Author's note: thanks so much for choosing to read this story! I hope you enjoy it! :)
You can also find it over on Tumblr — my account there is runnning-outof-time. I just posted the final chapter on there today and decided that I'd share this with my lovely readers on here...if there even is anyone left.
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"I'll let you off here and I won't go any further," the cab driver announced as he brought the vehicle to a stop.
"Thank you," (Y/N) answered, handing him money before she exited the car with her small bag in hand. It held everything she had to her name. Of course, it wasn't all of her belongings, but it was what she was able to collect in a hurry.
After doing a quick spin to take in her surroundings, she made her way down the street to a building that had a small 'lodging' sign hung over its door. She knocked on the door and was greeted by an older lady, who quickly took her in and showed her an apartment that was available. Luckily she'd also brought a lump sum of money from her family's stash.
The woman left (Y/N) shortly after the money was transferred. The first thing that she did was open one of the windows, which let the industrial sounds of Small Heath, Birmingham invade the space. It wasn't quite music to her ears, but she'd have to get used to it since she was living there now. She also left the door open, enjoying the cross breeze that it brought into the apartment.
In her own little world, she began unpacking the small amount of things she had with her. Then, out of nowhere, a woman's voice came from the door. "Are you new here?" the person asked, making (Y/N) quickly spin around to see a woman with blonde hair and a simple dress standing in the doorway.
"I, uh...yes, I am," she answered after her initial shock wore off.
"I'm in the apartment next door. My name is Grace," she introduced herself, a smile on her face.
"Nice to meet you, Grace. I'm (Y/N)," (Y/N) sent a friendly smile back.
"If you ever need anything, feel free to knock on my door," Grace then told her, motioning in the direction of her door then.
"I will, thank you," (Y/N) nodded. The conversation finished after that, and (Y/N) went back to arranging everything so that it was to her liking.
——
A few days later, (Y/N) went over to the door next to hers and knocked on it gently. She hoped that the person she was looking for would be inside. Moments later, the door opened.
"(Y/N)," Grace greeted, surprise flashing across her face, "do you need something?"
"Yeah," (Y/N) nodded before continuing, "I wanted to ask you if you knew of anywhere that might have a job opening. I've only been here a few days and I'm already climbing up the walls with boredom."
"I work at a pub. It's called the Garrison. I'm not sure if the owner has any spots available, but I can ask him for you," she answered, a slight smile on her face as she nodded in understanding.
"That'd be great. Thank you, Grace," (Y/N) sent a smile back.
"Sure, no problem," Grace responded, her eyes glancing around (Y/N) for a moment. It was as if she was scanning the area around her. "I was expecting someone soon, actually," she said then, breaking the momentary silence that had fallen between them.
"Oh, ok. I'll leave you alone then," (Y/N) said as she began taking steps back to her apartment, "thank you again for asking him." Grace merely smiled before both of the women stepped back into their apartments.
——
A little over a week later, (Y/N) found herself walking down Garrison Lane. She hadn't heard from Grace after asking her about a possible job, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. After asking the lodging owner where the Garrison was located, and receiving a wide-eyed look in response, (Y/N) was on her way to find work for herself.
When she entered the tavern, she found a man wiping down the bar's counter. "Can I help you?" he asked once he heard the door close, a look of confusion on his face.
"I'm looking for work," (Y/N) started as she walked further into the bar's main room, "my neighbor said that she works here. Her name's Grace."
"Yes, Grace," the man nodded in recognition, "I don't have any room for another barmaid," he then said before going back to cleaning the counter.
"I don't have to be a barmaid," (Y/N) took a few more steps towards the bar, not wanting to let go of an opportunity so easily. The man looked up again, this time with furrowed eyebrows, and he looked her up and down. "I'll take any job you have," she continued, then wanting to kick herself for sounding so desperate. "My name's (Y/N), by the way. (Y/N)...Williams," she introduced herself, hesitating for a moment as she almost gave the man her real name...the name she was trying to run away from.
He pursed his lips, showing that he was thinking of her offer. "We need help with stocking," he finally said after a few moments.
(Y/N) nodded her head a few times before speaking, "I'll do that," she agreed with his offer. At this point, she just needed something to do and was up for anything.
