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 Twenty

April 1927, New York City

Bringing the company to America was one of the smartest ideas he had and with Michael at the helm of the operations, things were running smoothly. They were making profit, establishing a name for themselves and with the Preakness Stakes coming up in May, they were set to making a killing. But most importantly, Johnny seemed to be happy; he missed having Pol around him most days, but he was making friends and appeared to be coming out of the shy shell he protected himself with. Everything was too perfect, and all Alice could do was wait for the bullet that would burst their bubble; it was hard for her to do anything else when she struggled to leave the house. All she had was a few weeks left of her pregnancy and being mobile took too much out of her. In a way, she hoped that she would have the baby before returning to Birmingham, but the baby wasn't going to budge.

"Have you saw the numbers?" Michael asked as he came down from his upstairs office. "Tommy is going to lose his mind when I tell him."

"I had a quick look; how did you manage to make people bet on the wrong horse?" she got out of her chair slowly and followed him through their home. She had never saw this side of the business before and it intrigued her.

"Long story short, pay the jockey to come in second." Michael fixed himself in the mirror, running his palm over his hair, slicking it down flat. He was having dinner with a potential client and had to look pristine. He buttoned up his blazer and turned to Alice, placing a kiss on her head. "I put Johnny to sleep before I came down, please don't wait up for me."

"I can't help it; you know I like to make sure you are home before I go to bed."

"No, you're going up now," when she folded her arms across her chest in protest, he tilted his head and placed his arm around her shoulders, "you need all the rest you can get."

"I'm not even tired, Michael."

He led her towards the staircase and let her go. "Don't lie, I can tell by your face." He kissed her gently and grabbed his coat from the bannister. "I'll be home before you even wake up, it'll be like I wasn't out."

She shook her head before giving in. "You better be and stay safe. I'm telling you now, something's going to happen."

"You've been saying that since we got here. Go to bed, Alice."

"I love you." She called out but he mustn't have heard her as the door closed seconds later. She didn't know what was coming but there was a chill in her bones and that didn't mean anything good.

The meeting was set to take place in an underground speakeasy in an unfamiliar part of the city; but Michael wasn't stupid, he brought his gun and a couple of trusted colleagues to accompany him. He gave his name at the front door and followed the guard down the stairs to the club. It was booming with people dancing to the jazz band and in the corner of the room, there was a booth reserved for them. Michael sat in the middle and ordered a few drinks as he waited for his client to arrive. He took a sip of his drink and caught a familiar face approaching him from the corner of his eye.

"Michael Gray, you have no idea how easy you are to lure out of your fortress."

"Igor or Peter? I can't remember which one you are."

"Igor, Peter's waiting for us outside."

Michael set his glass on the table and leaned into his seat. "I'm waiting for a client so whatever this is, it'll have to wait."

"I'm the one that called you and this is my place." Igor rested his hands on the table and got as close to Michael as he could before Michael's friends drew their firearms. "Tell them to put it down or you will regret it."

Michael looked over Igor's shoulder when the music died and noticed that the barman had a shotgun pointed at them and the guard from the door had a pistol for each hand. Then he looked at Igor's belt and noticed his revolver. "Put the guns down." He said through gritted teeth.

Igor looked over his shoulder and gave a nod to his associates. "As I said, Peter's waiting." When Michael's entourage got onto their feet, Igor wagged a finger at them. "Only him, my friends will keep you company."

Michael watched two more Flatheads take the empty spaces across the table from him and let out a disgruntled sigh. "What is this all about?" he asked as he followed Igor out of the underground. "Peter told Tommy that we wouldn't see each other again."

"That was before half the guns went missing."

Michael's brows furrowed and he stopped when they got to Peter's car. "But you paid the money, why would you pay if only half the guns made it to New York?"

"We couldn't have you knowing we were coming. Now get in the car or I'll call my friend and tell him to pay your wife and son a visit."

He clenched his jaw and did as he was told, climbing in beside Peter before Igor took the seat on the other side. He was stuck in the middle of them with nowhere to go. He wouldn't risk it, not when they could hurt his family. He would comply until he knew they were out of harm's way.

He was tied up and blindfolded, sitting on an uncomfortable, wooden chair in some storage lock up by the docks. He knew where he was by the foul smell the came from the water. It was the first thing he noticed when he arrived in this city. He could hear Igor and Peter talking to someone in Polish, but he had never heard the third voice before. He had no idea who it was. Michael tried his best to loosen his binds but there was no way he was getting them off.

"So, you are one of the Peaky Blinders." The unfamiliar voice said as he approached Michael. "The accountant. You made a big mistake coming here. Should've stayed in your own playpen."

"If you're going to ask me about the missing guns, I don't know where they are or who took them."

The man pulled Michael's blindfold off and he came face to face with who he assumed was the gang leader of the Flatheads. This man wasn't well built but his face was sinister; his blonde hair slicked back with a few curls framing his unforgiving face. He didn't scare Michael, but he was at a disadvantage and he didn't know if this man was going to let him leave this locker alive.

