Page 20 of Labria

LORDES

My long weekend was filled with Bregoli business affairs. What I did for BMF was a far cry from the work I did running my personal companies. I had a short time to check in with my executive assistant, Christian. He was doing a great job of keeping me abreast of all the things I needed to evaluate. For the most part, he was getting things taken care of without me around for the day to day. I had promoted him with a made up title and raised his salary considerably. He worked longer hours, but didn’t complain about it.

There would probably only be an hour left in my long day to spend time with my Gram. She sensed something was off and I did everything to deflect. The last time we talked on the phone, she cried and pleaded with me to stay away from my half brothers and sisters. I understood her fears, but I was a man now and I could understand what I was getting myself into when I joined the Bregoli family.

I tried to explain the inexplicable. Kinship and connectedness to strangers could make me seem needy, but the relatedness is real. It was almost like when adoptive kids meet their biological parents.

These people, the Bregoli’s were strangely familiar to me. I shared certain mannerisms with Nicco and Cenzo. Even Frankie had the same nose and lips as mine. Valentina, I hadn’t inspected closely or been around enough to know what traits we may have in common. And there was Alexis. She was quiet and guarded as the only Black and Italian sibling. I didn’t really have much to do with her. So I couldn’t assess whether we had more in common than our birthplace and hometown.

I arrived back in Vegas late Monday evening. It was close to midnight. I sent Nicco a text to make sure he was available to talk. I went straight to the Palladium to debrief him on my meeting with Lou Wu. I also went there to avoid any confrontation with Bria. I knew her sister had already flown back to Chicago. I couldn’t meet her sister while there was tension with Bria. I had things to sort out, and I couldn’t do that with her anger looming over me.

I had already received the go ahead from Nicco to permit Master Wu look for Tom Ignacio. If he had the resources to find Ignacio, it would be beneficial for the both of us. Ignacio had eluded us for far too long. Finding the late Don’s killer was imperative. I wanted this man dead because all these threats against the Bregoli’s were directly affecting Bria and me.

Nicco was in his office when I entered the penthouse. There was smoke in the air. Cenzo was sitting on the couch, smoking a cigar. I didn’t know he would be here. I tipped my head down to acknowledge him and he did the same.

“You’re back.” Nicco called out.

“I came straight from the airport.”

“Sit, let’s talk.” Nicco extended his hand to me.

I sat in the leather chair in front of his massive desk. “You’re both up. Is there anything I should know?” I asked. Maybe there was something I was missing.

“No, no. It’s all good. We’re just drinking, smoking Cubans and talking. I have a day full of meetings tomorrow. I need you to sit in.”

“Is this a mandatory meeting tomorrow?” I asked because I was tired from the flight. I was also going to have to face Bria soon. I didn’t want to put it off.

“It’s a part of the job, your job.” He reminded me.

“What time should I be here?”

“Noon.”

That’s too early, but whatever. “So, when were you going to tell me I was being ambushed by Primo LaGrassa and his daughters?”

“That was not an ambush. Primo wanted a private sit down with the new underboss. I didn’t know why. He’s always been loyal to the family. I didn’t see any harm in granting him a sit down with our new Lord. Wiseguys are going to go through you to get to me. They are going to you first. The pipeline to me is through you. They want to gain your favor. It’s the simple chain of command. You have the authority to act on some things without my input. I trust your judgment. I always have in most circumstances.”

“I understand the hierarchy of the organization.”

“Our organization.”

“Fine, but the LaGrassa daughters.”

Nicco chuckled. “Ah, yes, Lolita and Danika, they are beauties. Both Danika and Lolita are stunning Sicilian women still in their child-bearing years.”

“If you feel that way, why don’t you arrange a marriage with one of the ladies and your sons? You have three of them.”

“That can never happen.” Nicco smirked.

“Never.” Cenzo laughed.

“I’m not really into that old school way of arranged marriages. I believe in putting people into the same room and letting the chips fall where they may or the panties fall for the right wiseguy.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Lord, I swear, I didn’t know that was on Primo’s agenda. Years ago, he did the same thing to me. But he went through my father.”

“Right, I still don’t believe you.” His excuse was just a little too convenient for me.

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