𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟒

"You're in here early," Maeve said, ignoring the fact Arthur had just snorted cocaine off the bar. "Yeah, i know. Someone has to open up don't they?" He said, standing from the seat and approaching the front doors.

"Yeah..that's my job?" She said, slipping behind the bar and grabbing a cloth.

Only seconds later after Arthur returned to the bar, a woman walked in. "Cleaning jobs gone, vacancy is filled." He told her, accepting the bottle of whiskey off Maeve.

"I'm not a cleaner," she paused, "but i have come to clean away some dirt." The woman's voice was shaking and both Maeve an Arthur looked at her, confused as she pointed a gun at them.

Arthur placed the bottle down and sighed. "Why don't you put that away before it goes off?" He suggested.

"You killed my son! You peaky bastard!" She shouted, "you beat and beat him and beat him!"

Arthur stared at the floor, "your son was a boxer."

"No!" She sobbed, "he was a boy, Who got into a ring with an animal," her hands shook. "Yeah ain't that the truth," Arthur said lowly. The woman took a deep breath, "i've come to stop you..because the coppers and nobody else will.."

Arthur stood and took a few steps forward. "If you're gonna use it, point that thing at my head, that's where the trouble is. Gut shot soldiers take half a day to die. I've seen them, walking around with their guts in their arms like dirty washing- hold that gun up and do it!" He shouted. "Fucking do it!"

Maeve felt underneath the bar, trying to find the gun that Tommy kept there.

"Do it!" He repeated. Nothing. Arthur grabbed his glass, "i'm gonna finish my drink. You can finish it with me if you like?"

The gun fired and Maeve ducked, hearing the glass behind her shatter. Anger filled him and he grabbed the gun from her hand, pretending to hit her with it and forcing her to sit. "That's my fucking daughter, that could've fucking hit her!" He shouted.

Which was ironic considering he'd killed the woman's son. Maeve slowly stood straight and placed down a glass, "pull a stunt like that again an i'll fucking kill you too!" Arthur threatened, emptying the bullets from the gun.

He slid the glass toward her and nodded. "Now look, look at me. We've got a fund, for you. You'll get paid weekly. And i know it won't bring back your son and i know that. You have other sons..you do, i have one daughter. We will find them work, you won't have to work-"

She cut him off by standing and flipping the table. "Right get out!" Maeve snapped, "fucking get out."

"Somebody has got to stop you people."

Maeve stepped around the bar and pointed a finger at the woman, "i said leave." The woman walked out, soon followed by John. "Who broke the fucking mirror? Seven years bad luck that is," he said plainly, nodding at Maeve and walking through to the back room.

Maeve stood behind Arthur and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright dad.."

-

Maeve, Finn and Isiah sat around a table in the snug, the air filled with smoke. "Play on," Maeve nodded, holding her cards close to her chest.

Isiah threw in a poker chip, adding to the pile. Maeve and Finn copied.

"Can you believe that boy is Polly's son?" Finn spoke. Maeve hummed, "yes, I went with Tom to find him." She said, checking her cards once more.

"Fucking what? You taking the piss? How come you get to do all this shit and I don't?" Finn asked, angry. Maeve shrugged, "probably cause i'm older." She said.

Finn shook his head, "no it's probably because your psychotic."

"Finn be quiet or i'll tell Aunt Pol about you taking her cigarettes last week." Maeve said, not noticing that Isiah was peeking at her cards. But when she did, she gasped.

"Oh you cheater!" She said, lips parted, "you can't do that, it's against the rules. You're out, show your cards!"

Isiah grinned and shook his head, "nah, keep playing, sweetheart." He said, facing his cards away from her. "Isiah Jesus don't be a rat!" She hissed, "show us your cards, ya out."

"Isiah, she's right. That's the rules, you can't cheat," Finn defended her. Isiah rolled his eyes and threw the cards down, "i would've lost anyway," he told them.

"So why d'ya cheat!" Maeve squealed, her voice incredibly high pitched.

"Alright Maeve, bloody hell!" Finn winced, kicking her underneath the table. She looked at him with a look of disgust and kicked him back. "A bloody dog can hear you at this rate!"

