Breathing fire

Chapter eighteen

"Alfie solomons,I've heard your name many times.The man with the finest rum distillery.I'm assuming it's not a coincidence seeing you here today on the day when someone asks me to give them a gin distillery"

"Nah love it's not"he sniffed.Ruth took a sip of her drink and leaned back

"I heard the big news,Luca changretta taken down by Thomas Shelby and his new partner Ruth Galiardi,the one owner of your family's empire"Alfie looked at her up and down

"Yes that is the big news.Although Luca took me as hostage,with Tommy's son and his housemaid,asked me to be his own,then told me he would kill his son,then Tommy,then Tommy came there killed him and it was done"she said in continuation

Alfie looked dumbfounded by the details

"Right right...you-uh-did that"

"So what's the purpose of seeing me here Mr solomons.I'm getting a little late for my meeting"she put down her glass and closed her briefcase

"Nothing love,just wanted to meet a friend"

"Since when are we friends Mr solomons?"she chuckled

"Since now love"he said in his thick accent.Ruth looked at him for a while before standing up to take her leave

"Very well mr solomons-

"Alfie"he corrected

"Right,I'll see you soon Alfie"she walked past him with her briefcase and wore her hat back on and disappeared from the bar,leaving Alfie sitting there,quietly staring into space

Shelby company office

"Catch it!catch it!!"a boy shouted to his friends.The black Royce parked outside the building.

The round brown ball followed the car and stood in front of Ruth's feet.

"Pass it Miss!"the innocent boy shouted in excitement and breathlessness.Ruth got out and looked down at the ball tossing it slightly with her feet to the boy

"Thank you miss"

"Play a little far from here alright?"she smiled at the boy.

From the window Tommy looked down at her with smoke blowing from his mouth.Ruth knew he was looking.She sent the boy away and looked up at the window and saluted causally with her hand to him taking him aback a little

"I meet your friend today,Alfie solomons"Tommy looked up from the paper to her.Ruth noticed it easily,she got the answer to her question

"There was a bullet scar on his cheek.Did you do that?"Tommy licked his lips and looked away back down to his paper

"I see"she hummed nodding her head.She didn't want to ask much of him but instead she asked about what really mattered

"He has his eye on the distillery,he wants to sit on it like a hawk,Jimmy mcavern.He says you promised the distillery to him first...then why did you give it to me?"

Tommy cleared his throat closing his folder,he leaned back on his chair and took out a cigarette

"I gave it to you because I trust you more.I remember the look on your face when I told you even I had a gin distillery.When I saw that look I knew you weren't going to ruin it"

Ruth couldn't help but smile a little from the corner of her lips.Tommy Shelby was such a flirt.

"I still don't trust mcavern and so that's why I didn't give him the distillery.Instead I gave it to someone who was just like me,who wouldn't let the factory go to waste"he smirked.Ruth huffed a chuckle and looked away

"Your words are so particular Tommy"Tommy chuckled a little.But then took out an envelope and kept it in front of her

"It's a cheque,sent by Jimmy.Signed by Mosley too but I didn't sign"

"Cheque to buy the distillery?"

"The cheque is just his way of saying he wants this factory at all costs but that doesn't matter.What matters is that this cheque is evidence,a link between Mosley and the head of an organised criminal network"

"It's a cheque he'll deny after the bonfire of all conventions.It also has the names of all Mp's who have signed up for this movement"He said.Ruth opened the cheque and stared at it

"We need to give this to a man named younger,he'll give it to special branch through you.This cheque is evidence Ruth"

Ruth didn't look satisfied.She shook her head and kept the cheque back down

"What about the section D Tommy?"

"We are the section D ruth.I beat them"he expected her to look surprised but the look was plain.She shook her head again

"If you defeated them Tommy...."she opened her briefcase and took out a white paper and threw it on the table

"Then why am I still receiving threats from an organisation named SECTION D?"

Tommy looked up at her and then at the envelope.He opened it quickly to see a threat note written to Ruth Galiardi signed in black ink by section d

"There is still someone here tommy who doesn't want this information to go out.There is still someone who wants something from me.From the both of us.Ill keep the cheque but I'll have to Increase security and so will you"she kept the cheque in the briefcase and closed it.

Tommy clearly looked worried after what she told him

"I'll be safe tommy but the person whose doing this clearly is waiting for something to happen.Either from someone else or from that person himself"she stood up and took her hat and coat.

She looked back at Tommy once before leaving.Tommy rubbed his temples and lighted himself another cigarette.

He stood up from his seat and walked to the window to watch her leave.He watched silently when she got out of the building.

She looked up at Tommy again and then turned back around.Tommy closed his eyes and rubbed them with his hands.

Just when suddenly he heard a loud boom.

Tommy opened his eyes and looked down......

Her black Royce was up in flames