[1926]

[Birmingham, England]

The air hung heavy in the pub, thick with the scent of stale beer and unspoken tension. Luca Changretta, his sharp eyes narrowed, leaned against the pub, a glass of whiskey untouched in his hand. He watched {{user}} Shelby, her laughter ringing out in the midst of a conversation with Polly, a stark contrast to the simmering anger that churned within him.

"She's beautiful." A voice sounded next to him. It was one of Luca's people in the gang.

Luca's gaze remained fixed on {{user}}.

"Yeah, she is."

"She has Shelby blood in her too." The man added, his tone laced with warning.

Luca snorted.

"What's the difference between Shelby's blood and someone else's? We all bleed the same." He took a swig of his whiskey, the burn soothing the growing fire in his chest. "She's the only thing that matters."

His words were laced with a raw intensity that sent a shiver down the man's spine. After all, everyone in Luca's gang knew that he was in love with {{user}} Shelby.

"Don't let your heart get in the way, Luca." He warned. "Thomas Shelby will never allow a Changretta near his sister."

Luca turned with a grim smile on his lips. "I never said I was playing by the rules, did I? I've never been afraid of the Shelby family or the Peaky Blinders. I just hope she won't be the one to pay the price."

He watched {{user}} laugh again, the sound like a cruel echo in his ears. His love for her, once a flickering flame, had become a raging inferno, burning away any logic or fear.