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-Two
It only took Michael a moment to realise that something was wrong with Alice, she should've been over the moon as she held their daughter in her arms, but instead, she was angry and clearly upset. Not even Johnny made her smile. He took their daughter into his arms and let Johnny sit on his lap to get a good look at their new addition. He stared down at his daughter, love for her taking over him completely; he didn't get to experience this the first time around and he wasn't going to ask Alice any questions until he had his moment with his daughter and son. He could feel Alice's eyes on him and when he looked at her, he saw a small glimmer of a smile.
"Your mum will be back soon, and I know she's going to fight you for a chance to hold her." She said quietly.
"She can try. I'm not letting these two, go." He wrapped his arm around Johnny, pulling him in closer and placing a kiss on his head. "Today's just proved to me that this little family of ours, it's golden and I'm going to protect us, Alice." He nodded at her sincerely as she looked back at him with fear in her eyes.
"There's something that I need to tell you and it's probably best to tell you while you're holding both of our children in your arms." When he raised a brow at her, she could feel herself break into a nervous sweat. "Danny was here, and he is working with the Republicans, he always has. If he isn't in Listowel, he'll still be in Birmingham or close by."
Michael tried to remain calm, but his face was giving away how furious he truly was. "What else did he say to you?"
"He said that it wasn't me that he was betraying, that it was your family." She tried to sit herself up, moving as slowly as she could. "I told him that your family is my family and to betray them is to do the same to me. I'm going to do whatever it takes to help get rid of him, Michael. And I don't want you to argue back with me."
"Tommy might need you more than he ever did. You know how Danny thinks."
"And I might know what he's going to do next."
It was the early hours of the morning when they all got the call to meet in Tommy's office, but it wasn't Tommy who made the call. The Shelby's were either half asleep or in Tommy's case, hadn't let their head hit a pillow yet. They waited for Michael to arrive and when he did, they could tell by his face that he was exhausted but determined.
"Before I get into the bad stuff, I want to let you all know that Alice had a baby girl and both of them are happy and healthy." He clasped his hands and closed his eyes for a moment. "Now, onto what I actually called you all here for, Danny paid Alice a visit while I was collecting Johnny and Alice thinks she knows what his next move will be."
"Did he tell her what he was planning?" Tommy was hoping that this mess was going to be over and done with quickly.
"No, but Alice knows how Danny thinks and he may have dropped her a few clues without realising. He had mentioned to her that if he didn't deliver those guns to the IRA, that they would come after him, so he's not part of the IRA, they just work together. Something that the IRA needs is money. They can't strike in Ireland because the Protestants in the North will come down from Belfast."
"And because of my history with the IRA and my standing in the British government, they thought I'd be an easy target. They hoped that the Polish would be locked up and they would only have to deal with us." Tommy was half right in his assumptions, but he could tell that there was more to this.
"They want to ruin us, personally and professionally. We still have bookies working the races and that's their way in; they can't get into our other businesses because nothing is as public as an event like the Grand National."
"But what makes her think that they're going to go after our bookies?" Arthur folded his arms and shrugged a little. "We've been at those events for years and the IRA have never showed their faces."
"That we know of, Danny says that they're everywhere. They could've even wormed their way into our businesses without us knowing but the first thing they'll ruin is our reputation and they know that our bookies will be carrying plenty of cash."
"They need money to fuel their war with the British army and they needed our guns. It makes sense, but I still don't understand how Alice figured this all out."
"She was reading a newspaper while my mum was holding the baby and saw that a horse called Victoria's Jubilee is picked to win and one of the names Danny suggested we call our daughter was Victoria. She thought nothing of it at the time, but she's had plenty of time to think in between feeds."
"Then we may get Paul and his friends some suits, because we're going to need all the help we can get." Tommy ran his hand over his tired face and shook the sleep from his eyes. "Michael, you make sure Alice and the baby get out of the hospital safely, Arthur will pick up the Polish from the docks tomorrow and get our boys ready for the races."
"I'm going to the National with you, Tom."