"Good," the man nodded his head, a smile forming on his face, "name's Harry, by the way. There's men above me that you'll also have to answer to, but you'll be seeing me most of the time," he then gave her some information about the place she'd be working at.
"Ok. When will I start?" she asked after nodding her head.
Harry smiled. He liked the drive that this woman had. "Tomorrow," he told her. (Y/N) nodded one last time before she bid him goodbye, happy that she now had something to occupy her time.
——
The next morning, (Y/N) arrived at the bar at the time that Harry had specified. He almost immediately gave her a list of things that needed doing, and she was more than happy to get to it. She loved the job almost instantly. She rarely had to talk to people and oftentimes was off in the backroom, making sure that the alcohol was inventoried and restocked at the bar when it was called for. The one person she did see rather early into her shift was Grace, and the blonde woman did not look happy to see her neighbor.
"What're you doing here?" she asked (Y/N) as she searched for what Harry had told her to get.
"I came looking for a job," (Y/N) responded simply as she continued unpacking and stacking the crates that filled the backroom.
"And Harry gave you one?" she asked yet another question.
"He did," (Y/N) responded, then looking over at the other woman, "why do you look surprised?" she questioned upon noticing the expression on Grace's face.
"I'm not surprised..." Grace trailed off, looking like she was scrambling for a cover, "I just didn't think that Harry would offer you a job," was her excuse.
"So that's why you didn't even bother asking him?" (Y/N) inquired, her eyebrows raised.
Grace shut down almost immediately after hearing this statement. "I need to get back out to the bar," she said in a dismissive tone before she quickly grabbed the bottle closest to her and turned to leave the room. (Y/N) couldn't help but snort at the random encounter she'd just had. She shook her head before going back to what she was doing.
——
Grace was different towards (Y/N) from that day forward. She was no longer friendly and inviting whenever (Y/N) saw her around the apartments, and when she did speak to her, she kept things very formal in nature. It certainly confused (Y/N), who was hoping to find at least one person to confide in.
She also was able to meet the 'men above Harry that she'd have to answer to'. There were two of them: Arthur and Tommy. Although Harry ran the bar, these two men, who were brothers, owned the establishment. Arthur seemed nice and was happy to see that there was another hand around the place...because it was less work for him to do. Tommy was different. (Y/N) couldn't quite get a read on him, and she hoped to hell that he wouldn't get a read on her and figure her true self out. She'd introduced herself to both of them as (Y/N) Williams, and was hoping to keep it that way.
She was finishing up stacking the newly ordered crates in the backroom when she heard voices coming from the main room of the bar. This confused her because it was late and she didn't think that there was anyone else in the building. So she finished stacking the final crate and slowly walked from the back to the main room.
Before she was able to enter it, she saw Grace. She was leaning up against the wall and she had what looked to be a gun cradled against her chest. She didn't see (Y/N) coming, because she was busy peering out into the bar's main room. "Grace?" (Y/N) asked, making the blonde-haired woman jump and quickly turn to look at her. "What are you doing?"
"Keep your voice down," Grace spoke in a hushed voice, her eyes wide and serious.
"What's going on?" (Y/N) asked again, her voice lowered now.
"There are two men that are about to come in and try to do a deal with Tommy. He insists that those men are going to kill him after the deal's done, so he's got me waiting back here...for backup," Grace explained. (Y/N) almost wanted to laugh in her face. She couldn't ever see a woman like Grace offering competent backup to someone who's on the verge of being killed. She just didn't look like she had it in her.
"Did he tell you who it is that's coming?" (Y/N) asked another question before she also tried to peer out into the main room. She was able to see Tommy sitting with his back facing them, staring at the door, but no one else.
"Men from Sheffield. He didn't say much about them, just that they'd gotten in contact with him and wanted to carry out a deal," Grace gave her more information, making the other woman's eyes widen slightly.
(Y/N) was about to say something, but got stopped by the sound of the doors opening. Upon hearing them, she peered out again to see two men walking towards the table Tommy was sitting at. Her blood ran cold as she instantly recognized their faces. "I need the gun you have, Grace," she said the second she turned back to look at the blonde-haired woman.
