Angel

8

            "Whoa boy, whoa," I muttered quietly, pulling back on Odin's reins. I slid easily off his back and took the rope in my hands, tying him to a post outside the bakery where he'd be hidden in shadows. "I'll be back soon Odin," I whispered, running a hand down his muzzle. I walked to his side, reaching into his saddlebags for the medical supplies I'd packed with me. I turned, stumbling a bit before finding my way into the Camden Town building. "Shouldn't have had those last five drinks," I mumbled to myself, carefully descending the stairway and entering into the bakery. It was empty, void of its usual hurried activities, and the main room was lowly lit. My heels clicked along the stone floor as I made my way to Alfie's office. I raised a hand up, clumsily knocking on the door. "That'll be her, Mr. Solomons," a muffled voice said quietly. "Well fuckin' let 'er in then," came a gruff reply. The door opened before me and the boy, Ollie, who'd met Tommy and I last time we were here, stood aside to let me into the room. Alfie was slumped back in his chair, blood covering his face. There was a bottle of rum on the desk, halfway gone by now.

            "Fuckin' 'ell angel, took you long enough," Alfie said lowly. "I wasn't made aware I'd be needed Thursday nights," I retorted coolly, approaching the desk. I got out a few cloths and a bottle of water I'd packed as Alfie took in the golden shimmering fabric that hugged my body tightly. "And what are you all dressed up for?" he asked, and I turned to meet his gaze. "The Garrison re-opening. My brother's pub," I explained, wetting a cloth down, "So what's happened this time?" "Me temper got out of control, got in a fight with a few wops," Alfie answered, and I stumbled around the desk, catching myself before clearing away the blood on his face. "You really needed a nurse for this?" I scoffed, the alcohol still clearly coursing through my veins. "He won't let anyone but you help him, Miss Shelby," Ollie replied from the back of the room. "Oi! I'm fine now, ain't I. I'm in good 'ands. Fuck off Ollie," Alfie barked out, and Ollie hurriedly left the room. "You could have been nicer about it," I mumbled, rewetting the cloth and clearing away some more blood.

            "Well, I thank ya for comin' on such short notice," Alfie said softly, and I nodded in response. I moved back around the desk, grabbing the bottle of alcohol and pouring it on another cloth to start sterilizing the cuts that adorned his forehead. As I moved back over to the other side of the desk, I stumbled over the chair leg, unable to catch myself. I let out a gasp of surprise, turning in midair as I tried desperately to land on my feet. A pair of strong arms shot out of the air and caught me as I landed...in Alfie Solomons lap. "You still a bit tipsy, love?" he chuckled softly. I swallowed, nodding as I turned to face him. I was suddenly very aware of his large hands that lay on my waist. I could feel the heat radiating from them through the thin fabric of my dress. "I-I'm so sorry," I mumbled quietly, meeting his eyes. "For what, pet, bein' drunk, or fallin' into my lap?" he chuckled. "B-both, I suppose," I laughed with him. "Make no apologies, love. I 'appen to quite like the position you're in," he mumbled quietly. Instead of getting back to my feet like I should have, I reached up from my position, placing the alcohol soaked rag against a large cut on his cheek.

            His eyes closed, but he made no sound of pain. I moved the rag to the next cut, and the next, and the next, making sure they were all cleaned and sterilized. And all the while, his hands remained attached to my waist, his thumb starting to rub circles into my hip. I removed the rag from his face, clearing my throat and shaking myself out of whatever alcoholic state I was in, jumping off of his lap. "Y-you're all cleaned up," I told him, starting to pack my things away. "You takin' off so soon, pet?" Alfie asked, and I nodded. "You're clearly too drunk to drive anywhere," he commented, but I shook my head. "I rode here. My brother gifted me a friesian. Name's Odin," I replied. "Well ya can't exactly do that either, now, can ya. Besides that's quite a long ride, innit, ya can't go this late now, can ya?" Alfie pushed. I sighed, knowing he was right. I'd never make it back to Small Heath alive if I decided to ride off drunk into the night. I hardly made it to the bakery in one piece, almost falling off Odin's back several times. "Right, well, I don't have my sister's key and she's back in Birmingham, so what do you propose I do?" I scoffed. "Come on love, I'm all patched up now, I'll take ya back to mine. There's quite a few rooms that go unused, you can stay in one of them," he said as he stood. "Alright," I agreed, and he pulled open the door to the bakery, allowing me to walk through. "Now, where's this horse of yours at?" he asked, and I motioned for him to follow.

