Billy O'Connell may have been just a boy when Den Shaw crossed him and his family, but the bad news for Den was; little boys eventually grow into men. Billy has bided his time, ten whole years of hurt, and now justice, as far as he is concerned, has finally been done. Jay Shaw only looks out for himself, His old man had taught him that much at least. Billy may hate him with a vengeance but the feeling is most definitely mutual. Jay is as nasty and conniving as his father before him: They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, and this one is Rotten to the Core. Kate O'Connell is a decent girl considering the rough area that she has grown up in, and the fact that her brother Billy is so fiercely protective of her. How she has managed to keep her secret from him for so long she has no idea. Caught up in the vicious feud she finds herself having to make a choice, between the man she loves and her fiercely protective brother. It's a decision that could cost Kate her life.