The Girl and The Gangster

Summary: After being turned down from every secretarial role in Birmingham, Alice becomes desperate. Unable to provide for her sick mother, herself and more importantly, her young child, she takes a chance on joining the Shelby Company ltd. But when she runs into a familiar face, her whole world comes crumbling down around her.

Chapter Five

If Michael was going to be happy, then Tommy had to make sure she was the right woman to bring into the family; she needed to be faithful to both Michael and the company, a relationship between them wouldn't work if she couldn't accept Michael's way of life. If she broke his heart for a second time, Polly would pluck out her eyes. The only way Tommy knew how to test a woman was the same way he tested Lizzie when she was supposed to marry John. But he wasn't going to offer money to Alice, he was going to make her feel comfortable and safe. There was one thing he knew about her, she wanted a quiet life. He could play that to his advantage.

He lifted his head from his pages when she knocked on the door and once, he waved her in, she sat down in front of him, leaving the dossier she had compiled in front of him. He flicked through the pages briefly before looking up at her.

"Is this everything?"

"It's everything I could dig up about Mr Tweedy, where he imports to and from, how many shipments a year he makes, and I even found out where he likes to get a pint of bitter." She felt accomplished, she had spent almost a week sleuthing around for the biggest exporter in Scotland; now that Danny had pretty much declared war on the Shelbys, exporting out of Liverpool was never going to happen and if Tommy was to expand his business, he needed somewhere north.

"You've done a good job, Alice… I'll have a read at this, perhaps you can join me and share your knowledge on this man."

"I would, but you know that I need to pick Johnny up from school. Now that my mother can walk further than the kitchen, I thought I'd take a detour home and let him run around the park."

"Why don't you let Michael pick him up? He could take him to Pol's instead. I know she's been dying to meet him, hasn't stopped asking him questions since he told us all."

She thought for a moment, Alice wanted Johnny to know Michael more before he was introduced to his father's side of the family but now that they all knew, it was only right that Johnny knew too.

"Alright, I'll go out and ask him."

He watched her speak with Michael and although he didn't get the best angle from his desk, he could tell that there was still something between them. It wasn't like a fire just yet, but there was a flame. For the first time, Tommy found himself not wanting a woman to fall for his charm. He wanted Alice to prove his doubts wrong and she had to prove Michael right. When she came back into his office, Tommy could see his cousin looking in, giving him a nod before the door closed; at least he had Michael's blessing to try.

He poured himself a glass of gin and glanced over at the woman as she read through her hard work. He allowed her to sit in his chair and to smoke his cigarettes. He took a sip of the sweet gin and brought the glass over to his desk, setting it in front of her.

"Do you want me to get you a glass?" he asked lowly, but she didn't even hear him. Once he cleared his throat loudly, she looked up at him with a raised brow.

"Sorry, did you say something?"

"Do you want some gin, Alice? You're off the clock now, I won't mind."

She shook her head and looked back at her notes. Either Tommy was losing his touch, or she had no interest in him whatsoever; they always accepted his offer for a drink. He moved around his desk and peered over her shoulder, letting his body get close to hers as he read the page she had stopped on.

"Mr Tweedy will more than likely accept your offer, for a reasonable price. My brother and his band of gypsies used to ransack his shipments that left from Liverpool, that was the reason he moved trade up to Ayr." When she realised how close Tommy was to her, she shifted in her seat, wishing that it would make him take a step back. It didn't.

"Tomorrow morning, I want you to write a letter, inviting Mr Tweedy to Birmingham. You can fill in the blanks because you're better at that than I am."

"I'll write it first thing in the morning." She closed over the dossier and kept her eyes to the desk. "Tommy?"

"Mhmm?"

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?"

She turned slightly in the chair with a grimace. "Look how close you are to me. First you let me sit in your chair, then you offer me a drink… Now this. What's going on?"

Tommy took a step back and placed his hands into his pockets; he was pleased with her, she gave him no reason to turn Michael away from her, but he dreaded that what he was about to omit would ruin any potential future for them and their family.

"I just wanted to see if you'd bite. That's all."

"You mean, sleep with you?" she scoffed and got out of the chair. "I don't think so Tommy. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with you,"

"Your heart just belongs to somebody else and that's what I wanted to find out."

She folded her arms across her chest as she felt a twinge of annoyance in her gut. "Did Michael ask you to do this?"

"No, I offered."

"How noble of you." She grabbed her coat from the back of Tommy's chair and folded it over her arm. "I've only been with Michael and there's a reason for that. I've loved that man since I was seventeen."

"Do you love him still, Alice because he still loves you."

"I'll never love anyone else."

Tommy shrugged his shoulders and took another sip of gin. "Don't you think the two of you should just enjoy life while you can?"

"Both of us have changed since then, if there's any chance for us to be together, we need to get to know each other again."

"Tell that to Michael, I think he needs to be the one to hear it." Tommy scratched the back of his neck and looked away from her direction. "Don't be angry with him for agreeing to my offer. We've had a lot of pain, Michael included in that. He needs a bit of joy back in his life."

