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ugly-crying-over-bucky-barnes · 4 years

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Burned Part 14

Summary: Alfie Solomons is in need of a secretary. Tommy Shelby mentions a young woman in need of employment. From there the two step into a dangerous dance together.

Part 14: Alfie grovels.

It was midday about a week after Charlie Shelby was kidnapped. For more than one reason, Alfie was relieved to hear the little boy was returned unharmed. Not only was he safe but now Alfie didn’t have to further incur the wrath of Tommy or Louise.

The week had been torturous though. She was still holding him on a probationary period. So, he stepped up his game to win her over again. Flowers crowded her desk, a diamond bracelet appeared on her wrist overnight, and he made sure to uphold his promise of transparency.

But Louise was being coy because she wanted him to earn her back. It wasn’t every day Alfie Solomons was ignored. She felt it was healthy for him to know how it felt.

Instead, it was driving him crazy. Now a desperate man, he threw caution at the wind. After Louise returned from seeing some friends for lunch, she went into Alfie’s office. She was filing a few things when he walked in. She gave him a glance of acknowledgment but simply resumed her task wordlessly.

Alfie didn’t speak either which was a good indication he was scheming. He locked the door behind him and casually went about pulling the blinds shut.

Louise pretended not to notice. She heard his footsteps and finally, he embraced her from behind. His strong arms circled around her waist. “Did I tell you how fucking gorgeous you look?” He purred.

She bit back a smile but only shrugged in response.

“’Course I ain’t surprised. Always look beautiful, don’t you?”

“Is Alfie Solomons resorting to flattery?” Louise cocked an eyebrow. Her fingernails flipping quickly through the files.

“Only if it’s working.” He kissed right below her earlobe because he knew that was one of her weakest points.

It did make her misplace a paper, only realizing her mistake a moment later when he quit. “You’re good at talking, Captain Solomons.”

His lips smiled against her skin. “And you know what it does to me when you call me that.”

She let a smirk slip past. But she had her wits about her and wasn’t ready to let him off the hook. “Can’t you see I’m a little busy trying to sort out your messes? You’ve scattered these account papers all over the place. And I can hardly read your handwriting.”

Alfie rested his chin on her shoulder. “Sorry, love. Can I take you out tonight?” He asked.

“Still trying to butter me up?”

He groaned and buried his face in the crook of her neck. During business interactions, Alfie would rather die than beg. The gangster had an uncompromising image. He would cede, as he had before. But he was going to get the last word no matter what. But Louise wasn’t a business transaction. If he was going to get anywhere he had to put his ego aside, realize he was in the wrong, tuck his tail between his legs, and keep working towards forgiveness. “Yes.” He admitted.

Louise smiled and reached up to run her fingers through his hair. It was good to know that he was trying everything he could to make it up to her. She decided he deserved a break. “Yes, I’ll go out with you tonight.”

He lifted his head in victory. “We can go wherever you want.” He promised and reached up to still her hands. He took the papers from her hands and tossed them aside. Lacing his fingers with her left hand, he raised it so they could both admire her ring. “Been thinking ‘bout our wedding.”

“Oh yeah?” Her knees went a little weak at the idea he was dreaming about that special day in the future.

“S’gonna be perfect, innit? You can have it however you want, yeah, but when it’s over, I’m taking you to Paris.”

“Paris?” Louise turned to face him. Her eyes lit up. “I love Paris, I haven't been so long.”

Alfie smiled. “Yeah? Well good. ‘Cause we’ll stay as long as we damn well please, won’t we?” He murmured and pulled her close to kiss her deeply.

She giggled against his lips as he lifted her up and placed her on top of his desk.

“You and me, love.” He grazed his lips over her jaw and down her neck. “Mr. and Mrs. Solomons in Paris.”

Hearing the name made Louise’s resolve weak. He was being unfair and knew what strings to pull to make her swoon. She squirmed when his beard tickled her skin. “City of love.” She sighed happily.

“And a good thing too, innit? That way, neighbors can’t complain when we’re fucking all night.” He growled playfully with a cocky look in his eyes.

She couldn’t help but smile and bring his lips back to hers. He could be such a prick sometimes but he was endearing in his own way. Keeping him at a distance was tough even if she was pissed at him. The week had been just as difficult and long as it had been for him.

