The Falling Man

Chapter 37

Tommy POV

I clear my throat as I see Sabini step through the doors. Fred on my left, Robert on my right. I had instructed them to let me do the talking. "Mr. Sabini! You're late. Have a seat." I announce gesturing to the chair across from myself and the Switzer brothers. "What happened to your nose?" I ask the other man joining us at the table. "You ought to have that brother of yours put down." He responds. "I tried that. He bit the vet." I say with a shake of my head. "I told the coppers that you're a fucking Gypsy racketeer Peaky Blinder. They're coming, they're gonna throw you out. Before the king comes up here." Sabini speaks up with ridiculous purple feathers attached to his suit jacket.

"Well, from what I saw, the police are a bit busy right now. You win any money today, Mr. Sabini?" I ask the man taking a draw from my cigarette. "Where are our coppers? I said to that sergeant one minute, he said two...It's fucking ten."He says angrily looking at his watch talking to the other man, who sports a big yellow flower attached to his jacket. "Like I told you, they're a bit busy...Same as my boys." I say ashing my cigarette. "What the fuck does that mean?" He asks. "What does that mean? My boys are on the track...They're having a little bonfire...Gaming licenses, you know." I respond to him, he chuckles.

"Fuck." He lets out. I smirk at the man, "You place too much reliance on the police for your security, Mr. Sabini. That was a mistake..." He makes a move to stand up and pull out his gun. "No, now, think about who you are. Think about where you are...You pull a weapon, you are the kings assassin. Now, sit down. Stay calm...Good." I state to Sabini, now as he has returned to his seat I continue, "Now, your next mistake, Mr. Sabini, was breaking your promise with Alfie Solomon's...Hmm? You promised Alfie that his bookies could come to Epsom...He was very hurt when you said no...He was very hurt...That's why me, Alfie, and The Switzers are back in business."

The man nods his head and stands up slowly. He reaches for a champagne bottle and smashes it pointing the jagged bottle as me as I jump back and women shriek. The table falling over in the process as I hold my hands out in fake surrender, to appease the watchful eyes of the people around. "Hold it! Right, hold it!" Officers shout bursting in the room. "It's all right! It's all right, officers! He's just a bad loser." The cops go for me, alarming me as I try to resist them. "You fucking lose, you fuckin Gypsy bastard! You lose!" Sabini screams in my face as I get dragged out of the room. Well this is not part of the plan.

"Step back! Move!" The officer shouts as I get hauled outside towards a car. "You're now a prisoner of the red right hand...Now, take his hat and gun...Get him up...Easy...Take a seat...Sit down!" He shouts at me after I was removed of my bladed hat and gun and hoisted into the back of the van. He points his gun at me and I sit down with a sigh. This was not good, I think to myself as I pull on the collar of my shirt trying to loosen the strain against my neck. "That's it...You make yourself nice and comfortable...Just going for a wee drive, Mr. Shelby...Let's go." The officers shut the door and we drive off.

I look out the small window as we drive down dirt roads for a long while until I suddenly hear the brakes screech and footsteps approaching the back door. The doors swing open and wind whistles. I hop out with a grunt and am met by the site of a freshly dug grave. I take in my surroundings, trying to think of a quick solution to get out of this but there was none. Three of them, one of me. They all are armed, while I am not. I was going to die. "Were any of you boys in France? Allow a man a cigarette?" I ask them. The blonde one stares back at me, "The Somme? Blackwood's."

I nod at him, "The Somme. The bulge." "Smoke." He replies shortly. I pull out my cigarettes as he takes out his gun. I can't help but smirk to myself as I light up my last ever cigarette. "So fucking close...So fucking close...Oh, and there's a woman...Yeah...A woman......Who I love...And I got close...Nearly got FUCKING EVERYTHING!" I shout into the sky taking my last look at the blue that fills it. Ethel's sweet face pops up, her smile, the future I imagined for us. I hear a gun cock behind me. I close my eyes and let the images dissipate.