Riley practically stumbled out the side door of Romano's Lounge, and into the dark alley.

She liked working. Meeting new people, flirting with the handsome young men she served alcohol to, laughing with the other girls she worked with – It was new to her, and she enjoyed it. By the end of the night Riley figured out the only downside to her new job as she took in a deep breath of fresh air – It was tiring, and she was exhausted. Riley had to stay late to clean up, and was finally allowed to leave when the other waitress who stayed said she would finish up.

It was well past midnight as she walked alongside the building towards the street, running her soft fingers against the brick. Riley was thankful her apartment wasn't too far of a walk from there. It was quiet, almost too quiet, so she quickened her pace out of the darkness of the alley. It was then that she heard a noise that made her whole body jump in fear.

The noise came from directly across the street, in another alley between two buildings. The sound of voices made Riley step back into the darkness of the alley to hide.

Pressing herself against the cold brick, Riley felt her whole body shake when she realized what she was hearing. It was a thud, painful groaning, the quick breaths of men who were kicking and punching. It was a fight. She saw their shadows from across the street, a body was on the ground and was surrounded by its attackers. The street was empty and quiet, echoing the sounds from the alley that Riley's eyes were fixed on. She tried not to breathe. She didn't move.

Riley wanted to turn around and run back to the side door of the Lounge, but her whole body stiffened when the noises were silenced. The painful groans from the body stopped, the beating had ended. She pressed her cheek on the brick and closed her eyes tight, afraid to move, praying not to be seen by the men.

"Is he dead?"

Riley opened her eyes at the sound of a voice. The men were hovering over the limp and beaten body they were kicking.

"Yah, the bastard's dead. What do we do with him, boss?" Another voice came from the alley.

"Leave him," A man replied, walking out onto the street. "We're done here."

Riley let out a frightened gasp. It was him! The familiar face turned to the alley she was standing in.

Spot Conlon. The name still rang in her ears from when Bonnie pointed him out the day before. She had said he was dangerous. Spot Conlon was bad news. The lifeless body in the alley proved it.

Spot Conlon saw her. Riley's body went numb when she saw the fire in his eyes. She pulled her face from the brick and tried to catch her breath, but she couldn't breathe. His eyes terrified her. They were like ice.

"Shit… Spot…!" One of the other men yelled, also noticing Riley as they followed their leader onto the street.

Spot Conlon put up his hand to silence him. Now all five men who were with him in the alley turned their attention to her.

Riley pulled herself off of the brick wall and stood paralyzed in the opening of the alley. Spot Conlon's stare was intense and it made her shake, but she knew what she had to do – run.

Riley was far from stupid. It was obvious that running back into the alley would get her caught. The empty street was silent, but she couldn't get herself to scream. Riley opened her mouth in fear, then closed it again.

Finally getting the feeling back in her legs, Riley took off down the street. She heard some footsteps begin to chase her, but was too scared to look back.

She kept running even after she heard Spot Conlon order his men not to run after her. She ran for 10 minutes down the dark and empty street until she reached the steps to her apartment.

Running up the stairs, Riley looked at the empty street. Spot Conlon did not want to capture her. Riley ran up the stairs to the top floor, turned her key to unlock the door, and slammed it shut behind her. She was dizzy and gulped for air as she slid down to the ground, making sure to lock the door before she did.

Riley wiped the tears from her cheeks. She didn't even know that she was crying. Once she caught her breath, Bonnie's absence from their apartment became clear to her. Getting up from the floor, Riley found a note on the table that was sitting by the door.

Riles,

Went to Manhattan with Jack Kelly to see my old neighborhood! I'll probably be back before you're home.

Love, Bonnie.

After reading the note, Riley noticed her hands were still shaking. She sat on a chair and pulled her legs to her chest, holding onto them tightly. It wasn't long until she heard laughter coming from outside the door. Bonnie took out her key and unlocked it, opening it and smiling at Riley on the chair. The newsboy Jack Kelly stood behind her.

"Riley! How was your first night at work?" Bonnie asked cheerfully.

"I'm tired." Riley replied quietly, no emotion in her voice. "I'm going to bed."

"Okay…Good night, Riles!" Bonnie called to her as Riley closed the door to her room. It was obvious Bonnie had been drinking. Riley knew she'd hear an interesting story in the morning.

Riley changed into her nightgown and sat down on her bed, taking the pins out of her hair. She heard Bonnie talk to Jack for a few more minutes before he left. Letting out a long sigh, Riley got under the covers and hugged her pillow to her chest.

Those eyes were haunting her. She shuddered at the thought. Riley had seen something horrible. She had witnessed a man being beaten to death.

Riley had her second encounter with the Leader of Brooklyn.

Spot Conlon was dangerous, but why did he stop his men from chasing her? Who was that man in the alley? Why was he attacked? So many questions were popping up in her head, all of them begging for answers. Among all of this, she found herself thinking of one boy as she drifted off into a restless sleep.

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