Only Time Will Tell - A Peaky Blinders Story

Chapter 8 - On the mend

"Where are ya?" Arthur yells through the now closed betting shop, making Cass jump slightly before she returns to her slumped position at one of the desks. She watches as Arthur stalks over to Tommy with an annoyed expression. "It bloody won." He says in a dark tone, making his sister intrigued enough to make her way over. "Monoghan Boy bloody won!" Arthur then yells, hitting the desk with every syllable.

Tommy nods solemnly before looking up at his brother's face for the first time since he came in. "Yeah, it won, and word will spread. So the next time we do the powder trick, it won't just be the whole of Garrison Lane making a bet, it will be all of small heath. And when it wins again, it will be the whole of Birmingham. And then, Arthur, when we choose, that's when Monaghan Boy won't win the race. Think about it." Tommy says, barely taking in breath. He then slams the book he was looking at closed and walks over to Cass.

"How are you feeling? How's the knee?" he says in a soft tone, much softer than how he spoke to Arthur just now. "Oh, I'm alright. Just annoyed that I still can't walk properly." Cass replies with a small huff of annoyance. "Fancy a drink later? We have some things to talk about." Tommy then says, as if he's ignored her completely. "Yeah sure. 5 o'clock at the Garrison?" Cass says, raising her eyebrow with a smirk. "No. Not there. I have a place we can go, I'll come and get you." Tommy replies, making his sister furrow her brows with sudden confusion as he walks out. They always drink at the Garrison. What's changed?

Arthur then walks over to her and slides his arm across her shoulders to give her a side hug. "Are you really alright, Cass?" he asks quietly, his eyes raking over the healing cuts and bruises on her face. "Oh, you know me, Arth. I'm always alright." Cass replies with a small smile. "Yeah, well, not being alright is ok too." Arthur then says, trying his best to look sympathetic. "I think you should heed your own advice, big brother." Cass says with a stern yet playful look before walking towards the kitchen. Arthur can't help but feel bad with every limp she takes. If he had just been the strong man that he makes himself out to be, his sister wouldn't have been there and wouldn't be in all of this pain.

~

"Tommy, can you fucking slow down a bit?" Cass says in an exasperated tone as she tries to keep up with the long strides of her brother. "Sorry, forgot you're one-legged at the minute." He replies with a smirk, quickly dodging the smack to his arm that was being sent his way. "Where are we going, anyway?" Cass asks. "Charlie's yard. I'll explain everything when we get there." Tommy says, ignoring his urge to quicken their pace.

~

"So Danny is wanted by the Italians?" Cass asks sadly once her brother has finished talking. "Yeah. I don't want him to die, Cass. He's my friend." Tommy says sadly, knowing that Cass is the only person to not judge him for being emotional. "Maybe he doesn't have to die. What if you spoke to the Italians and asked them to do it on your own terms?" Cass then says, an idea striking her mind like the match Tommy uses to light their cigarettes. "What do you mean?" Tommy asks in confusion. "If the Italians agree for you to do it, you could just pretend. I mean, of course they'll want to watch it for proof, but what if we found a way to make it look so real that they believe it? And Danny for that matter." Cass reiterates, peaking her brother's interest.

There's a moment of silence whilst Tommy thinks things through. This is a really good idea and could actually work in their favour. "How?" he asks, still furrowing his brow in thought. "Sheep's brains." Cass says plainly. "In the shell. Hit him in the back of the head, he'll go down like a sack of potatoes. Uncle Charlie can catch him on one of his boats. He could be the informant you've been thinking of getting in London. You know his loyalty is fierce enough to push through the temptations of betrayal." She continues, hoping that her brother will agree to it. She watches Tommy as he slowly takes another drag of his cigarette, enjoying the patterns the smoke makes in the air. She lets out a breath of relief when he nods in agreement. This is going to work.