Dollface: A Novel of the Roaring Twenties by Renée Rosen Page A

to worry about.”
    Just as we began to recover, we heard an anguished cry coming from a man on the sidewalk, clutching his shoulder as blood gushed out from between his fingers. The snow beneath him was already stained scarlet. I shrieked, making Hymie spin around, pointing his gun in our direction. I clasped a hand over my mouth, holding my breath, feeling each heartbeat pounding inside my head. After Hymie turned back around, Evelyn helped me up off the pavement. My knee was bleeding, scraped raw, and my new stockings were torn.
    I glanced at the wounded man on the sidewalk, unable to take my eyes off him. He was pale and clenching his teeth as his eyes flashed open in alarm and he winced in pain. The blood kept coming and I could see steam from its heat rising up from the snow.
    “Now look what you’ve gone and done,” said Izzy, slapping Hymie on the back.
    Dion hobbled inside the flower shop and called from the doorway to one of his clerks, “Somebody telephone for an ambulance, will ya? We’ve got us a man down out here.”
    Shep went over to the injured man and, after a quick inspection, gave his good shoulder a pat. “Don’t you worry. Help is on the way. You’re going to be fine,” Shep assured him. “You just hang in there and you’ll be fine.”
    The man grasped his wound, writhing in pain. The blood was soaking into his clothes fast now and he didn’t seem reassured. But I could tell from the look on Shep’s face that he wasn’t worried. And that worried me. How could Shep be so nonchalant about a man being shot? It ran a chill down my body.
    Shep walked back over to Hymie and said, “Feeling a little jumpy there?”
    “Shut it.” Hymie shoved his gun toward Shep.
    Even with a revolver pointed in his face, Shep didn’t flinch—but I did.
    I wanted to get the hell out of there, and was reaching for Evelyn to leave when Dion came out of the shop wearing a big grin and holding two American Beauties. “Lovely roses for lovely ladies.” He gave one to Evelyn and the other to me. By the way I was trembling he might as well have handed me a dead bird.
    Dion went over to the man on the sidewalk. “It’s okay there, swell fella. Just take her easy now.” He crouched down over the man. “We’re gonna get you fixed up in no time.”
    Evelyn squeezed my hand and pointed toward a cop coming up the sidewalk.
    The cop twirled his billy club, sunlight glinting off his badge and the brass buttons on his uniform. “You causing trouble again, Dion?” he asked.
    “Aw, just a little accident, that’s all.”
    “Hey, Hymie,” the cop said, “how many times do I gotta tell you to keep that piece of yours in your pocket?”
    “C’mon,” I said to Evelyn, under my breath. “Let’s get out of here.”
    We had just turned around when Shep called after me, “Hey, where are you going, Dollface?”
    It was hard for me to turn away from him when he called me that, but I froze in place, my back toward him, my shoulders up to my ears. “It’s getting late,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.
    “It’s not late. C’mon, we’ll go get something to eat.”
    Eat! How could he eat after this? “I’m sorry, Shep. I-I don’t feel well. Evelyn’s going to take me home.”
    Shep took a few steps closer just as Evelyn called to Izzy, saying she had to leave.
    “Are you sure?” asked Shep. “What’s wrong? Your head? Your stomach? Let me at least drive you home.”
    “No. No, really. Female stuff, you know. I’ll be fine. Evelyn’ll take me. You stay here.” I realized I didn’t feel so well. I may have been hyperventilating.
    “I’ll call you later,” he said, “just to make sure you’re okay.”
    “Yeah, sure. That’ll be swell.”
    Evelyn and I turned the corner and broke into a run.

THE CHASE
    M y legs weren’t going fast enough. I was trying to run but I couldn’t move forward. A scream was collecting but each cry for help was trapped inside my chest. They were after me, coming