WHO WILL SAVE YOU NOW • MICHAEL GRAY x READER

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

The words you had said to your friend Paula did not leave you as they were the first thing in your mind when you woke up. You didn't know anything about Michael, and that bothered you a lot, so much that you decided to go and find him. You gathered that he was either at the pub or at the office, and after some thinking you decided to try your luck at the pub. It was rather early in the morning when you woke up, but it took you some time to force yourself out of bed. Your mind wandered around from one topic to another, starting from your father and ending with your future husband. Your father had tried to talk to you when you returned last night, but you simply declined to see him. He banged on the door to your room multiple times, telling you to open it, but you didn't. There were some things that you couldn't forgive your father, and your line had been crossed. The emotional scarring was too deep, and you decided that it was enough.

When you finally forced yourself out of bed, the first thing you did was fix your look. As you looked at yourself in the mirror you noticed that you had dark circles under your eyes, and the overall look wasn't your usual self. The happiness from your eyes had turned into sorrow as you tried your best to fix yourself. Your last night curls were now a mess, and it took you some time to do your hair - by then, the sun was fully in the sky as the people of Birmingham woke to do their daily chores.

You decided to skip breakfast and go straight out of the house. There was a chance that your father was up and running, and you had no desire to have a conversation with him. You practically sneaked out of the main door, almost running into your uncle Andre, who stood in front of the house, a cigarette between his lips.

"Where are you going so early in the morning?" He questioned, a blow of smoke escaping from his lips. You straightened your dress as you shot him a smile, crossing your arms.

"Just going out for a walk." You sweetly replied, walking past him without any intention to stop. His hand grabbed yours, forcing you to turn around with a glare.

"Does your father know that you're running around without any security?" He asked, his voice lowered as he glanced at the guards in the front of the building. His eyes found yours, something wicked glistening in them.

"That is none of your business. Now, let go of me hand before I take it off." You threatened, gaining a chuckle from Andre as he let go of you, putting up his hands in surrender. You didn't bother to say anything to him as you took off, fuming with anger. How dare he question you, the future leader of the Pierce gang? You knew for a fact that your uncle would do anything to be the leader himself and that terrified you. He had always been impulsive, and there was no way to know what he might to do ensure his position in the Pierce gang.

IIIIIIIIII

The streets of Birmingham were full of people as walked towards the Garrison. The air was quite cold for the morning, forcing you to pull your coat closer to your body. Luckily, you had been smart to grab a pair of gloves before leaving - otherwise, you could have sworn your hands would have frozen. The walk to the pub, however, did not take you long. As you entered the building you let out a deep sigh, grateful to reach inside the warm walls of the pub. The building was rather empty, only a couple of men and a pair of young boys inside. One of the boys seemed familiar to you, but you weren't sure who he was. You could have sworn you had seen him with Arthur, but you had no clue if he had any close relations with the Shelby's.

You walked straight to the bar, taking your coat off and placing it to another stool right next to yours. A blonde bartender walked over to you, a smile on her face. You hadn't seen her before, guessing that she had not been working in the pub for long.

"Morning, what can I get you?" She politely asked, waiting for your answer. Your eyes landed on her name tag, seeing that her name was Grace.

"Nothing, I'm afraid. I'm actually looking for Michael Gray. Do you happen to know where he is?" You questioned, a smile on her face. She seemed surprised, walking away from you for a second to serve another customer. When she walked back she had a glass in her hands, trying her best to wipe it clean.

"I'm sorry, I haven't seen him today. He hasn't been here." She answered, replacing one glass with another before walking away to her other chores. You let out a sigh, unsure whether to leave or not. If he was not in the pub, there was a big chance he was in the office. And if he was there, he was probably busy. Besides, that meant that Tommy or Polly might be in the office along with him, and you had no desire to converse with either of them.

With a defeat you prepared yourself to leave when one of the young boys walked over to you, stopping right in front of you. You simply raised your eyebrow, unsure what was his business with you.

"You looking for Michael? I can let him know your here." He proposed, ordering a shot of whiskey and downing it within seconds. The boy couldn't have been older than 16, and he was drinking whiskey right in front of you - there was something awfully wrong with this picture. Yet, his business was not yours, and you had no intention to make it so.

"That would be great, yes." You replied, a smile on your face. A part of you wanted to pay him for his troubles, and when you were about to take out your money you noticed that he was already near the front door.

"Oi, what's your name?" You yelled, not caring who heard you. He turned back, shooting you a smile as he yelled his name: Finn Shelby.

IIIIIIIIII

The next half an hour of your time was wasted on having a conversation with the blonde bartender. You had ordered a couple of drinks, and you were about to feel a little tipsy because of it. Grace told you about her backstory, you returning the favor by telling her yours. She seemed genuinely surprised to hear that you would be marrying Michael. Guess that news didn't travel that fast to the workers of the Shelby family.

You and Grace let out a laugh as the two of you observed the drunken man near you, trying his best to stand on his feet. From the corner of your eye you saw Finn return, Michael not too far behind. His eyes travelled around the pub, finally landing on you as he walked over to you, taking a seat next to your stool.

"Are you okay?" He questioned, his eyes desperately searching for some issue you might have had. His voice had a hint of worry in it, and with a smile on your face you simply nodded, taking a sip from your drink.

"Is the Shelby family meeting room free? I wanted to talk to you, preferably alone." You explained, your eyes glancing from Grace to Finn before landing back on Michael. He nodded, his hand grabbing yours to help you up. With a smile you grabbed your coat, shooting a wink to Grace who chuckled as a response to your actions. Michael led you into the room you had been before once, his hand showing you where to sit. You did so, Michael taking his place next to you. For a couple of seconds the only thing that could be heard in the room was the buzzing of a single fly, before you broke the silence with clearing your throat.

"I actually came here to learn more about you." You blurted out, not daring to look at him, your eyes looking straight ahead of you. When you dared to turn your head you saw that he had placed a cigarette between his lips, taking a drag from it before exhaling. He turned his attention back to you, a smirk clearly visible on his face.

"Only if I can learn more about you."