by D J Parker
I clicked on the first folder, Balducci. Victoria Spillmore had mentioned that Tommy Neglia was the brother-in-law of a high-ranking member in the Balducci family.
When I opened the folder, hundreds of files appeared. I clicked on the file labeled pictures. Pictures along with the names of each member appeared. Deceased or alive had been next to the names as well as their title in the family. Andriano Sr. and Andriano the Second were dead. They had been the previous Dons. Ciro Balducci, Augustino Balducci, and Salvatore Balducci were alive and with “commissioned member” next to their names. I continued scrolling but then stopped. I froze like ice water had been splashed over my body.
“Nicolai Balducci.” My eyes left his blue eyes, dropping down at his title. “Don.”
I pushed the laptop away. My hands shook and I could hear my heartbeat slamming against my eardrum.
“Tommy Neglia is the brother-in-law of a high-ranking member in the Balducci family. One thing that is for certain about the mob, they look after their family.”
Victoria Spillmore’s words came back to me. This couldn’t be.
A sharp pain pinched my chest. Breathe in. Breathe out, I repeated, but it was not helping. I fumbled out of the bed and ran to the kitchen to grab the glass of water I poured earlier. In between sips, I breathed in and breathed out until my body was as normal as it could possibly be.
I walked back over to my bed and closed the laptop. I’d had my fair share of excitement, disappointment, and guilt for one day. I pulled the sheets back and lay in bed. I grabbed my cell phone, scrolled down to Nicolai’s phone number, and blocked it. I clicked on the photo emoji and tapped on my most recent picture. It was a screenshot of Detective Smith’s card.
As I was about to dial his number, an incoming call from Governor Banks appeared on my phone screen.
“Good evening Governor Banks.”
“Reign.”
“Is everything okay?”
“You tell me.”
I shook my head. “I’m not following.”
“You had one job. Clean up this city. But instead, you’re sleeping with a known mobster who’s brother-in-law you’re prosecuting. You could be disbarred.”
My heart dropped into my stomach. “Governor Banks, I can explain—”
“I want your resignation in forty-eight hours.”
Before I could respond, she ended the call. I put my cell phone back on the bedside table and stared up into the ceiling. What the fuck have I gotten myself into?
Reign
“Good morning, my name is Reign Johnson. I’m here to meet with Governor Banks.”
The young front desk attendant tore her eyes away from the computer screen long enough to give me a once over look. “Do you have an appointment?”
“No,” I responded, shifting the weight off of one foot to the next. “But she’s expecting me.”
She glanced my way again, this time staring a little longer with narrowed eyes, hiding behind black thin-framed glasses. “Are you District Attorney Reign Johnson?”
“Yes.” I tugged on the brim of my Brooklyn Nets snapback cap. Suddenly, I was starting to regret the casual clothes I chose to wear.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” She offered a sympathetic smile that made my stomach turn. “Please have a seat. I’ll let her know you’re here.”
I nodded, turning away from the front desk to enter the empty waiting room. I was tired of hearing everyone’s condolences. Tired of hitting the decline button of every in-coming call and ignoring every text. Everyone was reaching out, reminding me of what I lost, while I was searching for the peace that I knew I needed in order to remain sane.
Yet, the one person who I’d expected to hear from did not reach out at all. When I spoke to Detective Smith yesterday, he claimed that he hadn’t gotten around to speaking to Nicolai. From the tone of his voice, it sounded like he was growing frustrated. I was too scared to ask if he’d become frustrated because of the case or because he hadn’t spoken to Nicolai yet.
I couldn’t allow myself to think that Nicolai had anything to do with Keith’s murder. It was impossible for me to see him in that image. I’d been around murderers, had prosecuted a few of them over the years. Surely, I would’ve seen the signs or felt this menacing vibe that usually radiated off of killers. Not him. With Nicolai, he felt like the peace I didn’t know I needed.
