Chapter 4
4
COURT
I’d been working at the Sapphire Lounge for two weeks. Every night, I slipped into my role and kept my ears open for anything that could lead me closer to the truth about Donnie’s operation. Because I’d gotten the job right before the shipment was scheduled to come in, I wasn’t able to get any information prior to delivery, and it went down without me knowing details. That didn’t mean there wouldn’t be more, or that I couldn’t find out what Donnie did behind closed doors.
As “Dance Monkey” played through the speakers, Mia stepped onto the main stage. With long dark hair and a confident sway, she caught the attention of the mostly male crowd. Wearing a shiny silver two-piece and a smile that lit up the stage, she moved effortlessly in sync with the music. Since starting at the club, I learned she was one of the dancers who raked in the most money. Even though I was gay, I understood her appeal. She knew how to work the pole better than anyone.
I had to admit, the job wasn’t what I thought it would be. Occasionally a guy would get too drunk and try to get handsy and tug on a dancer and make her sit in his lap. Then I’d have to go pry his hands off of her. A few times someone would ask me to run to the mini mart down the block for something, and each night, I’d walk the ladies to their cars. It seemed my main role though was to be a deterrent to keep most of the customers in line.
As Mia’s song ended, Donnie and his girlfriend entered the club. Everything shifted slightly as regulars and staff acknowledged his presence, some stepping aside as Donnie and Morgan headed my way.
“Follow me.” Donnie motioned for me to walk with them. I fell into step and we entered his office. “I didn’t get a chance to thank you for taking care of my girl last night.” He pulled Morgan into his lap.
“Not a problem at all.” I nodded once, my hands clasped in front of me as I stood just inside the doorway. It was my first time in his office, so I glanced around the room. I didn’t see anything drug-related or out of the norm, and based on what I’d observed around the club, there didn’t appear to be any drugs stored in the building—at least none that I could find. However, my team had done some digging and there were whispers on the street that confirmed product was or had been moving through the club at some point. Maybe since I was new, Donnie was hiding his illegal activities until I earned his trust.
“As a thank you, how about I pay for a lap dance whenever you want?” Donnie grinned as though every guy wanted a naked chick rubbing on his clothes-covered junk.
I chuckled slightly. “Thanks, but women aren’t really my type.”
“You’re gay?” Morgan asked, her eyes brightening.
I cocked my head slightly. Her tone wasn’t judgmental, so I answered truthfully, “Yes.”
“You need to meet my brother!” she all but squealed.
“The one from last night?” I asked, even though I knew Morgan only had one brother, based on the intel we’d gathered.
When I’d learned Morgan was Donnie’s girlfriend, I’d asked Dalton to look her up. Once he’d confirmed her identity, I’d become concerned because I’d previously testified for the prosecution in a drug case where her father, Sean Ashford, had been the defense attorney, and I’d worried that the connection could jeopardize my cover. However, after discussing it with Dalton, we agreed the likelihood of running into Mr. Ashford was extremely low.
“Yes.” Morgan nodded.
I shrugged, trying to play it cool. “He’s cute.”
“Cute? Just cute?” She grinned.
I hesitated, choosing my words carefully. Getting close to Ryan might not be a bad play to get me deeper into Donnie’s world outside of the strip club. I just had to avoid run-ins with Sean Ashford, or if there were, hopefully, I wouldn’t be recognized.
I couldn’t deny, for the few minutes I’d interacted with Ryan, I’d found him attractive. I’d tried not to stare because my concern had been for Morgan, but I’d noticed Ryan had killer green eyes, a chiseled jawline, and perfect lips, so it wouldn’t be a burden to get to know him a little better. “Honestly? Yeah, he’s my type.”
Morgan clapped her hands together and leaned on the desk in front of her. “This is perfect! You two need to meet again. Maybe I could orchestrate a little dinner or something.”
I smiled. “That sounds fun. I’d be down.”
“Wait!” Morgan stood suddenly. “I have a better idea.”
I raised a brow as Donnie asked, “You’re really excited about this, aren’t you?”
“I am. So, we’re going to Cape Cod for a party at my bestie’s place this weekend. Court, you should come and then I can introduce you to Ryan again, but this time, you know, make it known it’s a setup.”
When Dalton had run background checks on everyone associated with Donnie, we learned Morgan’s best friend was Faye Donnelley. Faye’s brother had been shot by the guy who Joseph Hughes, the previous owner of the Sapphire Lounge, had sent to get his money. After his arrest, Hughes turned the club’s reins over to Donnie, his fiancée’s son.
Did Morgan realize she was essentially sleeping with the enemy? And what about Ryan? What did he know? What about their father, who was best friends with the president? A part of me wondered if the Ashfords were aware of the situation and acting on their own to take down Donnie, but Donnie hadn’t had anything to do with the shooting, and my intuition told me the Ashfords had no clue Donnie and Hughes were connected.
I frowned. “I’m scheduled to work.”
Morgan turned to her boyfriend. “You’ll get someone to cover for him, right?”
“Whatever you want, sweet thing.”
“Then you’ll come?” Morgan spun back toward me.
“I don’t know. What if your brother isn’t interested? That’s going to be a lonely drive back to the city.”
She waved a hand dismissively. “He’ll be interested. Trust me.”
I forced a smile. “All right, sounds like a plan.”
“Great! I’ll set it up.” She was already on her phone doing what? I had no clue.
“All right then, I should get back out to the floor,” I said, stepping toward the door.
As I slipped out of Donnie’s office, I headed to the dressing room to check on the dancers before I would make my way to the floor.
The hallway was dimly lit, the sounds of the crowd and music muffled. When I entered the dressing area, the dancers were laughing while they got ready for their sets and everything appeared normal. But my gaze was immediately drawn to Mia.
She sat at her makeup table, taking a bright yellow pill out of a baggie. My heart sank as I recognized the MDMA tablet.
“Whatcha got there, Mia?” I asked, stepping closer, noticing the tablets weren’t stamped with anything I’d seen before. They had what looked like a fire emoji on them.
She looked up. “Oh, it’s just a little something to help me loosen up.”
I tilted my head slightly. “You’re sure you should be doing it while working?”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Relax, Court. It’s harmless. Everyone does it.”
“I just don’t want you to take any chances, you know?”
She laughed lightly. “I appreciate it, but really, I can handle it. It’ll just get me through my night easier.”
My gut twisted because I knew too well how quickly things could spiral when drugs were involved. But the last thing I needed was to blow my cover by appearing too protective, so I didn’t feel comfortable asking her where she had gotten the tablets. I’d already questioned her about taking Molly, so inquiring about her dealer might make her suspicious. Was it Donnie? Did he deal in more than just cocaine?
“I get it,” I said. “But be careful, okay?”
“I will.” With a wink, she tossed the pill back and swallowed it with her Diet Coke.
Moments like that always reminded me why I’d chosen this path in the first place. After I’d gotten my degree in criminal justice, I’d jumped straight into the academy and then spent a year and a half on probation working street patrol. For the last couple of years, I’d been part of a narcotics task force. I’d chosen that path because I wanted to tackle an issue that hit our communities hard. Protecting people was my passion, and working in narcotics felt like a chance to make a real difference. I believed that by going after drug trafficking and distribution, I could help stop addiction before it started and keep more people from getting caught in that tough cycle.
I’d faced dangerous situations before, pretended to be a junky in dark corners of the city, and dealt with high-stakes dealing. Yet seeing it unfold firsthand always hit harder than I expected.