LITMIR.BIZ

       Prologue

       Chicago, Illinois, 1925

      She’d done it!

      Helen Hathaway pinched the clasp on her purse, making sure it was securely closed. It was only a piece of paper, but that secretarial course certificate meant far more to her. It was her future.

      She already had a job!

      Would start tomorrow.

      The happiness of her accomplishment was overshadowed by worry of what her father would say about it all. She pressed a hand to her churning stomach while glancing at the back of his head in front of her. He was driving, her brother sitting next to him. The two of them were laughing about something. She hadn’t heard what. Hadn’t been paying attention.

      Her mind was on that certificate in her purse.

      She glanced at her mother, sitting next to her in the backseat. Mother was the only one who knew she’d taken the secretarial course. Who knew she wanted a job outside of the family business. One that would eventually get her out of Chicago.

      Far. Far away.

      A hint of guilt tickled Helen’s stomach. Not even Mother knew how far away she wanted to get.

      Offering her one of her secretive smiles, Mother nodded. “Ray,” she said while smoothing the cuff of the pink glove on her wrist. “Helen has something to celebrate tonight, too.”

      “She does?” Father answered.

      A ripple of excitement shot through Helen at the sound of enthusiasm in his voice. She bit back a smile, but it was to no avail. She couldn’t keep it hidden.

      Mother nodded again, and glanced toward the front seat.

      “Yes,” Helen said. “I got a job today.”

      “A job?” Junior, her brother twisted and lifted a dark brow as he looked at her over the seat. “Doing what?”

      He was only three years older than her, had just turned twenty last month, but acted far older and far more superior. As most of the men she knew did.

      She lifted her head and looked him in the eye. “Typing.”

      He rolled his eyes. “Typing what? Where?”

      “Helen completed a secretarial course, and today Mr. Stamper offered her a job at the laundry,” Mother said, giving Junior an eye that told him to keep any comments to himself. “It’s only a couple blocks away from the house, and will be something to keep her busy.”

      The smile tried to slip off Helen’s face, but she wouldn’t let it. Not while Junior was still looking at her. This job would do more than keep her busy, she’d show him. Show all of them.

      Junior snorted, and then turned around as father pulled the car into the lot near the restaurant. It was her uncle’s birthday. A big celebration. It was the first one like this that she’d been allowed to attend. She wasn’t overly excited about that. The less she had to do with the family, the more she liked it, but she was excited about her new dress. White with green stripes. The weather was warm, so she wasn’t wearing a jacket, but did have on a pair of pristine white gloves and matching shoes. Mother had helped her pick out the outfit and she would wear it again tomorrow, to her first day of work.

      That’s what she was really excited for.

      Father kissed her cheek as she climbed out of the car. “You want to work at the laundry?” he asked.

      Fearful that he’d deny her this, she nodded. “Yes, I do. Very much.”

      He smiled and nodded. “All right, then.”

      Happiness fully engulfed her. She wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you. Thank you.”

      He gave her a tight squeeze and then let her go to take ahold of Mother’s arm. Junior walked beside her as they all headed toward the restaurant. Junior gave her a questioning look, but she kept her eyes forward. It wasn’t that she didn’t love her parents and her brother, she just didn’t like who they were. Who she was. Now that she fully understood. The truth hadn’t shocked her, she’d always known they were different, that her father and brother didn’t have normal jobs.

      They were part of the Outfit. All of them. Her parents. Junior. Her. They were one of many families who lived two lives. An outside one, and an inside one.

      The noise inside the restaurant filtered out as Father opened the door and Junior held it as they all stepped inside. It was wall-to-wall people. Her uncle Vinnie, a formidable figure, stood on the far side of the room, surrounded by others, and waved at them as they entered.

      Mother took ahold of her arm. “Let’s go to the powder room while the men get a drink.”

      Helen caught glimpses of people she’d known her entire life, cousins, aunts and uncles as she followed her mother around tables and chairs toward the hallway at the back of the building. Most of them weren’t blood relatives, but were referred to as family because they were all part of the Outfit. Helen wondered if any of the others thought like her. Wanted out of this life before it was too late. That had resonated deep inside her when her cousin Amelia had been mugged by a member of the North End Gang.

      More than mugged.

      Mother stopped to visit, talking about the new dress she was wearing, and Helen, espying her cousin Karen, kept walking toward the hallway.

      “Isn’t this exciting?” Karen asked, clapping her hands with glee. “Your first grown-up party?”

      Helen nodded, but kept her honest opinion about that to herself. “I got a job,” she whispered instead.

      Karen frowned. “Why?”

      Helen open her mouth to reply, but chaos struck just then. It was a moment before she realized what was happening. That the earsplitting rat-a-tat sound was gunfire. Tommy guns. Bullets were flying,

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