ANGEL'S WRATH by SK (SIN CITY HEAT)

by S K

  "When Keisha brought up the idea of all of us coming to Angel's wedding, I didn't even think about how awkward it might be for you and Jerra," Dom said.

  "Don't sweat it, man. It's cool. She assured me it was all good and she wanted to come. We could definitely use some time away together."

  "Bet you miss your lil man, though." Marcus smiled as he thought about Darrell's son, Lil D who was his and Dom's godson. "This is the first time you've been away from him for any significant length of time."

  Darrell absently rubbed his chin as he thought about his son. "Yeah, me and Jerra miss tha hell outta him, but I know he's in good hands."

  Darrell's sister, Gabrielle, had eagerly agreed to stay at their house and keep her nephew while they were away. She'd been living in Miami the last couple of years working as a model, but was thinking about doing something else with her life, she just didn't know what. This would give her some time away while she sorted things out. Darrell was hoping she'd choose to live in Vegas with them, at least for a little while.

  A scowl suddenly slashed across Darrell's face. He knew one of the things she had to "sort out" was the possibility of a relationship with that football player, Hurricane. Darrell's frown deepened as he thought about the cocky young man known for his partying ways as much as he was his skill and talent on the football field. Gabby had told Jerra all about him, how he'd been tirelessly pursuing her, but didn't confide in Darrell until months later.

  Darrell told her the muthafucka was no good, just out for what he could get. He could tell her this with unwavering certainty because he used to be him. Slick assholes like Tobias "Hurricane" Jones had pussy thrown at them e're mu'fuckin' day. They inevitably got what they wanted from these women then moved on to the next. But Darrell would be damned if Jones treated his baby sister like one of his jump-offs. Fuck that! He would find Darrell's size fourteen shoe up his ass before that ever happened.

  "All I know is she better not have that Hurricane muthafucka up in my house," he grumbled.

  Marcus and Dom nodded in agreement. The three couples were extra close, more like family than friends. Any extended family was taken into the fold without question. Dominick and Marcus would be right there kicking Jones' ass right along with Darrell if he stepped out of line.

  "While we're on the subject of sisters, Marcus, how's Alexis? She should be ready to deliver soon, right?" Dominick asked.

  "Yeah. Her due date is in three weeks, but she's about ready to pop. I think Amir is more nervous than she is."

  Darrell shook his head. "Funny how shit turns out, ain't it?"

  Right about then, Keisha, Jerra, and Aleesha joined the three men. Everyone except Keisha sipped glasses of wine and made small talk until the yacht began to slow down and coast as it approached the peer.

  The six of them got their first glimpse of the island where the wedding would take place: Angel’s Cove.

  Chapter 18

  "Wow," Aleesha breathed as Marcus pulled her close. "This is simply beautiful."

  "I agree," Jerra said. "Dom, if it wasn’t for my son, your brother might have a hard time getting me to leave. This is paradise."

  "There's Angel and Nikki now." Dom took Keisha's hand and led her to the side of the yacht to disembark.

  Angel and Nikki were standing on the covered peer waiting on them. A grin lifted the corner of Angel's mouth when he saw the group, led by Dom and Keisha, walking towards them. The two brothers embraced each other with an enthusiastic show of affection.

  "What's up, Dom? See you all made it okay. How was the flight?"

  Dominick threw out a sharp laugh. "You kidding me? I think you've ruined commercial flights for all of us. That jet is unbelievable."

  Angel laughed as he and Nikki turned to greet the rest of their guests before they all walked at a leisurely pace towards the jeeps waiting to take them to their villas. Everyone listened with interest as Angel told them a little bit about the island.

  Angel's Cove was approximately 100 acres in size. All in all, it had taken Angel about five years to complete construction and could accommodate up to 25 guests, not including the staff that lived here full time. The two-story structure where the three couple would be staying was a luxurious beachfront villa which boasted eight bedroom suites. They would have a live-in chef and housekeeper for the length of their stay. Nikki and Angel were staying in the 15,000 square foot mini mansion not far away from theirs.

  The island had several long, snow white stretches of sandy beaches, and walking paths were all over to make exploring easily manageable and pleasant. Activities included swimming, of course, snorkeling which would enable them to see multitudes of exotic fish, windsurfing, and jet skiing just to name a few.

