 Chicago. 1930. Booze, broads, and bullets. Prohibition isn t kind to gangsters. But then again, they re just trying to make it through the changing times like every other joe. But not every one of them is Peter Grady. He s an ex-prizefighter, ex-pit bull for Capone, and the X on the line that makes him the owner of one of the city s many speakeasies. For going down in the fifth each time, Capone s given the Irishman the chance at an easy retirement. But with a past like Peter Grady, it isn t so easy. His friend Philip Dane is popped in his own joint and Capone s world crumbles to chaos. Dane s beautiful niece Sofia holds the key in helping Elliot Ness and the police put Capone and his gang down for good. But when Sofia shows up at Grady s doorstep, he not only falls for her like a sack of hammers, but ends up protecting her from the very thing he has held true for years: his trust in Capone. Loyalties are questioned. Friends are enemies and enemies are friends, and the world s going to hell in a handbasket for Peter Grady because love has walked through the door without ringing the bell. Pursued by both the creeping police and stalked by his old comrades, he juggles his joint, his girl, and his very life, running on a high-strung tight-rope with time running out. But then again, not every juggler is Peter Grady.