Alice could tell that Tommy was just trying to protect his cousin the only way he knew he could, but that didn't mean she liked it. She put her coat on and marched towards the office doors.

"I'll have that letter ready for you in the morning, Tommy." She slammed the door behind her and didn't look back; she needed to straighten things out with Michael, he did deserve to know how she felt about him but what Tommy tried to do, for her, that was out of line.

Polly sat on the edge of her seat, her hands clasped in front of her as she watched her grandchild in awe. She didn't expect Johnny to look so much like Michael but as she gazed at him, it felt like she had travelled back into a time before her own son was taken from her. Michael was lying on the floor beside him, playing with the toy soldiers his mother had bought for him. She didn't even notice when he looked up at her, her eyes were glued to the boy as she fell for his charm.

"She did a good job, didn't she mum?" he asked as he petted Johnny on the back.

"Alice is a good mother; he's clean, well fed and completely perfect."

Johnny looked up at Polly and frowned slightly when he saw a few tears race down her face. "Why are you sad?"

She wiped away the tears with the back of her hand and grinned at the boy. "I'm not sad, I'm so happy." She held her hands out to him and when he stood up and took them, she kissed the palm of his hand. "Do you know what I am to you?"

"You're my nanny." He said innocently.

"I am," she combed his hair with her fingers before resting her hand on his cheek, "your mother has told me so much about you, so has your father."

"You know my mumma?"

"Your mother and I work together."

When there was a knock at the door, Michael got up to answer it, pointing at his mother sternly. "No mention of the business, I told you that."

"I'm just explaining to Johnny…" she tried to defend herself, but she was met by another harsh glare.

As soon as he opened the door, Alice stormed into the house. When she looked at Johnny with Polly, some of her anger faded but not enough to stop her from doing what she came here to do.

"Alice, what're you doing here? You're not taking Johnny away already, are you?" Polly looked desperate as she watched the boy run over to hug his mother.

"No, I'm not." She picked him up and gave him a small smile. "Are you having fun?"

He nodded and pointed towards the toys on the floor. "Nanny Polly bought me toy soldiers."

"I hope you told her thank you."

"His manners are impeccable, he's nothing like the kids from around here." She placed a cigarette into her mouth and lit it with a match, turning her gaze back to Alice. "That's a good thing, by the way."

She nodded once and set Johnny down by his toys once more. "Thanks." She turned to Michael and placed her hands on her hips. "I'm here for you. We need to talk."

"Right, I'll take you into the kitchen." He led her through his mother's living room and closed the door behind them. When he looked at her, he already knew what she was here to talk about, she wasn't hiding her anger very well.

He already knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth. Alice sat in front of him after laying her coat on the kitchen table, she didn't want to raise her voice at him, she couldn't have Johnny hear her. All the steps she had took in this city was for his benefit; if she was looking out for herself, she would've jumped into bed with Michael the night he walked her home but that would've meant he was sticking around for her and not their son. He had to be in this for Johnny.

"Why would you get Tommy to do something like that?" she was finally able to bring herself to look at his face; he just stared at her blankly with a cigarette between his fingers. "I was mortified when he got close to me, I don't even think mortified is the word, more like repulsed. What were you trying to find out? If I was easy? Would I sleep with any man that would show his interest?"

"No Alice, just calm down."

"Calm down? I'm aware that Tommy offered to carry out that act, but you agreed to it. I'm the mother of your child, Michael. Show me a bit of respect for Christ's sake."

He shook his head at her and took a long draw, flicking the ash at the end into a bowl. "I do respect you, I've told you and my mother and any other bastard that asks, that you have done an amazing job raising that boy by yourself. So, don't think for one moment that I don't respect you."

"Then tell me why you agreed when he offered to try to seduce me." She got out of her chair and leaned on the table, almost inches away from him.

"Because I needed to know if your feelings towards me had changed. I wanted to know if you still feel the same as I do." He got onto his feet and copied her stance, they were so close he could feel her breath on his cheek. "I love you, Alice."

She sank back into the chair and rested her hand on her chin. "There's been no one else but you, Michael." She watched as his image soften as she omitted her truth. "How could I love anyone else? No one compares to you." She sighed and pushed out a couple of creases in her skirt. "I just don't want to jeopardise your relationship with Johnny."

"What do you mean by that, Alice?"

"What if things don't work out between us?"

"I wouldn't walk away from that boy, he's my blood." He stepped around the table and dropped to his knees beside her, taking her hand gently. "What if things worked out between us? The three of us could be together under one roof." His teeth gripped his bottom lip as he turned her face towards him. "We could be content. I can give the two of you a good life."

"Money doesn't make a good life, Michael." Her voice came out as a whisper; he was playing to her heart, but her head was getting in the way of saying yes.

"I'm not talking about money, I'm talking about being a family. Let me take you out, we can get dinner or go dancing. I will show you that we are meant to be together. Just say yes."

She wiped away a single tear that escaped her eyes and nodded. Alice couldn't put all her energy into worrying about what could go wrong; she was going to have to let things take their course and see what the outcome would be.