There was a sharp knock on the door to interrupt the shared fantasy of their honeymoon. Alfie reluctantly pulled away, a grumpy frown now gracing his face. “Of course, can't get a fucking break.” He muttered. “Oi, I’m busy, fuck off!” He shouted at the person on the other side of the door. Thinking that was that, he went back to Louise.

“Sir, it’s important!” Ollie knocked again to emphasize his point.

“Fucking hell.”

Louise stood up, moving past Alfie to unlock the office door and let the assistant in. “Hello, Ollie.” She greeted.

He nodded as she let him in. “Hello, Louise. Uh, sir.” He turned to Alfie. “A message from Luca Changretta just arrived.”

Ice-cold water doused the situation in an instant. Reality returned and the couple was reminded, yet again, the sort of life they lived. Louise looked to Alfie for answers but he merely gave a grim nod.

“What’d he want?”

“Well, nothing specific yet.” The young man answered and handed his boss the letter. “But he’s coming over from America soon.”

He scanned the letter. “He’ll be wanting allies in London.” He surmised. “Good planner, ain’t he? Definitely done his research.”

“Would Sabini help him?” Louise wondered aloud.

“’Course, they’re all fucking wops, aren’t they? Think they’ll get along just fine.” Alfie muttered in reply.

“Maybe you should see what the Shelbys are doing before you make any rash decisions.” She suggested calmly. It was best to step out in front of Alfie before he let his agitation answer any inquiries.

Ollie fidgeted beside her. “Well, that’s the other thing.” He further opened up the situation with more news.

“What?” Alfie asked gruffly. “What else could there fucking be?” He tossed the letter onto his desk.

“Michael and Polly Grey, along with John and Arthur were arrested charged with murder.�� He answered.

Louise frowned, her forehead wrinkled with confusion. “Not Tommy?”

Ollie simply shook his head. “No, he’s still a free man.”

Alfie let out a bitter laugh. “That fucking mad man. Really, the fucking gypsy’s lost it, hasn’t he? I’m telling ya, s’that head injury of his. Docs must’ve let some screws go loose when they were trying to fucking put him back together.” He walked around his desk to sit.

“What do you mean?” His fiancee asked.

“He let the police arrest his own family.” He told her with a shrug and crossed his arms over chest.

“He wouldn’t do that.”

“’Course he fucking would. Think about it, Lou, if the police really had all this information then they would’ve nicked Tommy first. He had something to do with it, I’d bet a lot of money on that.”

“How would he even benefit from doing something like that?” She argued. It seemed preposterous that a man would allow his family to be charged with such heinous crimes.

Alfie simply shrugged and shook his head. In all honesty, he couldn’t answer her. “Right, thank you, Ollie.” He waved his assistant off. “Let me know if you hear anything else.”

“Yes, sir.”

Louise sat down across the desk from her fiancee. “What do you think you should do?” She asked candidly. It was the first test of Alfie’s commitment to his promise of being honest with her.

He mindlessly moved things around his desk to preoccupy himself. “Lay low for the time being. Keep an ear to the wind, eh? I’ll see if I can get a hold of Tommy, see what he’s up to.”

“Alright.” She nodded. It was a relief that he didn’t just immediately shoot her down and tell her not to worry about it. “And you’ll let me know if that plan changes?”

“I told you I would. But,” He looked up and rested his elbows on the desk. “If I need you to go somewhere else, for any reason, you won’t fight me, yeah?”

She muddled over the clause and decided it would give him a peace of mind. “Okay.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The world was going to know that Alfie Solomons was marrying the love of his life. In fact, it was becoming a bit of gossip around London. Big, scary Alfie was betrothed to a quiet girl. And not just any girl, the daughter who fell from aristocratic grace. A woman who was rumored to have killed a man.

Strange indeed.

Still, he turned a deaf ear to any rumors. He was too busy with his own ventures. Everything was up to Louise as far as the wedding. She could have it however she wanted. But, Alfie had a plan of his own that he thought could help her decide the location of their nuptials.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Alfie, honestly is this really necessary?” Louise was in the car beside him and she was blindfolded. She had been for the entire trip.

