ANGEL'S WRATH by SK (SIN CITY HEAT) (37 page)

 
 
 
 
Nikki eyed him warily before reaching for the envelope and getting up to walk a few steps away. The first picture she pulled out showed Nelson, obviously terrified, sitting in a chair in front of Angel. The second one showed a furious Angel leaning across the desk towards Nelson as if he would love nothing better than to rip him apart with his bare hands. Nikki took in the fury in his flashing eyes. They almost seemed to jump off the glossy sheet. The tense, bulging muscles were visible beneath the shirt he wore and his teeth were bared in savage anger.

 
 
 
 
“How did you get these?” she asked.

 
 
 
 
“Keep looking.” Jax watched her with an intensity that made his emerald eyes sizzle.

 
 
 
 
Nikki glanced at him and paused when she saw the look of anticipation displayed on his face. Something told her to just shove the pictures back into the envelope and throw Jaxon out of her house, but a force she couldn’t explain urged her to continue.

 
 
 
 
Swallowing, she pulled out the next photo. Angel had pulled Nelson from his chair. Nelson was on his back on Angel's desk and Angel's fingers were wrapped tightly around Nelson’s throat. The photo after that one showed Angel’s face inches from Nelson. The next showed another man pointing a gun to Nelson’s head.

 
 
 
 
“Look at the last one, Nicole.” Jax stood up and stood beside her. When she pulled out the last photo, she cried out and let it and the others flutter to the floor. She had only glimpsed it for a second, but that had been more than enough time.

 
 
 
 
Nikki covered her mouth with her hand and raced to the half bath, making it just before she threw up the breakfast the man in the photos had lovingly fixed for her with their son. She held her stomach as she heaved and emptied every bit of it. After several minutes, she carefully straightened and stumbled to the sink. She rinsed her mouth out and splashed her face with water before reaching for a towel, which she held over her face for several moments, trying to erase everything she’d just seen from her mind.

 
 
 
 
She’d often teased Angel that his name was as far from his true self as anything could get. But she hadn’t realized how accurate the statement had been. Nikki wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t one of those naïve little wives who pretended not to know what their husbands in this business did for a living. She knew Angel was a very powerful man, a feared man and heavily into organized crime. Drugs, weapons, gambling…but they never talked about it. Never. And she never asked. She didn’t want the details.

 
 
 
 
But that was only one side of him. The other side received invitations to the most sought after social events, charity balls, Fortune 500 business functions…he played golf with some of the most powerful political figures in the U.S. The man was positively brilliant. As Jax put it, he defined wealth and glamour, a façade that hid the ugliness he ruled with an iron fist.

 
 
 
 
Nikki squared her shoulders and opened the bathroom door. She walked out and found Jax anxiously watching her. He’d picked up the pictures and put them back into the envelope. “You alright?”

 
 
 
 
The anger the question evoked felt good. “What do you think? Are you satisfied now? Did you get the reaction you were looking for from me?”

 
 
 
 
“Nicole, believe me, I didn’t do this out of some perverse sense of satisfaction. You need to know what kind of man you’re married to. The man that’s the father of your child is a monster.”

 
 
 
 
“He loves his son! He loves A.J. more than anything in this world, so don’t you dare fix your mouth to say one negative thing about him when it comes to that.”

 
 
 
 
“Okay, let’s just say he does. He’s eventually going down. Either the Feds will get him or the criminals he deals with will. It’s inevitable. Do you want to be in the line of fire when that happens, Nikki? Do you want A.J. to be?”

 
 
 
 
Nikki tried to hold on to her anger, but the thought of something happening to her son frightened her beyond belief.

 
 
 
 
“Nicole, you need to get out. I’ve been watching Angel for a while now. It hasn’t been easy to get someone to betray him, but hey, eventually money talks. My informant is not cheap but it’s worth every penny if it helps me bring this sick bastard down.”

 
 
 
 
“Why are you telling me all of this?” Nikki whispered. “What’s stopping me from going back to Angel and telling him everything?”

 
 
 
 
“I know you love him, Nicole, or rather you love the man you think he is. Yes, I knew I was taking a chance, but now that the mask has been ripped away from him, you can’t tell me you don’t want to take A.J. as far away from him as humanly possible.”

 
 
 
 
When Nikki remained silent, Jax pressed his advantage. “You know as well as I do, he’ll never let you take A.J. Angel has very powerful people on his side. Legitimate people who can decide your fate at the swipe of a pen. Do you really want to take the chance that you’ll never be allowed to see your son again, Nicole?”

 
 
 
 
Nikki’s eyes fluttered shut, as if trying to block out Jaxon's words. She felt like she was in a never ending nightmare. She loved Angel, even after what she’d just seen, but Jax was right. There was no way he’d give his son up if it came to that.

 
 
 
 
“Nicole, if you decide to leave for good, you can run, but there’s nowhere on God’s green earth you can hide that he won't find you.”