"Take some time off, be with your kids. You'll have plenty more opportunities to get back into the Birmingham way; these Irishmen aren't here for a fight, they're here for a war."
The next morning was frosty, and Arthur did his best to keep warm, rubbing his hands together vigorously as he waited for their new allies to get off the boat. He had no idea what Paul looked like, but he assumed it was the man in the fancy suit with two bodyguards accompanying him. "I hope you brought more guys like that." Arthur called out to him with a smirk.
"Who are you?" He wasn't pleased to see Arthur and he didn't do a good job of hiding it. He folded his arms across his chest as he waited for an answer impatiently.
"I'm Arthur Shelby…" when Paul tilted his head, he rolled his eyes. "Michael Gray's cousin."
"Where's Michael, I was under the impression that he would be waiting for me."
"His wife had a baby."
"And?" Paul raised a brow and looked around Arthurs' frame. "That your car?"
He glanced over his shoulder and nodded.
"You're going to need a bigger car," Paul turned his back to Arthur and waved over the rest of his friends. Arthur counted at least thirty of them, "I believe the IRA are here, and they've got my guns."
Arthur was stunned and impressed. "Word travels fast."
"Or Michael called to fill me in. So, are you in charge around here?"
"No, you're thinking of my brother Tommy."
"I want to speak with him then, find out what the plan is."
Arthur ran his fingertips across his moustache with distain; he didn't like this man and Paul was starting to get on his nerves. "You'll meet him at the Grand National, I'll explain on the way to Birmingham 'cause you're riding with me. Your friends can meet us there."
"Very well," he spoke to his friends in his native language, eyeing Arthur up every so often before following him to his car, "Do you think Danny Finlay will be there?"
Arthur started his car and turned to Paul. "How'd you come to meet Danny anyway?"
"This isn't my first trip to England, I needed ammunition and the word was that Danny supplied and didn't ask too many questions." Paul's brows became pointed, a warning to Arthur that he was going to ignore.
"I ask questions because you took my cousin hostage in New York and done a right number on him; he's not as pretty as what he used to be thanks to you."
Paul let out a laugh and shook his head. "Well, we've moved past that and struck a bond due to our mutual hatred for Danny."
"You want your hands on him, you're going to have to get in line. That pricks got more enemies than I've had hot dinners."
"As long as he perishes, then I'll consider it a victory."
Arthur chuckled as he sped away from the docks. "You're going to get along with Michael's wife."
As much as Alice hated being back in Birmingham, she was glad to be back in their home; their penthouse in New York didn't quite measure up to their house in the countryside. She watched as Johnny ran out to their garden and looked up at Michael with a small smile. She knew that he was glad to be back, and a slight feeling of guilt washed over her. It was her idea to leave this place behind and now she was starting to regret it.
"I'll let Mrs Adler know that we've returned, go get yourself comfortable." He kissed her delicately on the forehead before marching into the kitchen.
She looked down at her sleeping daughter and tiptoed towards the chair and sat down slowly, trying her best not to wake the baby. Once Johnny was bored with playing football by himself, he sat on the arm of the chair and stared down at his little sister.
"Do you love her, baby?" she looked up at him and grinned as he nodded.
"I can't wait until she can play football with me. Dad's so boring now, all he does is talk on the phone." He complained as he stroked his sister's soft cheek.
"Do you really think she'll like football?"
"She has to! Even you like football."
"I like football because you do." She turned her attention to the baby as she stirred in her arms. "What do you think we should call her?"
Johnny shrugged his shoulders and rested his head on Alice's. "I don't know any girl's names."
"I like the name Rose." Michael said as he came into the living room, a grin on his face as he picked Johnny up, hanging him upside down for a second. "And I heard that you think I'm boring."
"Dad, stop!" Johnny giggled as he tried to get out of his father's grasp.
"I'm not so boring now, am I?" he set him down and ruffled his hair. "What do you think of the name Rose?" he watched Alice as she tried to settle the baby.
"Why Rose?"
"Because if I remember correctly, you used to love it when I picked the wild roses for you when we were younger." When she bit her lip and raised her brow, he placed his hands in his pockets and scrunched up his face in uncertainty. "What's that face about?"
