"You've got to be messing with me, Charlotte! What you've said is utterly impossible." My eyes were wide as saucers after hearing my beloved maid's news. A new hybrid mafia has entered our part of New York? That can't be! "I've never even heard of an Irish-Italian gang." I added for good measure. I was the Irish mafia leader's daughter after all. I can't be completely clueless!

            Turns out I am positively clueless. Charlotte gave me a sympathetic smile and continued brushing my tresses.

            "You can't be blamed for your lack of knowledge, Rosie. It's not your fault they've locked you in this mansion with no contact with the outside world. Except me of course!" She giggled.

             Charlotte McLaughlin was my only maid and my only friend. She was also a renowned gossip! Dear Char gathered as much information around town as possible for me while she ran errands. This is the first time she's ever mentioned Mafia-related news though. My father told her not to as he didn't want me to be scared of the dangerous world we lived in. I knew he loved me, but I am so curious about the outside world!

               The only time I can go out is for Sunday mass, but I am always covered up, whether with a thick dress and shawl or a heavy coat and scarf. The church is so sweltering hot that I'm always dripping with sweat about five minutes in. Sunday is not my favorite day of the week.

                Charlotte was busy explaining to me how hybrid gangs were on the rise in New York when suddenly she abruptly stopped and stared out the window. I looked out too, straining to see a tall figure right outside our iron gate. He had a sharp-planed face that I of course didn't recognize, as all the people I know wouldn't be locked out of our gate, excluding Father Procopius from Saint Joseph's Church.

                Char emitted a gasp at the stranger and yanked me away from the window, but not before he raised his hand at me, as if to say "I see you now, and I will see you again."

                 My heart skipped a beat. What an odd, but stunningly handsome man...I wonder why he gestured at me so strangely. I twisted a lock of my chestnut hair that fell down to my waist before turning to Charlotte.

                  Her brown eyes met my blue ones with horror. I whipped around to see out the latticed window.

                  The man was gone.

                  "What's going on, Charlotte?" I pleaded.

                 She just shook her head in disbelief before choking out two words that would change my life forever:

                             "It's him."

             "Who? Who! Charlotte McLaughlin, you better tell me right now! Did you see the way he waved at me? Did you see the way he looked at me? No one has ever looked at me so knowingly, with such a smug grin-"

             "That's because you don't know anybody."

           "Oh Charlotte! Now is not the time for jokes! Why was he outside our gate? You recognized him, I know you did. Please, please, please tell me! My father will never know you did!" I didn't care that I was begging. All I wanted to know was why that strange man was looking at our house and through my window!   No one ever tells me anything, so I deserve to know at least a little tidbit of mafia news.

           "Rosie, I love you but I absolutely can't tell you about that man. You'll meet him soon enough. I- oh no!" She covered her mouth as she realized her mistake. I immediately pounced at her, but she just shook her head and reprimanded herself, repeating over and over what an awful chatterbox she was. She quickly excused herself while running out the door, locking it as she went.

            I groaned loudly and spent the next hour  or so of solitude before dinner staring out my barred, or as Dad said, latticed window, thinking of the mystery man with the crisp suit and bizarre actions.

           It was only a minute before being called down to dinner when I noticed the broken lock on my window and the handwritten note tucked under the glass pane.

"Come down for dinner, Rosie dear!" Our cook Niamh called. I snatched the paper from the window and shoved it between Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice on my dresser. It'll just have to wait. Quickly, I smoothed back my loose curls and tried to ease the shaking of my hands.

Golly me, he must have broken the lock! It surely wasn't like that yesterday. I'm absolutely sure of it, for I sat and read near that window just yesterday morning. My curiosity grew and grew as I shuffled down the stairs and into the dining room. I kissed each of my older brothers on the cheek one by one in greeting. After settling down, my intrigue was nearly satiated by what my father said next.

"My Rosalie, I have some- some exciting news to inform you of," My father grimaced. "A new mafia group has entered town, and a very powerful group at that. Their leader is Callahan Romano, half-Irish, half Italian. I usually leave you out of these things, but indeed I cannot. Mr. Romano's gang will be staying with us for at least six months due to....complications with our group. But Rose, you shouldn't worry as-"

"We'll protect you!"

"I'll kill any man who touches you."

"You'll be kept under lock and key."

"We'd never let him hurt you!"

"We'll keep you safe."

My brothers Brendan, Conor, Patrick, Johnny, and Colin chimed in, grinding their teeth and making gestures that implicated immediate death to anyone who crossed the line.

"If his people are staying here, they most certainly have no desire to harm us, correct? I have no reason to be afraid of him." I stated, wholly surprised not by their possessiveness, but by their obvious fear when speaking of his powerful gang.

"No Rosie, you don't understand. He's a dangerous man, but we need to solve things with him. And while we do, you must stay as far away as possible from him. Never go anywhere without me or one of your brothers. Now, eat your potato soup like a good girl. Let's have no more talk of evil men."