And though most of my thoughts were repeated images of Keith, there was still a part of me that questioned why Nicolai hadn’t he reached out?
Hell, I don’t know if I would’ve answered. But, for some sickening reason, I felt like my heart had been pierced twice. Yet, what troubled me most was how wrong I’d been about Nicolai from the very beginning. I guess this was my punishment. No matter how much I wish that I could go back to New Year’s Eve, I can’t change what was already done.
The last time I felt this much regret was waking up after surgery to an empty belly and being told that I was not bringing my baby girl home. And though I thought I’d never feel regret like that ever again, learning that Nicolai had been lying to me this entire time hurt me beyond words.
I’d spent the entire night tossing and turning, wondering why Nicolai did not mention that he was the brother-in-law of Tommy Neglia. This case was all over the media. How could he not know that I was the lead prosecutor?
Maybe Nicolai knew all along and had intended to use our affair as an opportunity to get the case thrown out. Tommy Neglia’s attorney could’ve petitioned for that in court and would’ve certainly won.
So why give the pictures to Governor Banks as oppose to Tommy’s attorney? How does my resignation benefit Tommy’s case? Even after resigning, I’d just be replaced by an interim attorney who would in turn, pick up where I left off.
As I stared at the pictures of Governor Banks’s twenty-eight-year career plastered along the wall like some photo timeline, a thought caused me to stop.
What the fuck have I gotten myself into?
“Reign.”
My eyes followed the direction of the brazen voice. “Good afternoon Governor Banks.”
“Follow me.”
I followed her past the front desk and a few offices until we reached the last office at the end of the hallway. The morning sunlight stabbed my eyes the moment she opened her office door.
“You always loved natural sunlight,” I mumbled, tearing my eyes away from the floor-to-ceiling windows facing the sun.
“We all could use some vitamin D,” she responded as she walked around her desk and sat in the white leather chair. “I would offer you a seat, but I doubt that this will take long. I’m assuming you bought the letter.”
“I did,” I said through clenched teeth.
“I accept your resignation.” She stretched her hand out, palm up. “Your letter please.”
“I’m going to give you this letter. But, I want to say my peace first.” When she said nothing, I continued. “I’m not going to beg for my job because I know my worth. I’ve spent my entire career maintaining my integrity while doing right by the people I vowed to protect. I have upheld the laws of this country and have fought like hell to change the ones that have oppressed people. I would’ve never compromised my position or be careless enough to have an affair with a man who happened to be the brother-in-law of a man I was prosecuting.”
“Do you know who Nicolai Balducci is?”
“I only know what he showed me.”
She shook her head in disgust and pulled out a file from her drawer. “This is the man, you’ve been having an affair with.”
She tossed the brown file toward the middle of her desk. “Nicolai Balducci, member of the Balducci crime family. “Do you remember when I told you a few months ago that my office had been investigating the previous district attorney.”
“You said that you couldn’t go into details.”
“I couldn’t go into details—not that it mattered, because I didn’t feel like I needed to worn you about getting in bed with the wr
ong people or accepting bribes.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “But, maybe I should’ve. Some people can be bribed with money and power. In this case, Nicolai used other ways to compromise you.”
As if I couldn’t get any smaller in her eyes, I suddenly felt like I was the size of an atom. And though I felt like handing over my letter and leaving, there was a burning question lingering at the tip of my tongue. “Did he send you those pictures?”
“You mean these.” She leaned forward, flipped the file open and spread the pictures of Nicolai and I.
I walked toward her desk, my eyes never leaving the pictures of Nicolai and I. I lifted one of the photos of us holding hands as we entered the Skyview Towers and then another photo of us kissing in front of his building.
“Did he send you these?”
“Yes. As well as a video too, just in case I thought he’d somehow photo-shopped the pictures.”
I fought hard to hold back the tears, but when one escaped, a few more came sliding down my cheeks. I shamefully wiped them away with the back of my knuckles, but there was no point. I couldn’t control my tears or the silent cry that bellowed in the pit of my stomach.
