Men in Charge: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by Natasha L. Black

  No woman had ever been able to make me feel so on fire or fill me with such need. I wanted her. More than anything I wanted her, but I had to get closer to her to figure out what was going on. With them giving us fake names, it was hard to get any sort of information about her.

  I’d tried looking her up in our own data base, but clearly, Sky wasn’t her name. Until I got to know her, I wouldn’t be able to find her anywhere, and that was driving me close to insane.

  “Okay boys,” Captain Markel walked into the room, and my attention was immediately given to what he was saying. “We’ve got some news.”

  Welsh had followed the captain into the room, and he now took a seat near the back. He made eye contact with me briefly along the way but couldn’t say a word. I’d have to wait to hear what was going on along with everyone else.

  “We’ve got our eyes on a man,” Captain Markel said. “Rocco Andretti.”

  He pulled up the photo of the man on the projector, and a slight murmur came from several men in the room as they recognized him. I hadn’t told anyone but Welsh what had happened at the club the day after the party, but since Rocco had come over to the table when we were all seated, they clearly remembered him.

  “Isn’t that the guy from Smitty’s?” Drake asked.

  “Yeah, he’s the owner I think,” Deichman replied. He turned his attention to the captain before adding, “What did he do?”

  “It’s not proven that he’s done anything yet, but we have reason to believe that he’s a high-ranking organized crime member. Both the LAPD and the NYPD have confirmed they suspected him of crimes in the past, but they weren’t able to arrest him. He’s elusive, and he’s good at what he does. There’s always just enough lack of evidence to bring him in, and that’s been the problem for a long time,” Captain Markel answered.

  “Why is he on our radar now?” Adam, one of the senior members on the force, asked. I could always count on him to ask the most practical question during these meetings, enabling me to sit silently and gather information.

  That was how I liked to do things, and I was all ears for this case.

  “There was a minor incident witnessed at the club shortly after we were there. No official reports were made, but since Jack saw it with his own eyes, we decided to look into what was going on behind those doors exactly,” Captain Markel replied.

  I had a feeling Welsh was going to fill him in on what I’d seen, and I didn’t mind it. But I hoped the captain wasn’t going to focus on that exclusively. I wanted to know more about the guy’s background. What he was capable of, and what he had been doing before.

  If he was involved in the mob, then there was a good chance we were dealing with a murderer. Whether he pulled the trigger himself, or he had someone else do his bidding, it was all the same in my book. I felt sick for Sky, and any of the other women who were working for him.

  “We didn’t have anything in our own database, so we reached out to others,” Captain Markel continued. “He’s a prime suspect for murder in multiple states, as well as connected with the disappearance of a lot of women through the years. He had a club in LA that was shut down after a woman went missing and her body found a few days later.”

  My stomach tied itself in a knot. My gut instinct had been correct. The guy was way more dangerous than he appeared on the outside. I was suddenly very fearful for Sky’s life.

  “In New York, two men were murdered and found outside a hotel he was running. It was later discovered there was a prostitution ring being run inside the place, but lack of evidence pointing to whether he knew what was going on. The women involved refused to say whether he had forced them into the lifestyle or not, and ultimately, only three arrests were made,” Captain Market read from the report in his hand.

  “God, how the hell does a man get away with something like that?” Drake muttered.

  “He’s good at what he does,” I said. “And if he’s connected with the mob, I have a feeling he’s got people to either cover his tracks or take the fall. Not to mention a high-priced lawyer on retainer for just this type of thing.”

  In Chicago, we didn’t have much interaction with people who were in the mob. There were plenty of drug lords and gangs to combat, but as far as the mob went, that was more centered in the NYPD’s jurisdiction. I knew little about the Chicago Outfit, and largely assumed they weren’t nearly as active as they had once been.

  Little did I know how wrong I was.

  “So what’s the plan?” I asked. “If we’ve got an eyewitness account of this man abusing a woman, and we know that he’s already a suspect in connection to other cases, can’t we arrest him and bring him in for questioning?”

  “You know he has to do something and be arrested in the act if he’s going to be brought in,” Captain Markel replied. “So we’re going to wait until we’ve got more evidence. If he’s a volatile as we assume he is, then we’ll only have to bide our time until he fucks up.”

  I sat back in my chair, trying to hide my frustration. I knew he was right. We couldn’t just arrest him because he had a record in another state. There wasn’t any evidence. Hell, none of the other forces had been able to prove his connection to the cases they had dealt with, either.

  He was slippery as a snake, and he was going to have to be caught in the act of something. At the same time, Cap was right when he said it was just a matter of time before that happened.

  Anyone who was engaged in criminal activity could only do so for so long before they slipped up in one way or another. Even Al Capone had gotten himself arrested and thrown in prison eventually. If this guy was as cocky as he acted, he’d fuck up, and when he did, we’d be there to lock him up.

  “I want everyone in the force to be on alert for any sort of activity connected to him,” Captain Markel said. “But I’m going to remind each of you, this is just a suspect case for now. We can’t go in there and harass him or do anything that prompts him to react.”

