Gray and Green // Michael Gray

Three Men

The six of us sat around a round table with stacks of paper surrounding me. My pen was signing my name on 450 different papers.

"Anna, you don't have to do this." Tommy said as I flipped another paper over and passed it on to him. "Changretta won't do anything."

I shrugged. "Better be safe than sorry, Tommy."

I truly felt that way. I could live 20 lifetimes with the wealth I had now. I didn't need income. I had my bookies in the spring, that's all I needed.

"I have moved all stocks out of New York since it's decreased 3%. I advise you not to invest until it's safe." I told Tommy as I passed him his stock records.

Tommy nodded as he put it in the pile. I moved onto Michael's pile of shit, signing my name repeatedly.

"Alright." I set a pile down in front of the three brothers and the Grey's. "That is your share, just sign the first paper." I leaned back into the chair and exhaled deeply.

"We didn't agree on this, Anna." Michael held up the papers in front of him. "We agreed this was all going to Shelby Company Limited."

"Early Christmas gift." I retorted, sarcasm lacing my words. Michael wasn't too thrilled, but nonetheless, signed his name.

All of us sat around the table, seeing all the documents and money fill all our pockets. Changretta was never going to stop until he got what he wanted, and I didn't want anybody to die.

I watched as they all signed away my life. They all signed the papers to make sure I was safe from changretta and that I would forever be so from anything like this again.

In the pit of my stomach, I knew something was wrong. I watched as they signed the last document on the table. My life is finished now. I can't go home without earth now.

"Alright." Thomas stood up from the table and looked at me. "What now?"

Silent tears ran down my face as I saw all of the money and assets leave my life. I had nothing now. All those years of working and it was all gone now.

"You go to the bank, and they transfer everything." I wiped my tears and stood up, looking at them all. "And Changretta will be off all of your asses."

Michael's jaw clenched and he put the pen down, seeing I was clearly upset about the decisions I had made. It wasn't anybody's fault but mine. I made the choice.

"Anna," Michael mumbled in front of everybody. "You don't ever have to worry about money. You're one of us." He told me.

I nodded. "I'm not worrying about money." I made eye contact with all of them. "I worked my life for these things, now they're gone." I paused. "I'd do it all over again to make sure you all were safe. It's difficult seeing them go. That's all."

Arthur nodded, dropping his pen also. "We love you, Anna, even if you are a pain in our asses." He smiled.

I smiled too, getting up at the same time as him and giving him a hug. Arthur and I weren't the closest, but it made me feel more secure than I've felt in a long time.

I leaned against Michael as we parted, smiling with glossy eyes. "Alright." I cleared my throat. "I'm going to leave for my place, and I'll come back later."

I grabbed my coat from the hanger by the door and walked out of the flat. Michael didn't follow me, nobody did. I only had to walk 20 feet across the street. They didn't need to.

"Anna!" The Shelby's door swung open and Michael came running out, a look of worry on his face.

When my eyes brows furrowed towards him, I realized what he saw.

Three gunned men were on the rooftop of my house, each with rifles and ammunition. They all shot at the same time, multiple times.

Thomas and Arthur got them seconds after the first shots were fired. While I was on the other and was laying on my back in the middle of the road, blood seeping into the gravel.

Everything was gone, including me.