LIKE STEEL || Tommy Shelby

VIII. PATIENCE RENEWED

- PATIENCE RENEWED -

February 17th, 1920

Rose could hear the running footsteps before they even reached he door of her small flat. A fist pounded on the door as Rose threw off her covers and ran down the stairs. The evening air was frozen as she opened the door, squinting in the fading light.

"Ms. Grey?" she exclaimed, trying not to sound too shocked at the woman standing on her doorstep.

"Nurse King, you need to come with me; it's an emergency."

The woman proceeded to turn on her heels, not even waiting for Rose's answer.

"What?" Rose exclaimed, grabbing a coat and running after Polly Grey down the dark, streets.

"It's Ada," Polly said, finally conceding some information.

Rose's heart sunk in her chest. "Is it the baby? Is she alright? Has she-"

"No time for question, girl! Just follow me!"

Rose continued to follow, keeping her eyes trained on the back of Polly's head.

"Wait," she wondered aloud, "how did you know where I live?"

"No time for questions," Polly hissed, whipping her head around at Rose. "Here- just through here."

Polly practically shoved Rose through the door of a tall, black-bricked, house.

Ada was sitting on a small couch in the front room, her face visibly shining from sweat and tears.

"Ada!" Rose exclaimed, her heart racing for her new friend.

"Listen to me, Rose-" Ada said quickly, "We don't-"

"Have time for question- yes, yes, I know," Rose muttered, sitting on the floor in front of Ada.

"Have you seen Tommy?" Ada said, out of breath.

"What?" Rose exclaimed, still scanning Ada's face. "No, I haven't seen him since the other night. Ada that's the least of our concerns right now. Your stress levels-"

"He's going to kill my husband!" she cried, tears falling freely down her rosy cheeks.

Rose almost thought she was kidding, but the pure fear in Ada's eyes knocked any doubt far away.

"What's his address?" Rose asked, suddenly steeling with anger. "Where's his house?"

Ada must have seen the anger in Rose's eyes; the tears stopped falling and with a small sniffle, she took a deep breath.

"It's the next house down from here. He might be in the Shop; you can get to it from the kitchen."

"I'll be right back," Rose nodded quickly. Without another word, she ran out the door. Not bothering to knock, she burst in to the kitchen and shoved open a set of green doors.

She froze as she saw what Ada must have been referring to as "the Shop". Men were queued up to the door, waving their hats in the air and shouting names that Rose could not understand.

Squinting through the smoke-filled room, she saw John at a chalkboard, a grin plastered on his face.

"Alright, lads!" a voice called over the commotion. Rose turned to see Arthur, his peaky cap pulled low over his brows. "Betting is closed for the day! So piss off, by order of the Peaky Blinders!"

He started laughing, but Rose could barely hear him over the rush of blood in her ears.

The injuries, the secrecy- it all made sense. Rose's mind turned back to what her landlady had said all those months ago: that the Peaky Blinders were Birmingham's biggest and deadliest gang.