Governor Banks came from around her desk. “I believe that you didn’t know who he was. And I believe that you would never compromise your career. But, resigning is the only way to ensure that you still have a career.”
“Did he say that?”
“He didn’t have to.”
I nodded and swiped away my tears. “For what its worth, I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
I dug into my bag and pulled out an envelope with my letter folded inside and handed it to her. With nothing left to say, I turned away from Governor Banks. I knew when I left her office, the relationship we developed over the years, was over.
Reign
It had been three weeks since Keith’s murder, a few days since his funeral, and I was still living out of the suite I had booked for the entire month. I needed time to sort things out. Thank God I was already on leave. I was able to work closely with Detective Smith, arrange Keith’s funeral, and mourn without the stress of running a busy office.
Though Keith didn’t have any family, he was loved by his colleagues and employees. Over a hundred people attended his homegoing. Even Kimberly broke out of character to pay respect. Though we didn’t speak, a virtual message passed between us when she appeared in the distance during his burial ceremony. I barely recognized her with the large framed black sunglasses that covered most of her cheeks. A black scarf wrapped around her head and neck. Her hands had been stuffed inside her pockets. She nodded and I nodded before she walked back to the black car that waited for her. I knew she couldn’t stay long or interact with me while she was on an assignment. Yet, her being there brought so much comfort to me. Carter continued to be my rock. She handled all of the funeral arrangements and stayed with me at my house in D.C. As for my parents, they called every hour on the hour like clock
work. Although they insisted that I move back home, they found comfort in me sharing every part of the investigation with them.
Every week, I called Detective Smith to find out what was the latest of the investigation, but it has appeared that he’s hit a road block. Though he refused to confirm, I assumed, like mine, Nicolai’s alibi had checked out. As much as I wanted to tell him about the flashdrive that I got from Victoria Spillmore, I held back. What I had was circumstantial evidence that had nothing to do with Keith’s murder since I hadn’t officially launched an investigation on any of the people listed. Even so, Tommy Neglia’s name hadn’t been on the list of those families connected in this underworld enterprise.
Though we seemed a far way from finding justice for Keith, I remained hopeful. Most days, I stayed in the suite and went through the files on the five mafia families that ran New York. I welcomed the distraction. It kept me from breaking down.
“Thank you, Reign.” Rafael, the front desk attendant greeted me as I headed to the elevator bank.
I smiled. “You’re welcome.”
Most mornings when I went out to grab breakfast from the bodega two blocks away, Rafael was the first person I saw when I left the hotel. I’d pick up my preordered breakfast platter and two medium cups of black coffee—one for him and one for me. This morning was no different.
I pressed the button and waited for the elevator to come down. The smell of bacon, cheesy eggs, and a buttery biscuit made my mouth water. By the time I got to my suite, I barely took my jacket off before I tore the paper bag open. I carried my platter to the makeshift work station, opened my trifold cardboard where I had created a graph in the shape of a pyramid.
Most of their businesses had long been legitimized. Their money and last names were in everything—politicians, clubs, production companies, industrial water filters, billion-dollar startup companies, commercial properties, and walk-in clinics. The only industries they weren’t in were guns and drugs, but they did fund a few wars in exchange for resource equity such as oil and uranium. Though he was the head of the Balducci family, I was struggling to find the criminal behavior that came with organized families like the mafia. Without hardcore evidence, the RICO laws would be a gamble to make stick in court. The people on payroll and creative accounts Victoria Spillmore’s father had established for them to evade taxes and hide their money in offshore accounts, was more of an IRS matter. From their investigation, they would determine if this was civil or criminal tax fraud. Where civil court required a preponderance of evidence, criminal court required evidence that was beyond a reasonable doubt.
Still, I was determined to find something.
