“Of course,” Labria said, relief evident in her voice. “Thank you again for the truck and the movers.”
“Call if you need anything else,” I told her, then turned to Khia. “It’s always a pleasure seeing you, Khia. I hope you enjoy your stay in Vegas.”
“Nicco, please don’t flirt with my sister.” Labria announced. “She’s married with two kids.”
“Right to Larry.” I chuckled. “He’s so very lucky.”
“He is.” Khia added, just like a loyal wife should.
“I have to get back to work.” I pulled Khia into a tender hug, making sure my semi-hard-on brushed against her. “See ya next time, sexy.” I whispered in her ear. During this embrace, my hand slipped down into the crack of Khia’s ass. Labria couldn’t see my out of line behavior, but like a good girl, Khia didn’t give anything away.
When I stepped back, Khia's face was neutral. She was a good actress, but I knew her heart was beating a little bit faster.
“Bye Khia, and Labria. I will talk to you later.”
I nodded to both women and walked out of the kitchen. Behind me, I heard Labria’s urgent whisper to her sister, no doubt demanding to know what we’d discussed. I smiled to myself as I exited the house.
Chapter Eleven
LORDES
Istepped off the private elevator onto the top floor of the Palladium. The weight of anger sat heavy in my chest as I walked the familiar corridor to Nicco’s office. Three days in New York negotiating with the LaGrassa’s had done nothing to cool the rage that had been building since I discovered Labria was staying with my Maurizio. My fuckin’ cousin. My own blood. Although we weren’t close, the betrayal cut deeper than any knife could, but I kept my face neutral as I approached the mahogany door with its discreet gold nameplate: Nicco Bregoli Jr. with the Trinacria symbol curved beneath his name. That was something new he added.
I didn’t bother knocking. I pushed the slightly ajar door open to find Nicco seated behind his massive desk. His eyes were fixed on his computer screen. Cenzo stood nearby, leafing through a stack of documents with his usual intensity. The office smelled of expensive cologne and the faint trace of Cuban cigar smoke that perpetually hung in the air.
“Lord,” Nicco acknowledged without looking up. “Good to have you back. How was the flight?”
“Normal, like any other flight.”
“The LaGrassa negotiations went well?”
“We got what we needed,” I answered, my voice clipped. I unbuttoned my suit jacket and took a seat in one of the leather chairs facing his desk. I didn’t wait for an invitation to sit and never needed one.
Cenzo gave me a nod of greeting, his expression unreadable as always.
“Before we get to that,” Nicco said, finally looking up from his screen, “I want to discuss Marie’s email to her brother.”
“What’s the status?” I asked, forcing myself to focus on business despite the storm raging inside me.
Cenzo sat next to the chair beside me and cleared his throat. “I’ve reviewed it. Lord, Nicco let Marie send it to him last night.” He pulled a printed copy from his folder and read:
Tom, I hope this reaches you. I’m safe and in hiding. I’m not sure what’s going on, but I had to leave you and come back. I didn’t want any trouble, and being with you would put a target on my back. I think the people who are looking for you found me. I’m afraid to disclose my new location. Some strange guys showed up at my job when I was off. My work friend warned me, and I got the hell out of town. I need some money. Anything you can spare to keep me and my kids hidden. We’re staying in a motel, but I don’t want to say more. Reply if you can.
“Simple,” I commented. “Non-specific enough that she could deny any intention of setting him up.”
“Exactly,” Nicco nodded. “We’ve made it seem like she needed him. He doesn’t know she’s here in Vegas. The emailcame from an untraceable IP address with a new Gmail account we set up, but one he’ll recognize as hers.”
“And the tracking?” I asked, drumming my fingers on the armrest.
“Already embedded,” Cenzo confirmed. “If he opens it from any device, we’ll know the location.”
“And you think you can trust her?” I asked Nicco.
“I don’t trust any women, but I had to do something to try and lure Tom out.”
“I agree.”
“Now all we can do is wait.”
