ANGEL'S WRATH by SK (SIN CITY HEAT) (10 page)

 
 
 
 
Those were the last words Jax managed to get out of his mouth before Angel lunged around Nikki and punched him dead in his mouth. Jax’s knees buckled like a stack of cards and blood spewed from his lips. He got up on unsteady legs, screaming obscenities when he saw the blood on his hands.
 
 
 
 
“You motherfucker! Look what you’ve done! I‘m gonna have your ass thrown
under
the jail. You don’t know who you’re messing with…”

 
 
 
 
Angel hit him again, sending him sprawling to the floor, moaning in pain. When he went after him, Nikki half jumped on his back.
 
 
 
 
“Angel, no! Stop it!
Stop it!
” But Angel couldn’t see or hear anything through the haze of fury that pumped through his body. He set Nikki to the side as if she were a weightless doll and circled Jax who was writhing on the floor.
 
 
 
 
“You were saying something, Jaxon?” Angel kicked him in the side, causing him to howl in agony. “Something about putting me under the jail?” Angel’s voice was quiet as if he were having a casual conversation. He continued to circle Jax like a pitbull in a dog fight trying to find the weakest part to tear into. The next series of kicks connected with Jax's ribs then his stomach. He ignored Nikki's screams as she told him to stop.
 
 
 
 
“Told you not to call Nikki another name, didn't I?” He reached down and pulled Jax up by the front of his shirt and damned near slapped the taste out of his mouth before shoving him back down on the floor. "Who's the bitch now?"
 
 
 
 
Jax crawled over to the bed and pulled himself up to his knees, grabbing at the covers. Angel walked behind him and wrapped his arm around his neck. All the fury and anger he’d kept inside for all these years came out as he slowly squeezed. Jax clawed as the pressure on his larynx constricted his breathing.

 
 
 
 
Angel didn't notice the deep scratch marks on his skin. He was in a zone, and the only thing he wanted to do was inflict pain. If the son had to pay for the father’s sin, so be it.
 
 
 
 
 
“
Angel,
pleaasssseeee
….” Nikki cried.
 
 
 
 
Angel's lips tightened and after a few more seconds, he abruptly released Jax from the hold he had around his neck and pushed him to the floor. Nikki rushed over to Jax and lifted his head into her lap. She grabbed the sheet and tried to wipe the blood from his face. Her eyes had a fearful look in them as she studied Angel. If she hadn’t been here, she had no doubt he would’ve killed Jax and not thought another thing of it.

 
 
 
 
“
Are you crazy?!
What’s wrong with you?!"
Nikki yelled. “Get out! Get…
out
!”
 
 
 
 
 
Angel watched her hovering over Jaxon. Disgusted, he shook his head then snatched his shirt off the floor. Without another word, he walked out of the room. Nikki jumped when he slammed the door behind him hard enough to tear the frame from the hinges.
 

 
 
 
 
Nikki and Jax were in the emergency room where the doctor had securely wrapped his ribs after determining they were just bruised, not broken. Jax's face looked worse than it actually was because of all the blood. After they cleaned the cuts and abrasions, the doctor told him that the police were waiting to speak with him. Jax stared at Nikki then told the doctor to give him a minute.
 
 
 
 
“Are you okay?” Nikki asked in a hesitant voice.

 
 
 
 
Jax watched her with cool, distant eyes. Nikki peered closer, studying his features. Something about his expression gave her pause. Something about his eyes…
 
 
 
 
Jax began speaking and brought her thoughts back to the reason they were there. “Am I okay, Nikki? What do you think?” he hissed.

 
 
 
 
Nikki lowered her eyes.
 
 
 
 
“So that’s the kind of man you want? A thug?” he sneered. His voice lowered suggestively. “You should’ve told me you liked it rough, babe. I'd have been more than happy to oblige if that would've given me a shot.”

 
 
 
 
Nikki’s head snapped up. Anger flashed in her eyes but she didn’t respond to the taunt. She knew Jaxon was intentionally trying to bait her. “What are you going to tell the police?”
 
 
 
 
His expression was incredulous when it hit him why she was asking. “Wait a minute. Here I am, the one injured and in the hospital, and you’re worried about your boyfriend?!”
 
 
 
 
“He’s not my boyfriend, Jax…and even if he was, it's none of your business.”

 
 
 
 
"Not even if it means your job?"

 
 
 
 
"Please, you do
not
want to go there with me Jaxon! Friends or not, aside from being an asset
DWC
does not want to lose, I will slap a sexual harassment suit on your ass so fast, your head will spin, so we both know me losing my job is bullshit!" Holding her hands up when he started yelling, Nikki closed her eyes. "I’m not getting into this with you. Will you please just answer my question? Are you going to have Angel arrested?”
 
 
 
 
Jaxon looked her up and down as if he couldn’t stand the sight of her. Then his expression changed as if he were suddenly feeling very satisfied with himself. “I guess I could. I could also let them know your ‘boyfriend’ is one of the biggest drug and arms dealers in the US.” Jax knew he was exaggerating but expounded on his claim to give shock value to his words. He frowned as Nikki’s expression never changed.
 