“Well, it wouldn't be any fun if you knew where we were going, Lou. M’beginning to think you don’t fucking know what a surprise is meant to be.” He teased.

She blindly landed an elbow to his upper arm. “Cheeky boy.”

He snickered. “Won’t be too much longer, love. I assure you, it’s worth the trouble.” He promised and grasped her hand in his. He was thrilled to see her reaction to his big reveal.

True to his word, they arrived shortly after. The car stopped at the end of a gravel drive. Alfie helped Louise out. She inhaled the clean air and basked in the early spring sun. They weren’t at Margate because there was no hint of sea salt in the breeze. Instead, she could detect the scent of grass and roses mixed with lavender.

“Well, we’re not in the city anymore.” She held his hand as he guided her forward a few steps.

“Far from it.” He confirmed. “You ready?” He asked just to delay the suspense a little bit longer.

She grinned and nodded eagerly. “I think you’ve kept me waiting long enough.”

He agreed by slipping off the blindfold.

Louise’s lips parted in utter shock when she saw where they had traveled.

The Barnes estate, Inglewood, which had been in the family for generations. But Louise hadn’t stepped foot on the grounds since she was eighteen. The last time she’d been there, she snuck out the back entrance and ran through the gardens. The moon had lit her path through the darkness. She circled around the manor with a bag in hand. Daniel was waiting for her, ready to help her escape. Her teenage brain had been so full of adrenaline and excitement, she couldn’t see how utterly delusional she was being.

Now she stood there a decade later in the bright afternoon. Tears formed in her eyes as she took in the home she’d missed for so long. The large windows allowed in all of the morning light as the sun rose. The stones that had remained there for decades and decades, seeing the birth and death of the Barnes’s. Now she was the only one left. Yet she almost expected her parents to open the door and welcome her back home. They would embrace her and tell her how much they’d missed her during her time away. The doors remained closed, no one was inside.

Alfie let her process the surprise before he stepped in. “It’s yours now, love.” He murmured and wrapped an arm around her waist.

Her head turned, a tear slipping down her cheek. “What?” Her voice was weak with disbelief.

“I bought it for you. It’s yours.” His smile was as warm as the spring day. The countryside sun wore off his rough appearance. He appeared softer in the light and much, much happier.

Louise gasped tearfully and hugged him tightly. “No, it’s ours.”

She entered her home and found it hadn’t changed at all since she’d left. Even the portraits remained in their usual spots in the foyer. A large portrait of her parents greeted them. Her mother, an elegant beauty with dark red hair and emerald green eyes. Donned in one of her favorite navy blue gowns, a diamond necklace adorned her neck. Her husband affectionately touched his wife’s hand, a proud look matching his confident posture. His hazel eyes were full of warmth despite his elite appearance.

Louise was overwhelmed with emotions as she walked over to the portrait. Her fingers touched the edge of the original gilded frame. She swallowed and remembered how she often stared up at the portrait and wished she could be just as beautiful and in love as her parents were. She turned and saw Alfie patiently waiting behind her.

“You alright, love?” He asked sympathetically.

She nodded despite the tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m happy I am…I just…I wish I’d come home sooner. Wish I could’ve said goodbye to them.”

He nodded and walked over to embrace her again. “I know. I’m sorry, Lou.” He knew what it was like to lose a parent without even having the chance to be there for them. He would’ve given anything to be beside his mother, holding her hand to comfort her as she lived her final moments. It would be something they had to live with for the rest of their lives.

After a quick tour through some of the many rooms of Inglewood, Alfie and Louise walked outside. There was an overgrown garden that gave way to a huge lawn. To the left of the house were the stables and more pastures along with forested trails for riding.

“Well, it needs some work but figure we could have our wedding here,” Alfie suggested. They walked arm in arm across the patio. "Sometime in the summer when it's warmest?"

Louise dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief again and nodded. “I think that would be lovely.” She agreed. “Something small, we can hold the reception inside.”

“Posh event for my Surrey girl.” He smiled and kissed her temple.

“Alfie, you’ve given me so much.” Louise looked up at him. Her brow wrinkled in concern. “I’m afraid I haven’t given you enough in return.”

“Oh, Lou, you have no fucking idea how much you’ve given me.” He hugged her close. “Nothing I can give you will even come close to the happiness you’ve brought me.”

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