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 Ten
They hadn't said word to each other, the whole way back to Birmingham was filled with Johnny begging his parents to play eye spy to take his mind off his nanny or soft whimpers when the memories of her slipped through the distraction. All Alice could do was hold him and reassure him that things were going to be okay; she couldn't promise anything because she didn't know herself. She had never saw Michael so angry at her, he wouldn't even look at her. When she looked out the window, she could see Danny's car tailing behind them from the corner of her eye. A storm was coming, and she feared that it was going to sweep her away.
He stopped abruptly outside Agnes', now Alice's home and looked down at Johnny, a lot kinder than how he had been looking for the past few hours. "Run inside and pack yourself a bag; you're going to stay with me in the country for a few days."
"Is mumma coming too? Won't she need clothes?" Johnny looked from Michael to Alice, his eyes glistening in the sunlight.
"I have a few things to do before I go," she touched his chubby cheek and nodded towards the door, "we'll be together again soon."
"Promise?"
She nodded and handed him the house keys. "I promise."
Johnny climbed over his mother and jumped out of the car, striding towards the front door with the key in his hand. He couldn't help but investigate the car that was parked behind them; he was curious to see what Danny looked like. When his uncle waved at him, he waved naively and ran into the house, shutting the door behind him.
They sat in silence, Alice picking at some loose thread on her dress and Michael tapping his fingers off the steering wheel before lighting a cigarette. Her eyes flickered towards him and she was the first to gather the nerve to speak. "Talk to me…"
"What were you thinking, Alice?" he said after taking a long drag.
"My mother said that he couldn't be trusted, I needed leverage." She tilted her head and dug her fingers into her messy bun. "I thought a gun was leverage enough."
"If he can't be trusted then why is he here? Why are you taking him to meet Tommy?" his eyes dug into hers, but he couldn't see the same Alice that used to gaze back up at him; she was different. It concerned him.
"He said he can be useful to Tommy; I know what his plan is, and Danny can help. He said that he'll cooperate if they can come to a deal."
"I don't know what this plan is or this deal, but I don't have a good feeling about any of it."
"I know bits and pieces, but Tommy says this is the last plan before going legal and I mean completely legal." She tried to take his hand, but he moved it away from her. "Do you trust me?" when he nodded, she sighed in relief and took the cigarette from his lips. "Then trust that I know what I'm doing."
He turned his head towards her, she could see that he was still annoyed, but he had calmed down. "Where did you get the gun from?"
"I found it in your room at your mother's. I knew he'd go to my mother's grave and if anything had of happened to you or Johnny…" she ducked her head and pressed her lips together.
"What made you think that, that was a good idea? You've never used one before."
"It looked easy." She shrugged her shoulders and glanced up at him. "You just aim and squeeze the trigger."
He placed his hand on the back of her neck and rested his head against hers. "I don't want you to do that again, understood?" when he felt her nod gently against him, he closed his eyes and placed a kiss on her lips. When there was a knock at the window, he opened his eyes and pulled away from her, coming face to face with Danny.
Alice rolled down the window slightly and recomposed herself. "What?"
"Are we meeting with Tommy or what?"
"Yeah, let's go." She opened the car door and slid out. "I'll call you when we're finished Michael."
"Tommy knows the number." He watched the siblings walk down the street, Danny trailing Alice as he waited for Johnny to come out. He hated the sight of him, and he hated him even more when Danny smirked over his shoulder at him.
She knocked at his door and listened to his footsteps as they got closer, she felt nervous and Danny wasn't making things any better; she could feel his breath on the back of her neck and felt his stare on the back of her head. When she came face to face with Tommy, she could see the muscles in his cheek move as he clenched his teeth together at the sight of her brother.
"Alice, what is Danny doing here?" he moved his eyes down towards her, a stern and uninviting expression crossing him.
"Nice to meet you too, Tommy Shelby." Danny smirked and took a step back, shaking his head and stuffing his hands into his trouser pockets.
"He said he can help; he already knew about the guns." She said quietly. Alice rested her hand on the frame of the door, using it to keep herself upright. "I know you don't like him, I don't either," she looked over her shoulder at her brother with a scowl, "but he's got Ayr. I have no idea what your plan is with those guns, but I guess if you don't get them to Pittsburgh, then it'll be your head that'll be on the chopping block."
"What happens to me isn't any of your concern and I don't appreciate you bringing him here."
"I want to help you and if anything happened to you," she shook those bad thoughts from her head, she already had plenty occupying her, "he said he wants to make a deal."
"And the last time I rejected his offers, he killed one of the Lee boys." He was speaking through gritted teeth, the sight of Danny set his veins on fire. "They are dear friends of mine." Tommy's mind started to turn, and he thought about the consequences that he'd face if he didn't get those guns to America. There was still so much he wanted to do, Tommy wasn't ready to die, and Danny seemed to be his only option. He looked over Alice's head as Danny stared back at him, the same arrogant smirk on him. "You get twenty minutes."
"I knew you were a smart man." He pushed past Alice and stepped into the office, letting out a scoff as he looked at the decoration.
"I hope you realise what you've let us all in for." Tommy said to her as he closed the door over, leaving her to sit and think as he tried to deal with her rogue brother.
Tommy poured them both a drink and leaned into his chair as he regarded the man in front of him. He had heard a few stories about Danny but never had the pleasure to see him in the flesh; their past wasn't plain sailing, the Shelbys aligning themselves with the Lees angered Finlay and his tribe and Alice being involved with the Shelbys obviously struck a raw nerve with Danny.
"Before we get down to business, how do you know about the guns?" he took his glasses from his face and rubbed at his tired eyes with the inside of his hand.
"I became acquainted with a Polish fella named Gregor a few years back, nice kid but very troubled. He spoke of revolution and change but I realised that this fella wasn't a real communist; he wanted money. Stacks of money." Danny grasped the glass of whiskey and downed it in one, waving for Tommy to pour another, he enjoyed his expensive drinks. Once he did, he continued, "When he spoke of this crazy idea of an armed robbery with getaway drivers and machine guns, I sent him on his merry way; confused me for some sort of IRA man because of my accent but I was quick to tell him that my da moved us away from Ireland a long time ago. That was the end of our conversation."
"You're not really answering my question." Tommy said bluntly.
"I'm getting to it, hold your horses." Danny gritted his teeth as he grinned, enjoying the annoyed look on Tommy's face. "Gregor travelled on and I forgot about that little weasel until I heard that Tweedy had struck a deal with you and I just had to know why." He cracked his knuckles and shifted in his seat. "So, I did the only rational thing when an enemy does business with an enemy and went to Ayr to find out what the craic was. Tweedy squealed like a pig when I put a bit of pressure on him. Told me about the guns and the secret shipment to New York. Said you'd have a guy to take them to Pittsburgh and that got me thinking; did some digging of my own and guess whose name came up? I knew then that you were sending guns to the Polish that resided there."
Tommy didn't disagree with Danny's methods, in a way he saw a bit of himself in Danny, but he should've kept his nose out of Shelby business; it was all true, and he got Tommy backed into a corner. "So, you got rid of him and took the dock to do what? Try and strike up a deal with me?" he took the tin he kept his smokes in, out of his pocket and tapped it off the edge of his desk.
"No, I got rid of him because of his stupidity. He was bumming and blowing that Danny Finlay's sister said it was alright for him to get involved in Birmingham business. It was safe to say that he figured out she was lying when I stuck a knife in his gut."
"What makes you think that I'd want to work with you after you killed one of the Lee boys out of jealousy?"
"Well there's no other dock that'll get your guns out under the radar and now that you've employed my little sis, it's time to bury this feud."
Tommy nodded at him and looked away from his smarmy face. "Alice told me about the letter you wrote her."
"I did tell her if she didn't resign, I'd come to Birmingham." He held up his hands and whistled as he looked around the room. "Here I am. At least this visit will end well for the both of us if you accept the proposition, I have for you."
He felt like he was going mad for giving Danny the time of day, but he was cornered and there was nothing he could do. Tommy underestimated Danny, he thought he was a dumb man, but he was conniving and manipulative; someone useful to have as an ally and not an enemy.
