"EVY HERON," Polly mused, settling into the ground on a red, plush blanket, "It's been such a long time since I've seen your mother."

The girls were sitting cross-legged on the frosty grass, the warmth of the now-blazing fire warming their bodies. Evelyn had her skirt pulled over her legs, as she twisted her long waves into braids. Polly had placed the tea on the blanket for them to continue to drink, and she even offered Evelyn a cigarette, which she gladly accepted. Thomas and Arthur stood a few feet away, next to Polly in a protective stance as they watched the two women speak.

Evelyn took a long drag, the smoke burning the back of her throat. "My mother's been dead for quite some time," she responded, gazing at Polly sternly. "Put a pistol in her mouth."

Thomas's eyes flicked to Evelyn, his jaw clenching slightly. It was brief, but she caught it. Evy quickly mastered the art of body language, thanks to her father. It was the one quality that she was grateful for.

She wondered what his subtle reaction meant.

He cleared his throat as his eyes looked away, pulling out a smoke to light. Evelyn studied the way he rubbed the tip against his lips, moistening the end before he ignited the flame of his lighter.

"The good ones always go too soon," Polly hummed, reaching for her cup, "Ioana was quite the spitfire. Lot of men trying to swipe her up."

Evelyn clenched her jaw, but offered no response. The last thing she wanted was to take a walk down memory lane, especially about her mother. Ioana's spirit was her protector, her star in the sky that guided her through life and something that she kept closed off from everyone else.

"And your father, what has he been up to?"

There was an innocence in Polly's voice that Evelyn picked up immediately. It was delicately forced and unassuming, but her smirk told Evelyn that she had posed a question she already knew the answer to.

"If I knew," Evelyn replied, casually, "I wouldn't be out here."

Though she didn't know exactly where her father was, Evelyn had heard the rumors swirling around about him - his big plans to take over the world. She knew that Polly was hiding something, and they knew where he was and why he was there. It had been clear since she mentioned her lineage that the unknown group had harbored the same hatred for him that Evelyn felt.

And it was taking everything in her to remain calm and not tackle the woman for the information she desperately needed.

Polly's dark eyes peered at her curiously over the cup of tea as she took a sip, "You really don't know?"

Evelyn shifted, her irritation growing by the minute, "I haven't run with his clan for a long time," her voice was laced with agitation as she continued to smoke. She took a long dramatic pause, inhaling the tobacco and letting it tumble from her lips.

"Now, are you gonna tell me where he is or not?"

"What do you want with Danior?" Thomas spoke suddenly, voice deep and gravely compared the Polly's soft nature.

She glanced up at him, fixing a cold, hard stare on the man, "That's family business."

Polly tsked, shaking her head, "Did ya hear that, Tommy? Family business."

Evelyn clenched her fingers tighter around her cigarette, her anger bubbling under the surface of her cold exterior, "Are you going to tell me or not? Because I can get up and leave at any moment, and I'll make sure you will never be able to find me again."

Under the casted shadows of the peaked hat, Evelyn caught Thomas smirk. He took another drag of his cigarette, flicking the ash with his forefinger before speaking, "What makes you think we'll let you go willingly, eh?"

She narrowed her eyes, tossing her bud into the ground, "Are you threatening me?"

Thomas said nothing, lifting his head so that they locked at full force. His stare was unreadable, entirely blank but held a fiery fierceness behind them. Thomas was sizing her up, trying to see if she would actually take the bait and attempt to leave. She could tell he craved a good challenge, and Evelyn was his slowly becoming his next one.

Polly rolled her eyes, "Enough. No one is going anywhere."

Evelyn sighed, turning back to Polly. She had enough of these people's game, so she decided to cut to the chase: "He has my son. Actually, he kidnapped my son from me, and I am trying to get him back," she said reluctantly through gritted teeth.

Polly's eyes softened slightly as she shared a look with Thomas. "And why does he have your son?"

"Because my father is an incredibly cruel man," Evelyn replied curtly. "I'm tired of this fucking game. Can you tell me where he is?"

Thomas's face shifted from curiosity to one that was cold and intimidating. He didn't like that Evelyn wasn't being cooperative - he was used to people bending to his will. It reminded Evelyn of her father's demeanor when he would approach her with an ultimatum, but she never backed down.

