MANHATTAN - SEPTEMBER 1899

"You're a tall, dark marvel," Medda said, greeting Muggs at the top of the stairs. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Muggs' eyes were red, as if he'd just come off a bender. He'd nudged his way past Sophie, nearly tossing Bella into the wallpaper as he made his way up the stairs. He didn't want to be there longer than needed. He had one mission.

"Walked my damn boots off getting here," Muggs replied, not bothering to kiss Medda's outstretched hand. "My sister in there?"

He was nodding at one of the private rooms.

Medda gave him a charming smile and a little laugh. "Oh, I'm sure I don't know who you're talking about."

That was probably true. Medda had seen Muggs all of one time, and that was when she'd been sautéed off peppermint schnapps. That was the night when Muggs had visited Colleen shortly after the incident.

He rolled his eyes. "Colleen Tracey. She's a dumb little thing. I know she's here."

"You're Colleen's brother? Isn't that something," Medda said. "My dear, she's recovered quite well. A little rest was all she needed."

Muggs sniffled and eyed the door behind Medda. "She got attacked not two weeks ago, and you already got her taking her clothes off? How much are these bastards paying you?"

Medda's smile faltered. "The decision to start working again was entirely hers—"

"Yeah? You'd say she's worth the money?" Muggs asked with a nod, his lips tightening. "You're getting what you want out of her?"

"Colleen does very well for herself," Medda sputtered, raising her eyebrows, and blinking quickly. "She has a steady stream of regulars who pay—"

"Regulars? Why the fuck would she have regulars?" Muggs asked, searching Medda's face. "Whores twice her age have regulars."

It was the first time Muggs had ever verbalized his apprehension for Colleen's profession. He didn't seem to have problems with other girls in the trade, but after all he'd seen, he didn't want his sister in the business. Not after it almost cost her life.

"She's making a living for herself," Medda replied, trying to keep the situation under control, lest Muggs scare off customers. "That girl likes it here."

"I don't care. That girl's my sister. She's a kid who doesn't know what she's doing," he said, moving to open the door, but Medda blocked his path.

"Colleen signed a contract," Medda said firmly. "She belongs here."

"And who the fuck do you think you are?" Muggs demanded, bending down to yell in Medda's face. "She's mine. When the bulls released us, I got documents from Randall's Island saying I'm her legal guardian just like if I were her daddy. So as far as I'm concerned, she belongs to me. Now, move!"

Medda flinched, stepping aside reluctantly as Muggs grabbed the doorknob and threw open the door.

"Colleen!" He yelled, startling the naval captain in bed with her, still dressed in his underclothes.

"What is this?" The captain was unable to ask a follow-up question.

In a matter of seconds, Muggs had grabbed him by his collar, throwing him off the bed, and delivering a punch to his nose.

Medda screamed, calling for her assistant Toby.

"What are you doing?" Colleen shouted, pulling the sheets up to cover her corset. "Jesus, Matthew!"

"Get up," Muggs said, taking Colleen by the arm, and pulling her out of bed. "Say goodbye. You're leaving."

Colleen stared at him in shock, frantically dressing as Muggs huffed white powder from a tin he produced.

"Muggs," Colleen said slowly, gathering her hair up into a messy pile atop her head. "You can't just ask me to come back."

"I ain't asking," Muggs said, this time taking her arm more gently. "I don't want you working or living here."

Sophie appeared in the doorway with Bella and Leah. "Muggs…" Sophie began, prompting the older boy to turn toward her sharply.

"I don't really give a shit about what happens to you," Muggs said to Sophie. "But you're Duane Street's little sister, so I'll extend the offer."

Sophie tilted her head. "Colleen, what is he talking about?"

Colleen ignored her, staring at her brother in disbelief.

"You can come live with me if you want," Muggs said simply. "Sell your newspapers or yourself. It ain't my business. But my sister's done with this life."

Colleen shook her head. "I ain't peddling opium."

"You won't have to," Muggs said definitively, as if he'd given the matter a lot of thought. "Leave that to Alexei and me. It'll be like old times."