When they emerged from the kitchen, Polly could sense that the air around them had changed; they weren't as tense as what they were when Alice first arrived in her home. She couldn't help but smirk to herself as she turned her attention back to Johnny. Alice kneeled beside her son and placed her hand on his back.

"Your father has asked me if it's okay for you to spend the night here with him and your nanny Pol. Would you like that?"

"Yes mumma, but won't you be lonely?"

Michael noticed how much care Johnny already had for his mother, he didn't care about staying and having fun, he cared more about her. He rested his weight against the wall and watched him with a sense of pride; he was sensitive and picked up on the slightest hint of emotion. He hoped that he would carry that into his adult life. It would keep him out of Peaky business.

"I have nanny Agnes to keep me company. I might take her out to look at the roses in the park." She smiled at him and pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Now that she's getting better, I think she'd like that."

"Can I stay, nanny Pol?"

"Of course, my sweet boy." She held her arms out towards the boy and gave him a loving squeeze. "You don't ever need to ask me that."

Alice got onto her feet and looked towards Michael. "I'll bring his jammies round and his bear. He can't sleep without it being tucked in beside him."

He smiled comfortingly at her and nodded once. "I know Alice, don't worry about him, we'll take good care of him."

She stepped towards Johnny and placed a kiss on top of his head, whispering in his ear. "Be good for your father." When she went to move towards the door, Polly gripped her arm and looked up at her with her twinkling hazel eyes.

"Thank you, you've no idea how much I appreciate this."

"It's time for him to know his family, if you need me, I'm only a few streets away." Once she was out of Pol's grasp, she felt Michael's hand on the small of her back as he led her towards the door. She turned to face him once she was out on the street.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow after work, if your mother isn't feeling well enough to look after Johnny then my mother will. Are you still up for our night on the town?"

"As you said, I've got to give this a chance." When he placed a kiss on her cheek, she smiled and started to walk towards her home. "Good night, Michael."

The dusk was surprisingly calm and although the air was cool, both women enjoyed being out in the crisp chill. They walked slowly around the park, stopping at every rose bush in their path, arm in arm. Her mother had remained mostly quiet as Alice told her about Michael, she had confessed her feelings towards him and spoke highly about his treatment towards Johnny. Agnes was fairly pleased to hear that they were getting along, but she still didn't regret moving away from the village.

They sat on a bench and ate at the sandwiches Agnes had brought along with her. Now that she was more mobile than what she had been for the past month or two, she could actually prepare something to keep herself ticking over. She looked at Alice as she stared off into the distance.

"What's on your mind?"

She glanced at her mother and gave her a small smile. "Nothing, mother."

"Don't lie to me, you were always a terrible liar."

Alice rolled her eyes and turned in her place. "Michael and I have decided that we're going to try to work things out between us. He wants us to be a family."

"Is that what you want, my dear?" she reached across and placed her cold hand on her daughter's rosy cheek.

"As much as I've tried to over the years, I can't stop loving him. When we moved away from the village, it almost destroyed me; it would have if I didn't have Johnny to worry about."

"I wish I could've been more supportive, but I didn't want history to repeat itself."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Before I met your father, I had a child out of wedlock to a man that didn't care about me or our child. Now I don't want you to get angry at me for not telling you, your father and I agreed that it would be best if we didn't speak about it."

"Well why not? Father had Danny before you, so what difference would it have made?"

"Because I didn't raise the child, the baby girl that I had, I gave up for adoption. I made a decision that worked out better for her; I was nineteen with no family around me, I was living in Liverpool working on those fancy ships as a dishwasher and I could just about provide for myself. Seeing how you provided for Johnny and myself while I've been ill, giving that child away has been my deepest regret."

Alice wasn't angry with her mother, instead was sad for her. It helped her realise why her mother was so harsh when it came to her pregnancy; she didn't want her daughter to go through the same heartache she did. She held her mother in her arms and rested her head on hers.

"Do you know anything about her?"

"I know that she was adopted by a wealthy couple in Essex and that they named her Nora."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Because I can't keep this secret any longer than I already have. My hold here is slipping out of my grasp, who knows how many more good days I'll have left? You need to know so that when I'm no longer with you, you can search for your sister." She pulled away from Alice and held her face in her hands, looking at her with such concern and seriousness. "You can't be stuck with Danny as the only family you have left. He's not good, he's a devil of a man. I want you to promise me that you'll try with Johnny's father and make a life for yourself. You should find Nora and build a relationship with her. I'm the only reason Danny hasn't come near you, he promised your father that he wouldn't bother me once he was gone. But when I die, he'll do what he wants."

Alice frowned at her mother and kissed the palm of her hand before she removed it from her face; if this was what her mother wanted, she would comply. She had no delusions about Danny, but he was family too, he was the last living connection she had to her father. She would accept most of her mother's wishes, but she wouldn't fully turn her back on her brother.

A:N I've had over 1K reads on this story so far and I'm so pleased, next chapter, Michael and Alice are going to go for their date and take a step in the right direction but things will become harder for the two of them. What do you think of Agnes' secret? Should Alice look for her sister? Let me know what you think. Thank you so much for reading!