"My help...........?" Alfie countered, looking over to the kitchen door to make sure that he had closed it, before continuing the conversation any further.

Given his new twist on his little plan; given that with every day that passed, he had begun to desire (Y/n) Shelby more and more, desired to have her remain with him and want anything to do with her family; he was not about to let her hear any part of this, even if it was only his side. Alfie sure that when it came out that he not only knew her family, but had dealings with them, it would come back to bite him on the arse; but he would deal with all that when it happened.

"And why would ya need my help.........?" He finally continued. His voice slightly lower than it would normally be.

"I need ya help finding someone..........." Tommy replied, there a hint of something in his voice that made Alfie's ears prick up. A hint of......dare Alfie say, regret. Though the Londoner had to think that Tommy, just like him, regretted very little he did. Yet that was perhaps the effect that (Y/n) had on them, for even though the brummy hadn't said as much, Alfie knew that the person Tommy needed his help in finding, was his younger sister.

"And whom is it that ya need my help ta find......?" Alfie queried, as he took a seat on one of the lower steps of the staircase, waiting for Tommy to answer. The line going quiet for a moment before the man from Birmingham answered.

"My sister............."

                                                        >>------------------------------------<<

(Y/n) sipped on her tea, as she looked around the kitchen. It was nice to be in a home instead of stuck in a school; and even though it wasn't her home, Alfie hadn't moaned too much when she had cleaned the place up and made it a little more her own. And he certainly hadn't complained when the kitchen had been put to its proper use. (Y/n) always making sure, despite the fact that her days could be as long as his, that the baker had a hot meal when they got home; it her way of thanking him for not only giving her a job, but somewhere to stay. After all, Claridge's was nice, but it wasn't a long-term solution. And even though she was sure that the looks that other woman gave her, as she made her way into the shop, or around the market; even though she believed that their mutterings were to do with the fact that she was living under the same roof as Alfie and that no one really knew what was going on under that roof, so gossip was rife; (Y/n) didn't care. She didn't care if they were calling her his whore; didn't care if she was looked down on, it not as though that was the first time it had happened. The young Shelby letting out a sigh as she leant back in the chair, recalling her life at the first school Tommy had shipped her off to.

It was obvious that she was always going to stand out in a posh school; the other girls born with a silver spoon in their mouths, while she was a wild gypsy child with a Birmingham accent. Not that she had gone out of her way to advertise her heritage; it not that she was ashamed, it just that even from a young age, she knew there was a prejudice against her people and family. That, and it had been one of the last things Tommy had told her, as they stood on the platform, waiting for the train, that she wasn't to tell anyone about who or what she was. That he wanted her to have a life where the stigma was not hanging over her head. Yet despite everything, despite her doing as he had told her, that passionate, wild gypsy blood still ran through her veins; it resulting in her disappearing for days on end when she had heard there were gypsy's nearby; and one or two girls that thought they could tease her for her old accent, meeting the wrong end of her fist. Her exploits getting her expelled from her first school; yet instead of her being brought home, her brother had just sent her to another boarding school. So, to finally feel as though she belonged somewhere; that there was a little place that she could think of as her home, brought her a sense of happiness. A sense of happiness that extended to the man whose breakfast was currently getting cold.

Alfie Solomons.......she knew there was still more to him than he was telling her.....that there was more to his business than just the distillery; but she was not about to ask, because she didn't want to ruin what she had. And, in truth, she liked the big man. She liked holding his arm on their Sunday walks in the park and sitting next to him during their visits to the cinema. She enjoyed the meals where they sat across from one another in the cosy kitchen, and how they would listen to the radio in the sitting room in the evenings. In fact, she really liked everything about the Londoner; (Y/n) not blind to how handsome he was. Not blind to the way that he seemed to be perfectly proportioned; everything about him, strong. Everything about him making her feel safe. A safety that she had not experienced until she had run into him that day. And when he had accidentally walked into the bathroom that evening as she was bathing; his torso naked as he had just stood in the doorway and looked at her for a moment, as she did her best to cover herself, she had realised that she wanted more from him........she wanted everything about him. Visions of him taking off the rest of his clothes and joining her in the bathtub, often filling her mind as she lay in bed, alone.

"Everything alright.........?" She asked, as Alfie made his way back into the kitchen. The big man brushing his hand over his beard before taking his seat and picking up his fork.

"I need ya ta go and run a few errands fa me tomorrow, around town. I'll get Amos ta drive ya.........." He simply replied. (Y/n) just nodding, it seeming obvious that he was doing it to get her out of the way, but she wasn't about to argue. Alfie giving her a slight smile, before finally getting to finish his breakfast.