Caught Red Handed (The Caught Series Book 6) Read online

  Caught Red Handed

  C.M. Steele

  Copyrighted © 2017

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written expressed permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.

  Cover design: C.M. Steele

  Cover Image:

  Photographer: Christopher Correa, CJC Photography

  Cover Models: Rachael Baltes & Jonny Sobel

  The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows, and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and please purchase your own copy.

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior express, written consent of the author.

  This book is intended for mature adults only. Contains sexual content and language that may offend some. Suggested reading audience is 18 years or older. I consider this book as Adult Erotic Romance.

  Copyrighted © 2017

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Tony

  I stared at Tito for a long moment. My eyes narrowed as I tried to comprehend what he had just told me. It was time for our weekly bookkeeping meeting before heading to the club, when he came in and gave me some shocking and suspicious news. I tapped my lip with my index finger, then shook my head. “What do you mean he’s been murdered?” The idea that a man who was in hot water with the government, his job, and myself would end up murdered seemed a bit off. If anyone was going to kill him, it would be me, and I hadn’t offed the bastard. I wanted my money. Even if I had him sell off his things, I’d get my money back.

  He sat back in the chair in front of my desk, shaking his head. “They found his car abandoned and covered in blood. They believe he was iced and the heat is going to be coming down on us as the suspects.” I didn’t buy that shit for nothing. It was too convenient for him.

  Tito was tripping for no reason. Sometimes I wondered why I kept his scary ass on as the head of my security. He was worried about everything, even though we kept our noses clean— for the most part. “Calm down. They don’t have shit on us, and we had nothing to do with that bastard’s death. If he’s even dead.”

  “You don’t think so?” He arched his brow, looking goofy as hell.

  I was shrugging the disappearance off for now. People were too duplicitous. I wouldn’t have even lent him that money if he hadn’t been vouched for by the damn mayor. I’d take it out of the mayor’s ass if I had to. He’d end up giving me my money because the mayor had a lot to lose, and I was one of the few who could manage to take it. “It’s possible. He burns his nostrils with coke from his dealers and the money has probably dried up. He owes us more than he could ever pay back under my terms, so the fucker was either killed by one of his hookers or the coke dealers or it’s bullshit. I wouldn’t put shit past him. Remember, the fucker tried to sell me his daughter’s cherry for a payoff? No pussy is worth that much money, and as screwed up as I am, I’m not that fucking twisted. I got five that says he’s alive and playing dead.”

  “And if he is we’ll take care of the problem when we find him.” Tito and I were longtime friends and, in truth, I wondered if he was eager to take over for me. I’d been disinterested in everything for a couple of months now.

  “Exactly. Keep me up to date with what’s going on with the investigation. Now, let’s get this shit done. The club is going to be busy tonight and my patience is thin.” He nodded, and we went to work getting the numbers taken care of. I remembered why I kept him around - Tito was a numbers man. He got it done in half the time and always got my money, unless you had one of these fools coming up dead. I shook my head and tossed back a glass of Disaronno. A chill came over me as we left the house. I felt like something was going to go down tonight. “Stay aware, Tito.”

  “Of course, boss.”

  Chapter 2

  Alana

  I sat on my bed, thinking that what I was going to do was insane. This wasn’t for the faint of heart. Most seasoned cops wouldn’t go undercover. I wasn’t even a cop, just a kid with the passion to avenge a life stolen from me and get rid of the bad guys. My own bullheadedness got me into this mess. Once this was over, if I made it out alive, I would get far away from here and enroll in a school where no one had any idea who I was or where I came from.

  I went into the bathroom and washed my face. It was time to prepare for the assignment. If I pulled this off, it would be a miracle. I didn’t know anything about the man I was supposed to keep an eye on, but he was a gangster. Having seen what the mob could do, I wanted them gone and away from civilized society.

  I grabbed the curling iron and worked it through my hair, using the spray and mist in my hair to keep the curl without turning to a woman from an 80’s music video. Next was makeup, this was going to be the fun part. I’d never worn make up more than lipstick or gloss. It took me an hour and a pack of Neutrogena makeup wipes to manage a decent look.

  The slutty, street walking, stripper outfit was next. Thank my freaking stars that I was getting a ride to the place or I wouldn’t make it there before getting picked up by the cops or maybe even assaulted by someone on the street.

