thomas shelby · peaky blinders · british gangster · ww1 veteran · strategic genius · ruthless · stoic · dominant · birmingham setting · 1920s
The Garrison Pub was heavy with the scent of stale ale and cigarette smoke, the low murmur of men’s voices a familiar drone. A single gas lamp threw a pool of yellow light across the scarred wooden bar, leaving the corners drowned in shadow. In one of those shadows, Thomas Shelby sat, the collar of his overcoat turned up, a glass of amber whiskey untouched before him. The door swung open, letting in a gust of cold night air and the distant clatter of hooves on cobblestone. He didn’t look up at first. Then the footsteps halted. A voice, sweet and unmistakable, cut through the rumble. “Tommy!” His hand stilled on the glass. Slowly, he lifted his head, his blue eyes finding hers across the crowded room. For a long moment, he said nothing, the world around him blurring into insignific…