Page 21 of Nicco

“You’re already Capo. It’s time to move up the ladder. You and Dario are the strongest people in the family. I can’t make a Graziano a boss, even if it’s temporary.”

“If you appoint me consigliere. Who takes over Chicago?”

“Frankie. That’s why I needed him here. I needed to see where his head was. Consiglere’s advise.” I put Cenzo on the spot. “What do you think? Is Frankie ready?”

“He’s ready. He’s just taking father’s death really hard.”

“We all are.”

“Yeah, but he’s the youngest.” He said again like that gave Frankie a pass. “I’ll make sure he’s shows for the reading of the will.”

“It’s important we keep everything in the family.” I’m doing things my way.

“Uncle Gianni is going to be pissed when you sit him down.”

“I don’t care. It’s better to be sat down than gunned down. Gianni is a dinosaur. Out with the old and in with the new. We need new blood and fresh ideas. I’m running things the way I want. We’re in the U.S. those old Sicilian rules need to stay in the old country.”

“I never heard you talk like this.”

“That’s because father was in charge. Now I am and things have got to change.”

“I’m on board with change.”

“I know you have a lot of new ideas that father shot down. I need an advisor that has new ideas, new ways to grow and make money.”

“I have so many ideas.”

“I want to hear all of them. The consigliere job is to advise. I know you can do that. Uncle Gianni is a relic, and I don’t trust him.”

“I never have. Did you look at the security footage at father’s condo?”

I lied. “No, I didn’t.”

“I think we should take a look just to be sure that he was alone and that he really had a heart attack. It’s just to make sure everything lines up. I still stand behind the fact that our father was healthy.”

“I’ll get access to the surveillance.” I’d already seen the tapes. After I meet with Dr. Leoni, I would know how to proceed.

“Inside the residence and the outside.”

It was clear Cenzo didn’t have anything to do with Dom’s death. His willingness to investigate a simply heart attack proved he wasn’t behind the death of our father. Cenzo was the only person I could think of that would gain if father were no longer alive.

Actually, Uncle Gianni could get something out of it. Did you really want to be the boss? He would have to kill more than just his brother to get to the throne. Maybe it was just his first move in a long list of moves. It didn’t make much sense for him to orchestrate a coup. Gianni only had one son, Maurizio. I really didn’t think my cousin would go along with this level of betrayal.

I sent my brother on his way. I had to start my long day. I had a lot to consider. I had decisions to make that would affect the future of the BMF organization.

Chapter Nine

LORDES

Labria was upset with me. I could see it and I could feel it circulating in the air. I moved about the penthouse, trying to stay in her presence but also stay out of her way. She had every reason to be mad at me. I had concealed things from her, had broken her trust. If only I had told her all of these things in the beginning. She probably wouldn’t have given me the time of day. Lying to the woman I loved was not some trophy I was trying to wave around. But in the end, her safety was all that mattered to me. She was still here. That had to count for something.

I received a text message from Nicco. He was on his way here. I had to meet him near the elevator in the underground parking garage. I was going to see Dom in the flesh, in his dead flesh. This would be the first time I ever laid eyes on my father. Gram had once shown me a picture of him when he was younger, but I didn’t know how she got the photo. Men like Dom were very cautious about being photographed.

I’m not sure why I needed to be there to hear this information regarding Dom’s death. Maybe Nicco really felt that I was the only one he could trust. Why me? I was the bastard son and the bastard brother. Nicco had brothers and a sister. I couldn’t understand why he went out of his way to be a part of my life. He didn’t have to do it.

I gave Labria a quick kiss on the cheek and she didn’t recoil away from me. I hoped she would go shopping and forget that I was an idiot. Whatever it took to take her mind off of the fact I had lied to her. I rode the elevator down to the underground garage and Nicco was waiting there for me in a black SUV. I stepped into the backseat and sat next to him.

“Brother, I can call you brother now, right?” He asked deliberately.

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