  I spun around to the floor length mirror behind my door. “Wow,” I whispered to myself. The halter top and skirt were excessive, but I looked freaking sexy. The heels were a perfect fit and felt comfortable enough that I would get by without looking like a newborn calf, stumbling like a fool. I used to wear my mother’s shoes when I was little, but it had been so long that I had needed days of practice. Now, I managed to even spin in a circle without falling on my ass.

  From head to toe, I was dressed to work in a strip club. Al
l I was missing was the nerve to show myself to these people. I ran over the story I was given and prepared to lie my ass off. Maybe I wouldn’t even see the owner of the club. It could be a waste of time if he didn’t even make deals in there. Criminals like him were too smart for it. They only got nailed when someone ratted on them.

  I gave myself another once-over before grabbing my little clutch stuffed with my keys and phone and heading out the door. Greg stood outside, leaning on his SUV. He stood up when he saw me, giving me a whistle of approval. “You look sexy. It’s going to work perfectly. Then we can get you the money you need to disappear to a different life.”

  He opened the door for me and helped me in before going around to start the nerve-wracking drive. He had been a rookie detective when my father died a six years ago. As partners, they had become good friends. After my father’s murder, he often checked in on me. When asked if I would do this, I jumped on it. Someone in the Franchetti family had been charged for my father’s murder but got off on a technicality. I hated all of them, criminals that is. They were what was wrong with this town, and I wanted to do my part to clean it up. If it wasn’t for them, my parents would have been living a good life and happily married, and I wouldn’t have been shuffled about between family friends and relatives after my mother’s death.

  “Remember, you need to be playing the part of a cash strapped student looking for an easy pay out without having to suck dick to do it.” I gasped, giving him a dirty look.

  “Could you be any more disrespectful?” I asked Greg.

  He frowned and muttered something I couldn’t hear before adding, “You’re going into a strip club, sweetheart. I’m just preparing you for the blunt, perverse talk that will happen in there. Just stick to your story and keep that level head on you.”

  “I know, but it’s weird to hear those things from you.”

  “I am still a young man, Alana. Just because you don’t see me that way doesn’t change that I’m only thirty-five.”

  “Sorry, I think I’m on edge about this.” The lights of the city passed by as he drove fast. “And your driving isn’t helping.”

  “Calm down, Alana. At least you don’t need confidence for this. The insecure and uncomfortable act will do just fine inside there.”

  He pulled down the street from the club. La Roux was a high-end strip club run by Anthony Franchetti, or Tony like he was called by his friends. What was it with gangsters being named Tony? I felt like they were all named that or maybe it was the movies I’d seen.

  It was now or never. I had to get information from the employees about prostitution and drugs. I wasn’t wired or anything because this wasn’t the time for it. I was to get in good with the people there before getting wired up and getting what we needed.

  Thinking of my parents, I popped out of my seat and strolled to the club like I was the owner. The bouncer at the door had no issue letting me in after he got admire my tits and ass first. I supposed I would have to get used to it. The place was dark, but eye catching. There were two women on stage dancing. They still had their clothes on, so I must have just made it to the start of their act. I would have to watch and take some damn pointers. Dancing was something I loved, but I’d never done it in a provocative way. This was a whole different game. Despite the girls on stage, I managed to attract eyes on me—a lot of them. I walked up to the bar and spoke to the woman bartending. She was as hot as the rest of the women in here. Not that I was into girls, but I recognized beauty when I saw it.

  She tilted her head towards a large man in a suit. He came up to us, and before I knew it, he was leaving to get the boss. “See, the thing is, Mr. Franchetti isn’t into hiring anyone. He leaves that to his manager, but we don’t have an opening right now. Eric sees something in you that would need the boss’s approval. Have a drink and relax while you wait for the boss.” I nodded and waited while I continued to gain attention of several of the patrons. My hands were shaking as I waited to meet the infamous Tony Franchetti.

  Chapter 3

  Tony

  I stood at the large one-way window, looking out on my club below with my hands in the pockets of my expensive, navy blue suit. I cracked a smile that no one else could see, and that was the way I preferred it. The club was busy tonight as always. Men were sitting there with their tongues out or bullshitting with their buddies. It was filling up fast, but what strip club owner wouldn’t want their place packed with dicks chasing a fantasy?

  As I surveyed the large crowd, I looked for any signs of trouble, but everything seemed to be in order. There would be hell to pay if it were any other way. My men knew that no fuckups would be tolerated in here. I had at least seven men on duty every night. Any guy gets out of line with one of the dancers, he’s out on his ass and never allowed back in. My goal was profit, and that meant everything had to be inviting. Trouble wasn’t welcomed, but their money was. A well-placed group of security members kept people on their best behavior for a strip club.