"You're done with shanghaiing?" Colleen asked cautiously.

Sophie exchanged a look with Bella.

Muggs nodded. "I even cleaned up the place. From now on, it's just drugs, okay? Come home, Leeny. Don't be stupid."

"Home?" Colleen asked, shaking her head furiously. "We don't have a home. You don't care about me. You never did. They do," she said, gesturing to the three girls. "And Medda does. In her own way, I suppose. But it's better than whatever you were to me. Jesse was right. You're off in the head."

Muggs laughed a little, rolling his eyes. "So, you really wanna stay here? You wanna end up like your mistress there? All washed up and pathetic?"

Colleen stared at the carpet.

Muggs stepped closer to her, mumbling in her ear, "I know we haven't always gotten along. But let me make it up to you." He sniffled again, gripping his sister's wrist lightly. "I really do want us to start over. You're the only family I got left."

Colleen glanced at Sophie's worried expression. Leah and Bella looked similarly anxious.

"I'll…give it a week," Colleen relented. "Is that enough?"

Muggs seemed satisfied. "You'll see. Things are different."

"How do you do this?" Jack asked amidst coughs, nearly choking on a cloud of smoke. He was slumped against the wall of the den on Water Street, his eyes adjusting to the gloom. "I feel like I'm dying with it."

The striking scent of cooked opium permeated the silky darkness.

"That's funny," Alexei said with a soft chuckle, packing another bowl. His eyelids were heavy, and he stroked Elena's hair as she rested her head in his lap. "I feel like I'm dying without it."

At that, Elena began giggling dizzily, closing her eyes. "No opium in Refuge," Elena said in her stilted English. Her Ukrainian accent made it difficult for Jack to make out what she was saying. "That make you sad, Alexei, yes?"

"Very sad, Ellie," Alexei replied, forcing a laugh alongside hers.

Jack eyed Alexei uneasily.

"You miss me?" Elena asked, reaching up to trace her fingers over his lips and chin as he struggled to finish his work. "It makes me sad that you sad. I cry when you leave for Refuge. No more Alexei."

"No more opium, you mean," Alexei corrected her, to which she frowned and lightly slapped his jaw.

"Mm, no," she giggled, tapping his nose with her finger. "That not only thing I miss. Я скучала."

Jack cleared his throat awkwardly, noting the way Alexei ignored whatever she'd said. No, all his attention was on the pipe he was nursing.

The door opened suddenly, and Muggs entered with Colleen. Muggs and Jack gave each other a double take, as both were shocked to see one another there.

Muggs opened a window, letting the smoke drift out and inviting a draft into the room.

Elena began rambling in Ukrainian at Muggs, gesturing to the open window in distress.

"I don't know what the fuck you're saying," Muggs fired back, enunciating his words as she continued cursing at him. "Alexei, tell her to shut up."

Alexei rolled his eyes, hating when Muggs called her that. "You tell her yourself."

Muggs scoffed. "I don't speak Ukrainian."

"She understands Russian," Alexei reminded him. "You speak that."

"A little."

"A little," Alexei grumbled, exchanging a look with Jack. "His Russian's as good as mine."

Jack rubbed his eyes in reaction to the thick smoke drying them out. "How did you learn Russian, Muggs? My pal David's been studying it for five years. In school. Before he had to drop out, of course..."

Muggs didn't even pretend to look interested. "My Ma was from Minsk. She didn't learn English for a long time."

Jack scrunched his eyebrows. "But your last name's Irish."

"This may come as a shock to you, Duane Street, but our Moskal mother took our mick father's last name when she married him," Muggs explained sarcastically, pointing at a mismatched trail of buttons on Colleen's dress for her to adjust. "So, I guess we're stuck with it."

"What happened to him?" Jack asked. "Is he dead?"

"Don't know," Muggs replied flatly. "He could be in the Hudson for all I care."

"You speak too fast," Elena whined, running a hand over her face. "And too mean."

