Birmingham, 1919
Maria Anne
London, 1918.
It rained heavily that night as usual. Every summer night, London is wet. Anne sat in the living room with a burning fireplace to warm the entire room. Anne was accompanied by Charlotte, William—'s lover Anne. Their facial expressions were not relaxed, nervously waiting for someone.
'DON'T! DAK! DAK!"
The sound of a door that seemed to be knocked on with a blunt object sounded. Albert, one of William's assistants took out a revolver from inside his suit pocket and began to approach the door. Anne stood up from her seat and was about to approach, but was restrained by Albert's hand signals.
Albert opened the door and put his firearm back in his pocket after seeing William coming
drenched and covered with two men on the right and left. There's blood on the back of his wet shirt.
"William!" charlotte shouted when she found her lover injured.
"Sister!" Anne immediately took over Martin, and carried William to the right.
Martin shut the door and all took William to his room. Albert is also an immediate family doctor
he took out his medical equipment to help William. He took a bottle of scotch on the lamp table and then poured it over the wound on the left abdomen.
"Bat!" shouting William.
Philip immediately stuffed William's mouth with a blanket. "Gigit this and hold it!"
Albert immediately dissected the wound and quickly managed to remove a bullet from William's stomach.
The sight was common for Anne. Waiting for the arrival of an older brother with anxious hopes was common. He said his job was a businessman.
Yes, the business of buying and selling auto parts initiated by their father after World War I. But after their parents died, William added to the type of business that is smuggling firearms. William also added strong people who would not hesitate to shoot to protect their families and businesses. They became a feared family. In other words, a mafia family.
Currently William is in a dispute with other mafia who also do business alcohol as a legal business and smuggling firearms as his dark business. The group was from Birmingham, still new but already strong and on par with William. They were at odds because the group from Birmingham was starting to seize the market William.
After the wound was sewn, William finally fell asleep. They came out of the room, leaving Charlotte and William.
"Who shot William?" ask Albert to Martin and Philip.
"Thomas Scott," Martin replied with an angry look.
"Thomas Scott's? Isn't he the chairman of The Blinders from Birmingham?" ask Albert again.
Philip nodded. "Yes." Yeah."
"Didn't William say they were going to negotiate? Why a shootout?" ask Anne, come talk.
"Yes, we were negotiating at first. But then, Thomas makes an offer that William makes
angry and there was a gunfight" explained Martin.
"What offer?" ask Anne back.
"Related.." said Martin who was restrained by Philip's hand gesture.
Anne and Albert looked at Philip and Martin who were hiding something.
"Tomorrow you'll know from your brother, too" Philip concluded.
Anne frowned at me in wonder. What offer?
***
'Srek!'
Aunt Julie opened the curtains and sunlight burst in, forcing Anne to open her eyes.
"Miss, breakfast is ready" said Aunt Julie, picking up dirty clothes.
"Has William recovered?" ask Anne.
"Already, she and Miss Charlotte are waiting for you downstairs."
Anne got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash her face. The long curly red hair he let unravel. Anne was still wearing a sleeping kimono and went down to the dining room and looked at William sitting with a serious facial expression, probably still resentful at last night's defeat by The Blinders.
Anne sat to William's left, opposite Charlotte.
"You're better?" anne asked while drinking orange juice in her glass.
Anne began to eat the eggs of her cow's eyes and dry bread, but William did not seem to touch her food at all. Anne glanced at Charlotte asking for an explanation, but Charlotte shook her head not knowing anything.
"Today what are you going to do?" ask William suddenly.
"I? As usual, go to the library and paint on the lake. Maybe later if you've allowed me
to be involved in the family business, I won't enjoy my time much" Anne replied.
"Martin will accompany you" said William, glancing at Martin standing at the end of the room.
Anne's appetite is gone. Always like this. Every time William has been in conflict with another mafia group, he will make Anne have no freedom, not even a fingernail.
"Martin can't get into the library" Anne said, then climbed back inside
chamber.
***
Anne walked on the sidewalk with Martin a meter behind her. That was after Anne ordered him to keep his distance. Arriving in front of the library, Anne stops Martin.
"You wait here. I'll be safe inside the library. A mobster can't be a hobby of reading, right?" I said to Martin.
Anne entered the library with a sigh of relief after Martin obeyed her. Anne returned the book she had borrowed to Mrs. Olga then went down the corridor to look for another book. Anne went into a quiet corridor and looked for her favorite dark romance books. His eyes were fixed on the book called Black Swan, at the same time he felt a breath from the back of the neck. Someone hugged him from behind with a warm hug.
“George,” said Anne slowly, then turned her body around.
The blonde-haired man smiled, his warm gaze hitting his body. Anne attached the tip of her lips to George's thin lips. George greeted Anne's lips with tenderness. Anne and George have been in love for a year behind William. Anne had met George with William at the beginning of their relationship, but George was rejected outright by William. George is a regular guy, working as a coal miner. Anne could always imagine a normal life with George.
Anne was secretly in touch with George like this. The library is a good place for him
hiding from William and his men. Mafia can't have a hobby of reading books, right?
From the reading table, a man with his reading glasses smiled faintly. He heard Anne's voice talking lightly with George from behind the bookshelf. He closed his book, opened his glasses and put them in his pocket.
“Maria Anne,”.
The man stood up then stepped out of the library. Martin looked up when he saw a man
with that black long coat. Martin was about to pull out a revolver from behind his pocket, but was restrained when some people across the street were also about to pull out a revolver.
The man smiled faintly at Martin, then lit a cigarette from his suit pocket. Then get in the car and pass. As soon as the man passed, Martin kept his gun back and ran inside the library.
“Maria Anne!” martin shouted, making the library quiet at once a voice sounded.
Anne, shocked by her name, immediately told George to leave and Anne approached Martin.
“What's up?” anne asked Martin in a stifled voice.
“You all right?” martin asked with an anxious look and a thunderous voice.
“Please chat outside!” exclaim Mrs. Olga, feel disturbed.
Anne is upset and then immediately exits the library while pulling Martin.
“What's up?” anne asked Martin in an unstoppable voice.
“You all right?” martin asked while watching Anne's body look fine.
“I'm fine. Why?”
“Did you meet someone inside?”
Martin's question made Anne tense up for a moment. “Shit! Does he know about George?” thought in the heart.
“I saw Thomas Scott out of the library just now!” sambar Martin's.
“Huufft... was not George,” Anne said in her heart. "Who? Thomas Scott?”
“Iya.”
“I didn't meet anyone. I don't know what Thomas Scott looks like. Is there a mobster who likes to read books?”