  Tonight, we were hosting two bachelor parties, but they were warned in advance what behavior wouldn’t be tolerated. It didn’t always hold up. One stupid ass would be too drunk to act human and end up getting all of them kicked out. I imposed a drink limit after the first fight in my place. Three drinks in two hours. If you stayed longer, you could get another one per hour, but I preferred the money was spent on the dancers. Men didn’t think straight when their dicks were hard, I learned that first hand. That was why a drink limit had to be added to the business.

  I didn’t play games with anyone when it came to my money and respect. If you crossed me, there would be hell to pay. I supposed that’s why the cops always had their eye on me. I had a tail on me when the police budget would allow it. I found it pretty pathetic, but what was I going to do? They hadn’t broken any laws that I could get them on.

  Not that the tail mattered. They were wasting tax paying dollars on me when the real shady fucks worked in their government offices. I already had the biggest one of them under my thumb. He was itching for a bullet with his name on it. The dumb bastard was on the take from more than half the damn crooks in town. And so was one of his lackeys, Jacob Homan, the supposed corpse. If the other fuck wasn’t a public official, I would have dealt with him already, but time wouldn’t be on his side for long.

  I continued to look down at the club. These married fucks who came here every other day actually made me sick. They chased after these women, wasting money that should be spent on their families. It was really sad. After seeing my cousin with his wife, I knew damn well that none of these losers knew what a marriage was. Dante was my hero and showed me that a man can be more than one thing. The man was a badass yet held his own when it came to love. His wife was the queen and everything to him. I was jaded and it happened six years ago when Dante fell in love with Reagan and I got shot for fucking a slut who set me up.

  Seeing his happiness made me think it wasn’t possible for both of us to be that lucky. I didn’t deserve a good girl. Hell, I didn’t deserve a hooker with VD, but it didn’t matter. I had no intention of letting a woman into my life. Six years later and the memory of being played still lived with me, and I had the scar on my ass to prove it.

  I spun around towards my six-thousand-dollar oak desk. “Grow a damn set, Franchetti,” I said to myself. Feeling like a pathetic ass and in a suddenly bad mood, I walked back to my chair to get some real shit done. I was the man and I ran this area. I needed to remember that, instead of acting like a big pussy. I looked over the bills and wrote the checks or did the online payments. The club was up more than a million dollars this year and it was only summertime. The cold winter nights brought a lot more people looking to warm up. After finishing all my paperwork for the night, I took a brief nap. There wasn’t much else for me to do. This place was a well lubed machine. Most of the time I was here for the just-in-case moments.

  After my alarm woke me up, I got back to reviewing the schedules Eric had created for the staff. With fifteen strippers,
we had all we needed. Most women only worked three nights a week; some did a full five, but it was when they needed extra cash. No more than seven went on in a night. The rest walked around and talked to some of the men.

  The rest of the night had been uneventful. I got ready to go downstairs for a drink and speak with my staff when my assistant manager Eric came in to tell me one of the guests would like to meet me. “Send him away.” I was too busy, or rather too irritated, to deal with greedy or egotistical fucks. I wasn’t busy, but I was annoyed with people in general.

  He shook his head, then added, “It’s not a him. It’s a she, and well, she’s looking for a job.” The wolfish expression on his face told me that she was sexy to him. He must have been super interested, especially if she was looking for more than we offered here. There was no sex in this place and my staff would be out on their ass if they were caught fucking around in my business. I didn’t want the cops busting up the place thinking I had a prostitution operation going on in here.

  “You know that’s not how we operate. Does she have any credentials?” It seemed like a big deal to him, so I wanted to know why. Most of these women had stripped before and were looking for an opportunity to clear more cash.

  “No, just a poor college kid looking for money to pay for it. I didn’t send her packing because, fuck, she could make this club tons of money. She’s hot as hell with tits and ass for days, and the guys are already eyeing her for a private dance. She looks a little skittish, but nothing a couple of drinks and time won’t fix.”

  If she could be an asset, it was worth considering. Since I could observe her from where I was at, I didn’t have to go down there if it was a waste of time. Some women wanted the money but weren’t cut out for this type of work, so they wouldn’t be able to make it through one dance. It was a waste of time for us unless they were pros, but if he says she’s got the looks and attention already, then it may be something to consider. “A possibility that she could make us some money is worth a look. Where is she?”