ANGEL'S WRATH by SK (SIN CITY HEAT) (31 page)

 
 
 
 
“I love you too, Angelo.”

 
 
 
 
Her words were like a salve to an open wound. He sighed, releasing the tension that had been a constant in his body since she left. “I want you home, Nikki. Tonight.”

 
 
 
 
The hand that had been gently caressing the side of his face stilled. “Angel…”

 
 
 
 
“We can work on whatever issues we have between us, but we’ll do it at home.”

 
 
 
 
Nikki sighed and untangled their bodies. She sat up and looked down at him. “There’s only one ‘issue’, Angel, and you know what it is.”

 
 
 
 
They stared at each other for several moments, neither willing to be the first one to look away. Angel’s jaw tightened and his eyes cooled as if a bucket of freezing water had been thrown on the moment they just shared. “We’ve been over this. What do you want from me?”

 
 
 
 
“I want you to keep your promise, the promise you made to me before we got married. The promise you made again when our son was born.”

 
 
 
 
Angel flinched. He sat up on the side of the bed with his back facing her and his head bowed. “Don't do that. Don't use my son against me like that.”

 
 
 
 
“You promised me, Angel. You told me you would get out of this life, but instead, you’re only in deeper.”

 
 
 
 
Angel jumped up and whirled around to face her. “And you think I can do that just on a whim and at the snap of my fingers, Nikki? You think it’s that easy? Please,” he spat out as his lip curled. “You know better than that.”

 
 
 
 
“You’re not even trying!” Nikki sat up in the bed on her knees as her voice rose. “You keep telling me to wait! Be patient! I’m through waiting!”

 
 
 
 
“I told you that my plan was get out
one day
!
That's
what I said! You knew who I was before you married me, got dammit! I kept nothing from you! Nothing! Don’t act like I’ve suddenly grown into this monster that you’re just now becoming aware of!”

 
 
 
 
“Yes, I knew, and I accepted that! But things have changed now that we have a child, Angel. Do you really want him growing up around that kind of life?”

 
 
 
 
“Nothing will ever happen to my son. Or you, Nikki. You know that.”

 
 
 
 
“How can you even say that? You might think you’re God, but you’re not! I don’t want him around that!”

 
 
 
 
Angel's eyes narrowed dangerously. “What are you saying? You don’t want him around
me
?”

 
 
 
 
“No, of course I'm not saying that, but…”

 
 
 
 
“Good.” The word was clipped and harsh, cutting her off. “Because if you so much as even
think
about trying to keep my son from me Nikki…” Angel’s lips cut off the rest of the sentence, but his eyes conveyed the warning he didn’t put into words.

 
 
 
 
Nikki bristled. “Are you threatening me? Threatening to take A.J. away from me?”

 
 
 
 
“Isn’t that what you’re basically doing?” A tense silence fell between them. Letting out a breath of disgust, Angel snatched his clothes up and began putting them on with angry, jerky movements. He glanced at Nikki who was breathing hard with her fists balled up. She reminded him of a mother cub protecting her young. Well, he was no less determined.

 
 
 
 
Standing with his shirt open and strangling his jacket in his hand, Angel's face was determined and devoid of sympathy. “You of all people know I don’t make ‘threats’, Nicole. I make promises.”

 
 
 
 
Angel walked to the side of the bed. Reaching down, he pulled her to him roughly, grinding his mouth against hers in a hard, punishing kiss, holding her still when she tried to pull away until he tasted blood. When he let her go, Angel stared down at her with wintry cool eyes. “You need to decide what you’re going to do, Nicole. I’m not living my life in a state of limbo any longer. Either you’re going to come home or you’re not. But take heed to what I’m telling you. Don’t wait too long. Once I’m finished, I’m finished.”

 
 
 
 
Nikki was furious and could only sit there and glare through eyes that watered in anger.

 
 
 
 
Angel cut his gaze away from her and left out the room. Neither her tears nor her anger moved him in the least. The ruthless, vicious side of him had never come out with Nikki, but if she tried to take his son from him…

 
 
 
 
God help her.

 
 
 
 
Angel sat in the office of a warehouse he owned, listening impassively as the man sitting before him tried to explain how a transaction that should’ve been routine ended up getting so fucked up tonight.

 
 
 
 
He didn’t say a word as the other man rambled on, clearly nervous and unknowingly incriminating himself with each lie he uttered. Nelson 'Nelly' Taylor had been with Angel for a long time. If six months ago someone had told him what he now knew, he would’ve found it hard to believe without proof. However, the evidence was staring him directly in the face. If he hadn’t been so preoccupied with the state of his marriage, this never would’ve slipped by him.

 
 
 
 
The dilated pupils, the significant weight loss, involuntary muscle twitches, the way he restlessly moved in the chair as if it was a struggle to sit still.

