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Born to irant parents at the turn of the century, Jae chip on his shoulder

It didn’t help any that he was birthed in the backroom of a sweatshop that should have been condemned, to a timid, fretful woman who’d been forced to return to work just hours after she had delivered him into the hands of his nervous, alcoholic father A father as indifferent to the boy at best and violent at worst

From the hting for respect Fighting his way out of the poverty that haunted hirew up in the Irish slue fifteen, he found his way out

The year was 1916 and two important events happened to him His father died after he slipped and fell into the river on his way hoe Teeks later, Jaster Ally Malone so that he could support hisand a bully, Ally had shown him a way to make money that had made Jamie’s poor mother’s knees ache from the untold novenas she had prayed for her son

But that was okay as far as Jamie was concerned His new lifestyle afforded him the ability to buy his mother silk pillows to cushion her orn knees, and instead of praying with a cheap wooden rosary, she now had one old and ivory

It was a rosary she’d thrown in his face the day she had learned the real truth about her son: Ja led astray by those out to take advantage of hister to be reckoned with

Disowned by his er brother a reputable job so that Ryan could care for the faotten gains that kept them all fed

Jamie had learned to harden his heart and to care for no one or nothing He becaher A man who had no other name One who let no one near him, let no one know him He was ice-cold and rock-solid

Until the day Rosalie had co The daughter of Portuguese i home from an all-day Mass

Jamie had stumbled over her in his haste to catch up with a "business" associate he needed to take care of

It had been a cold winter evening with snow falling down on the city February 11, 1924--a date that was branded into his heart and mind for all eternity The minute Rosalie had turned her dark brown eyes on him, his entire body had been consu more than cold, blind hatred

"I’ at his expensive, handmade suit "I didn’t see you for the snow"

"It was my fault," he hastened to assure her No doubt any other man in his position would have hit her or yelled at her That thought sent a wave of unreasonable fury through hier and yet he felt possessive toward her Respectful Two emotions he’d never accorded any woman not related to him

"Rosalie!" her hter "You do not talk to such men How many times must I say that to you" She took Rosalie by the arhter,senhorShe is young and foolish"

"It’s fine,senhora ," he said quickly Then he met Rosalie’s wide-eyed stare She was truly beautiful Her black hair was braided and coiled around her head, exposed to him when her church veil had fallen off after they collided Her dark brown eyes were pure Innocent Completely unspoiled by the bloody violence that made up his life Most of all, her eyes were kind

He didn’t want anything to sully that gaze To make it hard and cold Bitter

Like his

"May I have perhter?" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them Her mother’s expression was one of pure horror White Irishuese wo

"No," she said sharply, hauling her daughter away froht have taken no for an answer

Gallagher didn’t

It had cost him well over one hundred dollars in bribes to locate Rosalie, but she had been worth every cent of it Regardless of her parents, his associates, and society as a whole, he had made her his wife on June 17, 1925

Rosalie alone had known Jagled to bring his one and only child, his son, into the world

It had been a cold snowy night then too Just days before his thirty-third birthday He’d known the authorities were after hih he had been trying to go straight

None of that had mattered

Rosalie had needed him, and he had refused to let her down