  "Man, you really got your own little slice of paradise here," Darrell told Angel as they stood by the jeeps.

  "That I do. I'm not able to come very often. To be honest, I can count on one hand the number of times I've been able to get away and enjoy it."

  "Nikki, looks like you've got your work cut out for you, girlfriend," Jerra teased.

  "Yes, you are definitely going to have to do something about that and show my brother-in-law how to relax a little," Keisha added with a wide grin at Angel.

  "Believe me, we've already had that conversation," Nikki told them, peering up at Angel. "I think we'll be able to make a few concessions that will allow us a little private time here every now and then. Right, baby?"

  Angel stared at her as a smile played along his lips when he noticed the beguiling expression on Nikki's face. Unable to resist the temptation, he leaned down and gave her a soft kiss. "I'll see what I can do." Looking at the rest of the group, he gave them a nod. "We'll let you all get settled in then take you on a tour of the island. After we finish, it'll be time for dinner. You shouldn't have any problems finding our villa, but just in case, I'll have one of my staff lead you over."

  A couple of hours later, the group finished up the tour and fell even more in love with the island. Back at Angel's villa, they still had a little time before dinner would be ready so the men sat out on the lanai drinking and talking while the women disappeared to Nikki's bedroom. She wanted to show them her wedding dress, which she'd decided to keep simple, but elegant.

  After lighting up a cigar, Dom turned to Angel. "So Nikki's family decided not to come?"

  Taking a puff of his cigar, Angel glanced out at the scenery in the distance, his eyes cool and shuttered. His hilltop villa allowed him a spectacular view of the lush landscape which was full of tropical flowers, palm trees, and green foliage. The white beach and dazzling ocean normally soothed and calmed him, but as he stared at it now, Dom's question dimmed the beauty of the picturesque locale.

  "No, they're not going to attend. Seems they don't agree with her decision to marry me, which I can understand."

  "Still, has to be hard on both of you," Marcus commented.

  Angel gave a small shrug. "More so on Nikki. She tries to act like it doesn’t matter, but I know it's bothering her. She's close to her parents and I don't want to come between that, but hopefully they'll come around. They'll have to because I'm not going anywhere." Angel casually flicked the ashes from his cigar in the ashtray to his left as he looked at Dom. "Her little sister was going to try to come, but she's in the middle of an important trial. You remember her, Dom? The two of them were very close. She's a lawyer now."

  Dom's brow furrowed a bit before it cleared. "Yeah. Raven, right? She was a little cutie just like Nikki.”

  Grinning, Darrell took a sip of his brandy. "You better not say that around Keisha. She'll have an attitude for the rest of the trip."

  "You ain't neva lyin', D," Marcus joined in. "Her lil ass is even meaner now that she's pregnant."

  "Hey! Dead that shit," Dominick scowled.

  Angel chuckled under his breath when Dominick rushed to his wife's defense. “Get off my sister-in-law. She’s a saint for putting up with Dom.”

  Dom's frown deepened. “Ah, okay. So it�
��s like that, bruh? I at least thought you had my back. No problem. All ya’ll can just kiss my ass. Now put up with dat.”

  Marcus and Darrell were still ragging on him when Angel’s cell phone rang. Angel stood up and excused himself, stepping into the house.

  The good natured argument continued outside for a while before Darrell rose to go to the restroom. Sauntering into the house, he laughed to himself as he thought about the crazy muthafuckas who were his best friends. The three of them had been through thick and thin. Marcus and Darrell had been friends the longest. They met each other in an orphanage when both were ten years old. Five years later, they left and ran away, barely living and surviving on the streets of Philly until they decided to move to Vegas at eighteen. Not long after, they met Dom and all of them had been tight ever since.

  After using the bathroom, Darrell was on his way back outside when he heard Angel several feet away wrapping up his phone conversation. Glancing around at the elegant décor and expensive furnishings, Darrell once again thought about what a great place this was. Dude had his own island! Git tha’ fuck outta here! And he was cool as hell too. He’d kept them rolling with his dry comebacks delivered in a tone so smooth, it took a second before they realized he’d just cracked on them and made them the butt of a joke.