 
 
 
 
She opened her eyes and stared at Jaxon. “You really want me to believe you have mine and my son’s best interest at heart. Do you think I’m a fool?”

 
 
 
 
“No. I don’t. I wouldn’t even pretend to. I care about you Nicole, I always have. I want you safe. I can help you. We can help each other.”

 
 
 
 
Nikki looked at him through narrowed eyes as his reason for being here was finally revealed. “You want me to betray my husband.”

 
 
 
 
“You’re the closest person to him. We both benefit from bringing him to his knees. You get your freedom and, most importantly, your son.”

 
 
 
 
“And what do you get?”

 
 
 
 
Jaxon was quiet for a long while. His features were stiff and his eyes dark and determined. Nikki caught her breath. In that moment, there was no mistaking the fact that he and Angel were brothers. She didn’t know how she hadn’t realized it at first. They had the same angular features, the same shock of dark eyelashes. Why hadn't she noticed the similarities at first?

 
 
 
 
Nikki studied Jax with a thoughtful expression. “You want
DWC
."

 
 
 
 
“It’s my birthright.” The billion dollar company had been in his family for generations. Angel came and took it from them as easily as one plucked candy from a baby.

 
 
 
 
“No more so than it is Angel’s.”

 
 
 
 
Jaxon scowled. “Come on, Nicole! He has no interest in the company. The only reason why he went after it in the first place was to avenge his parents’ death.”

 
 
 
 
“Which your father caused! You spout off about what a criminal Angel is and how he’s no more than a thug in a suit. You need to look in your own back yard. Bradley Sr. wrote the book on it.”

 
 
 
 
Jaxon's lips tightened, unable to dispute anything Nikki said. “I’m not here to defend my father. I can’t stand to think about the man, haven’t seen him since I walked out of his office that day. But I’m through being punished for the things he did. Do we have a deal or not?”

 
 
 
 
Nikki stared, opened her mouth to tell him to go to hell, but somehow those words weren’t the ones that came out. “Where can I reach you?”

 
 
 
 
Victory flashed in Jaxon's eyes before he reached into his jacket and pulled out a card with his number on it. He held fast to the card when her fingers wrapped around it. "Think about what I said, Nicole."

 
 
 
 
Frowning, Nikki snatched it out of his hand. “Get out.”

 
 
 
 
Giving her a final probing look, Jax turned to leave. The only thing he could do was wait, but he had no doubt she would call him. Her love for her son outweighed any sense of love and commitment she felt for Angel.

 
 
 
 
Once he was in his car, Jaxon pulled out his cell phone and made a phone call. "We're in."

 
 
 
 
It was only after Jaxon left that Nicole noticed the envelope on her coffee table. She knew he’d placed it there on purpose. There had been no need. It hadn’t taken Nikki long to make her decision. She knew what she had to do.

 
 
 
 
“You say she’s on her way back home?”

 
 
 
 
Angel had been in the family room playing with A.J. when Oscar appeared indicating he needed to speak to him for a moment. Knowing Oscar would only interrupt his time with A.J. if it were something extremely important that needed his attention, Angel put a DVD in for his son and after he was settled walked over to Oscar. They stood to the side of the room talking in low whispers.

 
 
 
 
“Yes. She should be here any moment now.”

 
 
 
 
Knowing Angel had just mended things with Nikki, Oscar had left strict instructions with their men that they were to report to him. When the bodyguard who kept an eye on Nikki informed him of what was taking place at Nikki’s house, he hadn’t hesitated to inform Angel.

 
 
 
 
“How long were they there?”

 
 
 
 
“Not long. Maybe thirty minutes. Then Jaxon left.”

 
 
 
 
Angel’s eyes narrowed as he thought about his “brother”. He’d been keeping tabs on Jaxon and had been aware of the exact moment he showed up in Vegas. Angel had been expecting him to try something, but getting Nikki involved had crossed the line.

 
 
 
 
And why the hell had she gone to meet him?

 
 
 
 
“Do you need me to take my godson for a little while?” Oscar smiled at A.J. He was the light of all of their lives. Oscar would always protect him with his last breath. The same as he would do for Angelo.

 
 
 
 
“Yes.” Angel went back to the couch and swung his son up in his arms. Angel's heart melted when A.J. threw his arms trustingly around his neck. “I want you to go with Uncle Oscar for a little while, 'K buddy?”

 
 
 
 
A.J. smiled and nodded before going to Oscar's outstretched arms. Angel had just leaned down to kiss the top of his head when Nikki walked in.

 
 
 
 
Their eyes met and held a second before she looked away and smiled at A.J. Angel noticed that the smile was stiff and a little forced. After she too kissed their son goodbye, they were both silent once they were alone. Angel studied her closely, looking for some clue as to what she was thinking, but she hid her feelings well. He was completely in the dark.