The Girl Behind the Counter

Chapter 22

Liyana sat by Finn's side as he laid in bed with stitches closing up the hole in his leg. Michael, Polly, and Finn's brothers, sans Tommy, were in the room with him. All night Ana had been fretting over him and making sure he was comfortable. Arthur and John joked that he wasn't even shot anywhere good, but Michael thought that there was no point in laughing at the love of a good woman. He kept reminding himself of the long list of reasons why Maxie shouldn't marry him and why he should have never asked, but that didn't help fill the sudden emptiness he found himself with. A knock came at the door and Tommy entered. "I've just received word. Falco wants to parlay." He announced. "Good. Stop this bloody nonsense." Polly said. "You three go. I'll stay with Finn." Michael mumbled. Polly looked at her son with worry. She could tell that something was terribly wrong but hadn't had a chance to ask him about it yet. "Actually, the correspondence I received insisted you come along." Tommy looked at his little cousin. Michael's eyebrows knit together in confusion. Why would he need to be there? He assumed the attack on the flower shop was simply for convenience's sake. It was an easy target compared to Arrow House. Now Michael wondered if Falco didn't have some personal issue with him. "Okay." Michael agreed, while standing up. Michael and his cousins drove to an address that had been on a letter delivered by an errand boy, Falco's they assumed. They found themselves in an old warehouse somewhere between Birmingham and Liverpool. After staking out the area and making sure it wasn't an ambush they entered. They found Falco sitting at a table, flanked by two men. "We were pleased to receive your message." Tommy said while taking an empty seat on the other side of the table. "My message? You called this meeting." Falco looked at him wearily. The two guards behind him shared uneasy glances. They had no doubt seen the scene the Peaky Blinders had left in their pub and seen the ghostly white of those roses for themselves. "No, no we didn't call any meeting. You summoned us here." Tommy said with an equally weary tone. "Why the fuck would I call a civil meeting with you sick bastards? Do you Peaky fuckers get off on that shit? Leaving fucking calling cards?" Falco spat. "What?" Tommy was completely lost. "The flowers." Michael knew what Falco meant. "Bloody right the flowers! I knew you stitched fucking razors in your hats, but leaving little white roses on dead bodies like little flecks of snow? It's sick!" Falco yelled. "White like snow." Michael quietly repeated to himself. Suddenly the puzzle pieces began to fall into place. "The flowers weren't us." Tommy admitted. "Then who the fuck did that?" Falco asked. "Holy fuck." Michael said slightly louder so that everyone else could hear him. "Michael? Is there something you'd like to share with the group?" Tommy cocked an eyebrow at him. As he did so the warehouse door flew open and two shots rang out. The bodyguards fell to the ground. Instinctively, everyone hit the deck. Everyone but Michael. The sound of heels echoed in the empty space. John was the first to look up, then Tommy, then Arthur. All three of their jaws dropped. "Freddie Falco, get the fuck up you cowering piece of shit." Maxie ordered. The Liverpool gangster stood up and embarrassedly brushed himself off when he saw it was a woman who was before him. "Hold this for me?" Maxie reached her arm out. Confused, Falco took the object from her. His eyes widened with horror when he realized it was a white rose. Then Maxie released one last bullet.