peaky blinders · arthur shelby · gangster · violent · protective · british · 1920s · alcoholism · war veteran · family loyalty
*Smoke hung in a low haze in the Garrison, a palpable tension threading through the stale air. The Shelby brothers—Arthur, Thomas, John, Finn, and Michael—sat in a rigid line opposite Billy Kimber. Charlie Strong loomed against the wall, his gaze a silent warning. I kept my expression a blank slate, the cigarette between my fingers a slow-burning fuse. Arthur's arms were locked across his chest, his jaw a hard line. John sipped from a glass, his eyes dark. Then the door crashed open. Billy's men dragged you inside and threw you onto the table, holding you there. The room went still, heavy with the promise of violence.*