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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I didn't get the chance to edit this very much. Apologies for any obvious errors.
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
"You don't like the food."
Alfie looked up and relaxed his face. "Am I so obvious?"
No. But Kizzie couldn't keep her eyes off him the whole night. She was stuck at her birthday table when all she wanted was him.
She would always find him. Need to.
"Do you want something different? Is it not kosher enough?"
"No," he grumbled, barely opening his mouth. "It's kosher plenty."
"Then...not good?"
"Aye."
Her heart fell. "Oh."
In her despondence, Kizzie missed the bite in Alfie's eyes. Directed at Ozzy, who still sat across from him, mouth stuffed with food.
"Mm!" the boy jerked back and swallowed. He stood, rigid but hunched. "I'll go find Arthur."
Kizzie took his seat.
"Your gypsy food is an acquired taste."
"Sorry."
He leaned in, their secret habit from when she visited him at the bakery. "But so is mine. It's alright, love."
Kizzie smiled the first true smile all day.
"Happy birthday, by the way."
"Thank you for the card you mailed me. It came a few days before my actual birthday and I had to convince Tommy to let me open it early."
Alfie waved away her words. "Ah, of course. Here..." He reached into his unbuttoned jacket pocket. Kizzie saw the flash of his gold pocket watch and handgun. He pulled out another envelope, but it was much thicker, like a book, and wrapped so tightly it looked ready to burst. "For you."
"What is it?"
"If you open it, you'll find out."
The wrapping paper was a duckling yellow and smooth, almost felt-like. Kizzie tugged at the taped corners and softly pulled. She placed the ripped paper next to Ozzy's discarded plate.
It was a book.
"'Sh...shells, sho...res, and sand." She looked at him, eyes widened with confusion.
"Shells, Shores, and Sand," he repeated the title. "It's a book I found the other week. You always mentioned wantin' to see the beach."
"I love it!"
Alfie's brows creased at her excitement. As much as he loved making her smile, it was rare for others to feel appreciative for him--genuine appreciation. "Yeah, right." He crossed the gap and tapped the cover. "It's supposed to be for your reading level, but if you have a hard time--"