  Darrell grinned to himself. Yeah, Angel was mad cool. He’d have to tell Dom that his brother–

  “No problem, Bryan. Of course… I’ll pass on your congrats to Nikki.”

  Hearing Angel’s voice, Darrell paused mid-step. He stood motionless, his feet feeling like blocks of ice. A loud ringing sounded in his ears and his heartbeat sped up.

  What the fuck did he just say? Bryan??

  Chapter 19

  When Angel hung up the phone, Darrell slowly turned his head, his expression penetrating, as he stared over his shoulder. Angel’s steps were unhurried as he walked towards Darrell. He stopped an arm’s length away, his face relaxed and indecipherable. Obviously unconcerned, he slipped his hands into his pockets, tilted his head and stared back. Frosty grey eyes met ice cool green ones, each observing…waiting for the other to address the elephant in the room.

  Seconds that felt like hours ticked by before Dominick called out to them, asking them what the hell was taking them so long. As if a spell had been lifted, Darrell’s eyes shifted away from Angel’s. His mind racing, he stiffly walked outside, feeling the prickles of a knife being plunged deep into his back by the man who he'd just been admiring a few short minutes ago.

  Maybe he was mistaken. After all, how many 'Bryans' were there in the got damn world? It could’ve been anyone. Sitting down, his eyes lifted and focused on Angel, who was calmly puffing on his cigar while watching Darrell with an air of indifference. But Darrell wasn’t fooled. Behind the blank mask, Angel was just as alert and observant as he was. Yeah, somethin' was up.

  Tapping his fingers on the table, Darrell forced himself to turn away and try to gain a degree of control because he was this close to losin’ it and confronting this bold, brazen muthafucka.

  His mind switched back to the night several months ago when he and Bryan had words after Darrell found out Roni was alive. He wanted to get everything straight before he went the fuck off because if what he was thinking was true, Darrell felt as if he’d been made a fool of all over again, and if there was one thing he hated, it was for someone to think he was stupid and try and pull some shit over on him

  What exactly was it Bryan told him about the dude who helped get Roni out of the country? Apparently this man and Roni’s husband, Frank, who died long before Darrell met Roni, were friends. That’s how this guy and Roni became acquainted.

  "Frank and his ex-wife's family were Sicilian. His ex's family had ties to one of the biggest crime families on the east coast. Frank was born into that life. You could say they didn’t take too well to him divorcing his wife and marrying another woman - a black woman at that. It was one thing to keep her as a mistress, but to marry her was another entirely. Once you're part of something like that, there's no getting out. But Frank did. He just...walked away. He was under someone's protection - someone the Sicilians didn’t wanna fuck with, and when I met him, I understood why they let it go. This man's protection covered Roni as well, even after Frank passed away."

  "Who is he?"

  "That's not important. What is important is that you have to understand that I thought the syndicate had finally made good on the threats they'd made to Frank all those years ago. Why they would’ve waited so long and at that particular time was beyond my comprehension, but didn’t matter. I was sure of two things. One, Roni wasn’t gonna die. Two, she had to be protected at all costs." Bryan met and held Darrell's eyes. "The only way we could do so beyond a shadow of a doubt was to make it appear as if she were dead."

  Darrell shifted his attention back to Angel who was still studying him cool as a muthafuckin’ fan. He was seemingly unbothered that Darrell was putting the last sections of the puzzle together one piece at a time.

  Darrell’s eyes began to thaw, freed from the physical effect of the coldness which had spread through his body like a freezing blizzard. In its place, a molten, liquefied heat simmered, slowly working itself up to a boil. Connecting the last dot, he remembered the conversation he’d had with Roni when he finally came face to face with her in Aruba…

  "This…friend. Bryan said he was the same person who made it clear to the Sicilians that you and Frank weren't to be fucked with? He must be a very powerful man to wield his authority and have it obeyed. Not to mention being able to make you just disappear like this without anyone being hip to what was going on."

  "Yes. He’s very powerful. He and Frank went back a long way. It's funny because Frank told me neither of them ever really trusted anyone, but something happened which caused them to have a deep respect for one another. He was younger than Frank, but that respect turned into a life-long friendship. He's the one who made arrangements for me to be transported to Switzerland for treatment.

