𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟖

Micheal cleared his throat, "Day rate, seven shillings." he spoke, sliding the coins forward. "Loading unloading. Night rate, three. Total ten."

"Let's go and get a drink," Isiah spoke.

"No i'm alright." Micheal refused. "Come on its pay day." Isiah argued, putting out his cigarette. "Everybody has a drink on payday,"

"Not me."

"You think your mum don't have a drink on pay day? You think the lord almighty don't have a drink on payday" he laughed, his accent strong. "Man it's on fire out there. Woman from the BSA offices. Honest. They go out on their own without men these days. In twos and threes now. Mickey, they go out in twos and threes and buy their own drinks."

"The Marquis," Isiah continued. "That's where the BSA secretaries go. Look, they won't serve a black man without a Shelby by his side."

Micheal looked at him, sitting up straight. "So you're using me?"

"Yeah? Come on?"

"Maeve is a Shelby too y'know." Micheal reminded him. "Micheal, she's not left the house in weeks, you really think i'll get her to the Marquis? It was hard enough convincing her to come over tonight."

-

They walked into the pub, woman who walked past smiling at them. "I told you. I fucking told you. This city is going mad," Isiah laughed. "Girls go out on their own now." he handed Micheal a cigarette.

"Two pints of dark mild please." Micheal asked the man. "Fuck that, we're peaky boys, two whiskeys." Isiah corrected.

Micheal shook his head , lighting the cigarette. "You get used to it, then you can't stop." Isiah assured him.

A man approached them, looking Isiah up and down. He whistled, grabbing the boys attention. "I don't drink with blacks."

"Here we fucking go," Isiah sighed in annoyance.

"Paddy they're okay." The barman intervened. "Not with me they're not" the boy was from Liverpool, thick accent. "I don't drink in pubs with blacks." he said again. "So leave," Micheal shrugged.

"Look, my dad is the preacher round here, he has connections, ask anyone." Isiah told him. "I couldn't give a fuck who he is." Paddy retorted.

"I'm telling you to leave it Paddy." The barman warned.

"And i'm telling this darkie to get out of here," Paddy spat.

"You know something, fuck off!" Isiah pointed. "It's all right Isiah leave it, we'll go to my cousins pub," Micheal said. "I like it here." Isiah hissed.

"You fucking-" Paddy sent his fist forward, punching Isiah.

A man went for Micheal, punching him.

"Paddy, the white ones a peaky blinder, him Polly Shelby's son" he shouted, panic lacing his voice, "he's Polly Shelby's son!" He repeated, "Are you fucking suicidal?"

"Sir? Sir i'm sorry i didn't know.." Paddy backed away, hands up in defence.  "I'm sorry, i really didn't know."

"Get out the fucking pub" Isiah said, pointing at them. The men scurried away. "We ordered some drinks and we're going to drink them," Micheal spoke, leaning against the bar.

-

"His face man, did you see his fucking face?" Micheal laughed as they walked down Garrison lane in the dark.

"You punch like a fucking kangaroo;" he told Micheal.

"Right anyway i need a fucking drink," Micheal said as they approached the Garrison. "It's packed in here isn't it" he sighed. They got their drinks and walked into the snug where Finn, Arthur and John sat.  "Here they are, look," Arthur said. "Junior peaky boys."

"What's happened, have you been scrapping?" he looked at the boys.

"Some idiots at the Marquis of Lorne, tried to stop us from drinking but it's all right. We fought them off. We had to stand out ground and we did."

"The Marquis, eh?" Arthur asked, standing up. John and Finn stood but they pushed Finn back to his seat. "Where's your dad?"

"Preaching."

"Right," he sighed, picking up his cap and walking to the door. "Don't nick any of me chips Finn." John shouted.

"Where are you going?"

"We won't be long."

"Where are they going?" Micheal asked Isiah. "The Marquis of Lorne, shame it was a nice pub." He ran a finger over his mouth.

-

"Oi, get up." Arthur said, flicking Maeve on the head and waking her. "What do you want?" She hissed.

"I've got a job for ya, come on." He said, leaving the door open and joining John outside again. Maeve rolled her eyes and quickly changed despite not even wanting to get out of bed.

"What was so important that you needed me?"

"You've always like fire, haven't you Maeve?" John asked with a smirk. She tilted her head and nodded cautiously. "How would ya like to set the Marquis of Lorne on fire?"

Excitement raged inside her and she nodded quickly, forgetting all about what had happened to make her feel so down. Yes she loved the Marquis but it was fire. She loved fire.