Thomas took a step forward, flicking his smoke. "And if we tell ya, what can you do for us?"

Evelyn could handle male ego. It was almost always a façade, so she kept her eyes locked on Thomas's face, once again unwavering. "I know my father very well. I know his weaknesses, his strengths," Evelyn said confidently, "I can tell you everything he's thinking."

His iced demeanor remained as he digested her offer. It was impossible for Evelyn to detect what he was thinking, his face gave off no indication of emotional response. It was jarring - she wasn't used to it, and she had only ever seen it in the men who returned from the Great War. She wondered if he had gone, and what kind of trauma made a man so cold he could freeze water with one glance.

After a beat of silence, Evelyn found that he broke the stare. Triumph filtered through her, and she shot him a smug look as he lifted the smoke to his mouth. He took a long drag before stomping it off into the grass. "Your father is in Birmingham."

Evelyn grinned wildly, clambered to her feet, and a look of shock passed over Polly's face. She hadn't expected Thomas to reveal his location.

Birmingham. Of course, Danior had always been after Birmingham and the Peaky Blinders. He craved their power and control over the city he grew up in, but Evelyn never expected Danior to actually pull it off. The Peaky Blinders were notoriously powerful with the local coppers under their grasp and Billy Kimber's infamous betting shops under their control.

"Wait," Evelyn hesitated, her mind piecing together the information she had just received until the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Her father was working with Billy Kimber when she left. He would have been shot dead on sight if he had failed to follow through with his end of the deal. But no, he was alive in Birmingham, walking the streets openly. Which meant...

"You lot are the Peaky Blinders..." she felt herself whisper. "You must be the Shelby family?"

Polly's eyes glinted as she let out a soft chuckle, leaning back on her hands and spreading her legs out, "Took you long enough to realize, love."

"If my father is in Birmingham, that means it worked," Evelyn said to no one, her eyes wandering around the encampment.

Arthur moved a step closer, his mouth opening to say something, but Thomas shot him a dark look. Arthur's mouth snapped shut as he submitted to his brother's wordless demand, though his face contorted into an angry and vengeful state. It was like he was ready to pounce on Evelyn where she stood, sending a chilled shiver down her spine.

"What do you know about your father's plan?" Thomas demanded, his breath showing in the cold.

Evelyn felt herself falter at his question, mainly because she hadn't been told much. And now, she was the Shelby's next asset, meaning she could easily be killed in revenge for whatever her father had done.

They could use her as leverage against Danior before she ever got the chance to see her son.

"I knew he was planning on taking over the races, betting shops. Licenses. He was working with some bloke named Billy Kimber."

Rage briefly flashed behind Thomas's eyes, but it was quickly pushed back, and he remained unconvinced. He wasn't satisfied with this answer -- he wanted more information, and he continued to silently press her until the tension became too much. She began to fiddle with the hem of her satchel that rested on her side, heart racing as she wracked her brain for information that was more solid.

"He wanted Birmingham. He grew up there and he hated that you all controlled it all. I thought it was a suicide mission. It's one of the many reasons why I left with my son. I took James with me to get away from that life," Evelyn explained, the words tumbling from her mouth nervously.

There was something in the way Thomas looked at her that made Evelyn turn cold, and she swallowed thickly, forcing the motivation to continue: "When I left, my father sent men after me. They chased me, city after city, threatening to kill me. No one would help, because Danior had alliances with almost every clan."

She sighed, glancing away from the group and fixing her stare on the rolling hills ahead of her. The green grass was twinged with browns and yellow tints, indicative of the lingering chill that continued through the changing of the season. A dull ache settled into her son as her mind traveled back to that night. James's cries echoed through her ears as if he was right next to her.

But he wasn't.

"One night, they caught us, and I couldn't do anything to stop them. One woman against five men?" Evy shook her head, eyes distant, "It was my punishment for leaving."

Evelyn's heart shattered the second the words left her mouth, and tears pinched the back of her eyes. But she forced them back down, blinking rapidly as she turned back to the group. She wouldn't show weakness now. She couldn't afford to.

"His men told me that if I came back, if I talked to anyone, they would kill my son," Evelyn swallowed the fear of James being dead and alone somewhere in Birmingham, "He's only five years old."

