𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃
chapter 60

"Come on, come on. God if Polly was still here she'd never have let it get this bad" Ada whispered as she helped Arthur who lay asleep beside the table. "Come on, come on, Arthur" she slapped him. "Arthur. I'm not Polly, but i'm still your fucking sister. You swore to me you'd stop using"

He sniffed. "It's Christmas day, Ada, Christmas Day."

"Yes it's Christmas" she shouted. "So where the fuck are the fucking presents?" she asked. He mumbled a few words. She sighed. "Great, my brother, off his face on junk"

He groaned. "Every day is a question without an answer, a leak without a bucket. Me without a clue what to do" she sighed. "Fuck" she walked out.

"I love you, Ada" he whispered.

-

Tommy picked up the phone. "Put me through to Detective Lawrence at St John's harbour Marine Police. Yeah i'm calling from Miquelon Island. From the police station. There is a boat leaving the island now, heading across the border, when it docks at St John's, a man named Micheal Gray will board a ferry to Boston. Listen very carefully, he's wearing a dark coat, blue suit and carrying a black briefcase. Inside the briefcase is five pound of pure, refined opium. A concerned citizen. Yeah my name is Mr Jones" he said, putting it down.

"Betrayal," Florence nodded. "Yea, Flo, betrayal, just like what he did to me and what Gina did to you"

-

Karl looked at the ringing phone. "You gonna answer it?" he asked. "No i don't work for him anymore" Ada said. He stepped toward it. "It might be important"

"That's why i don't want to answer it"

"Can i answer it?" he asked. "No" she said. She picked it up, "hello, mhm, fuck" she hissed.

-

Ada walked through China town, looking at Arthur who lay unconscious. "Do you know who this man is?" she asked. They all shook their head. She sighed, sitting down and pulling out a pen, writing Arthur Shelby's on his chest. "All right, come on Arthur" she sighed. "Ada" he sighed.

"His brother, Thomas Shelby, says don't serve him opium ever again. Or someone will write Arthur Shelby's name on your chest with a bayonet"

-

"So..what the fuck?" Gina said, walking into Micheals cell. "We cant talk about anything in here," he told her. "I just wanted to see your face and smell your perfume."

"Tommy Shelby steps back into your life and right away, this is what happens?" she asked.

"No names in here"

"Sorry, lets just call him the devil." She shrugged. "Take a seat, Gina" Micheal nodded. "How is Laurence?" He asked, reffering to their child. "Oh, you know, missing his father. What the fuck happened Micheal?"

"Its in hand" he sighed. "Whose hand?" she asked. "No, really, whose fucking hand Micheal? Hm?"

"Like everything else in this city, its in the hand of your uncle Jack. I need him to get the charges lifted and get me out of here"

"I already talked to him. He told me what the devil proposed. Tommy Shelby wants to do business with Jack Nelson?" She raised her eyebrows. "He wants to take on Boston?"

"No one is taking on anyone, its in hand. The deals are being made at a high level, but there are some people at the middle and lower levels who cannot be trusted."

"Micheal this sounds fucking-"

"Shut up and listen. It was Tommy himself who warned us of the informant. We're guessing that the informant tipped off the police about me."

"Then the devils plan has already begun" She said. "Whats the point of ships and planes if you cant get away?"

He leaned forward. "Gina, in todays paper, you'll read about a man being fished out of the Boston Harbour with a bleeding heart tattoo and the name Maria written on his arm. Single shot to the head."

"Yeah, i know, i read it already"

"His death will lead to others. For this business to work, we must only use men we trust. And while the clean up is being carried out, you must keep things to yourself. You talk loose to anyone, it'll be me in the harbour and you'll be the Maria with the bleeding heart. Understand?"

"Micheal, i just want the truth. No fuck that, i need the truth. Why are you doing business with him again? Is it because you miss your dear little sister who is crazy?" she taunted."Gina ive said this once and ill say it agaun, i will neverlet anybody talk bad on my sisters name, not even you"

She looked away. "Gina, tell me what you're thinking of getting Laurence for Christmas."

"There are plenty of men who can supply powder all over the world. I dont understand why it needs to be him,"

He slammed his hands onto the table, standing.

"Some of my business with Tommy Shelby is unfinished. This is my opportunity to finish it. So speak to your uncle and get me the fuck out of here"

-

Gina danced around her large apartment, stumbling over to the phone. "Hello, who, sure why the hell not" she laugjed, running to pour another drink and watching as Tommy walked dow the stairs.

"I heard you were in town and i thought, 'well hey,,' little man hitting the big time. You like jazz?" she asked, "No"

Gina walked, turning the music up then down. "What do you want, whiskey?"

"Water"

"I dont have any water what else do you want?"

"I have a message for your Uncle Jack," he said. She sighed. "Tommy relax, have a fucking drink. You know my uncle is planning on buying the United States import license to all the best Scotch and Irish whiskey distillaries. Hes on his way to London right now to make those deals. Every drop in the state will be another dime for Uncl Jack"

"Yep well he's a very powerful, very impressive man. I've only seen photographs when he was young. Police mugshots. And more recently in high society magazines. I think this represents progress"

"Yeah. And before you tell me what you want me to tell him, i have a message from him to you" Gina started. "No deal"

Tommy laughed slightly. "In England when someone gets this close to Tommy Shelby it's 'oh the horror, oh the desire' to fall on your knees open your mouth and say yes sir" she mocked. "Please sir,"

"So it's Uncle Jack you fall on your knees for, eh? Not Micheal?"

"He says no deal, Mr Shelby" she repeated. "You smell of jail, Gina, and you drink too much" she chucked.

"Yes but booze is legal. Your white powder is not. Jack has friends in the government now. You have any idea of how far he's risen?" Gina asked. "All the way to the fucking top. Can't have white powder on his shiny shoes when he's meeting the president of the United States. Cause yeah that's where he goes now. So he can't really be talking such a big risk on such a little deal. Go home, boy. Bye bye Mr Shelby"

"Yeah you have another whiskey, Gina, another dime for Uncle Jack" he sighed, sitting down. "You mind if i smoke?"

"If it's legal it's okay"

"Before i go, you should know..that it was me who tipped off the border police about the contents of Micheal suitcase. I'm the reason he's in jail, i wanted to give your uncle a dilemma, his favourite nieces husband, banged up in Boston for smuggling opium."

Gina sipped from her glass.

"What does he do? If he intervenes, has him released, how will that play in the Oval Office? If he does nothing, how does that play in South Boston?"

"Oh fuck you" she hissed. "Fine, stay here. Deal here, die here for all i fucking care" she played the music again.

"Die at whose hand Gina, eh?" he shouted, kicking the music box and making it stop. She jumped. "My message to your uncle is this: if he doesn't want to buy my opium i will sell to the east Boston Jews."

Tommy then turned.

"Oh baby, do you want to start a fucking war?" she shouted.

"With that amount of opium, the balance of power between the Irish, the Jewish and the Italians would shift heavily in favour of the East." he nodded. "I have excellent contacts with the family that runs East Boston. The Solomons family, maybe you i've heard of them? Once you people have accepted that you must treat us as equals, then i think our families will work together very well. Have a good day Gina"