ANGEL'S WRATH by SK (SIN CITY HEAT) (25 page)

 
 
 
 
"Go to hell!" A second later, she hung up.

 
 
 
 
"Got damn cunt!"

 
 
 
 
"Angel!" Nikki knew he usually showed great constraint where her sister was concerned, but whether Raven was in the wrong or not, she wouldn't put up with him talking to her like that and calling her vile names.

 
 
 
 
A cutting remark directed at Nikki was on the very tip of his tongue, but he pulled it back just in time when he saw the sadness behind her anger. Resisting the urge to throw the phone against the wall, Angel tossed it on the bed and kneeled in front of her. He took her hands in one of his and reached up to wipe her face with the other.

 
 
 
 
"Nik, stop crying, it's not good for you or the baby. Tell me what's wrong. Whatever it is, I'll fix it."

 
 
 
 
The sound Nikki made was a cross between a sob and a hysterical laugh. “You’ll fix it? How can you fix it when you're the problem?"

 
 
 
 
Angel's head jerked back as if she'd physically slapped him. "Nikki, it's no secret your family hates me. Don't let them cause confusion between us…"

 
 
 
 
"I'm not
letting
them do anything. Federal agents went to my parent’s house today, Angel.
They went to my parent's house!
They questioned them like they were criminals off the streets then deliberately followed them around in order to scare them!"

 
 
 
 
A low expletive was hurled from Angel's throat. "I'm sorry they were upset. But if it's any consolation, they weren't trying to scare them, they were sending me a message. I'll make some phone calls and have it taken care of."

 
 
 
 
Nikki stared at him in disbelief. "That's it? You'll make some phone calls, case closed? Do you understand how horrible that was for my parents? They've never even had a speeding ticket for Christ's sake!"

 
 
 
 
"I can only imagine how they feel, but…"

 
 
 
 
"But nothing, Angel! Yes, you'll make some calls, but they've already had something precious stripped away from them, and that's the right to feel comfortable in their own home without wondering if they're under surveillance or not. Are you going to make some calls and get their piece of mind back for them too?" Crying, Nikki stood up, angrily pushing her hair out of her face. She glared at him as he rose as well. "Me choosing to accept the things that come along with your world is one thing, but my family shouldn't have to. The extra security that's always in place, the bodyguards that travel with me just to go shopping, afraid of making friends because I have to be careful who I associate with..." Her sister was right. Their parents aspired to more for them… just as she did for her child. She placed her hand on her stomach. "I don't want my son to grow up like that."

 
 
 
 
The tension was already thick in the room, but when Nikki uttered the last statement, Angel's face resembled a block of carved, unyielding granite. His eyes glowed with an anger that snapped out like a whip and curled around her razor sharp.

 
 
 
 
"
Our
son. Don't ever make the mistake of forgetting that."

 
 
 
 
"Of course I haven't forgotten it, but you promised me, Angel. You promised you were going to leave this life behind and get out of the game. Those were your words. Were you lying to me when you said that?"

 
 
 
 
If possible, Angel's eyes became more frigid. "I told you my plan was to eventually get out. I've never lied to you about anything. I was truthful with you from the beginning."

 
 
 
 
"Fine. Then just know I expect you to keep your promise. If you don't, this can't end well for anyone. I refuse to live like this the rest of my life, waiting for the inevitable, and my son damn sure won't be exposed to it."

 
 
 
 
Angel was in front of Nikki in half a second, glaring down at her. "Are you threatening me? Threatening to take my son away from me? Is that what's going on right now Nicole, because sweetheart, that's the vibe I'm getting from you." He leaned his face closer to hers. "Understand one thing if nothing else, I don't like to be threatened."

 
 
 
 
"Take it however you like." Nikki met his gaze head on refusing to back down. When Angel's cell phone rang, neither of their eyes wavered. Finally, Nikki stepped around him and snatched the cordless phone off the bed and headed out the bedroom door. "I'm going to call my parents to make sure they're okay. Give my apologies to Keisha and Dom. I'm suddenly not in the mood to smile and pretend that everything is okay when that reality couldn't be further from the truth. I'm not that good of an actress."

 
 
 
 
"Nicole! NICOLE!!" When she slammed the door behind him, Angel's first instinct was to charge after her and make her talk to him, but he forced himself to stay put. She was already upset; he didn't want to make the situation worse.

 
 
 
 
The first call he made was to his brother, extending their apologies and informing him they weren't going to be able to attend the baby shower. Dominick heard the words Angel didn't say and instinctively knew something was wrong. After making sure everything was okay with Nikki and the baby, he told Angel to call him if he needed him. Angel's next call was to a private line few had access to, even those with a high security clearance. When the person on the other end picked up after two rings, Angel spoke without waiting on a greeting.

 
 
 
 
"My in-laws in Florida had a couple of visitors today. How did that happen?"

