Page 30 of Labria

“Yeah, she’s breathing. Just knocked out. I didn’t beat her. I just drugged her so she would quiet in the trunk.”

“And where is the car?”

“It’s in the parking garage of the Palladium. I have a picture of her on my cell phone, but your security wouldn’t let me bring my phone in here.”

“It’s a rule. There are no recording devices allowed in my office.”

“Look son, I hope you didn’t come all the way this way with some random Asian woman.”

“Well sir, I didn’t give her a DNA test, but I’m one hundred percent sure this is the lady you’ve been looking for.”

“Oh, you’re a funny one. You didn’t give her a DNA test.” Nicco said to Jamal before directing his attention to 50. “Cenzo, follow your little protégé to his car and move the vehicle to a secure location. Then bring this woman up to room 2112.”

“Yes, Don.” Cenzo agreed and waved his hand for Jamal to follow him out of the office. Jamal stood and Nicco and I watched them leave the room.

All other inquires would have to wait, no matter how urgent. If this was woman was Marie Ignacio, this was the first promising lead we had to finding the killer of the previous Don. I wasn’t comfortable calling that man my father. I would never be that comfortable.

“Lord, I’m going to need you to strike some fear in Gianni. I’m going to send him away if he doesn’t stop.”

“He’s not going to stop.” I stated the obvious. Gianni was a monster. “He didn’t take a threat directly from you via me seriously the first time. He’s not going to listen to me. He doesn’t fear me.”

“Maybe he will listen. If he doesn’t, I will send him to Palermo.”

“You need to prepare yourself to book that flight.”

“I will talk to him first and in a few days, you have another talk with him about his behavior. Reiterate, this is his last warning or there will be consequences.”

“I will do as you ask, but that man hates me.”

“I don’t care about his feelings. If he catches a rape or murder case and they give him real time, I can’t trust him. At his age, he will snitch on the organization to cover his ass. I don’t trust him. His head isn’t on straight. He’s a disgruntled wise guy. If I lose control over BMF and everything I helped my father build, it won’t be to any psychopathbastardothat can’t control hispene.”

“I’ll have another talk with him, but I don’t have any faith it will work.”

“I’m going to send Farrah and her son out of this town, regardless. She didn’t deserve to harassment, violence and mutilation she got from him and her son is blood Bregoli.La mia famigliameans something. I have to keep that kid safe, even if it’s safe from his deranged father. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to squash this problem. Maurizio is my cousin, and that’s his father. I don’t want to take out blood family but I will, if I have to.”

“That’s why you’re the boss. You have to make the hard decisions.”

“Killing is never hard. It’s the aftermath that becomes a pain in your ass.”

“L’omicidio è a volte la soluzione.(Murder is sometimes the best solution.)”

“Sì, I will do whatever it takes to preserve the Bregoli Mafioso Family for future generations to come.”

I could see that Nicco meant it. This was his life and his legacy, and he would do anything to defend it. Would I do that same? I wondered how far I would go and what I would do to protect BMF.

Chapter Ten

LABRIA

The weekend came and went. Having my sister with me made the time go by without me being deeply depressed about my relationship. I dropped my sister off at the airport on Sunday night. She was back home with her family in hours. I was going to be in this big house all alone.

Monday morning when I was getting ready for work, there was still no lord. He stopped calling, and he stopped texting me. I wasn’t responding, but that wasn’t the point.

I feared there was absolutely nothing he could say to make me feel better about us. His refusal to share things with me could be from his childhood traumas. I didn’t know what was going on. I did know that I wasn’t a psychiatrist. What once was an easy relationship was turning into so much stress. Maybe our relationship had run its course. I hoped that wasn’t the case, because I still loved him.

Why was it so hard for this man to give me all the information? I wouldn’t feel this anxiety if I didn’t love him so much. Leaving my peaceful, uneventful life and moving here together could’ve been the start of something new, different, beautiful even. But it’s been more of a nightmare filled with lies, violence, and abandonment.

I dressed for work and made sure I looked polished and professional. I was starting to like this job. I couldn’t let anyone from Stern, Foster, and Pellegrino see me distraught and unkempt.

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