The Sun Will Rise | T Shelby

ten

It had been exactly three weeks since Tommy kissed Angelina. She had seen him just three times since, and two of those times had just been when they had passed each other in the street.

The third time, however, Thomas had taken Angelina on a walk in the countryside. The two talked for hours, Angelina more so, learning that Tommy was for the most part a better listener than a sharer. She didn't mind, though, his company was enough on its own.

When Angelina returned home one evening, she was greeted with her brothers both sat at the kitchen table.

"Lina, sit down."

Confused, Angelina shrugged off her coat and hung it up by the door, placing her bag on the floor. She pulled up a chair in the middle of them both, her gaze flickering between the men.

"What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"Angelina," Enzo started, "We know...about the Shelby's."

She furrowed her brows.

"Of course you do, everyone does."

"No," Stefano continued, "We know about you and the one who owns the pub, and the other, Thomas."

Angelina fell silent, her head sinking slightly. She bit her lip.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"You can't see him anymore."

"Who told you?" Angelina countered both her brothers.

Lorenzo sighed loudly, tilting his head to look at his younger sister who sat before him. He could tell she was growing more distressed the longer their conversation went on.

"A guy we know. Kimber, his last name."

Angelina immediately recognised the name, though it took her a while to recall that he was in fact the man who had held a gun to Tommy's head.

"You work for him?" Angelina gulped.

"Not exactly."

"He's dangerous," she desperately looked at both of them, "He's really dangerous, you know that?"

Stefano chuckled.

"And the Shelby's are the friendliest people in the whole of Birmingham, are they?"

Angelina kept her mouth closed. She was beginning to realise that her brothers may have been more involved in the darker side of Small Heath than she'd initially thought. She always had her suspicions that they were doing things they shouldn't be, but now she'd found out they knew someone like Mr Kimber, things began to fall into place in her mind.

"I don't want you to get hurt, either of you. These men are dangerous."

"All men are dangerous, Lina. Especially the Shelby's, you have to trust us."

Angelina shook her head, not wanting to hear what her big brothers were saying to her.

"You don't know them like I do, you don't know-"

"You saw what happened to Jude, didn't you? You saved his life, Angelina. His life that was almost taken from him because of the Shelby's. Don't forget that."

Stefano rose to his feet suddenly and stormed off up the stairs. Angelina knew better than to follow him, and so did Lorenzo.

"He's right, Lina," Enzo said in a quiet voice, he had always been the gentler brother, "They're not good people. We just want to keep you safe."

"You can't protect me forever, Enzo."

+

Another week passed for Angelina without seeing Thomas. She had spent time in the pub with Charlotte, even Ada had joined them on a few evenings, but she didn't mention anything about her brother.