Chapter 4
Chapter Four
LAbrIA
Istared at the stack of lease agreements piled on my desk until the words blurred together.
The fluorescent lights in my office at Stern, Foster, and Pellegrino buzzed overhead.
It had been two weeks since I’d walked out of Lord’s house.
I left behind most of my clothes, my favorite books, and what remained of a relationship I once thought was worth uprooting my entire life for.
There were two weeks of sleeping in Maurizio’s bed while trying to pretend my world hadn’t completely imploded.
My phone sat next to my computer. My cell screen was dark. I picked it up for the fifth time that hour, scrolling through my messages and call history. Nothing. No texts. No missed calls. No voicemails from Lord. Not a single word.
I set the phone down harder than I meant to. I needed to control my emotions. What had I expected? That he’d beg me to come back? That he’d apologize for cheating on me and becoming someone I didn’t recognize anymore? That he’d even acknowledge I was gone?
The silence was worse than anger. Anger I could have fought against. This quiet dismissal felt like confirmation that I’d made the right choice. If he could so easily let me go, then whatever had been between us wasn’t worth salvaging. Fuck Lord!
I forced my attention back to the commercial lease before me.
There was a dispute between a restaurant owner and their landlord.
Simple, straightforward legal work that had nothing to do with criminal enterprises or mafia family loyalties.
This was the kind of case I’d handled dozens of times back in Chicago before meeting Lord. Before everything changed.
A soft knock would have been polite. Instead, my office door swung open without warning.
Dominicco Bregoli stood in the doorway with his imposing frame.
He wore a tailored charcoal suit that probably cost more than my monthly salary.
His dark, dead eyes scanned my office with casual authority before settling on me.
“Ms. Harris.” His voice carried the calm certainty of a man who never needed to raise it to be heard. “May I come in?”
It wasn’t a question. He was already closing the door behind him.
“Don Bregoli.” I straightened in my chair, instinctively smoothing my skirt. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Few people do.” He smiled without warmth as he took a seat in one of the chairs across from my desk. “I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by to give you an update personally.”
My stomach tightened. “An update?”
“Gianni’s death investigation has been officially closed.” Nicco crossed one leg over the other. “Ruled an accident. Too much alcohol, passed out in the desert, dehydrated and starving, heat exposure. His heart stopped. The coroner found no evidence of foul play.”
I nodded. I’d heard the whole story from Maurizio. The story was his father had been found dead in the Mojave Desert. He told me Nicco was handling everything.
“That’s good news,” I said carefully. “Closure is important.”
“It is.” Nicco studied me with those calculating dark eyes. “Speaking of closure, I understand you’ve moved on rather quickly.”
The air in the room suddenly felt thin. I kept my face composed, the way I did when opposing counsel tried to rattle me in court. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“You haven’t done a very good job hiding where you’re staying.” His tone remained conversational, but his eyes never left mine. “With cousin Maurizio.”
My heart hammered in my chest. I fought to keep my breathing even.
“Lord knows,” he continued. “Though he hasn’t mentioned it to me directly. He knows.”
“And how would he know that?” I asked, my voice steadier than I felt.
Nicco’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “We have eyes everywhere, Ms. Harris. You should know that by now. You’ve been part of my family long enough to know that.”
I wasn’t family. I was an outsider, a temporary fixture who had outlived her usefulness. I was just the Black girlfriend that got replaced by someone acceptable to marry.
“Be careful,” he advised, his voice softened just enough to make the warning sound almost like genuine concern. “My cousin can be unpredictable when he feels betrayed.”
Something inside me snapped. I was tired of being warned about Lord’s temper, his possessiveness, his unpredictability. Tired of walking on eggshells around men who lived by their own rules.
“I don’t need your advice,” I said, straightening in my chair.
“Sweetheart, I think you do. You fucked his cousin. That’s an elevated level of disloyalty.”
“And if we’re talking about betrayal, Lord cheated on me first.”
The words escaped before I could stop them. I watched Nicco’s expression change. It was subtle, but I caught it. There was a slight widening of the eyes, a tightening around the mouth. I’d revealed more than I intended, and we both knew it.
“Did he now?” Nicco leaned forward slightly. “That’s not something he shared with me.”
I pressed my lips together, mentally kicking myself. I’d opened a door I couldn’t easily close.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said, trying to recover. “What’s done is done. I’ve moved on.”
“To Lord’s cousin, a soldier, when you had a boss.” Nicco observed. “Interesting choice.”