-

Isiah entered the betting den, blowing into his freezing hands. "Alright, Isiah?" Arthur questioned, smoking a cigarette.

"Yeah..yeah- is Maeve in?" Isiah asked, hands in his pockets. Arthur looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why you asking?" He questioned.

Isiah grew nervous and could feel his heart through his chest. "It's just- i promised to take her out for a bit, if she was up for it." He said, his mouth going dry.

"She's upstairs," Arthur grunted, tapping his cigarette onto the ashtray. Isiah nodded and walked past him, cautiously going up the stairs. He took a deep breath before knocking on the wooden door. "Maeve? It's me. Can i come in?"

"Yeah," she said, sounding slightly more chipper than she had been the last time he'd seen her. He opened the door and was surprised to see her folding clothes on the bed, the room extremely tidy.

"How're you feeling?" Isiah asked, leaning against the door. Maeve shrugged, "better knowing that you're here."

"Really?" He asked.

Maeve nodded, smiling slightly. "I suppose it makes me feel a little more safe," she said, hugging her jumper close to her body. Isiah smiled and Maeve relaxed her shoulders. "Don't laugh at me."

"I'm not laughing," He shook his head, a smile still hovering on his lips. "Sweetheart, it's just nice that i make you feel safe." He said. The use of the word sweetheart in attempt to keep the situation from being awkward.

"We going out then?"

Maeve took a deep breath and reached for her coat, nodding in agreement despite the anxious feeling that flooded through her. If you don't try, it won't get better.

"What happened to your face?" Maeve asked, reaching up and touching Isiah's skin. He hesitated at her touch but didn't move. "Some prick at the Marquis, tried stopping us from drinking." He told her, "got into a fight."

Maeve ran her finger over a small cut that sat on Isiah's eyebrow and sighed, "You're alright though?"

Isiah nodded and moved aside, allowing her to leave the room first. Maeve's behaviour was strange and everyone thought it. She was being nicer than ever, she was actually afraid of things.

"Before we go to mine," Isiah began, his accent thick, "i wanted to show you something." Maeve looked up at him, holding his arm, "what's that?"

"Come on," he said, taking her hand and walking her off down one of the side lanes. At first she didn't know what to think. Surely there wasn't anything too interesting- but she hadn't been out in a while so who knows.

The last thing she did expect was that he'd be taking her to look at the Christmas Lights.

Isiah watched her face light up slightly, the colourful decorations glistening in her eyes. He couldn't help but feel happy at the look on her face.

"You never been before?" He chuckled slightly, keeping her close. Maeve shrugged, "dad used to take me before the war..then during the war people stopped putting up the decorations." She said. "Thank you," she looked up at him, her words genuine.

He almost laughed. She was so happy over some Christmas lights? But instead of laughing, he realised how down she'd actually been.

"You like it then?" He asked, his fingers gently grazing over her arms. She nodded, looking at him again. "Why did you bring me here?"

Isiah wanted to tell her the truth. But he didn't. "It's my job."

Them words felt like a stab in the back to the Shelby girl. It's my job. "Your job..so you didn't actually want to spend time with me? You did it cause Tom or my dad asked you to?" She wanted to move away from him and go home.

"No, Maeve- it's my job to keep you happy." He corrected, watching her face stay the same. She clearly didn't know how to feel or what to believe.

She looked back over at the colourful lights and everything from when she was young came flooding back to her. When Arthur would hold her on his shoulders to place to angel on the tree, when John would tickle her until she couldn't breath before bed on Christmas Eve, when Tommy would actually smile, when Aunt Pol would scold the boys for putting whiskey and cigarettes under the tree instead of milk and cookies.

It all came back to her and something clicked inside her head. She was a Shelby, through and through. If she was a few years older, what she'd done would've been classed as normal. But because she was a girl and still a teen, she felt insane.

When in fact, her actions were classed as self defence. Who knows what Max would've done to her if she hadn't retaliated. It's clear people wanted her to do something to him because nobody pulled her away when it all started.

Not even Cameron. He stood and watched. Although Maeve felt like a terrible person, she knew she shouldn't feel like that. Because Tommy killed people as easy as he breathed, John and Arthur fought with people whenever they got the chance.

It was the Shelby normality. And if that made her a monster, so be it. It was their city, they owned every bit of it. They had the power to run people out of town. Just like how Maeve did to Theadosia. Practically what Thomas did to Grace.

And what the boys had done to Max when they figured he hadn't died.

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