Angel hurried back to the house. She needed to undue what she had done. Was Meyers so stupid he thought she’d sit idly by while he destroyed Nick and gave his son away. There was no way she could watch him suffer more; after all she’d done to him he stood up for her and took a beating for it. She wanted some revenge, to hurt Nick but she never wanted things to go this far.
“Kitty thanks for watching Nicky but could you do me a favor and take him with you for an over night stay?”
“Sure Becca he’s the sweetest kid you sure are lucky. If he looks anything like his daddy I can’t wait to meet him. You‘re going to have your hands full with this little heart breaker.”
“Yeah he looks just like him. My Momma’s old expression was he couldn’t have spit straighter.”
“God Becca I forgot how funny you were. I’m glad we found each other again. Who would have thought so far from home to boot.”
“I know Kitty. It’s a small world..”
“Little Sara just loves him. We’re thinking about having another one so this is great practice for us. We need to get Sara used to the idea of sharing.”
“I appreciate this so much Kitty I’ll go pack a bag real quick.”
“You know we can keep him longer if you need it Being I’m laid off now I have plenty of time for this little cutey
“This means more to me than you’ll ever know. Ill pack a bag for a couple days just in case.” Angel stuffed the bag with all she could including his favorite toys. She hugged the little bear before she closed the bag. This game was over Nick needed his son. After Kitty left Angel began to pack up her bags so she would be ready to leave Meyers and his twisted plans behind before any more damage could be done to Nick and his family. Some how she had true make this right and maybe one day he‘d be able to forgive her. She grabbed it all and a stash of money she knew where it was hidden. She was going to find her daughter without the help of any of them.


Nick opened his eyes, at least the pounding he was hearing wasn‘t in his head. He tried to get off the couch but regretted the decision.
“Nick, lay back down,” Jack yelled on his way to the door.
“Yeah,” he groaned and dropped back down onto the couch.
Jack looked through the peep hole. “Great.” The fed from the hospital was outside the door and Nick was in no shape to answer questions.
“You don’t look so good. Is there anything you want to tell us?”
“Never been better except for the fact you still haven‘t found my son.”
“Well Sheriff our job would be a hell of a lot easier if you cooperated and stopped jerking us around. I won’t play games anymore. You’ve lost my men twice and now you look like something the cat drug in. Does your son mean so little to you?”
Nick stood up quickly and squared off with the fed. “You don’t know a damn thing about me or my family.” Jack stepped to his side not knowing if Nick was going to keel over or knock the fed on his ass.
“You’re wrong Sheriff. You have a very large and impressive file. I's amazing what you can find out when you know what buttons to push. Doing this on your own will get you all killed.”
“I’ve been looking into to you too. 3 of your 4 kidnappings ended with the victims dead and the perps not apprehended. The last one was a hoax and you busted them. Those don’t sound like very good odds to me, If something happens to my son it’ll be because of my screw up not yours. Do you understand me?”
“Yeah unfortunately I do. You’re the one who has to live with that decision. But were working the case with or without your cooperation. Do you understand me?”
“Yeah I do. Just make sure you stay the hell out of my way.”
Agent shook his head and headed for the door. He turned to Jack and said. “Maybe you can talk some sense into him.”
“I haven’t been able to yet.” Jack knew Nick needed to do this himself. He wasn’t capable of sitting by and relying on the ability of others, not when his son‘s life was at stake.

The streets were empty and quiet but his mind wasn’t it buzzed in anticipation every nerve, every muscle at the ready. Why didn’t these bastards leave his family out it. He was spoiling for a fight and God help the man who crossed his path.
He wondered if he could take revenge on Angel and knew the answer before he’d finished the thought. No matter what she’d done or taken from him the idea of his hands bringing her anything other than pleasure sickened him. The way she smell and tasted, the look of love in her eyes as she climaxed. He found it incredible that he could be feeling anything but anger and contempt for her no matter what her role in this mess. He thought his feelings for her had vanished like the early morning fog on the water. For whatever reasons he didn’t understand they were still there like smoldering ashes waiting again to be ignited by her touch. The anger he felt wasn’t for her but for himself and his physical and emotional betrayal of Kathy. He may have been coerced into having sex with Angel but a part of him wanted it just as badly as she had. This time he had made love to the woman not the child she’d been and he lost himself to her all over again. He loved the girl could he love the woman she’d become.
Nick knew as long as he served a purpose his son would be kept alive and used as a bargaining chip. They had a plan for him and this wasn’t a spur of the moment job it was well planned and thought out all the way down to Angel and her thirst for revenge. What could he have to offer? Drug connections, money, so many possibilities flashed in his mind. Nick was not a patient man and he wanted all the cards on the table needing to know who he was dealing with and what was expected of him. Nick’s heart sank when he walked into the room and saw Special Agent Bob Meyers with Angel. It made sense now how he had known about his involvement with her. He’d rather have seen Satan in all his horned glory than Meyers. He felt like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room and any hope of getting his son back along with it.
“I think you two know each other,” he said in that southern drawl Nick found so annoying.
He shoved Angel and Nick caught her before she hit the floor. She looked up at him with a tear stained face. Her left cheek was beginning to swell under her eye. She flinched as he wiped the tears from her face.
“How touching,” Meyers drawled.
Nick moved her aside. “You bastard,” he said angrily. He took a step towards him but Meyers was fast and in a heartbeat he had his gun out and pointed at Angel..
“I know you don’t give a damn about your own life but what about hers or your sons.”
Nick stopped in his tracks he couldn’t allow Angel to be hurt no matter what she’d done to him.
Meyers took the gun off safety and pointed it at Nick. Angel panicked and ran towards him. Nick and Angel both yelled ‘no’ at the same time. Nick felt nauseous it was too much like last time with Angie sacrificing herself for him.
