"but oh, my heart was flawed... I knew my weakness"
- tommy shelby had not learned after being betrayed by a woman he fell in love with, his aunt was right. only love could blind a man as smart as him, and this time her name was naomi
peaky blinder...
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Naomi loved her husband, and she of course loved her son. Which was the only thing she kept telling herself as she spend the next month or two working alongside Alfie Solomons, learning the in and outs of his business. "Olly will help you with whatever the fuck you need" Alfie told her first thing. And Olly had been nice and kind about the situation.
She had been asking updates on her husband, who she assumed didn't know she was still alive. "We won't tell him, not yet" Alfie kept saying and for two months as she watched her belly grow, she had to hide from her own husband. He didn't even know she was with child, she never managed to tell him. She hated it, she absolutely hated it.
But in the two months, Naomi had learned to learn everything she could about Alfie, what he was planning and how everything worked. And the fool told her everything she needed to know to control his business, including the men, so on an easy quiet day, she planned her escape. She didn't know where she would go, not yet. She couldn't just go home, it would shock her husband and her son, maybe not as much her son, but definitely her husband.
Olly had tried to tell her as much about Thomas Shelby as he could, but Naomi knew Tommy Shelby was a much smarter man than Olly had been.
"You seem out of it, love" Alfie said as he looked at Naomi. Naomi looked up, snapping out of her thoughts. "Pregnancy brain" she said as she looked at Alfie. "That's fucking real?" Alfie asked, looking at the young woman. "Yes, but it also doesn't help that she keeps kicking me" Naomi said, looking at her belly. She had to be around 5 months now, and she knew that meant Esme would soon be giving birth to hers. "She?" Alfie asked looking at the young woman, who he had actually grown fond of, but more in a brotherly fashion. God knew Alfie would find his head on a silver plate if Thomas Shelby ever found out he fancied his wife.
"Yes, she" Naomi said. "Want to put money on that?" Alfie said. "Alright, 5 quid?" Naomi asked holding out her hand. Alfie spat on his hand which made her roll her eyes and then shook her outstretched hand. "Deal" Alfie said. Naomi placed her hand on her belly and closed her eyes, picturing the small girl who she knew would steal Tommy's heart. She could see her brown hair, but Tommy's blue eyes, she would look like her mother, which would help her all the more to wrap her father around her little finger. "Her name will be Ruby, Ruby Shelby" Naomi said as she smiled at man who called himself the Wandering Jew.
"Aye, you know all that already?" Alfie asked. "I do, I know a lot of things, Mr. Solomons. If you want, I can read your future" she said holding out her hand for his. Alfie debated, looking at the woman. "Nah, I don't need your witchcraft" Alfie said standing up. "Suit yourself" she said as she watched him leave again.
She watched him go, until he was far out of sight, and she didn't hear him anymore. She walked towards the door and pulled a pin from her hair which she used to keep her headscarf into place. She grabbed it tightly as she walked out the door, looking from every side someone could walk from. The more recent weeks Alfie had seemed to trust her not to run away, but then again, Alfie Solomons never figured a five-month pregnant woman would escape any time soon. But her Naomi was, walking down the hall until she reached a door, which lead her to the basement, which luckily was currently empty as Alfie had sent everyone home.
