Peaky Blinders One Shots

Choices - John Shelby x Reader

Sleeping with the enemy was a new number one rule, created by Polly. Despite it's helping hand in getting secrets from the opponent, it was something that clouded the Blinders' judgements. Especially John's.

You see, Esme had left John a few weeks before and he was going off the rails. With having no one to watch over the kids it meant that Polly had to keep popping in every once in a while when she wasn't helping with the betting shop. It also meant that John was vulnerable, the kids could be taken at anytime between the late hours of the morning and the early hours of the afternoon, and if someone wanted to take them, they'd only have to check The Garrison to see that John was drunk and merry, and in no means ready to trudge home to a house full of children.

He put the kids to bed, something that Esme would have normally done if she were there, locked the door, and made his way over to The Garrison where the rest of the Shelby's would be sat in the private room.
Something felt abnormally strange, John always had a weird feeling when leaving the kids at home but he would only be down the road if anything were to happen, so he brushes it off and makes his way over to the place where people awaited him.

A few glasses of whiskey in and John was feeling warm and fuzzy, filling him with the feeling that Esme had once provided him before she left. He stands, making his way out of the private room and out into the bar where he requests a bottle of rum for him and his brothers (or those who wanted it). When waiting for the rum, a lady stood alongside him, his eyes grazing over her to see that her dainty hands were clutching a gun on the inside of her coat.

"I wouldn't pull that out round here if I were you, sweetheart. Don't want to hurt yourself." He chuckles, throwing his head back to swallow the remainder of his drink.
She discretely presses the barrel of the goon to his stomach, imitating the sound of a bullet before looking up at him.
"Would be a shame if anything were to happen to your children on a night like this, wouldn't it Mr Shelby?" Her tongue darts out to hydrate her lips, mouth curling into a smirk as all colour left Johns face. His hand grips her arms, her gun falling back into her pocket and her feet being dragged into the private room, the door being slammed shut behind them and the Shelby's looking up to see the two of you.

"I need someone to check the house. Now." John was steaming with rage, his drunkenness taking a back seat, his primary thought being his kids.
"Someone go and fucking check the house I said!" The woman was cowering under johns grip, her back flush against the wall as his words spat towards her, the boys rushing out of the room, speeding towards John's home.

"What have you done with my children?" The room was empty now, just the two of them, his anger warming up the small room, sweat beads forming on his forehead.
"I've been sent to tell you and your brothers that if you come and interfere with the races tomorrow, all of your children will be taken, and no doubt, killed." John's hands run through his hair and aggressively rub against his face in desperation for some sort of understanding.

"Me and my brothers will interfere as we fucking please, whoever has sent you will have to come and collect your dead fucking body out of this pub," He lights a cigarette to calm himself, her back still remaining against the wall, nerves taking over her, proving she wasn't as rock solid as she had previously tried to be at the bar. "unless, we make a deal." Her ears perked up, anything to spare her life would do. She hadn't wanted to be used against the Blinders, she knew that the consequences of going against them like this would be far worse than that of the men that had sent her.
"I won't blow your fucking brains out, as long as you help us tomorrow, at the races. You say yes, we go together, you lure in a man, I kill him. You say no, I kill you and I kill whoever sent you. Your choice." He docks his cigarette out, shoving a pre-written note in her hand before ushering them both out of the room, and his feet taking him to his home, leaving her to make a choice of her own.

"9am: The Garrison
Buy a red dress.
- By order of the Peaky Blinders"