Page 1 of Nicco

Chapter One

NICCO

The human heart beats and eventually stops beating. This is what I know to be true. My father is dead. I never dreamed this day would come so soon. He survived many deadly things in his brave and bloody lifetime. In his sixty-six years in this world, he’d been shot twice on two separate occasions. He’d been stabbed a few times, once even hit by a car.

My father was invincible in my eyes. He was my man of steel. I believe all his kids viewed him that way. Some of us even thought there could be an angel up in heaven looking at for him. But do angels protect such men? Men like my father, men like me, men who live with an alternative set of rules. We are the men that take without the civility of asking.

I wasn’t ready for his passing. I’m shocked and still can’t believe this dreaded day was here. Dominicco Bregoli Sr. was everything to me— my padre, my mentor, my protector and my namesake. His absence would be an overwhelming, crushing blow to our close-knit family.

Now everything he built from the ground up was left to me, his oldest son. I had enormous shoes to fill. I had to lift the entire organization up in my calloused hands. Every burden would be put on my broad shoulders.

Fuck! My father is gone. I can’t believe it.

I had pain but I can’t show it. The Bregoli Mafioso Family thrived on courage and strength. I had a mounting rage, but I couldn’t show it. A boiling pot of hurt, regrets, and anger flowed through me. I don’t know what to do with it.

I wanted to shout. I wanted to shoot my enemies full of holes. I wanted to choke people to death for no reason other than I could. My position in the family had changed and I couldn’t act out or act on my grief. Not now, when all eyes were on me.

A long time ago, I was a good soldier and a good capo. I was a great underboss. I was known out on the streets as Dominicco dead eyes. I had one mission and one goal, to make my father proud and be the best Don this organization has ever known. Our family legacy will live on through me and the Bregoli’s would reign forever.

I got word that my father suffered a cardiac arrest in his home only thirty minutes from the Vegas Strip. He was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital, but I was told he was already not breathing. His bodyguard told me the paramedics tried to revive him. Life-saving techniques just didn’t work, and he succumbed to the heart attack.

I was always taught to never take things at face value. I called our personal family coroner, Dr. Leoni. I had him remove my father’s body from the hospital so it could be driven over to his downtown office. There had to be an independent and thorough autopsy to satisfy me. The examination was going to be a secret because that’s how I conducted business. Everything was private until I said it wasn’t.

It took me two hours to make the first phone call. I had to sit with the information before I could share it with my family. My brother, Cenzo, was my first call. He was here in Vegas. He’d flown into town just a few hours after father’s death. He was in town for a council meeting that was taking place the next day. I broke the news to him candidly and straight to the point. I told him our father had a heart attack and died peacefully in his home. I’m not sure cardiac arrest could be labeled as peaceful, but I wasn’t there before they pronounced him or shortly thereafter.

The news of our father’s death would be out into the world soon. The BMF meeting would be canceled, actually postponed. It was up to me to set the new date. Out of respect for the dead, the BMF members would wait to have the sit down council meeting after the funeral. I couldn’t shake my feeling about my father’s death. I suspected foul play, and I knew I couldn’t trust anyone in the organization. The way I was feeling now, I couldn’t even trust my own family members.

Dominicco Bregoli senior was the Don. He reigned for almost two decades. I was clever enough to know everyone didn’t love him. He was feared, and that was the only way you could run an illegal business. When people feared you, they plotted against you. They conspired in dark alleyways. I hoped my father hadn’t died at the hands of another man. But if that were the case, I would torture that man. I would kill him ten times over before I cast him into the depths of hell. One thing was guaranteed. There would be blood. And there would be death. And there would be carnage.

After calling my brother, my next call went to my sister, Valentina. She would spread the word to the rest of the family members. She was the mouthpiece of the Bregoli Mafioso Family. Women weren’t allowed to have a high rank in the organization. So father made sure Valentina had a pivotal role in the business. She facilitated meetings, treaties, and secret arrangements. She also acted as a liaison if needed.

Valentina was appointed by me to speak to on my behalf. She would call our brother Frankie, our uncle Gianni, and, of course, she would tell her husband Dario.

Dario would convey the message to his father, John Graziano. Somewhere in the mix the Capello’s the LaGrassa’s and the Ruffino’s would learn of my father’s untimely death. There would be an avalanche of condolence calls. All would be detoured to Valentina.

The word would spread throughout the organization like lightning fire. There would be whispers mixed in with thoughts and prayers. I had to stay on guard at all times. I didn’t trust anyone thanks to my father’s teachings.

I could be overthinking, but my instincts were rarely wrong. I needed to wait for the private autopsy results to see if my suspicions were correct. As far as I was concerned, my father was a healthy man for his age. He didn’t have any health issues. There was no high cholesterol, high blood pressure or hereditary heart condition. There were absolutely no tell-tell issues that would trigger cardiac arrest.

I’d always been in charge of his medical care after my mother died. Because she died of cancer, she made me promise to look after my father’s health. I made sure he took stress tests. He got flu shots, colonoscopies, prostate cancer screenings, bone density scans, bi-annual blood tests and age appropriate immunizations. This random fucking heart attack he suffered while asleep in his home just seemed suspicious to me.

After sharing the horrible news with Cenzo and Valentina there was only one-person left. I had to call. I have to impart the solemn message to my half-brother and best friend, Lord.

We hadn’t spoken much since the Lauren Maldonado murder. I couldn’t blame him for backing away from me. Taking a life really changes you. Lord had everything it took to be in the Mafioso, rather he knew it or not. He wasn’t born into this life. But I knew he had the stomach for it. He just chose a different route in his life. If anyone could have the best of both worlds, person I knew I could wholly trust. He wasn’t ruled by a lust for power or greed. Therefore, I needed him by my side. I needed his wisdom, his intellect, and his neutral stance in matters he didn’t care about. I needed fresh eyes on this situation that was far from fresh. I just needed my brother, if I was being completely honest.

I picked up my cellphone and dialed.

“Nicco.” His voice seemed stressed.

“Lord,” My voice cracked. “I need you to come to Vegas right now.” I didn’t mean to blurt it out.

“Why would I do that?”

“Dom is dead.” I choked out the words as if for the first time.

“What?” Lordes was breathing heavily. I wasn’t sure if he genuinely didn’t hear me.

“Our father is dead. I need you, brother.”

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