"I never liked the wild roses, I just told you that I did."
"Oh, now it comes out years later. What do you think of that Johnny? Your mother likes to keep secrets." He pulled a funny face at his son and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I didn't want you feeling bad, your hands were always cut from the thorns." She smiled and set the baby down on her lap, supporting her head with her fingertips. "But I do like the name. Rose Gray. Short and sweet."
"So, we've finally picked a name?"
"I think we have." When Rose started to cry as she woke from her sleep, Alice held her close to her face. "Good morning Rose."
Johnny climbed back onto the arm of the chair, Michael's hand on his back for support. "Don't cry, Rosie. It's okay."
Michael watched them for a second, his heart warming at Johnny's interaction with his little sister; it was moment's like this that made everything he did worthwhile. He had to keep this safe, he had to keep them safe.
"I think she's hungry, dad." Johnny said as he peered down at Rose.
"Right, why don't we let your mum feed her and the two of us can have a kick about? I'll show you how fun I am, again." He helped Johnny down and took one more glance at his girls before facing the crisp morning air.
She stood at the door of Michael's office as he unpacked his boxes; he was so entranced with thoughts that he didn't even know that she was there. He almost jumped out of his skin when she cleared her throat and stopped what he was doing.
"Is Rose asleep?"
"Just went down."
"And Johnny?"
"He fell asleep in front of the fireplace. I've just put him to bed." She rested her weight on the doorframe and looked around the room. "Do you have to unpack that right now?"
"Better now than later." He lifted a heavier box and set it on his desk. "You don't have to wait up for me, you know."
"I know, but I want to. With everything that's been going on and all the visitors at the hospital, we haven't had the chance to speak. Is everything okay?"
He reached inside the box and pulled out a few files, flicking through them before he answered her question. "Yeah." He let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "As okay as things can be in our situation."
"What do you mean?"
"I can't find anything for the business in New York because everything in this house needs unpacked, and it's not a sly dig at you because you've been taking care of the kids so well, and Paul Jarowski is in Birmingham and I just want to get my hands on Danny so that our lives can go back to normal." He rambled as he sorted his papers into piles. He could feel Alice's concerned stare on him as he took a sip of whiskey and looked at her.
"I meant with you; I can tell that you're not a hundred per cent."
"I'm just stressed and worried."
"Why are you worried, do you think that we won't pull through all this shit?" she stepped into the room and took a seat in front of him, wrapping her cardigan around her a little tighter.
"We will, we have to but at what cost? We always lose something or someone when we go to war. I just worry that it might be… It be might be,"
"Me?" she finished his sentence and watched his stature deflate. "You're worried that I'm going to get hurt."
"Before you came to Birmingham with Johnny, I was never scared of death. I would've done anything to make sure the family pulled through. Now, life seems a little bit more fragile. That scares me." He rested his hands on the desk and stared down at her sincerely as he laid his heart out to her. "And if anything happened to you, because of me… I wouldn't be able to bear it. Maybe if I had of stroked Danny's ego and tried a little harder with him, we wouldn't be in this war."
Alice shook her head and placed her hands over his; when she looked right into his eyes, she could see the internal conflict. Michael was trying to blame himself. "I am not going to get hurt, one thing that I'm certain of is that Danny wouldn't target me. You, yes. That didn't make things any better." She smiled slightly and stroked the top of his hand with her thumb. "I know that you want to be at that race, but I don't want you getting hurt either."
"I want to protect our family, Alice. I can't just sit around and wait for them to show up at our door."
"Sit this one out, Michael. I've never begged you for anything, but I'll beg you now. Whatever Tommy wants you to do after tomorrow, you can do it, but don't go to the Grand National. Not until we know the faces of our enemies."
"I won't go, are you happy now?"
"Very." She smiled as he lifted her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing the back of it gently. "I'm going to sleep before Rose demands another feed. Don't stay up too long."
"No promises, just get some shut eye." He watched her leave the room and finished off his glass of whiskey before pouring another. Michael wasn't going to sleep until his space was back in some sort of order.
The hours passed him by, but he was finally satisfied with his office and now he'd be able to continue his business in America from the comfort of his home. His stomach rumbled angrily as he shut the door behind him; he was starving, and he needed something to soak up all the whiskey he drank. He switched on the lights in the kitchen and looked through the cupboards for something to satisfy him through the night. When he reached into one of the bottom cupboards, he heard something rattle in the storage room and it put him on edge. He placed his hand over his gun and waited for another noise. Was he just imagining things or was someone in his house? When his suspicion was confirmed, he took his pistol from the holster on his side and readied it before kicking the door open.
When the door smacked against the wall, the young man in chef whites dropped the produce he was carrying and held his hands up. He was shocked to see a gun pointed at his face. Michael looked him up and down before looking at the time on his watch.
"Who the fuck are you?"
The man gulped and closed his eyes. "My name is Sean."
His Irish accent was thick, and it made Michael sceptical. "Why are you here and who let you in?"
"Your housekeeper, Mrs Adler hired me as your family chef. She said with the new baby here, Mrs Gray shouldn't be cooking all the time, said that she should have more time with the baby. It's three, it takes a while to set everything up in such a big kitchen."
"Did Mrs Adler let you in?"
"She gave me the spare key. I'm sorry if I scared you, I just hoped that if things went well, you and Mrs Gray would keep me on once your wife was healed." When Michael's gun remained unwavering, the man kept rambling. "I know that childbirth takes a lot of time getting over; my wife and I have three kids ourselves."
He lowered his gun, but he kept it in his hand. "It does take a lot out of a woman. Listen, I'm sorry that I frightened you."
"Don't worry about it, I'm sure I frightened you too." The man got onto his knees and started to pick up the ingredients he dropped.
"What's your name again?" Michael kept his eye trained on the young man's head.
"Sean."
"And is that an Irish accent?"
"It is indeed. You've a keen ear."
"I've heard enough of the Irish accent over the past year to know that you've a Kerry accent." When the man stopped and looked up at him, Michael readied his gun once more. "Who sent you? Danny or the IRA?"
"You've got me confused for someone else."
"You're very unconvincing." Michael nodded towards the cellar door with a stern look. "Get down there or I blow your fucking brains out."
Sean got onto his feet slowly, with his hands in the air. He did as he was told and opened the cellar door, staring down at the concrete steps that led underground. "I'm not with the IRA, Mr Gray, I promise."
As soon as the intruder took a step down, Michael lifted his leg and pushed him down the stairs, switching the light on and closing the door behind him. Once Sean landed at the bottom, Michael peered down and watched him writhe around in pain before going down and getting to the bottom of this situation.
Sean woke up, tied up to a chair and with a headache that could kill. He looked around the seemingly empty wine cellar before trying to break free from his bindings. When he looked behind him to try and get a better look, he saw Michael sitting behind him, his shirt sleeves rolled up above his elbow and a sinister look on his face.
"I found your gun… and the explosives you planted in my kitchen." When Sean looked away from him and hung his head, Michael got onto his feet and walked around him until they were face to face once more. "You weren't expecting anyone to be awake, were you?" he gripped him by his mop of ginger hair and lifted his head. "Very silent now, aren't you Sean?"
"Rot in hell, Peaky bastard." He replied with a smirk.
"Which one are you? IRA or a gypsy boy?"
"I ain't saying anything. I hope not knowing the answer haunts you."
"If what my wife says is true, you wouldn't be a gypsy because her brother, Danny, wouldn't risk hurting her or our kids and she's certain of that... So that makes me think you're Republican."
"You'll never know."
"TNT isn't Danny's weapon of choice." Michael pulled the trigger before the Irishman could say anything else. He wiped Sean's splattered blood from his face with his forearm and re-holstered his gun. Michael needed to call Tommy and tell him but by the time he got to the top of the stairs, Alice was standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes wide with anger.
"What's going on, Michael?"
A:N Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I know it took a while but I wanted it to be perfect. Thank you so much for reading and the next one will be coming soon!