            We exited the bakery and he locked the doors behind him. I shivered in the night air as I walked to the corner of the building. "'Ere ya go love, can't have you freezin' up on me, now can I?" Alfie said softly, draping his large coat over my shoulders. "T-thank you," I said, and he shrugged as if it was nothing. My heart beat faster at his gestures. I was attractive enough I guessed, but growing up in the Shelby family didn't exactly lead to receiving such brazen attention from men. "He's over here," I said, rounding the corner to where my large horse stood. Alfie let out a low whistle. "Well, well, well, he is fuckin' beautiful, ain't he," he commented, placing a hand on Odin's neck. My horse sniffed at him before pushing his nose into Alfie's chest and then rubbing his forehead against him. "He only does that with people he knows he can trust," I said, slightly impressed. I wondered if my horse was picking up on something I'd missed. "Well, I'm glad he does," Alfie chuckled. I undid the knot I tied in his lead rope, and tugged him along next to me as Alfie walked on our other side.

            We walked down the streets of Camden Town in a comfortable silence, the only sound the clopping of Odin's hooves along the deserted cobblestone street. Alfie gestured to his left and we took the turn, walking all the way down to the end of the street. "I have a barn out back love. Give me the saddlebags and I'll leave the back door unlocked for ya," Alfie said. I nodded, reaching up to take the bags off Odin's back, placing them in Alfie's large arms. I clicked my tongue and Odin started walking beside me. I lead him around to the back of the house, where there was a surprisingly substantial amount of land, as he lived at the corner of his street. There was indeed an old barn in the back, and I opened the door, leading Odin inside behind me. I undid his reins, taking the bit out of his mouth and taking off his tack, letting him roam free. I laid the saddle on a bench and hung the reins on a hook on the wall, looking around. There was a small open window, just big enough for Odin to hang his head out of, and there was even some fresh hay in the corner. "Goodnight Odin," I cooed to my boy before stepping out of the barn and locking the door. I turned, stumbling over the tall grass as I made my way to the back door. "Fucking grass," I mumbled. I turned the knob of the door and walked inside, only for my legs to be attacked by a large furry thing. I gasped in surprise as I was pushed against the now closed door. "And who do we have here?" I grinned, kneeling down to meet the face of the large dog at my feet. He was a large mastiff, and my heart swelled as he licked my face. I laughed, giving him plenty of scratches. "Oi, Cyril! That's no fuckin' way to greet a lady," Alfie chuckled as he entered the room.

            "He can greet me like this any time he likes," I chuckled, rising back up to my feet. "Come on angel, I'll show ya where you can stay," Alfie said softly, and I followed him through the kitchen and up a stairwell, leaning heavily against the rail as I used it to make my way up the stairs. He led me to the first door on the right, opening it, and gesturing for me to go inside. "Who knew Alfie Solomons could decorate," I joked as I entered the room, taking in the plush bed and the large black carpet in the middle. "There's a shirt on the bed for ya, I didn't have anythin' else. And your bags are in the corner there," Alfie said, and I nodded, turning to face him. "Now, my room is directly across the hall if you need anythin', and Cyril will be sleepin' outside your door too, he's a good boy. Protective," Alfie said, and I stepped closer to him. "Thank you," I said, standing on the tips of my toes and placing a hand on his shoulder to steady myself. His hand reached down to my waist to keep me steady, and my heart pounded as I pressed my lips to his cheek, our bodies almost touching, the air electric. "Goodnight Alfie," I whispered, lowering myself and removing my hand from his shoulder. "G-goodnight, Lena," Alfie whispered back, and I gave an involuntary shudder as my shortened name rolled off his tongue. I watched as the surprisingly gentle gangster took a step back, almost stumbling as he stepped away from me and left the room, softly closing the door behind him.