The Darkness Within (Peaky Blinders) Thomas Shelby

14. PTSD

Taking over this town, they should worry

But these problem aside, I think I taught you well

That we won't run, we won't run, we won't run

- King And Lionheart, by Of Monsters And Men

The front door to the betting shop opened and closed. Kiara dried off her hands with a tea towel after having done some dishes in the back kitchen. She often brought tea and food in to the men while they were working and was just now cleaning up.

"Finn." Thomas Shelby's voice carried through the wall as he greeted his youngest brother of ten years.

Kiara left the kitchen, heading to the dining room where she had heard her husband speaking and stopped in the doorway. It was the workhouse, the betting shop, but they had set up in an ordinary household.

"Arthur's mad as hell." Finn commented as Tommy walked over to him and bent down, picking up the tip of a used cigarette that the boy had been smoking, but tried to destroy the evidence in the fire place but missed in his panic upon his brother's return.

"What does a 10-year-old know about hell? Eh?"

"I'm 11 Sunday." Finn tried to reason as Tommy smiled and stood up, then looked to his wife.

He wouldn't get mad about a cigarette, not like Riley would have when she was younger. Tommy walked over to his wife, a small smile on his mouth. He placed a hand on her waist and kissed her cheek.

"He's right. Arthur's mad. He's not overly happy with me either."

"You? You're not fixing races, why would he be mad at you."

"Thinks I've known since you've been planning it."

"You have." Tommy stated.

"He's mad I didn't tell him, him being the head of the company and all." It was just a title really. Thomas let Arthur say he was leader of the Peaky Blinders because he was eldest, but Tommy was the smart one. Tommy was the one that had the ideas. Arthur was more of a brute.

"What did you say?"

"Told him to talk to you." She shrugged and then smiled as Tommy sighed. "He's back there." Kiara nodded over her shoulder towards the big green curtains that had been pulled in front of a pair of doors that led to the concealed workspace of the Peaky Blinders. "I have to head to work." She stated, giving him a quick kiss after he nodded.

Tommy then walked over to the curtains, ripping them open and then turning the handles on the double doors before swinging them wide, revealing the book keeping room for the bets.

"Finn," Kiara walked over to the young boy as her husband closed the doors to the other room behind him, "you're a Shelby. You should do a better job of hiding something you know you shouldn't be doing." The boy smiled, happy that he wasn't being given a lecture about smoking. As young as he was, he wasn't doing anything that any of them hadn't snuck around to do at his age; Kiara and John especially.

She then grabbed her coat and left for the Garrison.

It was now 1919. Kiara was 24, Tommy 28. He had been back from war for 18 months, they had been married for five years and had been together for a total of 6 and a half.

In the last 18 months things had picked up with the business, now that Tommy was back. Everything was full force and he had just now started fixing races, but had not yet discussed it with his older brother, which was why he was mad despite that they had agreed that Tommy would take charge of drumming up their money. Tommy was seen doing the powder trick, a Chinese blessing on one of their racehorses. He had discussed his plans with K, but no one else, not yet.