Sinbound

(3) The Family Meeting

"Family meeting at 8, be there," Arthur states as Alex passes by his office in the betting den.

"Why?" Alex responds, leaning against his doorway.

"Because I've told you to be," Arthur says.

"I meant why is there a family meeting," Alex returns.

"There's news, is the point of family meetings not clear?" Arthur remarks teasingly.

"Can't be that important if you're not telling me right now," Lex shrugs.

"Be at the meeting, Alex," Arthur states firmly.

"Will be," Alex replies, giving a slight nod before pushing off the frame of the door and continuing into the betting den.

"Alex, we've had some trouble," Lewis, a man that had been in Johns year at school, says, as she analyses the cuts and bruises on his face.

"I can see that," Alex deadpans, "who?"

"He says he won't be paying another penny to the Peaky Blinders," Lewis states, removing his cap to ruffle up his dirty blonde hair.

"I did not ask what was said, I asked who it was," Alex responds.

"Percival Waterman, lives down by the junkyard, ironic really, that Waterman is a man who lives by water," Lewis says, "although he can't like the propeller in his front room to much if he smashed it over my head."

"Do you own a loaded gun?" Alex asks, and he nods.

"Then why is he still alive," Alex replies.

"Well Arthur said that we should cut down on the killings if we're planning to go legal, said it'd be a loss of cumulative income," Lewis says.

"Arthur used the word cumulative in a sentence?" Lex says.

"No, I paraphrased what he said," Lewis tells her, smirking, "does my intelligence impress you?"

"You think you're the only person round here that can use big words? Don't flatter yourself, Lewis," Alex responds.

"I love it when you say my name," he winks.

He was charming, he always had been. And he flirted shamelessly with Alex, albeit it was usually when her brothers were not in hearing range.

"Back to work, blondie," Alex orders.

"A nickname? My dreams have come true," Lewis says, smiling.

"If you're not sat at a desk counting numbers within ten seconds, Waterman won't be the only smashing a propeller over your head," Alex states, and he salutes her, "yes, ma'am."

-

"How did it go with Waterman?" Tommy questions, as they walk down Watery Lane towards the family home for the meeting.

"Waterman got waterboarded," Alex responds.

"You're serious?"

"Why would I not be?" Alex shrugs.

"You scare me," Tommy chuckles.

Alexandria had been told this on many an occasion. It hurt a little, that the people she cared for were scared of her. But she didn't know how to change, she didn't feel any urgency to change. Besides, if she's scary to the people who know she'd never hurt them, imagine how terrifying it would be to get on the wrong side of her. That was something she enjoyed.

She'd been the one in fear for so much of her life, why shouldn't she get to inflict fear back into the society that made her feel weak and worthless?

"Did Arthur tell you what this meeting is about?" Alex asks, brushing off his previous comment. Dwelling on things for too long never turned into a positive situation.