  Hostile waves radiated from Darrell like a disturbance building up to a swell on the surface of the sea. His boys suddenly became aware of the fact that they were the only two participating in what had earlier been a lively conversation. They looked at Darrell then followed his antagonistic gaze directed at Angel. Tension thickened the air around them.

  Dominick and Marcus exchanged perplexed stares, silently asking each other what the fuck was going on. The quietness of the night intensified. Angel’s eyes never left Darrell’s as he drew on the cigar again. Finally, he broke the silence.

  “Got something you wanna ask me, D?”

  The side glance Darrell threw Angel made it clear he thought the question was redundant. "What do you think?"

  Angel's shrug screamed nonchalance. This was Darrell's call. "Hey, if you're good, I'm good. The way you've been staring at me made me think you needed to get some things off your chest."

  His face thunderous by this point, Darrell leaned forward and pointed a finger at Angel. "Don't patronize me, a'ight? I'm not one of your flunkies and I will…"

  "Hey!" Marcus tried to catch Darrell's eyes, but Darrell was too focused on Angel. "What's goin' on, D? What's wrong?"

  "I'd like to know too," Dominick added, staring at his brother. "Angel...?"

  Angel took a sip of his drink before answering. "Ask your friend. He seems to be the one with the problem."

  Darrell stood up, eyes flashing. "Oh, I got the problem? Nah, chief, I think you got it backwards. You 'bout to be the one with the mu'fuckin' problem."

  When he moved towards Angel, both Dom and Marcus jumped up. Angel lounged in his chair, legs crossed, amusement resting on his lips which only incensed Darrell further. Marcus put a hand on Darrell's chest. "Hold up, Darrell. Talk to me, bruh."

  But Darrell saw and heard nothing but Angel. "This shit funny to you? You like playin' with people's lives? Let me tell you somethin', you done fucked with the wrong one. This might be the time you wanna call your 'security' '
cause things 'bout to get ratchet out here real quick," Darrell sneered.

  "Fuck," Dom muttered under his breath, knowing his brother would not appreciate the slight, and when he saw Angel's face, he was right.

  Angel became very still, resembling a perfectly carved sculpture. The coldness emanating from him quickly reached his eyes which became crystalized sheets of ice. Frigid, glacial, and dangerous. The warning in them was very clear. He stood up, tilted his head slightly and drilled Darrell with a stare.

  "Darrell, please don't make the mistake of thinking I need someone to fight my battles. You're a very smart man, but that would be one of the dumbest things you could ever do." Angel took a couple of steps and spread his arms wide, palms up. "But if you don't want to take my word, go for it. I'm right here, brother."

  "You sonuvabitch!" Darrell tried to rush past Marcus, but Marcus grabbed him and held tight. Dom looked from Darrell to Angel.

  "Angel, what the fuck! Somebody gettin' ready to tell me somethin' right now!" Dom was starting to get as pissed off as Darrell and Angel and had no idea why.

  "Darrell, calm down, man!" Marcus growled.

  "Calm down? Y'all wanna know what he did? Huh? Remember I told ya'll Bryan said somebody made all the arrangements to get Roni out of the country, leavin' everybody to think she died in the hospital? Your brother is the person that orchestrated the entire thing, Dom!"

  "What?" Dominick looked even more confused. "What are you talking about? Angel doesn't even know Roni."

  Darrell spat out a harsh laugh. "Ask him! I heard him in the house talking to Bryan on the phone just now! Go on," he barked at Angel. "Of course I don't expect you to tell anybody the truth. That's how you do thangs, ain't it? Let other people do your dirty shit so your hands stay squeaky clean!"

  "D! Come on, man!" Dom's scowl told him that shit wasn't cool.

  Everyone knew he was referring to what happened between Angel and Dominick years ago. When Dominick was sixteen years old, he'd been caught by the feds with a suitcase full of drugs he was holding for Angel. Rather than turn his brother in, Dominick took the charge; they both knew if Angel was convicted, he would face life in prison. Angel paid off a federal judge to insure Dom received a light sentence. Dom served time in juvie, and on his eighteenth birthday, was transferred to a minimum security prison until he turned twenty-one. The incident caused an irreparable rift between Angel and his parents. Angel and Dom didn't speak again until last year when Dom came to Angel for help.