Caught Up by Navessa Allen

Nico "Junior" Trocci feels like he is slowly dying. Working with his mob father has broken parts of him, and all he wants is to get out. He has been forced to see and do brutal things, and he’s desperate to leave—it’s just a matter of finding the right way.

The one bright spot in his life is Lauren Marchetti, a fling he had over a decade ago. He broke her heart after her father punched him and told him to stay away from her. But for the past ten years, all Nico has done is protect her and watch her from a distance. He’s been able to communicate with her anonymously through an online sex account. He knows it's her—she just doesn't know it's him. Every time Lauren posts, Nico responds, telling her how proud he is. He frequently pays for private videos, and they spend a lot of time talking.

Lauren Marchetti is a cam girl with a large number of followers. She makes her money by sending videos, creating content, and offering personalized messages. She loves her job and spends her free time advocating for sex workers, pushing for safe environments and recognition of sex work as real work. She lives with her two roommates: Taylor, also a cam girl, and Ryan, a video editor.

After another rough night—one that includes Lauren’s father, who she hasn’t seen in a very long time—Nico decides to pay for one of Lauren’s videos. After years of back-and-forth, Lauren knows exactly what he likes. The session hits hard for Nico, and afterward, he decides it’s time to see her in person again.

Lauren doesn’t often go to church, but she loves spending time with her Nona, who practically raised her and her sister after their mother left and their father was absent. One Sunday, she takes Nona to church—and runs into her old high school fling, Nico Trocci. Nico corners her, kisses her, and sneaks a tracking device into her bag before walking away, leaving Lauren very confused.

That night, Taylor asks Lauren about her history with Nico. Lauren explains that she had a major crush on him in high school. One night, they snuck off together and began a secret relationship. Lauren documented everything in her journal, including fantasies she made up. But one of Lauren’s jealous friends found the journal, stole it, and shared it with the entire school. Nico denied ever being with Lauren, making her look like a lovesick fool. Things got so bad, Lauren transferred schools the following year. The friend who took the journal was later caught with a large amount of pot, and the principal who ignored the bullying was in a crash that left him seriously injured.

Pleased that he planted the tracker, Nico follows Lauren to a building. When he enters, he realizes it’s a kink house. Jealous that someone might be touching her, he searches for her. Lauren recognizes him immediately—even with a mask. He sits next to her during a voyeurism show and fully apologizes for everything he did to her. Lauren runs off, unsure how to process it, but Nico catches up, and they share an intimate moment. Then Taylor and Ryan interrupt, saying the club owner wants to meet Lauren.

Lauren, Taylor, and Ryan meet with the club owner. They’re all investors and have just been told that their rent is going up. The trio is tasked with finding a new location with cheaper rent that still works for everyone. That night, Lauren receives a message from her favorite fan—a meetup request. She’s saddened, assuming he’s just another follower crossing a line. She declines, but then a new request comes in with a massive payment and a photo of her old journal, referencing a fantasy she wrote about in a photo booth. When she looks up the address, it’s an arcade. Lauren realizes that her favorite fan is actually Nico. She decides to go. The two share a passionate moment and agree to go on a real date later in the week.

At the club, Lauren waits patiently for Nico, but he texts that he’ll be late. She assumes he’s bailing, turns off her phone, and enjoys the night. Meanwhile, Nico is stuck at a family dinner he can’t escape. His only relief is seeing his cousin Aly and her fiancé, Josh. When Nico’s father upsets them, dinner ends early, and Nico rushes to the club. He finds Lauren and kisses her in front of everyone. They return to the voyeur room, this time taking things further during the show. Afterward, they talk, but things quickly spiral. Nico’s questions come out wrong, and when a drunk man stumbles in, Nico reacts violently and beats him up. Lauren, furious, makes Nico leave. In his rush, he grabs the wrong phone—Lauren’s.

The next day, Lauren takes Nona to church and finds Nico waiting in a confessional. They share a tense, quiet sexual moment, swapping their phones back afterward. As they try to sneak out, Nona definitely notices.

Lauren still wants answers. She’s angry Nico left without explaining himself. Then she gets another message from her anonymous fan—Nico—offering an enormous sum of money to attend a cookout with him as his date. She declines. Moments later, Nico shows up at her door to explain everything. Lauren demands the truth: everything he’s done for or to her over the last ten years. Nico reveals it all—securing safe apartments, working with officials on her advocacy efforts, punishing those who wronged her. Lauren listens, stunned. In the end, she forgives him and agrees to attend his cousin’s cookout.

At the cookout, Lauren meets Aly and Josh. Nico meets Josh’s old roommate, Tanner, whom he dislikes immediately. Nico and Josh talk and agree to help each other—Nico wants out of the mob, and Josh wants to support him. Nico takes Lauren home, where they sleep together, but it’s cut short when Nico gets a call and has to leave.

Nico heads out with his men. Their target is the sleazy landlord threatening Lauren’s kink club. But just as Nico is preparing, Tanner shows up with his crew. Tanner runs an underground gambling ring, and the landlord owes him almost two million dollars. Tanner and Nico strike a truce and become partners. Nico confronts the landlord, cuts off his pinky, and takes control of all his properties.

Meanwhile, Lauren hears that her father might actually be missing. She visits her pregnant and cranky sister, who bluntly tells her their dad is probably dead—and the last people seen with him were members of the Trocci family. Devastated and furious, Lauren decides she’s trusted Nico one too many times and wants revenge.

Nico, tracking Lauren, finds her at his house. But when he arrives, he’s tasered—by a furious Lauren. He almost attacks her before realizing who it is. Lauren screams at him, saying she knows what he did. Even if she didn’t like her dad, he was still her father. After venting all her rage, she tells Nico to stay away and storms out. She isolates herself for days.

Then Nico shows up again. He gives her an envelope—the deed to the kink business. It’s hers now. He also explains that her father isn’t dead; he’s been relocated to Italy and is doing well. Nico finally confesses everything. Back when they were teens, Lauren’s father beat him up and threatened him, and Nico’s own father warned him to stay away too. To protect her, he lied about their relationship. Nico knows he went too far, but Lauren agrees to give him one more chance—if he’s really told her everything. She gives the deed back to him, saying it will be his way out of the mob.

They prepare for a final family dinner. Nico plans to tell his father he’s done with the mob and wants to focus on real estate. All of his brothers, along with Josh and Ally, are present. When Nico brings it up, things quickly turn violent. His father tries to strangle him but lets go just in time. The whole family sees who their father really is and walks out, vowing to never return for family dinners. Their mother chooses to stay, still clinging to hope that her husband can be saved.

Two months later, Lauren and Nico are still together and happy. They host their first show at the kink club, and everything goes perfectly.

In the epilogue, Nico, Lauren, Josh, and Ally begin a new tradition—monthly dinners. Tanner is invited, along with his new girlfriend, Stacy. Stacy seems a bit off, but everyone is just excited to be together as a new kind of family.