The Falling Man

Chapter 25

Tommy POV

About a week has passed since I last saw Ethel in Birmingham. Myself, Arthur, and John had arrived to London tonight. She hadn't taken me up on my request of having her call me on the phone. This somewhat confused me and frustrated me as I would sit around the house many of nights waiting for the damn thing to ring but it never did.

Seeing her with the new man in The Squad, Ray, that night in my house made my blood somewhat boil. I watched him closely as he hugged her tightly, wrapping his arms around her small figure, her hand laying on his back. I watched him pull her into himself and whisper something in her ear before pulling back and staring down at her, their faces meer inches apart. If looks could kill that man would be dead. I wouldn't bring it up to her as she's a woman and makes her own decisions but I wasn't a fan to say the least. They had history, what the extent of that history was I wasn't sure. I just know they dated in the past. My family has caught on to my interest in Ethel, I realize this through teasing from Arthur and Polly's knowing looks.

The worst of it came after she left my home that night with myself following soon after her. This didn't go unnoticed by my family. In that time I was talking to Ethel on Watery Lane, inside Arthur and John spilled the beans to Polly about us meeting in France. When I returned inside that night I was met with quips and a load of teasing from Arthur to which I ignored and a pat on the arm followed with a smirk from my aunt.

But she hadn't called. I push these thoughts to the back of my mind, I wasn't a young lad who would sit and ponder over a girl anymore and whether she felt the same or not. Although, every sleepless night I have been having recently has been filled with these thoughts. No matter how hard I tried not to think about it, every night the phone didn't ring these thoughts came to me as I layed in my bed.

Myself, John and Arthur are currently walking from our hotel to a club. We were here to be flashy, show our faces. The Switzer men were accompanying us tonight. Whether or not the women of the family would show I wasn't too sure.

Me and my brothers strut up to the club with people chattering and laughing drunkley around us. I hand the doorman a wad of cash as he looks at us concernigly. "Much obliged." Arthur tells him as me and John walk in. Inside we can hear a band playing loud lively jazz music. There's woman laughing, men snorting cocaine, even men making out with other men. "It's a fucking freak show!" Arthur states as we walk through the gold curtains leading closer to the main room. There's people fucking on the coach with men watching smoking cigars, other men hoisting women up wrapping their thin legs around their waist. Ahead we can see a mass amount of people under low light dancing their asses off. We head through the crowd, leading to a mass amount of tables. "What the fuck is that racket?!" Arthur yells over the loud horns and drums. "This is what they call music these days, brother!" I shout back to him, scanning the tables for Robert and Fred. "Music?!" He shouts back.

As we make our way through the tables I can see John already looking women up and down while Arthur looks the women snorting cocaine up and down. The band plays loudly on as we pass by a woman with her hands down the pants of man. "Hey! Hey! Put it away." I shout at them as they kiss; giving up on finding the Switzer brothers. "Fuck off!" John shouts in their faces. As they get up and leave we take a seat at their table. "Fucking look at this mess, eh? It's all right in here." John says with a smirk on his face. The man on stage bangs loudly against his drums. I wave a waiter over, "Irish whisky! Bottle!" I shout over at him. "And hurry up!" Arthur shouts.

I scan the room subconsciously looking for one woman in this mess. "Fucking hell, I recognize a few of these lads." John states. "Sabini's cousin over there!" Arthur shouts. Sabini was the man we were trying to take over in London, with the helps of the Switzers and Alfie Solomon's, who I have yet to meet, it should be an easy task. Sabinis cousin is staring at the half naked flapper dancing on stage before he glances over at us. "That's right, Arthur, it's Sabinis club!" I tell my brother. "Jesus Christ. Everybody in here's a fucking face." John says as the waiter sits our bottle and glasses on the table. "Just the lieutenants, John. No sign of the officers." I respond still looking around for the Switzers, still not being able to lay my eyes on one of them.