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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Don't worry. I'll hold your hand as we cry through this season together.
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
John was nervous.
He hadn't spent much time with Kizzie after Tommy brought her home from the hospital. And no one wanted to anger him, either, by requesting her time.
The man was a hand grenade blown to hell. A fucking monster when he found out Kizzie had spent the past few years away from the family.
He kept her close. Always attached Kizzie to his hip. It left little room for John or Arthur for time with her.
Until today.
"Will there be horses?"
John rolled his toothpick to the other side of his mouth and looked down. He and Kizzie walked, hand-in-hand, down the green path that led to the fair. "Plenty," he told her. "I'll make sure you get to ride 'em."
She smiled big. "Okay."
John had his own children, unlike Arthur and Tommy, so he should have known how to speak and act around his baby sister. But they were never the closest. Tommy made sure he would be the one she missed and needed the most. It made John furious and endlessly jealous. Kizzie was not a prize to be hoarded.
Maybe it was her...intelligence, or lack thereof if he believed the papers and word on the street, that made her think Tommy's treatment of her was okay. But shit, John would have loved it too if someone was as loyal and loving to him as Tommy was to her.
There was a man in the war who reminded John of Kizzie. Same nonchalant demeanor, vacant eyes. He was living with his mom and sister when the draft hit his door.
John and his brothers spent many nights with him in the trenches. The occasional bulle-fire or screeching of a tank sent him into a frenzy. He hated loud noises—just like Kizzie.
He got along with Tommy. Not hard to see why.
Kizzie suddenly tugged John's coat. "You are far away."
John cleared his throat. "I'm okay."
She shrugged and turned away. "Okay."
Did she believe him? It was impossible to tell what was going on in her head.
Tommy was away today. Not far. Just past the fields with another gypsy family. He would arrive soon. John made sure to alleviate Kizzie's concerns.
He watched Kizzie ride the chestnut horse around the kiddie-track. She wanted the horse to go faster, but John had to remind her that she wasn't home. That no one was as good as her on the back of a horse.
