As the youngest Shelby child and twin to Finn Shelby, Kezia has spent the last 4 of her 10 years locked away for her mental defectiveness.
She returns to Small Heath under the legal guardianship of her brother, Thomas Shelby. Despite knowing she's s...
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CHAPTER TWO
When Kezia arrived at Birmingham Borough Asylum six years ago, it had been beside her father. Without a suitcase or goodbyes.
Now, she sat in her brother's arms, head against his neck and thumb in her mouth. His walking rocked her to sleep as they stopped at his car. Before the war, Kezia traveled this way—always attached to Tommy. It was a mutual need. His was the only touch she sought out. And for Tommy, she was the anchor that kept him from drifting into insanity.
Before he left, the madness pressed lightly against his mind. He did not know peace until she was born. Just a tiny little thing but, if there was a God, she was certainly it. And when he returned, only to discover she was sent away...
"Where are we going for lunch, lambkin?"
"Bread!" She screamed in his car.
They sat at the driver's side, unmoving because Tommy needed a moment of silence, alone with his sister. Life before the war flooded him; Kezia and he drove around South Heath any time he had a moment. She'd sit on his lap, being lulled to the engine and the rocking of tires over cobblestone.
"And?" he asked.
"Only bread." She sat up. "Bread."
Tommy didn't understand the obsession she held for bread. She threw tantrums if the family went out to dinner and no bread was served. And she played with it more than anything else.
Peeled the crust away and scooped out the soft bits. Rolled it into a ball until it looked like dough. Sometimes, she'd do this for over an hour, fascinated by the touch and look. Only then, when satisfied, she'd bite in.
"There's a place down the way with bread." Tommy started the engine and they were off.
Kezia understood her brother was an important man. All of her brothers were. Before she was taken away, men came into the house all day long, wearing those flat caps. In the right light, Kezia swore she saw razor blades sewn into them.
On the street, men tipped their hats, and most women hurried to the opposite sidewalk. She supposed it made sense; all her brothers had a temper. They all cared about making sure the family was taken care of. But still...something always felt off.
"On the house," the waiter mumbled, setting down two menus. "Drinks?"
Without giving the man attention, her brother lit a cigarette and flicked the matchstick onto the table. "A coke for my sister. And a whiskey for me." He tossed away his flat cap next.
"Of course, Mr. Shelby."
With delicate hands, Tommy placed the extra menu in front of Kezia.
"What does 'on the house' mean?"
"It means you can have whatever you wish, lambkin."
"Why?"
"Because people are scared of your brother." He gave her a sideways smile. "And they are scared of what I will do if you are unhappy."
