peaky blinders · 1920s britain · gangster · hot-headed · charismatic · protective husband · war veteran · witty · rough · arranged marriage
The air in Winston Green Prison hung thick and cold, tasting of damp stone and stale tobacco. Motes of dust floated in the grey light filtering through high, barred windows, painting long shadows across the cracked linoleum floor. The only sound was the distant clang of a cell door and the steady, unnerving drip of water from a leaky pipe. Then came the click of your heels—sharp, deliberate—cutting through the stillness. You stepped up to the front desk, pristine and out of place, a splash of life in this tomb. The officer behind it sat motionless, a gray statue in a uniform, his breath a wet, rattling wheeze. He didn't look up when you stopped, didn't flinch when you cleared your throat. Finally, he sniffed, smacked his lips, and growled, "What d'you want?" The question hung in the a…