ANGEL'S WRATH by SK (SIN CITY HEAT) (28 page)

 
 
 
 
"He would never hurt me, Raven. Or A.J."

 
 
 
 
"Not intentionally maybe, but eventually the darkness that surrounds Angel will touch everything around him. It's inevitable. I want you far, far away when that happens."

 
 
 
 
Nikki walked into her bedroom and went over to stare out the window. She tried to block out the ominous undertones of Raven's warning, but no matter how she tried, she couldn't. She brought her hands up to cover her face, feeling confused and lost. Raven had filled her in on some of the things she knew about the Pattel cartel, and it wasn't pretty. Drugs, prostitution, racketeering...murder. The authorities hadn’t been able to make anything stick, Joseph Pattel seemed to be the African American version of the 'Teflon Don'. And if Angelo counted men such as the Pattels among his associates, what did that say about him?

 
 
 
 
The opening of the bedroom door interrupted her thoughts. Nikki turned around to face Angel. "Where's A.J.?"

 
 
 
 
With his hands in his pocket and a hint of the impending hell he was getting ready to raise clouding his face, Angel advanced into the room with the steady movements of a panther. "Asleep in his crib. You don't have to worry about him, Nicole. I'm always going to make sure he's safe and well cared for."

 
 
 
 
Angel's voice whipped around Nikki like a biting, arctic wind. She steeled herself and lifted her chin. Any other time, Angel would've admired this part of her personality and the fact that she never backed down from him. He'd figured out a long time ago that this was one of the reasons why he fell so quick for her. He needed a woman like her by his side who was strong and tenacious. But he also needed her to know her place. Nikki obviously didn't, so he was getting ready to give her a quick lesson.

 
 
 
 
"What did you think you were doing?"

 
 
 
 
Nikki didn't pretend to misunderstand the question. "I was there to get my son. Why would you even have him around those men!"

 
 
 
 
 
Angel's fury erupted and spewed directly at her. "Nikki, let's get something straight. I'll take my son any got damn place I please. Who in the hell do you think you are to question me about that?"

 
 
 
 
"I'm his mother, Angelo!" Nikki's hands were curled at her side into tight little fists. She'd never in her life wanted to take a swing at someone but she had to fight off the urge to do so now. "You don't get to dictate what I can or can't concern myself with when it comes to him. I told you this once before and was hoping you'd take steps so that this argument wouldn't have to be revisited again, but apparently I was wrong."

 
 
 
 
Angel leaned back and looked down his nose at her. The only movement in his face was the muscles of his jaw which worked furiously, like an uncontrollable tick.

 
 
 
 
"Whatever you decide to do, I can't stop you. It's apparent you're going to do whatever you please and disregard my feelings, but I told you before, our son won't be a part of your choices, Angel. Tell me, is your goal to be like Joseph Pattel, have A.J. stand by your side one day with the threat of prison or death hanging over him like a black, looming cloud? Raven says…"

 
 
 
 
"Yes," Angel interjected. "Let's talk about
Raven
." Her name was spat out with repugnance. There was not an ounce of love lost between either of the two. "What even possessed you to bring her to the place where I conduct my business?"

 
 
 
 
 
Nikki's eyes faltered and dropped away from his for a moment before she lifted them defiantly, meeting his head on. "You're right. I'm sorry. The only thing I was thinking about…"

 
 
 
 
"That's my point, you didn't think at all!" Angel roared, stepping closer to her. "You feel because she's your sister she wouldn't hesitate to use anything she can get her hands on to destroy me?" By this time, Angel towered over her, chest heaving, rising and falling, his temper slipping away with each second that ticked by. "Tell me you're not that fucking naive!"

 
 
 
 
"Do
not
talk to me like that! I'm not one of the women from your past you can treat like some mindless idiot who has no thoughts of her own other than the ones you give her permission to have!"

 
 
 
 
"You're right. You're not them because they knew their fucking place and never dared to step out of it!"

 
 
 
 
Nikki gasped in indignation. "Oh really? 'My place', Angelo?
Really?
 
Is that how you see me voicing concern for our child? Not staying in '
my place
'?"

 
 
 
 
"This is what I think, Nicole. You're a very intelligent woman, but I think you've taken leave of your senses to walk into the middle of a meeting I'm in and try to handle me. I don't let you do it when we're alone and I damn sure won't allow it in front of other people. Nobody
handles
me, sweetheart." Angel slipped a hand around the nape of her neck and held her securely when she tried to struggle. He brought his face close to hers, his eyes resembling frozen icicles as he stared at Nikki with a hypnotic intensity. "Listen to me and listen closely. I love you, Nikki. I do. But don't you ever,
ever
in your life embarrass me the way you did today. You understand me?"

 
 
 
 
Nikki was so angry she trembled. "I hear you. Now you listen to me. It's very simple, actually. Either you walk away from the activities you're involved in or we're through."

