coming to stand behind her. “I just had it delivered yesterday, but I’m sure the store won’t mind taking it back if I tell ’em to.”
“Pardon?” She couldn’t have heard him correctly.
“All this.” He gestured toward the interior. “It’s yours, Lily. I’ve wanted to buy it for you since the first moment I saw you onstage six months ago, and Sal warned me you wouldn’t come cheap. But to my mind, a doll as fine as you is worth the expense.”
She was already shaking her head before he even had a chance to finish. “No, wait . . . you’ve got me all wrong. I’m not looking for a sugar daddy—”
“You live in a rented room on the South Side, Lil, whereas this whole house could be yours, rent-free. Which you’re gonna need, unless you’ve got a stash of dough squirreled away somewhere that I don’t know about. Because I’ve looked into your finances and you won’t last long on your own after the show closes—”
“After it what?” Her ears buzzed slightly, as if she might faint. “What in heaven’s name are you talking about?”
“The show, Lil. It’s closing next week, when the month is up. The bosses want to stage something more family friendly so as to bring in more revenue. And to take some of the heat off the club, too.”
“Who told you this?”
He stripped off his suit coat and tossed it over a cream-and-brown-striped armchair. “Frank. I talked to him yesterday, and he said it’s a done deal.”
And Frank, being the head of the Outfit’s accounting and finances, would know.
Violet sank onto the floral couch, her thoughts spinning. “That’s fine. Shows open and close all the time. There’s always somebody hiring.” Though the venues likely wouldn’t be as nice as the Palace. “I can check with Bobby Lee over at the Heights. He likes my work.”
Tony crossed to the polished walnut sideboard and started to pour himself a drink. “You’re assuming I’ll let you continue working. Which I won’t.”
She jerked her head up. “I wasn’t aware I had given you a say in what I do.”
He glanced at her, his expression smooth. “That’s what we’re here to discuss tonight.”
“Excuse me? I thought I was here for a drink and maybe a discussion about future get-togethers. Because the only person who gets to run my life is me, and only me.”
He dismissed her words with a wave. “You and I both know if I say you don’t work, there’s not a venue in town that’ll dare hire you. Not even if you decide to go legit.”
“Then I’ll get a job doing something else. I can waitress or sell perfume.”
“The family doesn’t only handle entertainment, Lil. You know that. Its reach is wide.”
“Not that wide. Not all of Chicago is in the Outfit’s hands,” she said hotly, even as she wondered if that were true. “And there are still other cities where I could work.”
He snorted derisively. “Sure. You and I both know you won’t leave. Your son is here. And yeah, I know all about little Jimmy, so don’t bother denying it.”
Shock stole her breath. It was her deepest fear come true. She had worked so hard to keep the Tonys of the world away from Jimmy, hoping the taint of her sins would never touch him. She had never breathed a word of his existence to anyone but Sal, who had helped her during those dark months. But never to the other dancers, nor to her landlady, nor to even her family . . .
Except she had told the bank, where she had set up a savings account in his name. Her heart sank at her unwitting mistake.
“You won’t hurt him?” she asked finally.
“Don’t worry. He’s fine and he’ll stay that way, assuming we reach an acceptable agreement.”
She closed her eyes, despair bitter on her tongue. “Which is?”
“I should think it would be obvious to a bright doll like you.”
She opened her eyes to find him standing right in front of her. “You want me to marry you?”
“Lily,” he said disapprovingly. “You know better than to think I’d marry a showgirl.”
“Right. Silly me.” She huffed a pained laugh. Oh, the irony of being considered too sullied to make a suitable wife to a Mob hit man. It was like spoiled icing on the cake ruins of her life. “I forgot I’m not the sort of girl a fellow takes home to Mama.”
“No, you’re not,” he said, not unkindly, as he caressed her cheek. She barely repressed her