 
 
 
 
Nelly was using, and not just casually. He was an addict. And addicts were not something Angel tolerated in his organization. Nelly had begun to get sloppy as was evidenced by the sting operation that went down tonight. The idiot should've been aware that something wasn’t quite right, but instead he’d messed up royally. Angel would lose millions because of the shipment that had been confiscated by the DEA. He would have to cover that loss out of his own pocket. To make matters worse, the call he just received from a federal agent on his payroll verified they were trying to trace the deal back to him, putting everything he worked for in jeopardy and threatening his own freedom.

 
 
 
 
But Angel wasn’t overly worried. His distribution system was bigger and more resilient than even the DEA was aware of. It was like a spider web of numerous connections, constantly regenerating and expanding. His influence reached high enough in the Federal organization to insure any trails leading back to him would run cold very quickly. This time. He couldn’t afford to tempt fate twice. Nelly had to go, but for reasons so much more important than tonight's fuck up.

 
 
 
 
Apparently, Nelly was beginning to realize things were not looking very good for him right now. He wiped a trembling hand over his mouth, then dabbed at the beads of sweat popping out on his forehead. “Angel, I don’t know what happened. I mean, everything should’ve gone like clockwork…”

 
 
 
 
Nelson’s words faltered as he waited for Angel to say something.
Anything.
When he didn’t, Nelson knew it wasn’t a good sign. Angel’s demeanor was cool and detached as he sat tapping his Mont Blanc fountain pen on the desk and regarding Nelson with cold eyes that sent chills down his spine.

 
 
 
 
God, what he wouldn't give for a hit of blow to take the edge off right now!

 
 
 
 
Nelson swallowed hard and forced himself to concentrate on his words to make sure they contained just the right amount of sincerity. “Nothing was different than any other time a deal has gone down...”

 
 
 
 
His words came to an abrupt stop when the staccato rhythm of the pen quieted. Nelson stared at Angel with an expression of pure fright, shivering. He could’ve sworn the temperature in the room just dropped several more degrees, then again, it could’ve been the prelude to his death he read in Angel’s eyes. Nelson hadn’t prayed in a long time, not since he was a little boy. But he silently began to do so now.

 
 
 
 
“You’re exactly right, Nelly. You’ve done this, what hundreds of times? Nothing should’ve been any different tonight.” Angel leaned back in his chair and fixed Nelson with a penetrating stare. “But something is, isn’t it?”

 
 
 
 
Nelson's guilt caused him to stutter. He paused to control himself because he only had one chance to get this right. From experience, he knew Angel was like a deadly beast that smelled fear and waited for just the exact moment to go for the jugular. Nelson had seen him do it many times before. His hand unconsciously crept up to rub his neck. Taking a deep breath, he looked Angel straight in the eye.

 
 
 
 
“Angelo, this wasn’t my fault.” When Angel’s features froze in anger at the obvious lie, Nelson hastened to continue. “I was careless. I admit that. But, I’ll pay you back. Swear to God I will.”

 
 
 
 
“Really. And you just happen to have a spare five mil lying around?” Angel cocked a brow and let out a low chuckle. The other men in the room followed his lead and laughed. Nelson’s eyes went around from face to face as he uneasily joined in. But when he heard Angel’s next words, he knew his fate was sealed.

 
 
 
 
“Hypothetically speaking, let’s just say you were able to reimburse me for the loss I took tonight. Tell me, how do you think you can make up for almost getting my family killed?”

 
 
 
 
Jesus!
Angel had slipped the words into the conversation so casually it took a moment for Nelson to realize what he'd said. Once he did, his eyes almost bucked from their socket. A dampness crept into the seat of his pants as he lost control of his bladder. But that was the least of his worries.

 
 
 
 
The smiles dropped abruptly from the faces of the other men he'd worked with for years. They were like a family, or at least he'd thought they were. But now, he knew how a cornered rabbit felt when it was surrounded by a pack of rabid dogs out for blood...his. “Angelo, you know I h-had nothing to do with that…”

 
 
 
 
Angel’s palms slammed down on the desk as he stood up and leaned over it to yell at Nelson. “Don't lie to me! A hit was put out on my wife and my son because you double crossed the Sicilians and laced their product to weigh it down. You kept the excess you skimmed off for yourself!”

 
 
 
 
Nelson shook his head frantically, raising his hands up as if to ward off Angel’s wrath. “N-n-no, that’s not true…”

 
 
 
 
“Worthless piece of shit!” Angel stalked around the desk and yanked Nelson from the chair. He threw him on top of the desk and wrapped his hand around Nelson’s throat. Nelson used both hands to claw at the one Angel effortlessly used to slowly squeeze until his air flow become restricted.
 

 
 
 
 
Angel brought his face close to Nelson’s. “You’re lucky we found out about it and were able to make it right before any harm came to them. Did you think I wouldn’t find out you were responsible for that?”

 
 
 
 
Nelson struggled to croak out a name. “J-Joey….”