  He looked at me as he spoke, and I bit my lower lip. He knew me too well. When I thought someone was in danger, especially a woman, I would do anything in my power to make sure she was okay. I wanted to go down there and confront Rocco myself, but I couldn’t.

  We had to do things by the book or risk blowing the case and letting a criminal go free on a technicality.

  “I’m talking to one of you in particular,” Captain Markel said. “And I’m sure you know who you are.”

  A chuckle ran through the group and Drake clapped me on the back. Since they knew I was the one who brought it up in the first place, I was clearly going to be taking the heat for liking the girl. And I didn’t care; I did like her. I wanted her to be safe and away from the clutches of that monster.

  “Stay safe out there today,” Cap said, and we rose. He turned his attention to the paperwork in his hand, but he stopped me as I walked by.

  “I need you to promise me you aren’t going to do anything stupid,” he said. “Really.”

  I put my hands in my back pockets and looked away. “I promised the public I would do what I had to do to serve and protect.”

  “And you need to maintain that promise, not harass someone we are considering a person of interest. It’s not even going to be released to the public that he is at this point. We need to be able to prove he is guilty or else he’ll walk,” Cap replied. “Come on, Jack. I need to be able to count on you.”

  “I won’t do anything stupid,” I said. He nodded and clapped me on the shoulder before I left. But, once I was in the hall, I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep that promise. I’d be careful, I’d do things as much by the book as I could, but I was going to get this son of a bitch, and I was going to do it before he could hurt anyone else.

  “Are we doing this?” Welsh asked as he ran up to me. I gave him a look.

  “Do you have to be so loud about it?” I asked.

  “Just wondering if we’re going to have to go save all those poor girls from this guy. The SWAT team gets to do all the cool
shit if you ask me,” he said.

  “Then maybe you should have been one of them,” I replied. “We’ve got to get to our patrol.”

  “They get shot at too much,” he said with a shrug. “And I’d rather not have to deal with a trip-wire loaded apartment or bomb backpacks.”

  “That’s the Bomb Squad,” I said with a shake of my head. We headed to the cruiser and slid inside, but my mind was back on Rocco.

  Just trip up, you Bastard. That’s all I need you to do. Just once, and you’re gone.

  8

  Sky

  I dragged my feet as I wandered through my apartment. The lingerie I’d been wearing when I walked out of the club a couple days before was lying on the chair where I’d thrown it. It was an hour before my shift was supposed to start, and I didn’t want to go in.

  But I never did hear back from Mr. Carducci, though I couldn’t say I was surprised. Rocco had made it clear I was to be in for my shift, and I didn’t dare go against him. Not after he’d gotten physical with me once already. I knew what he was capable of.

  You should go to the cops. If he’s going to force you to do and the rest of the girls to do illegal shit, you should report him to the authorities right away.

  I grimaced. I knew the logical thing would be to go straight to them and tell them what was going on, but I feared what was going to happen if I did. They wouldn’t go in and arrest him without proof, and if they were to talk to him about it, I knew he’d guess I was the one who had gone to them in the first place.

  He hated cops. I knew it was because of the lifestyle he chose to live, and I was pretty sure he had a few of them on his payroll. If I were to bring them around, especially questioning him for illegal activity, he’d likely make sure I disappeared.

  My mind instantly wandered back to the hot cop that had been in my dreams the past few nights. It was getting kind of old having to shower and change my clothes in the middle of the night. I couldn’t help but wonder if the real thing would be that good or if he were better left to my imagination.

  I grabbed the lingerie and shoved it in my bag, then I stopped to check myself in the mirror before heading out the door. I paused. I looked very tired. Defeated. Thoughts of my hero cop came flooding back to me. They were doing that a lot now, and I knew why.

  He saved you. He stepped in and saved you from Rocco when he was hurting you. He didn’t think about himself or what might happen to him. He just saw that you were in need, and he acted.

  But was it because it was me specifically? Or would he have done that for any girl he saw in that situation? I wanted so much to believe I was a special case. I tried smiling at myself, brushing my hair back out of my face to see myself better. It was a nice thought. My mother used to tell me that I was worth the entire world. I’d long since stopped believing that.

  But then, a man coming in out of nowhere to save me – there was something to be said for that.

  As always, however, the flood of other thoughts came rushing in as well. Thoughts that felt far more realistic than any of the pleasant ones that ran through my brain.

  He was just doing his job. The man is a cop. You know that that means. He’s there to protect anyone he sees being hurt, not just you. Do you really think a guy like that is going to want to be with a girl like you?

  You’re a stripper! Forget about it. Never going to happen.

  I headed out the door, the negative thoughts having fully taken root in my brain. I knew it wasn’t healthy. I desperately missed the girl I’d been once. The one who dreamt of being a veterinarian and helping sick animals. The one who’d had plans and a purpose. Not the one who’d been beaten down by life.

