Ex-soldier Birmingham-gangster bets his life on luck and illegalities, adroit wit and burning passion streaking his blood-stained fingertips as a dire quarrel commence between himself and the disturbed Dane who purloined his lover.
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THE ENGAGING TEN O'CLOCK
UNLIKE ON THE COUNTRYSIDE, there were no birds to sing for Ines as she started her day. There was no cock to crow nor was there blinding rays of sunlight shooting through the pale curtains, warming up her skin. One thing that reminded her of home, however, was the empty spot beside her in the large bed made for two. It made Ines wonder what her husband was up to this minute. The time zones kept them apart by a trivial hour, England falling behind. Then, her always worrisome mind came to worry, and she turned in the warm comforters, hoping he had not somehow come to find out of her minor detour. After all, she never, at least not to Nikolaj's knowledge, was meant to go to Birmingham, only Chicago. What if he decided to hear for himself about the situation, and heard from The Outfits she had not yet met with them? Ines knew more than anyone how Nikolaj thrived best when in control. But verily he had expressed his trust in her and so why should he go behind her back; to check on her? No, thought Ines and shook her head at herself. He had plenty of business to tend to himself, she was sure. Trying her best to rid herself of those distracting, mind-wrangling thoughts, she readied herself for her last day at the Midland Hotel. Packing up neatly, she left the suite clean, leaving little job for the maids to do later on and was on her way, headed for the burial grounds which kept her parents' underground.
Not many miles from Lodge Hill Cemetery sat a mesmeric Thomas Shelby, deep in thought. His children and wife were in the parlor, Thomas could hear that much though it was but a faint crackle and occasional whistle of Charles' electric model train set. Still, he remained unashamed of his unwelcome thoughts and brooded with his gaze fixated on the telephone.
His meeting with Ines just the day before had taken him by surprise and he did not enjoy those. He was a man that found pleasure when in control of not only of himself but of others and the situation he was in, too. That was why he made it so that he rarely relied on rash people, never surrounded himself with the spontaneous but then there was his appreciated aunt, Polly Gray, and her; now she was not one he could rid himself of so easily, and neither was that a wish of his. Although, he found it only a tad funny how she of one always insisted on the board and spoke of family-values when she would not herself be the messenger of bad news. Thomas could not say he was unhappy to see Ines Lenz after all these years, after all, he remembered her clear as day (away from the Birmingham smoke, that was) from when they both where their unsullied selves. Still, he was unhappy with the fact he had not been prepared to face her, leaving him to appear more than unkind, tired and spent as he was then. Now, he had slept little since then, mind occupied well with worries of these other Italians that were on their way to fuck him over. But now he had had the time to ponder whether or not he wished to leave a nasty print fresh in his childhood friend, and he then cursed under his breath and before he could think further, he grasped the telephone to make an arrangement with Ines. Now irrational if he ever had been, he hoped to God she had not yet left the country as he was diverted to the Midland Hotel.