I quietly ate my vegetables while thinking over and over about the tall man I saw. Could he be Mr. Romano? I must find out.

"Da, when will Mr. Romano and his men arrive?" I asked, dreading the admonishment for speaking of an evil man.

My father scowled before answering, "A few men including their leader arrived today, but they don't move into our mansion until tomorrow." And that was that.

            I hurried up the stairs, my heart thumping as I thought of the mystery man and the note. Snatching the note from between my books, I checked my back to make sure no one would catch me. Thankfully, Charlotte wouldn't be here to draw my bath for another twenty minutes.

            I flipped open the note, taking a stuttering breath as I scanned the paper. In masculine yet elegant script were the words, "Meet me at the park down the street at midnight. Come alone, sweetheart. Don't be late.
         C R"

              My heart stopped. C R... C R!
Callahan Romano! The dangerous man! He must be the tall figure I saw out my window. But why would he want to meet me? In secret?
I observed the broken lock on my window, wondering how he could have gotten at it through the bars (lattices). Then I gasped. The outermost bar was bent. It was unnoticeable from my room, but up close it was evident.

               I looked around for any other trace of the mafia leader, but I guess he did his sly job in a mostly pristine manner. I had just finished my search for more mysterious happenings outside my window when my door whirled open and Charlotte announced her presence.

               I jumped around and tried to act natural. "Hello, Charlotte! Time for my bath? Oh, wow, how time flies! Let's get on it!" I giggled nervously a little and sped into the bathroom.

               Charlotte looked at me a bit strangely but dismissed my antics as nerves from hearing of the gang. I finished my bath and dressed for bed, bidding Char leave. I combed my hair into a loose braid and laid in bed, waiting two hours and forty-five minutes till my time to go.

               Suddenly, the clock shown 11:45, and I began to make my escape.

               I smoothed down my dusty pink nightgown and slowly opened my bedroom door, wincing at every little creak. Likewise, I closed the door with precision and tiptoed down the hallway and grand staircase.
    
              I knew our guards would be making their rounds in the front by now, so I crept out the servants' entrance/exit off the kitchen to the back yard. The gate fully encompassed our land, but there was another servants' entrance behind the trees. I had watched Charlotte leave through it many times.

             Once I was out on the street, I began to jog down towards the park. I'd seen it several times from our Sunday church trips, but I couldn't believe I was actually on my own! And off to meet a strange man, no less!

            I was unbelievably anxious, but my curiosity got the best of me as I approached the park. A dark figure rose from the park bench and stalked towards me. I recognized him instantly as the man who I saw outside my window!

            I involuntarily took a few steps back, but I halted at the sound of his deep, rough voice.
 
      "Stop."

            He came into the moonlight and I gasped at the sight of him- dark wavy hair and light gray eyes, strong cheekbones and a muscular build. His tall frame towered over my petite one, and he observed me as I observed him. I started to shake under his intense stare, and it didn't help that I suddenly recalled pieces of information about him I'd heard behind closed doors. The maids had muttered about his rampant killings and his black heart, while I'd heard Niamh murmur to our butler that Callahan Romano was an elegant brute.

          I could most definitely see the elegant part from his dark suit and shiny shoes, which made me feel extremely underdressed, but I didn't experience his roughness until he grabbed my hand, pulling me to him.

            A hesitant hand reached out to brush the hair from my face, and I released a shuddering breath.

            "Miss Rosalie, I apologize for the late hour and this impromptu meeting, but I couldn't wait to see you face to face until tomorrow. I know you saw me outside your window, and I apologize for unnerving you. I just had to see you."

            My eyebrows knit together as I processed what he'd said. He couldn't wait to see me? He didn't even know me!

         He cleared his throat and continued on. "I'd had my men collect some intelligence on your family when I first learned of your father's debt, and that's when I was informed of you- beautiful, clever, sweet, smart, and, well, hidden from the world. There was no way your father would let me court you if I didn't have a way to blackmail him. I'd never been interested in finding a wife before, but when I heard of your love of books and easy manner, I needed to meet you. And you're everything I'd thought you'd be."

           He leaned in to kiss my forehead but I jumped away from his touch. His eyes shown hurt and confusion, but I quickly explained my actions. "Mr. Romano, that was all very flattering, but I really think my father wouldn't approve of this clandestine meeting. And I'd like to get to know you better before we, well, um," I blushed at the thought of his almost forehead kiss and couldn't bring myself to mention it.

          His dark expression melted into a small smile. "You're right, Rosalie. I would love to get to know you better, and we'll have plenty of time to do that when we court. Now let me walk you back to your place. You need to sleep." He squeezed my hand and led me down the street.
    
        We didn't exchange a word until we reached the back entrance and he kissed my cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow, my love." He caressed my cheek and slipped into the darkness of the trees and disappeared.