Birmingham | Tommy Shelby x Reader

Part 4

Author's note: italicized dialogue showcased later in the part is taken from the series.

———

"What all do you know about Tommy Shelby and his family?"

(Y/N)'s brows furrowed in confusion as she processed the blonde-woman's question. "Why would you be asking me this?" she finally responded with a question of her own, hoping to gain more clarity on the situation.

Unfortunately, that clarity didn't come. "Because you work with them, and well I thought..."

"You work at the same place, Grace," (Y/N) cut her off to point out, her confusion growing by the second.

"They've not told you anything pertaining to the business they're conducting?" she asked another question, ignoring the statement (Y/N) had just made.

"No, they haven't," (Y/N) answered definitively, "I work in the stockroom. They wouldn't have any reason to fill me in on something if I had no business knowing it in the first place." She paused a moment before posing a question of her own: "why do you even want to know this?"

Grace looked at her with wide eyes and a slightly opened mouth. It was almost as if she didn't know what to say, and it now looked like she was trying to think of a cover up. "Wouldn't you like to know what business your bosses are conducting within the place you work at?" she asked, trying to make it seem like this question was on her mind the entire time. (Y/N) was able to see right through it, she just didn't know why the other woman was scrambling for words.

"No. I just want to do my job and go home at the end of the day," (Y/N) stayed steadfast on her position. She didn't want to get mixed up in the 'other' business that Grace was questioning her on. All she wanted to do was live like she was a normal member of society. "Like I'd like to do right now," she then added, her eyebrows raised as she hoped the other woman got the hint that she no longer wanted to be talking to her.

"You can go," Grace said then, a defeated expression on her face. It became obvious to (Y/N) that the other woman hadn't got the desired outcome from this conversation. She didn't know what more she could do though...she truly didn't know anything about the business that the Shelby family was conducting.

"Thank you," (Y/N) stayed polite as she walked to the door of the apartment. "Goodnight, Grace," she then bid goodbye to the blonde woman, a slight smile on her face as she opened the door and exited the apartment.

(Y/N) took a deep breath and exhaled it as she entered her apartment. She was confused by the sudden questioning she'd just gone through. It seemed so out of left field, and she wondered why Grace would even be worried about such a thing. It was late now though, and she had had a long day, so over-analyzing what she just went through could wait until tomorrow.

——

(Y/N) was in the process of stocking the shelves behind the bar's main counter. It was a slow time at the moment, so Harry had asked her to come out and complete the task before things picked up again. In the few weeks that passed since that confusing night, Grace didn't speak a word of the cryptic question she'd asked. It made (Y/N) even more confused as to why it was brought up in the first place. She tried to let by-gones be by-gones though.

She was in the midst of lining up bottles on the upper shelf when a woman spoke from behind her, "you're (Y/N), right?" It was a voice she'd never heard before, so she turned around with caution. If anything, this could have been another attempt by her brothers to force her into returning home. But Matthew was outside, so the fact that this woman was still able to enter was something that calmed her down.