"Who are you?" he asked him.

"Don't you read the newspapers, Michael Gray? I'm Paul Jarowski, the name ought to ring a bell."

Michael smirked; he knew the name. He didn't think anything of it at the time but now things were becoming clear. "You're that friend of Danny Finlay."

"Yes, I believe he mentioned me in that little meeting of yours."

"You should pick better friends because he made you seem like you were untrustworthy."

Paul let out a laugh and raised his brows. "And you believed him? He's a fucking gypsy." He stood up straight and paced around Michael's chair. "Then again, why wouldn't you believe him? You married his sister." He said in his ear lowly. "Poor Alice will be waiting for you."

"Alice has nothing to do with this, leave her out of it. She's fucking pregnant." He fidgeted and squirmed in his seat, but nothing would budge.

"I know that, I know everything, except where my guns went. I got caught because we didn't have enough firepower to take down that armoured car in Pittsburgh and now some poor lookalike is doing my time for me so unless you want his service to be in vain, I would suggest you start talking." He knocked over Michael and towered over him. "Which one of you Peaky bastards took the guns?"

London

He returned from Parliament and sank into his chair, removing the glasses from his face and rubbing his tired eyes with his fingertips. He was hoping for a peaceful afternoon but that wasn't on the cards. His new secretary knocked on his door and stepped into his office. She was young but had plenty of experience, knew how to type and seemed to have an interest in politics. He had a hard time finding someone to replace Alice and do her job well, but Mary seemed like she was capable enough.

"Mr Shelby, your brother Arthur is on the line, he's been trying to contact you all day."

"Is it important?"

"He's called about twenty times so I would say so." She smiled slightly and set a few files on his desk. "I'll put him through then?"

"I suppose so, he'll only do your head in." he stared at his phone for a moment before placing the receiver by his ear. "What is it Arthur?"

"Tommy, where the fuck have you been? I've been trying to get a hold of you." His voice was strained with panic and worry, it had been a while since Tommy had heard him like this.

"Calm down Arthur and tell me what's going on." He sat upright and prepared himself for whatever news Arthur was going to deal him.

"The office… The Garrison. Someone's blew it up!"

"Was anyone hurt, Arthur?"

"No. Whoever did this, did it in the dead of night."

Tommy moved the phone from his face and took in a deep breath. "Do we know who did it?"

"Pol has a few ideas, but I think she's mad."

"Spit it out Arthur, who?"

"She thinks it's the IRA. They went for the Garrison the last time and she thinks it's all too familiar."

"We've had no dealings with the IRA in years."

"But now you're government, Tom." Arthur sighed down the phone. "Has anything been sent to you recently?"

"Nothing."

"You've got to watch your back; we don't know who or where they are."

"I'll be back in Birmingham tonight. Get on the phone to Michael and tell him to get the first boat home. It's not safe for the family to be out of Birmingham."

"I'll get on it Tommy."

The line went dead and Tommy slammed the phone down. He didn't know what he was going to be returning home to, if the damage was bad and the explosives were placed right, then all the money and all their permits were gone. He'd have to assess it for himself to know.

"Mary," he called out. When she appeared at the door, he got onto his feet and put his coat on, "have my car pulled round." As she nodded and started to close the door, Tommy remembered that he had saw something on her resume about Ireland. "Mary?"

"Yes, Mr Shelby?"

"I was thinking of going on a family holiday to Ireland, somewhere quiet. Have you ever been?" he stepped towards the door and followed her down the hallway to her desk.

"I've heard that Kerry is beautiful if you're looking for somewhere out of the way. Beautiful countryside and small villages... I've never been myself though."

He nodded and placed his hands in his pockets. "Kerry, I'll look into it. Have a nice weekend."

Tommy got outside of the Parliament building and looked over at his car. It wasn't his usual driver that parked it and he noticed that he was quick to leave it. He turned in the opposite direction and ran as fast as he could down the street. When he was around the corner, he peered over and in an instant, the car exploded and was engulfed in flames. He should've realised the moment he saw the connection on Mary's resume, but he thought he was in the clear. There was going to be a war, he didn't know with who but whoever it was, was well connected. He rested his head on the brick wall and squeezed his eyes shut, if the IRA were rearing their heads, he was going to need to play this game the smart way; there would be no room for slip ups and misjudgement. He needed the whole family and the sooner that Michael and Alice were back on British soil, the better.

The soot filled their lungs as they stood in front of what was left of their office building; this attack on the Shelby's came out of nowhere and apart from the arson being committed by the IRA, they had no idea who spearheaded it. Tommy stepped into the remains first with Pol directly behind him. The first place he looked at was his safe and surprisingly, it was still held together; damaged on the outside but the inside was fine. He shared a look with his aunt and made a contented mumble under his breath.

"Whoever gave them information has been in this office but has never saw this. It isn't someone close to us."