"I'm all ears."
It seemed like they had been in there for more than twenty minutes, but she wasn't keeping count; Alice had spent her time waiting at her desk with a bottle of gin and she was almost finished with the bottle. She was wallowing in sadness, the drink letting the grief take control of her. She was a mess and the only time she stopped crying was to take another mouthful of the potent liquid. When Tommy's door finally opened, she wiped away the tears and got out of her chair unsteadily, waiting for Danny to storm out and cause a scene but they seemed to be on good enough terms. Her brother stepped towards her and looked her over with a raised brow. "Looks like we'll be seeing more of each other."
"Great, just what I wanted." She watched him walk out of the building and looked towards Tommy. "What'd the two of you do in there? Kiss and make up?"
"Come in here, I need to speak with you."
"Right," she stumbled towards the office and collapsed into the chair in front of him, "what do you need to speak with me about?"
"Danny's going to send the guns to New York for a lesser price than what Tweedy was."
"How kind of him." She remarked as she rested her head back on the chair, staring up at the ceiling.
"But there was one other thing that he wanted, it wasn't my place to agree but seen as you brought him here without my permission, I agreed on your behalf."
"Agreed what?"
"You're going to marry one of his gypsy boys."
She sat up properly, suddenly feeling very sober. "Tommy, Michael and I are trying to be a family again, and you plan on shipping me up north to marry one of Danny's men?"
"I know it's not ideal, but I had to take his offer. I've tried to keep you in the dark about this plan of mine, but it's time that you're aware. If the guns don't arrive in New York on the third of January, every Shelby dies… That includes Michael and if they catch wind of Johnny…"
She placed her hand over her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. "But the guns will arrive."
"If you marry one of Danny's men."
"He's got me right where he wants me…" she whispered to herself as she got out of the chair. "Will you call Michael; I want him to pick me up now."
"You can't tell him. He loves you and he'll try to stop this from happening." He watched the many emotions that marked her face; panic, frustration and disgust. He did feel sorry for her, but he wanted his family to survive and he didn't care if he had to ruin Alice's future to ensure that.
"So that's that. Everything that it took for Michael and I to get back on track, ruined." She let out a little laugh. "Funny thing is, I don't even blame you. I blame myself."
"I wish there was another way, I do. I considered you family, you and your son." He said truthfully; he was keen on the young woman; she brought a spark to the family and she kept his cousin happy. "But you brought this grenade into Birmingham."
"I'll pay the price, to keep Michael and Johnny alive."
"If there was another way…"
"I know, Tommy." She let out a sigh and gripped her hair at the root. "I've got to pay the piper."
It was late when she got to Michael's house and she tried her best to remain calm; she couldn't tell if Danny would actually force her to marry one his men, but she wasn't willing to take that chance. Instead of sitting up with Michael, she went into Johnny's room and climbed into bed, holding him closely and watching for every breath. If she was to marry someone else, she wouldn't bring Johnny with her; life in a caravan was less than what he deserved, and she knew that Michael would take good care of him. It was all too much for her to think about, tears flowed from her eyes but she remained silent; she couldn't have Johnny waking up to see her like this. She hated Danny for making her do this, he knew that there was no way for her to disagree with his plans; he knew very little of Alice, but what he did know about her, he used to his advantage.
She heard Michael's footsteps approach Johnny's room and when they stopped, she could feel his eyes gaze on her. She lifted her head very slowly and met his eyes; she wanted to tell him desperately but then Tommy's words rang in her ears.
"Come downstairs, let the boy sleep." He whispered.
"Just a moment longer, I'll be down in a second." She pressed her head against Johnny's and took in the scent of his head. Alice still managed to pick up on his new-born scent. It gifted her some comfort.
"I'll pour us some drinks; god knows I need one too." When she didn't respond, he took a step back and gave her the moment she needed. He knew that she was grieving, but this wasn't normal for her; Alice was acting strange and he wanted to get to the bottom of it.
When she came down the stairs, he was already on his third stiff drink and feeling the effects of it. She took the space beside him and took the glass he had sitting for her, drinking it quick and shaking the empty glass for another. He watched her from the corner of his eye as he poured out another gin and sat back in the sofa, one arm draped around the back.
