Alfie Solomons greeted me with a smile and a series of expletives in true Alfie-fashion and I returned it with a friendly nod in his direction. I was trying my hardest not to call attention to myself for Tommy's sake as he walked on the other side of me along with a growing number of men. To be honest, he was too close for comfort but if I bailed now, I risked raising suspicion. Nothing for it now but to keep up the charade.

Following Alfie into the dark and damp of the warehouse, my eyes slowly adjusted only to zero in on the innumerable amount of boxes stacked to the ceiling. Boxes, I might add, that were full of opium. The business was dangerous, to say the least, but then again - wasn't all Shelby business riddled with danger?

"Now, gents, let's get to it, shall we? All these lovely little boxes belong to, at the moment, me and a few other employers of mine-" Alfie began his speech but I found myself unable to focus on his words as a pair of blue eyes kept locking on mine.

Feeling uncomfortable, I began to fidget with a loose thread on my tweed coat. As Alfie droned on, I could sense Tommy drawing ever closer until finally, he had made his way through the crowd to stand beside me.

At first, he was silent as he stood, hands in his pockets and Peaky cap situated just so over his eyes. But as usual, Tommy Shelby's silence only served to hide his true motives. Minutes passed as Alfie lined us all out on his prices, a few of the men attempting to haggle him to no avail.

"You know Alfie long?" Tommy spoke up beside me and I fought the urge to fall into a familiarity with him I was not supposed to have.

I shrugged, speaking gruffly so as to disguise my voice, "Few years, I 'spect. Done a few business deals. Alfie drives a hard bargain but he's always been a fair man all in all,"

He nodded in agreement to my statement, "That he is... What do you want with the opium, if I might ask?"

Direct as always. One of the qualities, in fact, that had drawn me to my Thomas. Unfortunately, his direct approaches were not particularly welcome at this point.

Clearing my throat once, I stood up a bit straighter, "With all due respect, I like to keep my private dealings, well...private. It's just good business, you know? As a Shelby, I'm sure you understand that,"

The words hung in the air between us, tension so thick you could slice it with a butcher knife as those blue eyes bored holes into me as I avoided his gaze.

"Of course, of course. As a Shelby, I understand a lot of things."

Warning bells rang inside my head and I knew it was time to leave. Tommy knew something was up. Instead of waiting to sneak out unnoticed, I dipped my head slightly towards Tommy before turning on my heel and walking out. I could feel his gaze on my back as I walked, acutely aware even as the night closed in around me of the soft footsteps padding behind me out of the warehouse and into the street.

Suddenly, Ada's words came back to haunt me.

"Tommy won't approve."

But just as my heart was racing inside my chest, louder and louder with every step I took on the cobblestone road, I was spun around and shoved into a dark alley. Yet the hands on my arms holding me in place were not unkind, not rough or forceful. No...these were hands I knew well.

And as I gazed up into Tommy Shelby's piercing blue gaze, I smiled sheepishly.

"Fancy meeting you here."

In spite of the anger that he surely must have at finding me sneaking around not only in the dead of night in men's clothing but also putting myself into the family business of which he warned me not to do - Thomas Shelby cracked a smile that lit up his whole face and it was like the sun came out to shine once more. I couldn't help but let out a laugh.

He'd known all along.