Isaiah had stayed over night with Elsie and Finn and they all went and met at the location of the meeting. Ten minutes had passed and Finn went and shouted for Tommy saying that the family had gathered, plus Lizzie, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Charlie and Johnny Dogs.
Everyone was either sat around the table or stood, Elsie stayed standing with Finn. Once Tommy opened the door, Finn poured him a drink of whiskey and stood back, placing an arm around Elsie's waist, pulling her into his side comfortingly.
"John is dead, Esme has gone on the road with the Lees, she's taken the kids. Michael is badly wounded, they say it's a 60-40 in his favour" Tommy said, his voice solemn.
"There's no number, no percentages. There's only the hand. The hand beneath him stops him falling. I spoke to someone. My son'll live." Polly said, smoking, sounding dismissive and not really there, Elsie assumed she was on some sort of drugs.
"Michael and John were shot because we killed someone. Vicente Changretta. His son, Luca, has come to take revenge. Men from New York and Sicily here in Birmingham. These men will not leave until our whole family is dead. That's how it works- an eye for an eye. It's called vendetta"
"The bullet's been written. It says Luca" Arthur said, holding said bullet in his hand, twirling it with his fingers "when the time comes. And it will come. He, as he oldest brother, I will put this bullet into his fucking head." Arthur then placed it on the table for all to see.
"There's been some bad blood between us" Tommy started again and Polly laughed.
"Polly, please" Arthur said.
"Until this business is settled, we stay together. And we stay here, Small Heath, Bordesley, Hay Mills, down to Greet. We know every face and every man is a soldier in this army. These men are professionals, they're good at what they do, so we're going to need more than we have. I've sent a message to Aberama Gold"
Elsie mouthed the word "who?" to Finn, but he merely shrugged his shoulders.
"No" Johnny Dogs said. "No, Tom. I'll get you fifty Lee boys. Good men, Tom"
"I don't need good men, Johnny. For this, I need bad men"
"Tommy, his people are fuckin' savages. You know? Heathens, Tom. They don't even let them in the fair, so they come and steal our horses. You know, stealing from their own, Tom"
"So this is the plan, Thomas?" Polly questioned gesturing the room with her finger, she was definitely acting like she was drunk or high, "this is the plan? A bullet with a name on it, help from a bunch of savages?"
"We're going to go on the offensive. I've spoken to Moss"
"Moss" Polly scoffed, getting out of her seat.
"I've spoken to Moss" he repeated, "Moss is putting out word. Eyes and ears so we can find 'em. Yet, the truth is, the police are busy with the revolution. Moss says they're expecting strikes and riots when the weather gets warmer. The Bolshevik's are planning..."
"The Bolshevik's couldn't even plan a fucking picnic. He's reading the wrong papers" Ada cut him off.
"Ada!" Tommy said sharply. "Real or not real, the coppers don't give a fuck about us. All right? Which means, that here today, in this room, we have to agree to end this war between us. Take a vote"
"Peace" Arthur said.
"I was never a part of this, but peace" Ada said.
"I wasn't either, but peace" Elsie chipped in.
Lizzie and Charlie said peace, Finn also said peace.
"Shut up, Finn" Arthur said.
"Why can't I say "peace"" Finn asked in confusion.
"Arthur, let him have his say" Tomny said. "Finn, sit at the table. Elsie too" Tommy gestured the only seat, Finn sat down. Before Elsie could sit down Arthur grasped Finn's head.
"Little bastard" he said in a semi-loving tone." They're sending us fucking kids, Sergeant Major, to do the men's work" Arthur then pulled away and Finn sat up and pulled Elsie onto his lap.
"My son's not here to speak so I'll speak on behalf of us both" Polly said, "Truce".
"Five for peace, two for truce, one abstention. Let's get on with the war" Tommy nodded slightly before leaving the room.
~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~:~
It was now John's funeral where the caravan gets burnt. Elsie placed a letter for him next to Ada's. They all stood around in their black mourning clothes. When Elsie was done she stood next to Finn, he looked like he could cry but he held the tears back, Shelby's don't cry in public.
"This is how John wanted to go. On the smoke. But truth is, we died together once before. Arthur, me, Danny Whizz-Bang, Freddie Thorne, Jeremiah and John. We were cut off from the retreat, no bullets left, waiting for the Prussian cavalry to come, and to finish us off. And while we waited Jeramiah said we should sing In The Bleak Midwinter. But we were spared. The enemy never came. And we all agreed that everything after that was extra and when out time came, we would all remember"
"You remember that God spared you" Polly finished it him, "but what did you do with the extra time that he gave you, eh? Thomas?"
Tommy didn't say anything and the fire was lit, everyone watched the caravan go up in flames, smoke rising, Elsie felt her cheek dampen from her tears. She held onto Finn's arm.
Suddenly a gun shot sounded, blasting through the air, Finn pulled Elsie down to the floor and everyone looked up cautiously and saw that Tommy was still standing. Many guns were also drawn.
"Do not return fire! I repeat- do not return fire! Stand down!" Tommy shouted at everyone. "The men doing the firing are on our side." Everyone slowly started to stand up, " I took the trouble of getting an invitation to Aberama Gold"
"Ah fuck" Johnny Dogs swore, "now it's begun"
"You put us out in the open on purpose" Polly accused, "you used John's funeral fire as a fucking beacon" her voice raised as she spoke.
"We were never in any danger, Polly" Arthur told the woman.
"You set a trap"
"Finn? Finn? Go to the yard and light the fires" Tommy ordered. Finn squeezed Elsie once before letting her go and made his way to the yard.
"You set a trap with us as fucking bait" Polly said angrily, walking up to Tommy and Arthur. "Who's dead?"
"Our enemies" Tommy replied calmly.
"Who's dead?" she questioned once more.
"Want to know Pol?" Elsie cut off their conversation in her head as she focused on the men arriving closer on horseback.
They passed and Elsie decided to head back home after finding out Finn was being sent somewhere else by Tommy.
YOU ARE READING
Childhood Memory (Finn Shelby)
ФанфикElsie Winters had moved to Birmingham when she was young but after a year, an event had caused them to move away to the countryside, without a second glance back. However, after another dreadful incident, Elsie decided to go back to try and find wha...