Muggs directed Colleen to put her stuff in the adjoining room. "Alexei, why don't you kick out your hooker before she smokes all our merchandise? I know you're letting her hit the pipe for free."

Alexei sighed. "She ain't a hooker, Muggs. Unlike your sister."

Colleen flipped him off, and Alexei winked, smiling at her. "Good to have you back."

"Only for a week," Colleen replied stiffly. "I'll see how it goes."

Jack refused the pipe Alexei offered to him. "You moved out of Medda's?"

Colleen shrugged. "I guess. It'll be nice to take a break anyway."

"Colleen!" Elena exclaimed, still staring at the ceiling as she lay across Alexei's outstretched legs. "I remember when you were little girl. With pretty smile."

Colleen narrowed her eyes, as if trying to think back to that time. "Yeah. How 'bout that."

"What are you doing here, Duane Street?" Muggs asked Jack, opening a bottle of whiskey with his teeth. He sat on the other side of Alexei on the moth-eaten couch. "You buyin'?"

"No," Jack said, shaking his head. "Just dropping off some stuff Alexei left at the lodging house. Been meaning to bring it by, but…I've been busy."

"Busy?"

"Yep, looking for a job. A place to live. Can't stay at the lodging house forever," Jack replied with a small shrug. "Not if Sarah and I want to get our own place."

"I like Sarah," Colleen threw in. "She ain't so bad."

Alexei took a hit from the pipe. "I was telling him he should look at those apartments down the street. Rent's cheap. Ellie has friends who stay there."

Muggs racked his brain. "Those apartments are falling apart."

Jack nodded. "We'll figure something out, I'm sure," he said, lighting a cigarette. "Anyway, Grim's the one with big news. He and Henry are leaving the city. Heading out west."

Alexei paused, handing Elena the pipe. "What?"

"Yeah," Jack said quietly, taking a drag from the cigarette. "Told me a few days ago. He wants to get Henry out of here. As far away from Snyder as possible." He blew out a cloud of smoke. "And I understand that."

"Oh, that makes sense," Alexei said, exchanging a look with Muggs. "I guess I'd want that, too."

Jack shrugged. "He's planning on leaving sometime next fall. Once he's saved up."

"Is that right," Muggs muttered, his eyes faraway. "Well, best of luck to that son of a bitch."

"Henry's been going on and on about getting a kitten," Jack continued, stretching as he stood up. "Thought I might get him one as a going away present. If Grim says it's okay."

"Grim still tells you what to do, huh?" Muggs asked, eyeing Jack. "Jesus, it's like he's your goddamn mother."

Colleen settled beside her brother, leaning her head against his shoulder, which he tolerated begrudgingly. "What do you mean?"

"In the Refuge, Grim used to baby him," Muggs explained to Jack's annoyance. "Still does, I guess. But now that he's got a kid of his own, maybe he's forgotten about us. For the best, really."

Alexei rolled his eyes. "Grim, Tide, and Doc saved your brother's hand from getting infected," he recalled hazily, reaching over to tap Colleen's own hand. "It was good Grim babied us. We wouldn't have survived otherwise."

Elena giggled deliriously again. "Alexei as baby. That is so cute." She hummed in amusement, taking another hit from the pipe. "I want baby. Alexei, we be family, yes? We have children, and Muggs you be godfather."

"Sure," Alexei replied off-handedly, giving the pipe to Colleen. "Yeah. Maybe."

Muggs lifted his eyes upwards, wanting nothing to do with this conversation. "Give me strength," he muttered.

"Anyway, I'm thinking about having a going away party for both of them," Jack went on, ignoring them. "And you're all invited. As soon as I figure out the details, I'll let you know where and when."

Colleen was the only one to respond. "That sounds nice, Jack," she said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Yeah, well, if you can make it, that would mean a lot to him," Jack replied. "I've gotta get going. I'm meeting Sarah in half an hour for dinner."

"Bye, Jack," Colleen said, sober enough to see him out.

He left without a goodbye from either young man, drowned in the sensual sloth of the powerful narcotic.