𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓𝟑

Maeve groaned loudly when there was a knock on the door, interrupting her and Isiah's..situation. "For fucks sake what do you want?" She shouted so loud that there was a possibility she'd woken the dead.

John cleared his throat. "We need Isiah so if youse are er— if youse are shagging in there i'd suggest hurrying it up. We don't have time to wait." He said awkwardly from behind the door.

Maeve closed her eyes in frustration. "For your information, John, we aren't shagging. But i am indeed spending time with my boyfriend!" She shouted angrily.

Isiah covered his mouth to silence his laughs.

John sniffed. "Yeah well i'm sorry Maeve but he's got something to do. Time doesn't wait for us. So come on, get a move on." He knocked the door with his knuckles before leaving them be.

"I swear to god—" Maeve began, moving from her position on his lap and running her hands over her face.

"Didn't think you believed in god." Isiah teased, pulling his shirt over his head. Maeve glared at him and he raised his hands in defence. "Sorry."

"Yeah fuck off. Go and do Peaky Blinder shit— leave me here." Maeve said in a fed up tone. Isiah tilted his head at her and sighed. "Why don't you go to church with Linda?" He suggested.

"What, and be arrested for killing her in a religious place? No thanks." She scoffed.

Isiah shook his head laughing and kissed her for a moment. "I apologise for leaving ya but if John says i have to go, i have to go."

Maeve hummed spitefully and followed him down the stairs after fixing her hair.

"Alright, trouble?" Arthur asked, pushing himself off the wall. Maeve raised an eyebrow at him and placed her hands on her hips.

"And where exactly are you taking my boyfriend?" Maeve asked.

Arthur looked at Isiah strangely whilst he stood with the group. "Artillery Square, Tommy has a plan." He said. She tilted her head forward. "And why am i not apart of this plan? I thought that my role in Shelby Company was—"

"What role?" He laughed. Maeve trailed off quickly and shook her head. "Never mind. Have fun, don't die." She smiled. Arthur gave her a quick hug and walked to the van.

Before he left, he turned and walked backward so he was facing her. "Although I do think Tommy wants to talk to you!" He called out.

"Great." She sighed.

-

Maeve stood at the desk in Tommy's old office, running her fingers along the wood. The door opened and he lingered there for a moment.

"This has to stop happening, Uncle Tom." She sighed, walking round and sitting in the chair. He frowned in confusion. "If you have a job for me to do, you let me know before hand. Not the day of. Unless it was last minute." She pointed a finger at him. "Why does it always seem that during a situation like this, my job is never addressed in front of the family."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Whoever the fuck you are, please bring my niece back."

"Funny," she smiled, "John said the same thing. Anyway— dad said you wanted me to do something. What is it?"

He took a breath. "I need to use you as protection."

"What's knew?"

"Today, at Artillery Square— Luca and his men will be there. Do you remember the boy ya father killed in the ring? His twenty first birthday is approaching and his twenty first birthday. She invited Arthur over— a peace offering or some shit, i don't know."

"And you think it's a trap."

"No, but what we do know is that Micheal will be at the hospital alone. With everyone being with me, he's alone.."

"Doesn't sound like a problem." She shrugged.

"No," Tommy raised a finger at her. Maeve tilted her head. "Put that finger down, i am not a dog, Thomas." She scowled. Tommy bit his tongue. "John had a feeling something was off about it all. You need to take your gun, fully loaded. Take whatever you need that will make sure you won't be fucking killed."

"Like i said, not a problem."

"Right, considering you seem fairly confident, i'll go with the rest of the lads to explain the plan. Be at the hospital, Maeve."

-

Micheal smiled when Maeve continued talking to him.

"So John used to actually kick us down Watery Lane in boxes?" He asked in surprise. She shook her head. "He used to kick you down Watery Lane, my dad wouldn't let him even put me in a box."

Micheal laughed and threw his head back. Maeve stood and checked her watch. "I'll be a moment—" Maeve said, checking the hall before going off to the lavatory.

A nurse passed her on her way out but she thought nothing of it. When she was walking down the hall, she heard a gunshot and froze. "Fuck." She whispered, standing against the wall.

Maeve walked slowly back to Micheal's room and opened up the door.

"Micheal— Micheal we need to leave." She whispered, kneeling down and trying to help him up off the floor after he'd fallen over. "Micheal, come on. They're here."

"She took my gun." He said quickly, referring to the nurse that had came in.

Maeve took a deep breath and helped him onto his bed before going to the chair and searching her coat.

Someone entered the room and she looked up at the window then peered over her shoulder. Micheal was breathing heavily, pain rushing through him.

"Micheal sit down." She hissed.

Maeve kept her gun behind her back and somewhat stood in front of Micheal as they came face to face with Luca. He locked the doors.

"Where i'm from, hat on the bed is not lucky." Luca began, inching toward Micheal. "My family say it brings death. Maybe that's what happens. Last time my men were sent for you, you got lucky."

Maeve watched Luca slowly pull out a gun and she swallowed hard. Luca had walked past Maeve.

"Now." Luca pressed the gun to Micheal's head. "Your luck's run out." He said. Maeve pressed her gun into Luca's back just as he tried to fire it into Micheal's head.

