Skin

Instead, she shook her head. “Now I’m saving to go to law school.”

“You want to be a lawyer? They’re the scum of the earth. Did you hear the one about the lawyer who–”

”I’ve heard the jokes.”

“Who’s joking?” A shudder passed through Hannah, who’d never met a lawyer who’d been nice to her.

“The woman I work for is a guardian ad litem and works pro bono. Lots of her clients are kids who need protection, and she protects them for free. I don’t think that’s anything to joke about.”

Yeah, the story she’d read had been about the lawyer. And Lilith had gotten a mention and had been in the photo. That’s how Hannah had known she was in Chicago.

Not wanting to debate, Hannah remained silent and took in the nicely furnished if small apartment loaded with plants. While Lilith checked her mail, Hannah got the feel of the place, peeked into the single bedroom where a cat flew off the bed and under it, then strolled to the front windows with their view of the tree-lined street. Nice, but nothing like her view of the river, of course. Chalk two more up in her own favor.

“Valkyrie,” Lilith called. “C’mon and eat, kitty.”

But the cat didn’t reemerge.

“She’s under the bed. I guess I scared her.”

“Well, you’re a stranger. For the present.”

Which meant Lilith didn’t want them to be?

Hannah’s insides tightened, and she had trouble breathing properly. She’d wanted so long for Lilith to find her. But she wouldn’t fool herself. She was too smart for that.

“Hungry?” Lilith asked.

“Yeah. Pick a restaurant. My treat.”

“Why not here?”

“I like restaurants. Besides, why should you have to cook for me?”

“Because I want to. Because you’re my sister. Because we have a lot of catching up and that’s easier to do without an audience.” Lilith paused, then added, “But if you would rather go to a restaurant–”

”Nah, I’ll take a chance that you won’t poison me. I assume you learned to cook somewhere along the line.”

“I think that was an insult, but I’m going to ignore it.”

Hannah followed Lilith into the kitchen. “C’mon, you don’t call making peanut butter sandwiches cooking, do you?”

“That was all you ever wanted me to make.”

“Yeah, why do you think?” They laughed together, and it was a good feeling, and Hannah relaxed a little. “So what can I do?”

“Keep me company.”

The kitchen was small. Not enough room for a table. But there were two stools at a breakfast bar along one wall. Hannah perched on one of those and studied Lilith as she pulled food from her refrigerator.

Despite the blah outfit — dark skirt and white blouse, sensible pumps and pantyhose — and the conservative way she’d tied her hair in a knot at the top of her head, Lilith was a looker. Truth be told, Lilith looked a lot like her. Or was it the other way around since she was the younger sister?

“I could do something with you, you know.”

Opening the refrigerator door, Lilith glanced at her. “What?”

“As in fix you up. The right clothes and makeup, you’d be a knockout. When I got done with you, you wouldn’t even recognize yourself.”

“That’s what I’d be afraid of.”

“And you’d knock your boyfriend’s socks off. Well, say the word…”

“Uh-huh,” Lilith said in a noncommittal manner. “I hope you like pasta.”

Hannah eyed the package of pasta and container of fancy store-bought sauce. “I thought you said you were gonna cook.”

“This pretty much is cooking for me. I can make a mean salad, too.”

Hannah rolled her eyes. What would have been wrong with going out? What was money for, if you couldn’t spend it? She’d lived on the street for too long, had eaten too many cans of cold spaghetti. Pasta was just a fancy name for it, not that she said so.

As if Lilith could read her mind, she asked, “How did you do it?”

“Do what?” Hannah knew her voice tightened when she said, “Strip? I thought we went over that the other night.”

“I meant survive.” Lilith pulled two pots down from a shelf. “When you ran, how did you survive? You were thirteen, for God’s sake. You were a child.”

“You don’t stay a kid long on the streets. You get smart fast. You learn to beg. And to steal. And to sell yourself, if you gotta.” There, now it was out in the open, and Lilith could kick her out if she wanted. “Whatever it takes to get through another hour, another day, another lifetime.”

Lilith blinked and Hannah could see her eyes had filled like she was going to cry. Her own throat tightened, but as Lilith took a step toward her, she held out a hand, keeping her sister at bay.

“I hope you’re not feeling sorry for me. I got tough fast. And I’m off the street. I’m making great money, which means I’m safe now.”

“Mm-hm.”

Lilith wasn’t saying whatever was on her mind. Hannah couldn’t stand not knowing what exactly.

“I’m the one who calls the shots, big sis.” She knew she was heading them for another row, but she couldn’t stop herself. “When I’m up on that stage, I have the power. Every eye in the place is glued to me. I could have any man there under my thumb if I wanted.”

Lilith whipped away from her and stuck a large pot under the faucet and started filling it with water. “I think they’d want more than your thumb.”

“I’m not a working girl, Lilith. I don’t live off the streets anymore.”

“But you still take money from men by using your body.”

“On my terms. That makes all the difference in the world. I should’ve known you wouldn’t understand.”

“You’re right.” Lilith faced her. “I don’t understand, Hannah. But I want to try. I love you, and I just want what’s best for you. That’s all. Let me help you figure it out.”

Hannah couldn’t believe Lilith used the “L” word and followed it with a slap in the face. She was holding back, still.

“You help me?” Hannah snapped. “That’s a laugh! You can’t even go to law school because you can’t afford it.” Wanting it all out in the open, she pushed for the truth the only way she figured might work. “I’ll tell you what. Let me help you. I’ve got some savings, and I make a hell of a lot more money than you do. How much do you need for law school?”

“What? No!”

“But you want to go, right?”

“Not like that. Not taking money from you.”

Yep, there it was. Hannah had known Lilith would fail the test. “You won’t take money from me because you’re ashamed of the way I make it.”

“No, Hannah, I am not ashamed of you. I’m concerned for you. If nothing else, that club isn’t safe. Two women who worked there were murdered, for God’s sake!”

A chill shot through Hannah, but she pushed it aside. “You can’t afford to go to school,” she argued back. “You can’t afford a car. You can’t even afford a really nice place to live. What do you think you have that I don’t?”

“Hannah, let’s stop this, please. Let’s talk about something else.”

“You mean about anything but what’s really important? C’mon, Lilith, be honest for once.”

Lilith looked like she didn’t want to say it. But in the end she did. “All right, then. Respect. I have respect for myself… and from other people.”

Lilith couldn’t have hurt her more if she’d hit her. Hannah jumped off the stool, yelling, “Fuck other people and fuck you!” Halfway to the door, she whipped around and added, “By the way, your water is running over. And I hate pasta!”