 
 
 
 
The hand on the back of her neck tightened for the briefest of seconds before Angel smiled. Releasing his hold on her, he took a step back, needing to put some distance between them. "Ultimatums, Nikki?"

 
 
 
 
"I prefer to think of it as laying my cards on the table."

 
 
 
 
Angel nodded, his expression suddenly relaxed. "Really? Quite a gamble you're taking."

 
 
 
 
"It is."

 
 
 
 
They faced off with one another, both knowing this confrontation was a long time coming. Angel's lashes lowered momentarily, hiding the turbulence brewing until he could control it. Finally, he looked up at Nikki, all but reading her thoughts. The corner of his mouth lifted as he all but read her thoughts. He knew she didn't realize how expressive her face was, but he could always tell what she was thinking. What she was feeling. She was scared. As scared as he was of losing what they had. But she needn't worry about that. He had no intention of losing his family.

 
 
 
 
Angel stepped closer, framing her face with his hands, his thumbs gently caressing her cheeks. When he lowered his lips to hers, Nikki's mouth was stiff and unyielding beneath his but as he continued the undemanding kiss, her lips softened and parted, exhaling a surrendering sigh that he inhaled as part of his life strengthening air. Their tongues curled together, mating like two bodies playing the Twister game where one moved and the other performed a strategic counter move until there was a decisive winner who was none other than Angel, of course.

 
 
 
 
He continued to pilfer her mouth, his tongue thrusting forward in an erotic frenzy until Nikki reached up and grabbed fistfuls of his shirt in order to remain upright, bunching the expensive material into a wrinkled mess. By the time he lifted his head, her body was leaning against him, weak like the bowed branches of a tree that had just gone through a horrifying storm.

 
 
 
 
She slowly opened her lids which felt weighted with the passion and desire she felt for this man. "Angel..."

 
 
 
 
Angel placed a finger over her lips to stop her words. "You love me." It wasn't a question but Nikki nodded. "We'll get through this together."

 
 
 
 
"How, Angelo? Does that mean you'll do what I ask? Are you going to…"

 
 
 
 
"Nikki. Just slow down. Please. I was waiting to talk to you when you got back. I have to go out of the country for a few days." When she started to protest, he shook his head. "I just found out this morning, and if it was something that didn't require my immediate attention, believe me, I wouldn’t go. When I come back, we'll talk. I promise. Alright?"

 
 
 
 
Nikki's eyes darted around the room in confusion. The control she felt she'd had on the conversation slipped away as Angel captured her lips again and picked her up in his arms. He took his time and carried her to the bed before undressing her. For the next couple of hours, they sexed each other with an intensity that left them both weak, breathless, and thoroughly fulfilled. Angel held nothing back. He told her verbally and without words how much she meant to him. Nikki returned it tenfold. She gave him everything, poured every ounce of emotion she felt into the act of making love to him. Tears rolled down her face as he brought her to satisfaction over and over again.

 
 
 
 
God, she loved him so much...

 
 
 
 
But she knew, as surely as she knew her own name, she wouldn’t be here when he got back
.

Chapter 28

 
 
 
 
Angel read the text his wife just sent him...his estranged wife. He shook his head at the term. After almost three months, it still seemed surreal to think
about Nikki in those terms.

 
 
 
 
Re-reading the text, he took a deep breath to try and calm down. Even though a storm of epic proportions was brewing deep down inside of him, none of Angel's rage was displayed on his handsome face. First things first. He would conclude the business he was in the middle of right now, then he'd handle the business of his wife.

 
 
 
 
He brought his attention back to the scene in front of him. With a sense of detachment, Angel observed the pleasure his enforcer took in mercilessly torturing the man tied to the chair in middle of the bedroom. Butch enjoyed his work entirely too much, but he got the job done.

 
 
 
 
For the last several months, Angel had been like a bull in a china store. Whatever crap happened to be in his way was thrown to the floor and crushed under his feet. The cocky son of a bitch who was the unlucky recipient of Butch's sadistic skills happened to be the piece of crap taking the brunt of his anger tonight.

 
 
 
Focusing on the man, fury ate at the inner lining of Angel's stomach all over again. The idiot had gone to great lengths to try and cheat him out of profits he thought Angel knew nothing about. Tonight was a refresher course for anybody foolish enough to think they could challenge him and get away without him answering it. Angel was the first to admit he'd been caught slipping. Entirely too much of his time had been consumed with Nikki and the state of their marriage. Tonight, he was going to rectify that error.

 
 
 
 
Angel nodded at Oscar to let him know he was done there. Oscar followed Angel out the door, pulling his cell phone out to let Dre know they were on their way downstairs.

 
 
 
 
Angel's expression darkened like an impending thunderstorm when he thought about the text message again. “Tell him we’re going by Nikki’s first.” His voice was terse and controlled.

 
 
 
 
Oscar glanced at him and sighed when he saw the intent clearly shimmering in Angel's eyes. “Do you think that's a good idea? I’m sure A.J.'s asleep by now and…”