It didn't work. The gun didn't fire. Luca lowered his gun slowly and Micheal let out a breath. "Your gun may be empty but mine is fucking full." She hissed.

Luca shoved his gun away and took a few steps from them. He stared right into Maeve's eyes for a moment before walking to the other set of doors.

"And tell your mother we have a deal." Luca whispered.

Micheal and Maeve looked at each other, a sense of betrayal rushing through her. Polly had made a deal with a Changretta. One of their lives for Micheal's. Whether it would be Maeve, Arthur or Tommy, she didn't know. But she knew Polly had made a deal to keep Micheal alive.

Suddenly, Tommy burst in. "Micheal, what happened, eh? What happened?" He shouted.

"They heard you coming— look the gun misfired and they ran away." Micheal panted. Arthur squeezed Maeve's shoulder quickly and examined her to ensure she was okay. She nodded at him and he ran off through the doors in attempt to catch Luca.

"You came just in time." Micheal said.

Tommy sat down. "You alright? You hurt?"

Maeve stood in the corner quietly.

"I'm fine." Micheal nodded. Tommy looked out at the window and slowly back at Michael. He figured it out too. They'd been betrayed by someone in their own family.

He looked over his shoulder at Maeve who was staring at Micheal coldly. There was a certain look in her eyes that even sent shiver's up Tommy's spine.

If looks could kill, Micheal Gray would've died on the spot.

-

Maeve paced the betting shop, blowing smoke from her cigarette every other moment. She couldn't shake it. Micheal had done something— or even worse, Polly had done something.

The phone began ringing and Polly went to answer it. She couldn't hear the woman but still she was curious and eyed up the phone in the corner of the room. She knew it was wrong, but Maeve couldn't let it go.

Maeve checked that nobody was looking at her and put the phone to her ear. She'd remembered this trick from when her and Finn used to listen in to John's calls with his late wife Martha.

"Mrs Gray," a familiar voice grumbled down the phone. Maeve pulled a chair to sit on. "I want to deal a straight deal. That at any time we can reach your son. And we will kill your son." He hissed. "If you do not deliver Tommy Shelby as you promised."

Her heart dropped. She watched Polly sit down in her seat.

"Just tell us where and when. And—" The line was cut, Polly ended the call. Maeve slowly put the phone down and glared at Polly through the window.

She watched her cover her mouth to conceal her tears and grab her coat, swiftly putting it on to leave the den. Maeve couldn't believe it. If they didn't have a deal before, they sure did now.

"What's with your face?" John asked, slamming a book down onto the table and causing her to jump. She said nothing and just looked at the door. "Maeve? Fucking hell, what's up with you?"

She let out a frustrated breath. "We have a black cat on our hands, John. A black fucking cat." She hissed.

John tilted her head in confusion. "What are ya on about?" John laughed nervously. "I don't really like cats— don't tell me you've gotten a cat!"

Maeve snapped her head toward him. "No i've not gotten a fucking cat you idiot! Someone is planning to bloody betray Tommy."

And with that, Maeve stood up and left, leaving John completely confused as he stood in the den. He really didn't understand what she was on about so assumed she'd either been drinking or doing snow.

-

Maeve lay on her back in her old room at Polly's home on Watery Lane. She couldn't sleep. Isiah was beside her, sound asleep but she couldn't even close her eyes for more than a second.

Suddenly, a car beeped outside and she frowned. When it continued, she leaned on her knees and pulled back the curtain.

"Oh my fucking god." Maeve let out a pathetic laugh when she saw Alfie Solomons stood across the road. Maeve jumped from the bed and pulled her long jacket over her shoulders to hide her pyjamas. She slipped on her shoes and ran down the stairs.

"Mr Solomon's!" Maeve shouted when she left the house.

He looked over at her and shielded her eyes. "Eh? Look who it is." He said plainly. Maeve gave him a sarcastic smile and approached the car. "And to what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I'm 'ere to see your uncle," he cleared his throat. "Any idea where he is? Or do the whole of fucking Small Heath sleep till the evening?"

Maeve laughed slightly. "Oh they'll all be awake now after all that noise you were making." She raised her eyebrows. Alfie just looked at her. "How's your dad— is he doing well?"

"I remember the last time we spoke, Alfie. And i remember telling you never to bring him up again. Shall I get Tommy to write that list of people i've almost killed. And the people i have killed?" Maeve said, sounding a lot less harsh than she had the last time she said this to the man.

Alfie sighed and looked at the young boy he had beside him. "See, she's the one I like. Yeah, I like her." He pointed at her face.

Maeve almost went cross eyed when she looked at his finger.

"She ain't afraid, can see it in her eyes. But what i can see, Macy— is that your name?"

"Maeve." She corrected, folding her arms.

"Ah— Maeve. What i can see is that you ain't as hostile as you used to be, are ya? You been on some sort of drugs or something?" Alfie asked seriously. Maeve stared at him and almost laughed. "No, Alfie. It's just currently nine o'clock in the morning."

"Good morning, Mr Solomon's!" Tommy's voice sounded from across the road.

They both looked over at him. "Yeah it is, it is. How come everybody's in fucking bed?"

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