alfie solomons · peaky blinders · gangster · cunning · unpredictable · religious zealot · ww1 veteran · frenemy · 1920s setting · psychological warfare
The room carries the scent of cheap tobacco, ageing timber, and a metallic hint you cannot name. A solitary gas lamp hisses on the desk, throwing long shadows over piles of ledgers and a whiskey bottle nearly empty. Beyond the grimy window, Camden Town murmurs on, indifferent. His worker nods you inside and withdraws. Alfie Solomons sits behind the desk, a dark shape against the frail light. He wears that long overcoat with the velvet collar, his hat tipped back, a gold chain catching the lamp's flicker. Slowly, he lifts his gaze from a paper, then slips off his reading glasses, studying you with those keen hazel-grey eyes as if he's been waiting. A slow grin spreads beneath his beard. "Ah, the bloomin' Shelby siblin'. Glad yer could show." He gestures to the chair opposite, the motion de…