Suddenly they began kicking each other back and forth, the table moving ever so slightly. "Right enough," Isiah stood, grabbing Maeve by her upper arms and pulling her to her feet, "you sit there," he instructed, shoving her back down.

Maeve was shocked, completely shocked. Stunned, in fact. Isiah Jesus had just picked her up and forced her back down. And she allowed it. Even Finn was shocked.

"Are you her dad or something?" Finn said, watching Isiah take her previous seat.

"No, not her dad." Isiah said, taking his whiskey and finishing it off. "But it is almost twelve which means I have to take her home because her dad said so."

"That's not fair, he gets to stay out and he's younger than me!" Maeve argued. "Probably because nobody pays any fucking attention to me Maeve, now fuck off. You can't have everything you want." Finn tormented, waving her off.

She pulled her tongue at him like a child and followed Isiah out. "Can't believe you actually follow my dads rules."

"He's Artha Shelby, don't really want to have my eyes taken." Isiah sighed, placing his coat over her shoulders. "And only god knows what you'd get up to if you didn't have a curfew."

Maeve scoffed, "now you sound like my Aunt Pol."

"Well everyone loves Aunt Pol- i'll take it as a compliment." He said, nudging her slightly.

A comfortable silence fell over them. But of course Isiah had to go ruin it. "Finn almost had a fight with that Max of yours yesterday."

Maeve looked up at him, "about what?"

"You." Isiah automatically regretted it once the words came out of his mouth. Maeve raised an eyebrow, "what d'ya mean me?" She questioned.

"Well er..you see- it's a bit of a long story," he stuttered.

Maeve groaned loudly, "just spit it out, Siah."

He swallowed hard, his mouth going extremely dry. "Well you see- that Kian lad from Liverpool was winding me up..or he was winding Finn up..i don't really know-"

"Just get on with it."

"Right..sorry. He was asking if we had shagged and then Cameron was telling him to leave it then Max called you a diddicoy whore, Finn threatened him, Max said it was an empty threat and here we are." Isiah ran out of breath by the time he'd finished.

Maeve stooped walking. "What do you mean Kian asked if we'd shagged? What did you tell them?"

"Nothing, I swear! I'd never do that to ya, honest."

"But?" Maeve asked causing him to frown, "there's a but, isn't there. What else happened, Isiah?"

"You're too good- how the fuck did you know there was a but?" Maeve, once again, rolled her eyes. "Because I grew up with Arthur Shelby as my dad, i learnt how to read people. So go on, what else happened?"

"Max saw us..the other night he saw us."

Her heart dropped, "he saw us?" She repeated, "what do you mean he saw us. How did he see us?" Panic arose in her. Isiah nervously scratched the back of his head, "he said that it looked like i enjoyed it and that the blue dress you were wearing was nice? I don't know, i can't remember!"

"How the fuck.." she whispered, running a finger over her lip. "Oh my god, the curtains," she pinched the bridge of her nose, "we didn't close the fucking curtains."

"But you have that weird little cover thing, surely that's a curtain. Is that not a curtain?"

"No..well yes but it's made out of like lace or something, i don't know. If you looked hard enough you can see through it!" She told him.

"Will he tell anyone?" Isiah asked. "If he's angry about it, yes." Maeve nodded, looking up when she felt something cold touch her head.

Snow.

"You know what, don't worry about it, let's just hope it passes and he doesn't speak about it to anyone. Goodnight Isiah," she said, slipping the jacket off her shoulders and handing it back to him.

"What, you're not gonna let me walk ya home. At least let me walk you home- fucking hell Maeve keep the coat it's fucking snowing." He said as she turned away.

"Isiah i'm fine!"

"Maeve i swear- just take the coat!" He pleaded, catching up with her and forcing it over her shoulders, "if you don't i'll just walk with you and keep it on ya- i don't care if i have to run after you."

"You never stop, do you?" She sighed. Secretly she loved it though, but she'd never admit that.

Maeve stopped outside her door and forced the coat back into his hands, not saying anything and opening it. "Goodnight Maeve?" He said in a questioning tone, slowly throwing his arms up as if to say what the fuck.

"Yeah whatever, Siah. Goodnight."

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