"No. Why? Tommy gave it to me to use," Grace was hesitant to hand it over, still clutching it close to her chest.
"You've got to trust me, Grace, I need the gun. Give me the gun, please," (Y/N) was one step away from begging now. Her heart was going a mile a minute as the countless possibilities were circling through her head. Why were these men here?...in the last place she thought they'd look for her. And how did they manage to come to her place of work?
"I'm not giving you the gun," Grace stayed steadfast.
"Give me the fucking gun, Grace. Now," (Y/N) ordered, her eyes widening as she spoke in a low voice, "between the two of us, we surely know who's the better shot," she quipped then, holding her hand out. The women held each other's gazes for a few painstakingly long moments before Grace finally handed it over with a sigh. "Thank you," (Y/N) said, not as a show of gratitude, but rather an exhale of relief because the thing that would save her was now in her hands.
She quickly opened the weapon's chamber and made sure there were bullets in it. Just as she was clicking it shut, she heard one of the men speak: "do you know where she is, Mr. Shelby?" he asked.
This sealed the men's fate. Not listening to the objections from Grace, (Y/N) cocked the gun and began walking from the hallway to the main room. She took a second to visually confirm the identities of both of the men before she fired two shots; one for each of them. Tommy, who was sitting with his back to the hallway, ducked under the table at the sound of gunfire, immediately worried that his plan had been infiltrated.
Silence fell in the room again. (Y/N) was now able to hear the sound of her heartbeat in her ears, and even though she squeezed her eyes shut tight, she wasn't able to still her shaking hands. You weren't found out. You're still safe here. They haven't gotten to you yet. She kept repeating in her mind as she tried to ground herself.
After nothing else occurred within the first few moments of silence, Tommy finally pulled himself up off of the floor. His eyes widened the second he turned around to see just how the situation had unfolded. (Y/N) was standing a few steps away from him, her eyes frantic and her hands grasped around the gun she'd just used. Grace was in the opening of the hallway, where he'd told her to wait for her cue...the cue he never got to give. A quick glance down at his person made him realize that his white collar now had blood splattered on it, confirming what he knew had happened.
"(Y/N), what the...what the fuck just happened there?" he asked once he'd gotten his voice back from the initial shock he faced. He was confused as to why the woman who'd been only working there for a few weeks had just come out and shot two men. She didn't respond to him and looked like she was in some sort of trance, so he stepped over to her, carefully reaching out for the gun in her hand. "Hey," he called to her as he slowly wrapped his hand around the weapon, "(Y/N)...what's going on?"
The second she felt his hand touch hers, she snapped back to reality and quickly became aware of what was going on. The blood on his collar reminded her of what she'd just done. She released her hold on the gun, making it drop to the floor instead of to Tommy's hand. "They...they were coming for me," she stammered as her eyes found the bodies of the two men lying on the floor, "I...I've got...gotta go," she stumbled over her words as her frantic eyes found Tommy's. She was able to see the confusion in them, but had no desire to make him understand what just happened. So she quickly pushed herself past him and rushed to the door of the tavern.
A policeman was entering the building as she was leaving, so she pushed past him too. Surely he wouldn't have suspected a woman to kill those two men...even if she was leaving the premises rather quickly. Right now all she wanted to do was get into the safety of her apartment.
——
The fact that she had the next two days off from work at the Garrison felt like a blessing to (Y/N). She was still reeling from the events that had transpired that night. But the days passed by too quick and soon enough, she was due back in the stockroom.
Her shift started off well. She was needed in the back so that she could unpack the most recent delivery that the bar had gotten, which meant she was by herself. Grace had just barely said hi to her when she noticed that she was there. (Y/N) was fine with that though. She'd been feeling more and more weary about the blonde-haired woman since that night.
The day was about halfway over when she heard her name being called from the entry of the stockroom. Looking up, she saw Tommy Shelby standing with an expectant look on his face. "Can I do something for you, Mr. Shelby?" she asked, eager to help out in any way possible.
"Can I have a word with you?" he asked her.
"Sure," (Y/N) nodded.