Heat crawled up my neck. “I don’t care about your criminal positions.”
“You should. You’re one of us now. Especially after what happened between you and me.”
“I didn’t plan that. I didn’t have a choice, and you know it.”
“Sure, I will give you that one. But fucking Maurizio. That seems a little out of character even for you.”
“It just happened.” I confessed. There was no need for me to act like I hadn’t crossed the line. Nicco disposed of a body for me.
“Things rarely ‘just happen’ in our world, sweetheart.” Nicco’s voice remained level, but something dangerous lurked beneath the surface. “Every action has consequences.”
I met his gaze directly, refusing to be intimidated in my own office. “I’m well aware of that.”
“Are you?” He didn’t raise his voice, but the question slapped me hard across my face. “Because sleeping with Maurizio seems particularly unwise for a woman as smart as you.”
“My personal life isn’t your concern,” I said, though we both knew that wasn’t entirely true. In the Bregoli world, everything was interconnected, personal and business blurring until the distinction hardly mattered.
“Everything that affects my family is my concern,” Nicco corrected me. “And this situation has the potential to become problematic.”
I swallowed hard, forcing myself not to look away from his penetrating stare. “I appreciate the warning, but I can handle my own life.”
“You misunderstand,” Nicco said with chilling politeness. “I’m not worried about you, Ms. Harris. I’m worried about maintaining peace within my organization. Family conflicts are bad for business. I don’t want to have to pick a side.”
The unspoken threat hung in the air between us. If I became a source of conflict, the solution would be simple— eliminate the problem. And in the Bregoli world, I was disposable.
“I understand,” I said finally.
Nicco nodded once, seemingly satisfied. He stood with fluid grace, buttoning his suit jacket. “Good. I’m glad we had this chat. I just need to know why. I’m curious. I thought you really loved Lord.”
“I did. It’s simple. I was loyal, and he wasn’t. I’m not a fool. I’m not going to stay with a man who lies to me and cheats on me. I deserve better.”
“And you think Maurizio is better?”
“I know he’s not lying and cheating on me. He is where he says he is. He’s not sneaking around sticking his dick in other women.”
“What are you talking about? You mentioned Lord cheated on you. Who do you believe he was unfaithful with?”
“I don’t think it. I know it. I have proof.”
“What proof? I would never betray Lord, but I don’t know anything about him with another woman.”
“If you knew, you wouldn’t admit it.”
“True. You didn’t seem like the type to give up this easily. Especially after everything you’ve been through with Lord. Who is this other woman? This woman you have proof that Lord cheated with?”
I hesitated, weighing how much to reveal. “Her name is Lolita LaGrassa. You don’t have to act like you don’t know about it.”
“Primo’s oldest daughter?”
“Sure, that bitch.” I snapped. I could feel the anger bubbling under my skin.
“Are you sure?” He grimaced.
“Yes, and you can stop pretending that you don’t know.”
“Look, sweetheart, this is the first I’m hearing about it. I don’t even think Lolita LaGrassa is Lord’s type, and I’ve known Lordes a lot longer than you. Lord isn’t me. I’d fuck anything that was born with a vagina. Lord is disciplined, prissy and particular.”
“Well, I guess you don’t know every damn thing about Lordes.”
“Okay. I’ll bite. What’s this proof?” he asked.
I set my pen down deliberately. “Nude pictures on his cell phone. X-rated text messages. He said he was on a plane to New York, and he was at a restaurant on a date with her. I saw him kiss her.” I shrugged as if these details didn’t still cut me.
“What?” Nicco blurted, and either he was a damn good actor, or he was clueless.
“I followed him to a restaurant and waited outside. He left with her, and he kissed her. I saw it with my own eyes. I will never, ever stalk or chase a man again. Doing shit like that isn’t even in my character. Never again.”
“Does Lord know any of this?”
“I don’t know what he knows, and I don’t care.”
“Did you tell him?”
“He knows what he did. I left the house two weeks ago, and he didn’t even contact me. He doesn’t care, and I don’t either.”
“Well, he hasn’t mentioned anything to me, which makes me believe he has a plan that could lead to murder. You should be careful.”
“I appreciate your warning, but clearly Lord knows where I’m staying, and he doesn’t care.”
“I’m sure he cares.” Nicco responded, his face revealing nothing.
I nodded slowly. “Well, thank you for the warning, anyway. And for your discretion regarding Gianni.”