climb up and get ready to open the latch. "Thank God Tommy built this to be a one way latch."

Ivy unzips the bag and her and Anna each take a handful of the packs out. I look down at them and Anna gives me a nod that they're ready. I quietly open the latch and start taking the packs as they hand them to me. I toss them in the hay stack in the opposite corner of the barn. Once they're all done I close the door and latch it back shut. I climb down and take the lamp off the nail as we make our way back out of the cellar and back home.

I bid the girls goodnight before walking into Tommys office. He sits in his chair swirling a glass of whiskey as usual.

"That took an awful long time darling," he states motioning me to come in.

I close to door behind me and take the map out from the drawer of his desk, "You remember the tunnels under the cemetery?" I ask him.

"Of course," he says scoffing.

I roll my eyes and point to the map, "We went in the tunnels and stashed it in the barn thats on the Irish territory. Its in the old abandoned barn that they dont use anymore." I tell him.

"Was there any trouble on the way?" He asks.

"Thomas we're Peaky fuckin Blinders, trouble follows us to the shitter and back," I say leaning against his desk. "Curly and I'm assuming Charlie are going to take care of it. There wont be trace of anything, as usual boss," I say running my eyes over his body.

He smirks at me and gets up putting his hands on my hips and kissing my neck causing me to moan slightly. Tommy lifts his head and plants a kiss on my lips, "Lets go upstairs before Anna and Lewis cause a ruckus while we're down here eh? Wouldn't want to listen to the fun their having if we can't do it too," He says before taking my hand and walking out of the office and up the stairs.