"What's going on with you Alice? You were in such a state when I picked you up."
"I had a few drinks to settle myself, that's all." She lied before taking a sip. "Today's been a hard day."
"A few drinks? You smelt like the brewery." He shook his head, disbelieving her lie. "You've normally got your head screwed on; you know? I get that your mother dying is hard on you, but this is out of character for you." He turned his head towards her and let out a sigh. "What's got you so messed up?" he watched her take another drink and shifted in his place. "Something went down at Tommy's office. What happened?"
"I can't tell you." She mumbled as she ran her finger around the rim of the glass.
"Then if you won't tell me, I'll call Tommy myself." He pulled himself out of the chair and stormed towards his phone but stopped when he felt Alice's grasp on his arm.
"Don't call Tommy."
"Then tell me what's going on." He looked down at her and noticed how her body trembled either out of fear or hurt.
"Just sit down, Michael. Pour yourself another drink because you will need it." She followed him back to the sofa and sat at one end, her legs tucked underneath herself as she waited for him to get settled.
"Tell me what's going on." He demanded.
"I'm betraying Tommy's trust by telling you this…"
"And you'll be betraying mine if you don't."
She closed her eyes for a moment to compose herself as best as she could. "I'd rather have your trust than Tommy's."
"Then I'm listening."
He was in shock and seething with anger; he could even think about this plan that Tommy had because he could only think about this ridiculous marriage proposal that his cousin agreed to. His heart was aching, and his head throbbed. Michael knew of the risks that Tommy's plan came with, Alice stressed that point until it made her hoarse, but he didn't care; if Alice and Johnny were safe then that was all that mattered to him. Alice wouldn't be safe in Danny's gypsy camp. He couldn't blame her for agreeing to this, if anything it proved that she would do just about anything to keep him alive; but it didn't lessen the blow of Tommy's betrayal. He knew how Michael felt about Alice and he didn't give a shit.
"You should've told me the minute you got into the car." He said finally.
"So that you could go in and kill Tommy? Where would that have got us?" she crawled over to him and grabbed his hands, squeezing them for dear life. "You have to let me do this, if you or Johnny got hurt because I refused…"
"No one will get anywhere near you," he looked at her, a serious and determined look on his face; she had never saw him like this before, "not while I'm breathing. You're not marrying one of Danny's men."
"Danny will get his way, one way or the other; either he gets complete control over me or we all die." She shrugged her shoulders as her face screwed up, a sob escaping from her.
"You can't marry one of his own if you're already married." He wiped her tears away with his fingertips and kept a hold of her face so that she couldn't look away from him. "I wanted to wait a while before we tied the knot, but there's no time like the present."
"But Tommy's plan…"
"Fuck Tommy and his plans, you and Johnny are my top priority. Marry me, Alice. We'll be a proper family."
Her mind was scrambled from the grief and the booze; if she had of been sober, she could've thought about his proposal and the consequences they'd inevitably face. She wanted Michael and everything that came along with him; but she didn't imagine getting married to him to avoid an arranged marriage.
"When?"
"Is that a yes?"
"Of course," she felt a small surge of happiness as he pulled her onto his lap, "when do we do this?"
"Tomorrow. The next day at the latest."
"Not in Birmingham and not towards the north, they'd only find out." She bit her lip as she stared down at him, her hands knotted in his hair.
"Then we go south. The three of us will find somewhere. Get you a pretty dress to wear," he smiled slightly as he pressed his mouth to hers, feeling the corners of her lips turn up at the touch of his caress, "then we'll come back, and I'll deal with Tommy and Danny myself."
"Shall we tell anyone? Your mother?"
"Not until you're Mrs Gray." He lay her down on her back and took the space between her legs, placing kisses along her neck until he got back to her lips. "Alice Gray has a ring to it, don't you think?"
A:N What do you think of Danny and his plan to get under everybody's skin and what about Michael and Alice's secret wedding? How will Danny react to his agreement with Tommy becoming void and how will Tommy and Michael's relationship change? Let me know what you think and thank you so much for reading. There is much more to come!