"Follow me," he then beckoned her out of the room. She quickly sat down the rag in her hands and hurried out of the stockroom, seeing that he was just about to the end of the hall. She followed him into the office she knew that Arthur Shelby used whenever he came to oversee the bar. "Sit," he instructed her, motioning to one of the wooden chairs as he took a seat in the leather one behind the desk.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Shelby?" she couldn't stop herself from asking as she clasped her hands together in her lap.
"Not necessarily, no," Tommy shook his head, clearing his throat before he pulled a cigarette out of its pack and lit it with a match. "You said your name was (Y/N) Williams, correct?" he asked her, smoke billowing out as he spoke.
"Yes, that is my name," (Y/N) nodded, wondering where he was going with this.
Tommy pursed his lips, as if he was trying to think of a perfect way to say what was on his mind. (Y/N) waited on eggshells as the anticipation grew with each silent second that passed. "You gave us a fake name," he finally said, making (Y/N)'s heart drop to her stomach.
Immediately she began trying to disprove him. "No, I didn't, I..."
"Your name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N)," Tommy cut her off.
"Please don't say that name," (Y/N) whispered, cringing at the sound of it as she squeezed her eyes shut. That name was exactly what she was running from.
Tommy continued without comment on her plea. "You're father and brothers lead the Weller Boys. You're originally from Sheffield, but yet you've found yourself in Birmingham. These two cities are nowhere near in the same vicinity. Perhaps there are other reasons behind your desire to live here?" he asked, his eyebrows raised intently, "and can you explain to me why I've just had two Weller Boys visit my pub a few nights ago?"
(Y/N) took a deep breath, trying to stop the emotions she'd been suppressing for days now from coming up again. She then opened her eyes and looked at Tommy, making sure that she held his gaze as she began speaking: "I may be tied into them by my family, but I am not a Weller. My father was married into the gang because my mother was an only child and they believed that a woman was not capable enough to run the enterprise. My brothers are the heads of it now...my father's stepped back. They were trying to control every aspect of my life; what I did for a living, who I was and wasn't able to see or spend time with. I wanted out. So I ran to the last place that I thought they'd look for me, which was Birmingham."
"And why did two Weller Boys show up at my pub a few nights ago?" Tommy reasked the second question he had.
(Y/N) couldn't stop the snort from leaving her lips. "Those men were barely Weller Boys. They were two low level street soldiers who'd do anything to make it up in the ranks...obviously," she paused after calling back to the meeting that had been set up, "they knew who I am, and knowing my brothers, they were probably also sent here looking for me," she finished by raising her eyebrows. Tommy only pursed his lips in response, not looking completely sold on the idea. (Y/N) sighed at that, shaking her head slightly before she spoke again: "I killed both of them, didn't I? Why would I've done that if I was on the same side as them?" She stared at him with raised eyebrows then, the fact that she hadn't looked away once while she was telling her side showing Tommy that she was speaking the truth. After a few more moments of silence passed, (Y/N) let out a sigh, "look...I fled to Birmingham so that I could be safe. I didn't intend to get mixed up in any more gang activity. I want to be away from all of it to be honest with you."
"You will be safe as long as you're in Birmingham," Tommy told her, seriousness in his voice.
"I will...?" (Y/N) responded, her statement sounding like a confused question.
"You're in my city now, and I keep the people in my city safe," he told her. The way he spoke made (Y/N) believe him immediately. She couldn't help but smile slightly, taking solace in his words.
"Thank you, Mr. Shelby. That's...you have no idea how relieved that makes me feel," she thanked him, her smile growing.
"There's no need to thank me..." he trailed off as he stood from the chair, brushing off her gratitude with a wave of his hand, "I just expect for there to be no more close calls in the future," he finished his statement with a wink and a slight grin, calling back to the predicament they found themselves in a few nights ago.
(Y/N) laughed slightly at his second statement, "I will make sure of that," she assured him before she stood as well.
Tommy nodded slightly at her statement before they both exited the office. Tommy turned back to go to the bar while (Y/N) went the opposite direction to return to the stockroom. She couldn't stop the smile from forming on her face as she resumed the job she started earlier. Things could only go up from here.
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Comments and feedback are always appreciated! :)