The Falling Man

Chapter 15

Tommy POV

It was the next day after the meeting with the Switzer family and what a meeting it was. The last person I expected to see there yesterday was Ethel. I went into the meeting hoping to form an alliance with The Squad and after a few moments into the meeting I could tell that was their mission also. Normally, I would have left the meeting earlier considering how long it took us to actually get to the business but the beautiful nurse I met in France was there sitting next to me, so I stayed and had quite an amusing time. She looked the same just slightly older as two years had passed. I couldn't help smiles from coming on to my face as I would feel her eyes on me. I was happy to see her as I never thought I would again. It felt like fate brought us together the once but it is hard to deny that's exactly what is was that brought us together twice. She was not in a good place though, I imagine from struggling with the war. She said she cut herself on purpose. When I heard her say that it felt like a lead balloon went down in my chest. I gave her the Watery Lane phone number and address hoping I could talk to her and see her again. When that would be though I have no idea.

I am currently walking through a graveyard running over the events of last night. We agreed this will be the place to store the guns. That way I still have the majority of control over them and they can't fuck me. Earlier this morning we did a fake killing of Danny Whizzbang for that murder he warned me about that night he visitied me in my room. This way it would seem the alliance between The Squad and Peaky Blinders in non existent keeping Small Heath on our side and giving us a grave site to store the guns.

The agreement we came to last night was the guns would be kept in my possession, with a 50/50 split of the profits between the two families and a 50/50 split of the money they stole from my shop. Both of us coming to this agreement after slight back and forth. We are on the same side now and that makes me very relieved as I don't need to deal with the stress of them and the Lees threatening my family anymore. We would work together closely in the future, if I needed men they would provide and if they needed men I would provide.

I puff on my cigarette as I weave through the different graves. I check on Danny's grave to make sure the guns have been stored correctly, before heading back home. Ada had her baby last night while I was at the meeting. Apparently, coppers had found Freddie when he showed up for the birth and threw him in jail for communism.

I arrive back at the house to find it empty. I stand in the kitchen and smoke for a little while before Polly comes bursting threw the door with a basket full of food. Ada and Polly are very angry with me thinking I planned for Freddie to get picked up by the coppers while I was gone. I assured Polly this morning, I was far too occupied with the crazy meeting to even know firstly that Ada was giving birth and secondly that Freddie was visiting her while she was giving birth. Nonetheless, they don't believe me; they think Arthur and John called me and then I called the coppers.

"Did you speak to her?" I ask Polly. "She didn't speak back." She tells me. "Well, did you tell her?" I ask her sternly. "I'll only tell her what I know to be true." She responds to me while filling up water in the kettle for tea. I find my fuse running low. "It's the last time I'm going to say this. It wasn't me who shopped Freddie Thorne." I tell her again sternly. "I'd ask you to swear on the Bible, but you can't swear on that, can you?" She tells me as I take a breath of annoyance and rest my head back against the wall. "Nothing you hold sacred." She continues with before walking out and slamming the door.

As I hear the door close, I hear her talking to someone quite loudly just outside, before the door opens once more. "Tommy! There's someone who says they are here to see you." She yells from the front room to me where I stand still rooted in the kitchen. This peaks my curiosity as the kettle Polly put on hisses. I go to take it off the heat and yell back, "Send them through!"