  The man was nothing more than a fantasy. He just happened to be someone who had saved me, giving me the one thing that I wanted most in the world. I didn’t want to be hurt anymore. I wanted out of the mess my life had become, and for that brief moment, I was.

  Without even knowing it, he had done exactly what I’d needed. And I was still dreaming about him because of it. It didn’t help that he was hot as hell. And shit, a girl could have her dreams, couldn’t she?

  That’s all they were, after all.

  Nothing but dreams.

  “Cutting it close, aren’t you?” Rocco asked when I walked through the door. It was less than a minute before my shift was supposed to start, and I had a feeling he was going to be on my back about the day before.

  I wanted to ignore him, but I didn’t dare.

  “You said to be here on time, and I am,” I replied dryly. “So you got what you wanted.”

  “Feeling better?” he asked. “I was worried sick about you.”

  I could hear the sarcasm in his voice, but I merely nodded. I was on my way back to my station to put on my makeup and do my hair. There were times I’d put on a wig. It was a good way to protect myself against the people who came through those doors. Other times, I went natural.

  Today, I was putting on that wig.

  “You know, I’m curious about that cop who assaulted me in the alley the other day,” he said as he followed me to my makeup station.

  I nearly choked at his rendition of what had happened. As if he’d been the innocent victim. “What about him?” I asked, not looking up.

  “Seems rather convenient that he was right there just at that time,” he replied. “Don’t you think?”

  “What are you getting at?” I asked. “I need to get ready to get out there, and you’re holding me up.”

  “This is my establishment. I can hold you up for as long as I want,” he barked. “You can get ready while I talk.”

  “I’d rather you weren’t standing right here while I got dressed,” I replied. It wasn’t uncommon for us to change our clothing in front of each other, but Rocco wasn’t ever back there when we did. At least, he wasn’t when I changed.

  “Then stand behind the curtain,” he snapped. I gave him a look, but I could see by his expression I had no choice. He was going to stand there and talk while I got ready, whether I liked it or not.

  With a sigh, I slipped behind the changing curtain and yanked it closed, making sure there wasn’t any room for him to see through the slits before I started undressing.

  “I just find it odd that just as you walked out of here, there’s a cop there ready to meet you. And don’t think I didn’t notice he was one of the men from the bachelor party the other night,” Rocco continued. “You seemed pretty damn happy to be giving him that lap dance.”

  “You were the one who told me to do that,” I said. “And I’m paid to look happy.”

  “I know you well enough by now to know when you’re truly enjoying yourself or just faking,” Rocco said with a laugh. “Don’t try to tell me you weren’t having fun with that one.”

  “I’m still not sure what you’re trying to say,” I opened the curtain, now dressed in my lingerie. I hated the way his eyes immediately darted to my breasts. He grinned.

  “God I love it when you wear that one,” he said.

  “I need to put on my makeup,” I grabbed a wig and jammed it over my head. I wished more than anything he’d go back to his office. I knew he was trying to drag this out as much as he could.

  “I’ll put it bluntly, then,” he said. “Are you involved with that cop?”

  “Involved?” I looked at him through the mirror. “You don’t get to ask me about my personal life. What I do when I leave here is none of your damn business.”

  His eyes hardened. “You didn’t answer my question sweetheart. Are you involved with him?”

  I took my time putting the eyeliner across my eyes and applying my lipstick. There was a part of me that was glad he was so concerned about the situation. Another part of me, however, was worried that it would only make my situation even more perilous if he believed I was involved with a cop. He would do anything to protect himself and his business interests. Including getting rid of anyone he thought posed a threat. And that would include an employee dating an officer of the law.r />
  I knew that I should just acquiesce and make him think he had intimidated me yet again. I knew that I should make him believe that I wasn’t a threat to him. But my patience was boiling over, and I was about sick and tired of the bullshit. I didn’t want to be this scared weakling anymore. I wanted to take my life back once and for all.

  After finishing with my eyeliner, I put on my mascara. Rocco waited, impatiently tapping his foot on the floor while I took my time. Of course, I could talk while I put on my eye makeup, but I made a purposeful show of standing closer to the mirror and acting like I was concentrating too much on getting it perfect.

  “Rocco, you control every aspect of my life while I’m on the clock and working here,” I said at last. I once again took my time closing the makeup before making eye contact with him in the mirror once more. “But who I see and what I do in my free time is none of your goddamn business!”

  His arms had been crossed, but he now let them fall to his side. I knew I was pissing him off all over again, but I just couldn’t bring myself to care anymore. I didn’t want to work for him anymore, and the only reason I’d shown back up was because I needed to bide my time until I could safely get away.

  “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.” I set the rest of the makeup on the corner of the counter, then I rose, pushing past him to make my way to the stage.

  I let out a small cry when he surprised me by grabbing my throat once more.

  “I’m getting real sick of this attitude you’ve developed,” he said as he leaned in toward my face. I held my chin high, hoping against hope one of the other girls would walk in and see what was going on.

  We were in the back of the club. There was no way anyone outside the curtain could see back there. Even if the cop had come back, he wouldn’t know that I needed him to save me all over again.