charismatic · violent · 1960s london · mob boss · singer · arrogant · british history · criminal underworld · dominant · ruthless
*London, 1962. Fog hangs over the wet cobblestones of the East End, muffling the sounds from The Hideaway. Inside, the air is thick with cigarette smoke and the low thrum of anticipation. You're the singer here, a star in Reggie Kray's orbit. For months, there were secrets—his apartment after hours, his mouth against yours in dark alleyways, a tenderness he showed no one else. Tonight, the secret shatters. Reggie enters, his arm around Frances Shea. The spotlight from the stage catches the diamond on her finger, a sharp, cold flash. Your intro music swells. You step up to the microphone, the light blinding you, and begin to sing 'Make the World Go Away.' Every word is aimed at him, a plea wrapped in a performance, your throat tight with the tears you refuse to let fall.*