 
 
 
 
"Angelo? I have no idea, but rest assured I'll be checking into it first thing Monday morning."

 
 
 
 
"Check into it now." The demand in Angel's voice was unmistakable.

 
 
 
 
The man on the other end cleared his throat nervously. "I, ah, I'm actually on a cruise with my wife. It's our thirtieth wedding anniversary and…"

 
 
 
 
"Listen to me closely. I don't give a fuck if you're attending your mother's funeral in the middle of the Sahara Desert, take care of this now and make it disappear. Do you understand me?"

 
 
 
 
 
A heavy silence settled between them before the man sighed in resignation. "I understand. Consider it done."

 
 
 
 
"I expect to hear back from you within the hour. I don't want to have to make another call like this." The threat was not lost on the other party. "Handle it!"

 
 
 
 
Angel hung up and slipped the phone into his pocket. He sat down on the bed and dropped his head back to look up at the ceiling. Remembering the expression on Nicole's face, he closed his eyes and inhaled a deep, calming breath before releasing it slowly. After a minute, the anger that coursed through his body was still present, but somewhat under control.

 
 
 
 
He got up and walked to the bathroom to take a steaming hot shower. Afterwards, he dried off and tied a towel around his waist before going to find his wife. His first guess was correct. She was in the nursery sitting in the rocking chair holding one of the numerous stuffed bears in the room. Angel stood in the doorway, watching her, knowing she was aware of his presence even if she didn't turn his way.

 
 
 
 
Angel admired how beautiful she looked before glancing around the nursery she'd lovingly decorated using a safari theme. The mural painted on the wall was bright and colorful. A light blue sky boasted white, fluffy clouds which smiled down on a jungle full of laughing monkeys swinging from trees and playful lions, giraffes, and zebras running through a field full of flowers.

 
 
 
 
Bringing his attention back to Nikki, Angel entered the nursery, and as he'd done in their bedroom, kneeled beside the chair she was sitting in. He moved the bear aside and placed his hand against her stomach, smiling when his son shifted beneath his palm as if he knew his daddy was near. Angel leaned down to kiss Nikki's stomach then looked at her.

 
 
 
 
"I know you're upset, scared, and angry. You have every right to be. But I'm asking you to trust me to take care of this. Your parents won't be bothered again."

 
 
 
 
Nikki finally turned to look at him. She didn't doubt his words but what he didn't understand was that the damage had already been done. Nikki wanted nothing more in the entire world than to bring peace between her family and Angel before their child was born. She took full responsibility for the choices she made, but that didn't stop her from craving normalcy. Whenever she was around Keisha, Aleesha, and Jerra, she fought to push away the feeling of envy that tried to take hold of her. She would love to have some of the day to day problems they griped about. She loved Angel, he was her heart, but the closer she came to bringing their baby into the world, the more she rebelled against the thought of him being subjected to Angel's world and what that entailed.

 
 
 
 
As she let him pull her up and wrap her securely in his arms, Nikki closed her eyes tightly trying to block out the pain of living a life without him. But just like she'd chosen Angel over her family, she feared she'd have to make another choice in the not so distant future.

 
 
 
 
And if it came down to choosing a life with Angel or raising her child away from the dangers he would face if she stayed... the choice would be simple.

 
 
 
 
"Push, baby...that's it. Breathe."

 
 
 
 
Angel held Nikki's hand as she panted through another contraction and strained to push one last time, expelling their baby from her womb and into the doctor's hands. Angel glanced down at the team of doctors and nurses attending the birth, watching them anxiously as they suctioned the baby's nose and mouth to clear his airway. Seconds later, a loud, angry wail filled the room and Angel and Nikki's eyes met in indescribable joy.

 
 
 
 
"You did it, baby. I'm so proud of you."

 
 
 
 
Nikki laughed, giddy, happy, and relieved as she listened to her son's affronted cries of outrage which were the most beautiful sounds she'd ever heard. Angel kissed Nikki's forehead before joining the doctor to cut the baby's cord. Never knowing he could feel so much love, Angel watched as the nurse wiped his baby off and wrapped it in a blanket before placing him in his arms.

 
 
 
"Here's your son, Mr. LaCroix," she smiled.

 
 
 
 
Angel's eyes ran over his baby's beautiful little face, seeing a reflection of himself in every tiny feature. His breath caught in his throat when the baby blinked a couple of times before staring in his direction and quieting its irritated mewling almost immediately. Angel's chest filled to capacity as he kissed his son's cheek and brought him to Nikki, who eagerly reached for him.

 
 
 
 
"Here ya go, Mommy. He's perfect."

 
 
 
 
Grinning and crying at the same time, Nikki caressed his baby soft cheeks with a gentle finger then unwrapped the blanket to count his fingers and toes. Once she was satisfied that he was indeed healthy and perfect, she wrapped him up again and stared at him. "His eyes..."