A quietness filtered between everyone as they digested her story, and she saw Arthur's eyes soften, "Only the devil fucks with children."

Evy nodded once, reaffirming his comment. She was slowly realizing that the older brother seemed like an easier target, and she made a mental note to herself about his sincerity.

Polly stood up, gently touching her shoulder, "A mother's love is the greatest weapon."

Thomas looked away from Evelyn as Polly reached to embrace her and she stood frozen, unsure how to accept this sudden shift in kindness. She honestly wasn't used to any form of affection.

When the woman pulled away, she turned toward Thomas and Arthur. "We could use her," she replied, her voice shifting into business mode. Evelyn noticed the gears were turning in the older woman's head.

For Evelyn, this sounded like her best option. They were the only group who had been willing to help, and she knew the Peaky Blinders would give her numbers against her father. But she would also be at risk. If word got out that Evelyn was planning a takedown of Danior's new business, her son would certainly be killed. Was this a risk that Evelyn could take?

Then again, she had no one else to turn to. She had been out here for months with no luck. No one would help her -- her father was too powerful, and no clan could take him on alone. But there was power in numbers and the Peaky Blinders were ruthless. If she could get them on her side, others would join. Yes, Evelyn could do this. It was a risk she was going to have to take to get her son back.

"I need assurance, before I agree to anything," Evelyn stated loudly, causing their eyes to shift back to her. Thomas's eyebrows raised curiously in her direction as Polly bit back a smile.

"Name your price, love," Polly mused.

Thomas's eyes shifted between the two women, "We don't need distractions Pol."

She pursed her lips, "Let the girl negotiate Thomas. I don't see the harm."

"I'll help you," Evelyn explained, "But only if my involvement remains a secret. Word cannot get out that I'm sneaking around Birmingham, for my son's sake."

Polly raised her thin, dark eyebrows thoughtfully, "Seems fair enough. Anything else?"

"Yes," she replied, "I'm only doing this to get James back. That's my main priority -- nothing else. If there is any plan that doesn't benefit me in that regard, I'm putting myself first."

Thomas scoffed, shaking his head, but he offered no rebuttal. He didn't need to, face made it clear. He gazed at Evelyn with an intense annoyance as he licked his lips slowly, unsatisfied with this part of her demand.

Evelyn narrowed her gaze, crossing her arms and cocking her head before she took a step towards him, her blue skirt flowing under her. He didn't move a muscle -- in fact, Thomas's feet remained planted to the grass as they stood a mere foot apart. They were nearly the same height, with Thomas only a few inches taller, and she found that it made it easier for Evelyn to hold her ground. Physically, they were on the same level; but mentally, Evy was one step ahead. He just didn't know it yet.

"I know my father took you down. Why else would you be out here? Let me help you get Birmingham back," she murmured.

She fixed her dark eyes to plead for Thomas to nudge, just enough to get him to agree. But he remained quiet, blue gaze traveling from her face and down her body in a lazy manner. Evelyn pursed her lips; he wasn't necessarily being subtle about his desires.

But she could use this to her advantage. Feminine beauty worked wonders when it came to getting men to bend at your will.

She dropped her arms, allowing full view of her cleavage and she took another step forward. His breath tickled the side-strands of her hair, his brilliant eyes lingering a tad longer on her collarbone before lifting his chin to her face, a slight amused smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Her flirtation was working.

"My father has made a lot of enemies. I know who they are. The Lees, for example -- with the right person, they could be persuaded to join you," Evelyn said cooly as she maintained an airy posture.

Arthur glanced at his brother with a smirk. He was clearly picking up on Evelyn's methodical advancements.

"C'mon Tom," Arthur sighed with a small chuckle, "He has her son, and I wouldn't mind havin' somethin' nice to look at."

Polly rolled her eyes at Arthur's comment, "Think about what he did to Finn," she warned softly.

She watched his jaw tense as if he was chewing on something hard, his eyes shifting back to an unreadable emotion from Polly's remark. After a moment of tense silence, he swallowed as he turned to Polly, nodding once before spinning on his heel and walking back to his caravan without a word.

Polly turned back to Evelyn, a smile forming across her lips, "Welcome to the Peaky Blinders, love."