 
 
 
 
“Not anymore, he’s not,” she said coolly.

 
 
 
 
Jax's eyes shifted and thinned. Those four words said so much. “You knew?! But…”
 
 
 
 
Nikki walked over to a chair and sat down. Crossing her legs, she said. “Angel and I have known each other since we were kids.”

 
 
 
 
Jaxon looked around the room in shock before letting his gaze rest on her. “You…you grew up with a criminal?”
 
 
 
 
“He’s not a criminal. He’s changed and no longer lives that life. Jax, we did a thorough background check on him and his company if you remember.”
 
 
 
 
Jaxon's expression cleared as he began to laugh then winced, grabbing his bruised ribs.

 
 
 
 
Nikki frowned. “What’s so funny?”
 
 
 
 
Still chuckling, Jax said, “That’s not the real report. The real report is locked away in my office.”
 
 
 
 
“What?” Nikki whispered.
 
 
 
 
Confidence was etched over Jaxon's face once he realized he had the upper hand. “That’s right. We needed that money. We tried every other avenue without success. Do you think my father would’ve agreed to let me accept Angel’s loan if he’d known that bastard was little more than a common criminal?”
 
 
 
 
“But…you’ve agreed to give him ten percent of
DWC
’s stock.”
 
 
 
 
“Don’t act stupid, Nikki. It doesn’t become you. That man will never get a whiff of my family’s stock. I’m holding the information for safe keeping until the thirty days is up. Then it’s going to give me great pleasure to let him know that if he even thinks about trying to sue us for breach of contract, I’ll turn every file that we’ve gathered on him over to the authorities.”
 
 
 
 
Nikki slowly stood up. It looked like she had labeled the wrong man a monster. “I should’ve let him continue to kick your ass. I hope you don’t think I’m going to just stand around and let you cheat him out of something you’ve already agreed to.” She turned around and headed towards the door to leave.
 
 
 
 
“Oh, I think you will, Nikki….” Jax's confident voice made her steps falter. Satisfied that he had her attention now, Jax continued. “You’re going to do two things. One, this information is going to stay between me and you. To say you don’t have feelings for him, you sure are ready to jump to his defense, aren’t you?”

 
 
 
 
Nikki turned around to face him. “And two?”

 
 
 
 
“You’re going to do everything I tell you to do, the first being you won’t see Angel again after tonight.”
 
 
 
 
Nikki swallowed hard. “And if I refuse….” She asked the question but already knew the answer.
 
 
 
 
Jaxon's laugh held little amusement. “Then I’ll clip your Angel’s wings and make sure he spends the rest of his life in prison.”

 
 
 
 
I’ve had enough of this shit. She’s going to see me whether she wants to or not
.

 
 
 
 
Angel pulled his Bentley in front of the
Davidson World Corp
.’s building. He had been trying to reach Nikki for the last week. Every time he called her office, Kendra, told him she wasn’t in. He’d had someone watching her house, but she hadn’t been home either. Finally, the guard at
DWC
had called his personal line tonight and told him that Nikki just went up to her office.
 
 
 
 
“She told me she had some things that needed her attention, but she wouldn’t be long. I knew you’d want to know Mr. LaCroix.”
 
 
 
 
“Thank you, Walter.”
 
 
 
 
“No problem, sir.” Walter had been paid handsomely to keep an eye out for Nikki. He called Angel as soon as the elevator doors closed behind her.
 
 
 
 
Angel got out of the car and slammed the door harder than necessary. The frustration he felt at not knowing where she was had turned into white hot anger. The more he thought about the business he’d been neglecting because he couldn’t get her out of his mind, the angrier he became.
 
 
 
 
The security guard buzzed him in. Angel stalked past him to the elevators as he called out, “Thanks, again, Walter.” Walter threw up a hand of acknowledgment and nodded.

 
 
 
 
Once he got into the elevator cab, Angel stabbed the button that would take him to the floor her office was located on. He tried to calm down, knowing it would do more harm than good if he confronted her in the mood he was in. He knew what was wrong with him, and it pissed him off even more that he had his choice of women but the one he craved was not available to him. He was going to take care of that tonight as well.
 
 
 
 
Angel stepped out of the elevator and walked down the hall to her office. Turning the knob, he quietly opened the door and saw her standing at the window staring out at the darkness. It reminded him of how she’d looked that night at the fundraiser. He took a deep breath before walking in and closing the door.
 
 
 
 
“Penny for your thoughts,” he said softly.
 
 
 
 
Nikki whirled around when she heard his voice and her heartbeat accelerated at the sight of him. She almost thought he was a mirage because she’d just been standing there thinking about him.
 
 
 
 
“Angel…what are you doing here?” she whispered.
 
 
 
 
Angel’s anger dissolved in an instant while his desire for her increased. Smiling he said, “That’s not what you’re supposed to say, remember?”
 
 
 
 
Nikki started to return his smile until she remembered Jaxon's threat. “You have to go.”
 
 
 
 
Angel locked the door and turned the light out. “Mmm, no. I don't have to do anything but live and die.”
 
 
 
 
Nikki shook her head from side to side. “Angel, you don’t understand. Jax...” She stopped and bit her lip to keep the words inside.