I glanced at all the men I had pinned on the board with their pictures and titles. I had to do a lot of homework when it came to understanding what a don, consigliere, underboss, caporegime, soldiers, and associates were. I was struggling to understand membership and how that was determined. Oddly, Tommy Neglia was not listed as an associate, soldier, or member of the crime family. The most astonishing of this all was how many high-ranking members held advanced degrees.
Of course, at the end of each workday, I was no closer to cracking who Nicolai truly was. It didn’t help that my heart still yearned for him. Time, distance, and the fact that he was Tommy Neglia’s brother-in-law should’ve disgusted me. Yet, I still rubbed my clit to memories of Nicolai. I convinced myself that it was normal at first, but my feelings shouldn’t have been this strong all these weeks later.
My heart refused to believe that he had anything to do with Keith’s murder. I wanted to rationalize what parts of his life I was willing to accept. I supposed that was why I was searching for evidence that made him undoubtedly the bad guy. I needed these maddening feelings to turn ice cold. I wanted to hate this man.
I continued working up until it was lunchtime. This part of my day had become a routine too. Where the bodega was my breakfast spot, Soulful Hands was my lunch and sometimes dinner spot. Today, I was in the mood for candied yams, potato salad, smothered turkey legs, and collard greens. Of course, I couldn’t forget about her famous sweet tea. My mouth was watering and my body was shaking like I hadn’t eaten all day.
I rose from the chair and pocketed my cell phone. After grabbing the room key, I walked toward the suite’s door and twisted it open.
“Jesus, you scared me!” I jumped back slightly. “Can I help you?”
Steel grey eyes peered at me while one corner of his lips lifted to a smirk. When he didn’t respond, I tried to close the door, but he was much too powerful. He pushed the door open, causing my hand to jerk off the handle. I took in the man, making sure to capture every detail as I backed further into the room. He closed the door behind him.
“Who are you?” I screamed, backing into the corner of the suite. I ran to the kitchen to where I had placed my purse and flipped the two-strap bag over. My wallet and other miscellaneous items fell out before the object of my desire came into view. I turned around only to see the man entering the kitchen.
&nbs
p; A small scar etched into his right eyebrow was slightly arched. His jawline looked strange like it’d been broken before. Part of his long, ashy-brown hair covered his left eye. He was massive. His neck, chest, and hands were huge. There was a tattoo on his left hand. It was a symbol of some sort. My eyes shifted back to his neck—there were more tattoos and symbols. Yet, as I connected with his eyes again, there was familiarity to his face, like I’d seen him before. But all thoughts froze the moment he took a step forward.
I lifted my bottle of mace hanging off my key ring. Aiming the bottle at him, I warned, “Stay back!”
He laughed and said something in a Slavic tongue. But, suddenly, it changed to another language when he spoke from over his shoulder. This time, I recognized the language as Italian.
From over his shoulder, I could see the outline of an equally tall figure. Each footstep was heavy. I shifted my eyes away from him and stared at the kitchen entryway. The footsteps became louder even though it was in a slow tempo.
I glanced back at the man with long hair and asked, “Who the hell are you?”
Humorous grey eyes continued to watch me, but he said nothing. Growing frustrated, I repeated my question, but still he remained silent. A figure appeared, causing me to break eye contact to stare at the body in the entryway. My eyes widened at the sight of the man who stood in the entryway watching me like a hawk. His eyebrows dropped into his narrowed blue eyes.
“Nicolai?”
Letting my guard down slightly, I didn’t notice that the man with long hair had inched up closer. I looked back at my assailant and sprayed, but he was too quick. Before I knew it, my keys were knocked to the floor and my arms were wrapped around my body. The man restraining me released a throaty chuckle that felt like thorns scratching against my eardrums. I could smell cigarettes on his breath as he held me close to his hard chest. I tried to wiggle for freedom, but he held me tighter until my body grew still. Nicolai slowly walked towards me, his eyes turned up with disgust. Even though it was him in the flesh, I didn’t recognize him. He didn’t look like the man I’d spent the last few months with. No, he looked far more sinister.