Falling Free

-Six-

The car journey to Camden was a quiet one. Alfie and Niamh were sat in the back of one car with Ollie, as she had discovered the dark haired man's name was just that morning, who was driving and having to put up with Alfie's backseat commentary on what a shit job he was doing. Alfie's other men were in the two cars in front of and behind their own, and Niamh felt almost like she was royalty being escorted to her new home in a procession of expensive vehicles. The truth was that Alfie's men were simply doing their job and keeping him safe, and Niamh supposed that they were his sort of family. It was sad in a way because, as she had found out from Ada –who knew a lot about Alfie Solomons and Sabini from her brief time living in London with Karl– Alfie Solomons was the only child of Alfie Solomons Sr and Ida Solomons nee Feldman. Well, he was the only legitimate child because by all accounts, Alfie's father, who buggered off when he was young, was quite the philanderer and apparently had more children than the Pope had followers. Alfie's mother had passed from consumption only a few months before his return from France, and while Niamh had a suspicion that Alfie wasn't one for emotions and sentimentality, she knew that behind his hard exterior must be a man who oftentimes felt alone. Niamh couldn't imagine having lost her mother and not having her siblings and Pol to lean on afterwards, and as she got closer to London all she could think about was how much further away from them she was with each turn of the wheels.

Looking out at the window as the countryside turned into grey, run down streets that weren't too dissimilar to the outskirts of Birmingham, Niamh tried to stop the single tear that rolled down her cheek as she thought about the goodbyes between them all before she had left for her new future.

" If he lays so much as one finger on you, you call me and I'll be there to smash his fucking lights out," Arthur said fiercely, hugging Niamh so tight that she almost couldn't breathe.

" Niamh would smash his lights out before you could even get in the car," Ada snorted, pulling her sister into her own arms after snatching her from Arthur's. "You know home isn't going to be the same without you, eh? Promise you'll come and visit us soon?"

" I promise," Niamh nodded, sniffing back tears.

"My little sister leaving for the big wide world," Tommy smiled down at her, cupping her face while his eyes regarded her fondly.

For a moment, Niamh wasn't sure what to say to him; how to react. She was still angry at him. Although perhaps her anger had faded more into hurt. Then again, even the hurt wasn't as painful as even the night before. Eventually, she placed her hands over his and patted them.

"Don't get into too much trouble without me around," she murmured. "And don't let those shovels and France keep getting in your head because I won't be there to make them leave again."

Tommy said nothing and simply kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around.

I'm sorry, he tried to convey silently. I love you and I'm sorry.

"I'll be fine, Tommy," her voice was croaky as she pulled back to look up at him. "It's you I worry about."

"Always fucking worrying, you," John tutted, shoving Tommy out of the way. "When we were kids you were always worrying about stray animals you could see outside and now you're worrying about that bloody idiot there."

"You calling Tommy a stray animal, John?" Niamh giggled.

"If the shoe fits," he smirked with a shrug. "You behave in London, yeah? They're fucking wild down there. And if that Solomons starts anything then you can smack him in the face with this."

Niamh burst out laughing at the knuckle duster John held out to her and placed the metal gratefully into her pocket to placate him, knowing that she would never want to use them and strangely knowing that she would never need to.