and Mabel, Dorothy knew. Roman had stolen it out of the actor’s dressing room once the film finished shooting.
For a brief moment she remembered the boy he’d been just a year ago—thin and hungry, with darting eyes and a wispy beard—and felt a jolt of pride. A year ago, he would’ve looked ridiculous in a tux but, now, he looked dashing. This Roman was someone the people of New Seattle would follow.
Unfortunately, the moment of pride was fleeting. Roman wasn’t alone. Mac Murphy stood beside him, short and squat as ever. He wore an ill-fitting suit with a fat tie, an unlit cigarette behind one ear. He had crutches wedged beneath each of his arms, and a thick bandage wrapped around his upper thigh. A spot of blood had already begun to seep through the gauze, staining the bandage brown.
Dorothy had to bite back a smile at the sight of it. From the look of the bloodstain, that was a bullet wound. She had imagined shooting Mac many times, herself, and she would’ve loved to know who’d been lucky enough to pull the trigger.
“Mac,” Dorothy said, swallowing her glee. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Mac hobbled forward, and now he was too close, invading her personal space. Dorothy wanted to back away, but she thought he might take it as a cue to enter, and she could think of nothing she wanted less than to have Mac Murphy crowded inside of the tiny hotel bathroom with her.
And so she stayed where she was, close enough to Mac that they were nearly touching. She could smell the cheap cologne on his skin. When she didn’t move aside, he clumsily grasped her hand and brushed his thick, chapped lips against her knuckles. Beside him, Roman grimaced.
Be thankful he didn’t feel the need to kiss you, she wanted to snap at him. But she kept the thought to herself.
“Charmed, as always, Miss Fox,” Mac said, grinning horribly.
“Likewise,” Dorothy said. She was careful not to yank her hand away too quickly.
Roman pulled at the knot of his bow tie so that the silky fabric came loose around his neck. He seemed nervous, or at least uncomfortable. “Mac has something he’d like to discuss with us.”
“Does he?” Dorothy turned back to Mac. “Mira gave us the impression that you’d be sending your goons over to break our legs if we couldn’t pay your bribe.”
“Don’t be silly, girl.” Mac flicked his hand, and Dorothy bristled. Girl. “What’s a few dollars here and there? I value our relationship too much to let a little thing like that get in the way.”
Something prickled, uncomfortably, in Dorothy, though she kept her expression impassive. She didn’t like to think that she had a relationship with Mac at all.
“Then why are you here?” she asked.
And now Mac’s gaze seemed hungry. “You’re having cash-flow problems, sweetheart,” he said, and Dorothy opened her mouth to respond, but he lifted a hand, stopping her. “Don’t bother lying. I know it’s not just me you’re in debt to. I hear you owe Graham Harvey and Chadwick Brunner a few hundred dollars each, too.” Mac paused, studying his fingernails.
Roman glanced at Dorothy, eyebrow twitching. Dorothy suspected the Black Cirkus was strong enough to hold the hotel by force, if it came to that, but they’d never had to test that before. It would be foolish to start now, when there was so much else at stake.
Eyeing Mac, she asked carefully, “What do you want?”
Mac flashed his teeth at her, attempting a smile. “I’d like to fund your little expedition.”
“Why?” asked Roman, blunt.
“Call it my good deed for the year. I’ll cancel your debts to me, and I can help you pay off Chadwick and Graham, maybe even throw a little extra your way to cover whatever else you need to keep going.” Mac balanced on one crutch, digging a half-empty pack of matches out of his pocket. “Your Cirkus Freaks eat, don’t they? And it can’t be cheap to keep that time machine running.”
He pulled the cigarette from behind his ear and stuck it between his teeth, smiling thinly. When neither Dorothy nor Roman answered, he shook his head, lighting a match. “Look, I know what you used to bring in looting little old ladies on the docks. How you’ve kept this enterprise going for over a year is beyond me. Chadwick and Graham have already been whispering in my ear about running you out of your hotel, and, personally, I think that would be