"Why would you even think it was someone close?" she asked as she stared up at the exposed beams.

"You can never be too gullible, sometimes your greatest enemies are the ones closest. But not this time."

"I've sent Finn out to question people, see if anyone heard or saw anything." She remarked, curling her hand around her chin. "Arthur hasn't been able to get a hold of Michael and Alice, but he's going to keep trying."

He looked at her face and saw in her eye that she was worrying. "They wouldn't go to America."

"They've got connections there."

"They're more concerned with Britain, trust me." He stepped closer to her and lit a cigarette for her before lighting one for himself. "They tried to blow me up just like they did to my office and my pub." Pol remained silent; she wasn't surprised but more outraged. "I think my secretary is one of them. They're infiltrating the government for information."

"You think dozy little Mary is one of them?" she laughed, throwing her head back. "Yes Mr Shelby, no Shelby, do you want a cup of tea Mr Shelby?"

He ignored Pol's attempt at humour and clenched his jaw. "I don't know how I missed it, but she has connections to Ireland." He was usually so careful, but he didn't know how he let this slip through the cracks. He was disappointed in himself.

"Most people have connections to Ireland, dive deep enough into our family tree and we've got connections."

"Not as closely knit as her." He glanced at the embers that burned away at the end of his fingertips before taking a drag slowly. "She shares a flat with a few friends in Chelsea; have someone pick her up and bring her here. Tell them to be very careful."

"You're not being serious?"

His brow arched. "Look at my face and tell me if I'm joking or not."

She nodded and dropped her cigarette, folding her arms across her chest. "Fine, I'll get on it. You get to Arthur and make sure my grandson gets home safe."

New York

When she woke up, she looked behind her and saw Johnny where Michael should've been; was she in that deep of a sleep that she didn't notice him climbing into her bed? As quietly as she could, she got out of bed and threw something around her shoulders as she braved the cold house in search of her husband. He had to have been too drunk to make it up the stairs, it was what she was telling herself. That was until she saw the sofa empty and no sign of Michael anywhere. Fear started to set in, she shouldn't have listened to him and trusted her gut instinct. God knows where he was or what had happened to him, not knowing was worse than anything she could imagine.

She was hovering over the phone, tempted to call the police but that would only cause them more trouble. Keeping him alive was worth it. When she reached out towards the phone, the front door opened and he appeared; his clothes bloodied and his face busted open, his left eye closed over and swollen. Alice gasped at the sight of him, her hand lifting to her mouth. He looked furious and he held his hand up when she approached him.

"I don't care about whatever deal we made but I promise you now, I am going to be the one that puts the bullet in Danny."

She removed her hand from her face, her eyes widening in anger. "Did he do this?"

"No, I was ambushed by the Polish. They thought that we skipped out on half the guns. That friend of Danny's, Paul, was so convinced that he did this," he pointed at his face and shrugged his blazer off with a wince, "to me. When he realised, I knew nothing, we all came to a group consensus that Danny double crossed us."

"I knew something was going on," she sighed and examined his face, gripping him by the chin softly to turn his head from side to side, "I'm actually going to kill him."

"Not if I get my hands on him first."

"We need to get your face cleaned up before Johnny wakes up."

"I'll just wash this blood off, I've got to call Tommy."

"No, Tommy can wait. All your cuts need disinfected. Go get a bottle of whiskey."

He sat on the floor in front of her as she dabbed at his face with the alcohol. It burned him like he had stuck his face in the fireplace, and it took everything in him to not curse and yell. He knew that she was blaming herself for all of this, but it wasn't her fault that she believed him; it was hard to see the bad in someone you care about. He placed his hand on her knee and watched her eyes roll towards his face.

"From now on, I'm trusting your gypsy blood." He tried his best to curl his mouth up into a smirk, but it hurt too much.

"You should've from the beginning. I should've listened to it too. I guess we're both dumb." She tilted his head up and looked at his swollen eye, tutting to herself. "You would think they would've realised you knew nothing, sooner."

"You would think that." He watched as the shrill sound of the phone made Alice jump but before she could go to answer it, Michael jumped up and answered it before she had the chance. "Hello?"

"Michael, finally." he sighed, "It's Arthur."

"Is everything okay? You don't sound good." He stepped around the round table, peeking at Alice as she watched inattentively.

"I've been better. You and Alice need to come back to Birmingham, Tommy says it ain't safe for the family to be scattered right now."

"What happened, Arthur?"

"It's not best discussed over the phone. Just get the next boat home. We have plenty to talk about when you return."

"Tell me about it, I just spent the night tied up in a storage locker."

"What the fuck, Michael? Who was it?"

"The Polish. But as you say, it's not best to talk about this on the phone. Looks like we'll be having a long conversation in Birmingham."

"Keep your nose out of trouble 'til you get back."

"I'll try my best. We'll be seeing you in a few weeks."

A:N What do you think's going to happen next? Will Michael finally get his hands on Danny or will someone else beat him to the punch? Thank you so much for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter!