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-Four
Time was of the essence and they couldn't waste any trying to find Paul and his men; Tommy, Arthur and the remaining Peakys were going to have to be the ones to derail the IRA's plans. They readied their weapons and piled into the boiler room, slowly moving down the cramped hallway. It was hard to focus in the sweltering heat, but Tommy was able to take one down without alerting the rest of their arrival. As they continued along the hallway, they could hear laughter and talking. He didn't know how many were going to be in the room, but it sounded like more than what he had. He looked over his shoulder at his brother and gave him a quick nod before bursting into the room, shots firing rapidly in hopes of taking someone out.
When they were fully in the room, Tommy realised how outnumbered they were; three Irish to each Peaky Blinder. He threw punches, knocking one to the ground but before he even had the chance to aim his pistol, another wrapped his arm around Tommy's neck. It felt like he was going to rip his head from his shoulders but thankfully Finn got over his nerves and shot the Irishman in the leg, making him let go of Tommy. Finn gripped onto his gun a little tighter and finished him off then moved onto the next one that dared test him. Arthur was hacking and slashing with his razor lined cap in all directions; Tommy hadn't saw his bloodlust in so long, it was only fitting that he let it out when they needed him the most. Half the Irish were gone, and Tommy took the chance to delve into the room behind the sealed door at the other end. He kicked at the door until the hinges gave into his force.
He locked eyes with the man planting the bomb, there was still time as he hadn't finished wiring the TNT to the detonator. Tommy gripped the shocked Irishman by his hair, dragging him away from the explosives. He tried to fight against Tommy, but his will was stronger and he wasn't going to let go. With the grip of his gun, Tommy struck him on his temple, knocking him unconscious. He was going to keep this one alive, he wanted the information he had.
The fresh air never felt so good and as he watched Finn and Arthur hand the Irishman over to the Polish, he wondered where Paul had disappeared to. "I'm going to go check on Michael, make sure he gets to Birmingham, alive." Tommy called over as he walked past his allies. He slipped through the unaware crowd as they watched the race and made his way into the garage. His question of Paul's whereabouts was answered when he saw him knelt over Michael, his fingers digging into the gunshot would on Michael's shoulder. Tommy ran to his side and clicked his fingers in front of Michael's bruised and bloody face. But he was too dazed to respond.
"He can't even speak. He's only came around." Paul explained as he pulled the bullet out of Michael's body.
"Is he going to be alright?"
"He'll live if I keep this pressure on him." Paul stuck his hand over the wound and pressed his weight down just enough to contain most of the bleeding. "How did this happen?"
"Danny. Michael was watching him. He must've got his gun." Tommy shook his head and let out a sigh. "How did you find him?"
"Followed the gunshot. I was standing on the other side of that wall," he nodded behind him then shook his head, "took me a while trying to find the way into the place." Paul looked up at Tommy, the concern for his friend appeared on his face. "Go get your car, he's going to need to go to the hospital." When Tommy got onto his feet, he looked over to the garage door. "Try and get that open, means we don't have to carry him through the stands."
Tommy moved towards the door and pulled on the chain over and over until the door was raised enough to get Michael out. He took one last glance at Michael before running as fast as he could to his car. He regretted his choice of leaving Michael alone with Danny, he should've known that something would happen; Danny was a snake that managed to escape everything.
It felt like the wind had been knocked out of her when she finally laid eyes on Michael, lying in his hospital bed, sedated and unaware of anything going on around him. Alice didn't even realise that Tommy was sitting by his bedside until he placed a hand on her shoulder. She jumped a little, her hand rested on her pounding heart as she glanced at him, her fearful tears clouding her eyes; she was expecting him to say that there was no hope for him, that he wasn't going to make it by the way he was staring at her, but he didn't.
"He's going to be okay, Alice. If Paul hadn't of got the bullet out of his shoulder, it might've been a different story, but he saved him. We were lucky."
"Who did this? Was it the IRA?" she couldn't pull her eyes away from Michael's face. He was so swollen and purple.
"Danny. It was Danny that busted up his face and it was him that shot Michael."
She closed her eyes and took in a deep, jagged breath. "Where is he?"
"We don't know."
"He better be found; he has to pay for what he's done." She felt like her legs were going to collapse underneath her but as she stumbled, Tommy kept a hold of her, his arms supporting her. She sobbed into Tommy's shoulder; she couldn't hold it back as much as she tried. "Danny can't get away with this."
Tommy patted her back, trying his best to console her, but he couldn't find the right words to say to her, not when he was unsure of where their friendship lied. "We're looking for him, and we won't stop until we find him. I promise you that, Alice."
She broke away from Tommy and stepped towards Michael, lifting his hand into hers. When she placed her other hand over the back of his, she could feel that he was still warm, still alive even if he didn't seem like it. Alice blamed herself, she told him to go; she let her anger get the better of her judgement.
"Do you want me to give you a moment?"
Alice didn't turn, she just nodded and fell into the chair beside his bed. She didn't hear Tommy leave or the door close. She just kept looking at his bandaged chest and his damaged face hoping that he was going to wake up and tell her himself that he was going to be okay. Until he woke, she wasn't going to leave his side. She knew that the kids were in safe hands with Pol, the only person she had to worry about was Michael.
It was the early hours of the morning when Michael woke up, it was still dark outside, and he had no idea where he was. He felt discomfort on his face and when he looked down, he saw the bandages that were wrapped around him. It was at that moment he remembered what happened and realised where he was. He looked to his left and saw Alice, sleeping curled up on the chair, her hand barely clasping onto his fingers. He was worried about her more so than himself, he knew that he would bounce back from this, he had done so in the past, but he was almost certain that Alice would spend her time worrying with many sleepless nights and that wasn't healthy. Not when they had two young children that needed her more than they needed him.
He let go of her hand and very slowly sat up. He was determined to get out of this hospital, he couldn't spend another six weeks here when his family was being threatened. Cautiously, he put his feet onto the floor and stood up, keeping his hand pressed to the wall for support. Once he was steady, he placed a hand over his throbbing shoulder and teetered towards the toilet in the room, catching a glimpse of his face in the mirror. He didn't recognise himself and as he stared at his busted nose and lip, he recalled the kicks he took to the head. He placed his hands onto the rim of the sink and ducked his head, he would only upset Johnny if he saw him like this. He didn't know what to do.
"Michael, why are you out of bed?" Alice mumbled from the chair; she was still sleepy but wide awake.
He looked over his shoulder at her, watching as she got onto her feet and stretched out all the kinks in her back. "Needed to see if my legs still worked." He was trying to be light-hearted, but it hurt his face to smile, he could just about get his lip to curl up, but Alice wasn't in the mood for joking. "I don't know if I should stay here."
"Michael, you have to. You got shot." She shook her head at him as she took a step closer towards him, her hand placed on his back, underneath his bandage.
"I know that but the bullet's out of me, there's nothing else that the nurses can do. Plus, if I'm stuck in that hospital bed, what's to stop an IRA man coming in here and finishing the job?"
She didn't agree with his decision, but he knew that he was right. If Michael thought that he was fine enough to return home, then she wasn't going to stop him.
"But what I'm worried about the most is how Johnny's going to react," he turned to look at his reflection and shrugged a little, "to this mess here."
"I'll speak to him, tell him what's happened."
"What exactly are you going to tell him?"
"The truth, not who did it but that you were attacked. I can't lie to him, I never have."
"I don't know about that, Alice."
"Trust me, if I tell him what to expect when you get home and what happened to you, he'll deal with it a lot better than me scrambling to try and find an explanation for why your face looks like that.
He would have to take her word on that, as much as he hated to admit it, he didn't know his son as well as Alice did. With her help, he pottered back to the bed and sat on the edge, his feet rested on the floor. "Was Tommy here?"
"He was, but you were still out cold when he left."
"Have you spoke with him?"
"Bits and pieces. It was all about you and what happened. Why?" she sat back in the chair and rubbed her heavy eyes.
"We were chatting on our way to the race and he told me that he wants to apologise to you." He watched her face screw up in annoyance as her hand brushed her hair to the side. "Alice, he does regret what happened and what you said to him really made him think about his actions."
"Good, as they should've. It was only the truth. When I went to Madame Mahoney, the one who gave me the message from my mother, she said that the men in my life would have the opportunity to betray me. Danny did that the day he sent that shipment to Ireland and now Tommy betrayed me by having the opinion that I was trying to destroy the family from the inside."
"He wants to take back what he said."
"It doesn't lessen the sting, Michael." She let out a deep sigh and looked her husband in the eye. "You're the only one who resisted that temptation and I'm thankful for that, so for you I'll hear him out. But I'm not going to promise that things will be great between us."
"I don't want you to promise anything, you don't have to. I kind of want you to give him a hard time, might straighten out that ego of his."
She smiled when she saw the hint of a smirk and looked away from him, crossing one leg over the other. "I'll have my fun with it."
Michael's homecoming wasn't as bad as he expected. Johnny was more subdued than normal, and he noticed how Alice kept a hand on his shoulder. Tommy left for a moment to sort out the men that were going to guard the house while Michael had a moment with his children. Alice crouched down beside Johnny and said to him, "Remember what I said, don't jump all over dad."
"I know mumma, the bad men hurt him really bad." He said as he cautiously approached Michael. Once he was close enough, he hugged his legs, his arms wrapped around Michael's knees.
Michael set his hand on top of his head, ruffling his hair playfully. "Looks like I'm not going to be goalie anytime soon."
"Mumma said we can't play football until you're better." Johnny peered up at Michael, the sadness of this command apparent in his eyes.
He looked at his wife and she returned his look with stern stare. "I'll negotiate with your mum." He lowered himself slowly so that he was eye level with his son. "You're not scared of how I look, are you?"
"It's just cuts and bruises." He replied, as he looked at all the purple skin. "I've got a cut on my knee."
"You do? How'd that happen?"
"I tripped over Nanny Pol's feet when she was feed Rosie last night."
"Were you running in the house?" When his son nodded, he put his hand on his face and directed his eyeline to him. "You know not to run in the house. Let me see the cut."
Johnny raised his trouser leg and showed him the bandage that had a little bit of blood leaking through.
"At least we're matching." When Tommy came back into the house, Pol just behind him, Michael stood up.
"How about we go make some buns for your father? Hmm?" Pol said as she took her grandson's hand. "Let the grownups talk for a bit?" When Johnny nodded, Pol placed her hand on Michael's good shoulder and then his cheek, smiling at him. "You'll still be handsome, if that heals."
"If is the word." He watched his mum take Johnny into the kitchen then took Rosie carefully from Alice, ignoring the pain for the chance to cuddle his sleeping baby. "What's with all the men?"
"Neither of us wanted to risk the IRA coming back here." Tommy replied as he leaned against the wall, taking a cigarette out of his pocket.
"You really think they're going to come back here? If they're going anywhere, it's to you."
"We've all got out own guards outside the house, courtesy of Paul."
"I had the chance to speak to him this morning, let him know how grateful I was that he saved your life," Alice watched her husband as he shifted Rosie into a more comfortable position, "and stressed that none of us are safe until the IRA are dealt with. He offered this solution."
Michael nodded. "If it helps you sleep at night."
"It's to help us all sleep at night. Paul isn't doing this for free though, I've gave him my mother's house in the city as payment."
"What?" Tommy almost swallowed his cigarette.
"Alice, that was the last thing of hers."
"I know, but it wasn't mine to give away anyway. Danny was going to take her house, but he fucked things up before he got the chance to sign the deeds. I would rather it go to Paul and protect this family than it going to Danny."
"Are you sure?" Michael could see that losing that house bothered her more than what she was letting on.
"Definitely, it's just a house."
"If I had of known you were going to do that, I wouldn't have taken you to see Paul." Tommy said as he searched for an ash tray.
"Does this mean that you've spoken?" Michael glanced between his cousin and his wife.
"Small talk really." Tommy replied, glancing up at Alice as she stared through him. "But there's no time like the present. Alice, I am sorry for what I said."
"What was it that you said again? Just remind me." She folded her arms across her chest and sat on the arm of a chair.
"Do you really need me to say it again?"
"No, I don't, because it's been in my mind since the day you said it."
"What you said was right, I am the one that's going to ruin this family, I already put it in motion when I accused you of working with Danny. You don't have to forgive me, but please accept my apology." Tommy watched her as she mulled it over, he could tell that Michael was enjoying this spectacle, his eyes were glistening with mischief.
"I'll accept your apology, but if you ever accuse me of something like that again, that is us done. I'll never work with you again and Michael and I will return to New York and put a halt on all Shelby company activities across the pond. Am I understood?" When Tommy nodded, she unfolded her arms. "I thought you knew me better, Tommy. But I'll forgive you for now."
"Well, now that all of this has been put to bed, perhaps we should gather the rest of the family and put a game plan into motion." Michael interjected.
"You're not going to be involved in anything." Alice replied firmly.
"I can plan, I just can't be involved. I'm not going to sit around and do nothing, not when there's a war going on."
A:N Hope you guys are all doing well during this pandemic, I wish you all my very best. Updating this might be a bit slower than normal as I'm an essential worker and I'll be working almost every day until this is all over. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoyed reading and I'll try to keep updating as much as possible during all of this. Stay safe!