Losing her seemed inevitable now. Would he show her mercy and give her the child she longed for. The dumb bastard Dempsey didn’t even know the lives of both his children were in his hands.
Meyers slapped her hard enough she spun around and hit the wall, she tasted blood. “How many times are you going to save a man who doesn’t love you?”
Nick sprung on him and sent Meyers sprawling onto the floor. The cold, cool headed Nick wasn’t present. Meyer’s once again aimed the gun at Angel. “I’ll just chalk it up to you Dempsey. Add one more to your body count. What are you going to do tough guy? Has she told you her little secret yet?”
As Nick turned to look at Angel Meyers gave him his best shot and Nick ended up on the floor. Nick and Angel looked at each other briefly and he searched her eyes for an answer before Meyers started in on him. She had killed for him once before would she do it again if he needed her to? She was there for his transgressions she’d paid enough for loving him it had cost her soul she didn’t need to give up her life too.
“You can always have more children. Maybe not with that vegetable but I’m sure Angel would be willing to oblige you. Maybe I‘ll find some nice family to adopt him or maybe he‘ll go to Thailand a handsome boy like that would be worth a fortune to the right people.”
Nick was an alpha male and that fact made Meyers insane. He’d never been able to best Nick at anything. But this time he was calling all the shots He’s used and abused what was Nick’s and got some satisfaction in that. From the looks of it Dempsey still cared about Angel or at least he was willing to take a beating for her but then Dempsey always cared a little too much about women. Meyer’s viewed them as toys to be discarded when he got bored. He hadn’t gotten bored with Angel and that fact bothered him. No other woman had ever gotten inside or past his defenses. Of all the women he’d been with it why did it have to be one that was in love with Dempsey? Both were going to die but the nagging question was which one was going to die first who did he want to inflict the most pain upon?
Revenge stuck in her throat and tasted like bitter medicine. It burned her insides on the way down. As she lay there staring into his eyes she caught a glimpse of the man who had saved her all those years ago and she knew she couldn’t go through with it. She knew then she had to tell Nick about their daughter. To hurt him was to hurt herself. She had worshiped the man who saved her looked at him through a young girls eyes expecting undying love and loyalty. Today she saw the man flawed and human with all the frailties that went along with it. She found a new love and respect for him as he struggled to do what was right. Because of her betrayal there were going to be no good or easy choices for him only bad and worse. Choices that could cost him his life.How could she live with that knowing it was her fault? She wanted to scream, to cry, "Love me". Now that she had him again how could she let him go? She was bleeding on the inside; her heart shattered like glass into tiny painful shards. She bled for him, for Kathy and the children they all cherished.
Angel was frightened never having seen this side of Meyers before. He had never raised his hand or his to her until now. Had he hated her all these years using her for some plot of revenge against Nick? They had both wanted to teach Nick a lesson but he’d never said anything about killing Nick or taking his son away permanently. If he’d lied about this how could she trust him to find her daughter?
Nick struggled to rise but couldn’t. He knew he had to take what Meyers dished out. He had to survive for Nicky and Kathy. He needed to have faith Jack would find his son before it was too late.
Kingston walked in the room and shoved Meyers. Making sure he kept his face hidden from Nick. “What the hell are you thinking? He’s of no use to us dead or so beat up he can’t do the job.”
“He’s a tough son of a bitch. He’ll be fine. Maybe we could get some coke for you, Nick?” He nudged Nick with the toe of his boot. “You‘re nothing but an animal that needs to be put down.”
Angel quietly left the room. Nick had taken the beating to protect her. She didn’t deserve that kind of compassion after what she‘d done to his family. The only way to make this right was to save Nicky. How could she let him suffer they way she had all these years? Not knowing what had become of her daughter. The kind of pain that drove people to madness. She had to be insane for her to betray the man she loved. There was nothing she could do for Nick now except bring him his son.
Meyer’s bent down and whispered. “If you tell anyone they all die. You’ll be hearing from me soon.”
Nick was alone in the room and tried to rise but pain shot through him like hot needles. When he opened his eyes again three hours had elapsed. It had been seventy two hours and twenty two minutes since he’d last seen his son. The sins of Nick’s past had been reaped upon those he loved. Nick was in too much pain to do anything more than punch Jack’s number on his speed dial. Jack answered on the second ring. “Nick where the hell are you?” He thought he heard the sound of breathing. “Damn it Nick answer me.”
“Forty third and Lakeview, number 211.”
“I’m on the way.”
He wondered what he was going to find when he got there. He punched the gas and sped through the city streets. Did the lucky cat have another life left in him. The locked door didn’t stop Jack. He found Nick on the floor with his cell phone laying next to him. His heart stopped for a minute when he saw Nick wasn’t moving. Maybe this time his luck had run out. Nick coughed and Jack moved quickly to his side.
“What the hell did they do to you?” Jack shook his head in disgust. No one man could have done this to Nick.
“Meyers,” Nick groaned and rolled onto his back.
“What?” Jack couldn’t imagine Nick taking a beating from that pipsqueak “That son of a bitch is involved?”
Nick groaned and nodded the movement sending waves of nausea through him. “He’s got Nicky.”
“You need a doctor.”
“Too many questions.”
“If you don’t kill the little prick I will.”
Nick rolled over onto all fours pulling himself to his feet with Jack’s help.
“He’s as good as dead,” Nick said. “Did you see Angel he hit her pretty hard.”
“No after all you did for her she’s involved with a man who’s out to get you. Good riddance,” Jack grumbled.
Jack helped Nick into the house but got only as far as the couch.
“Damn you’re heavy. You been gaining weight.”
“No you’re getting soft old man.”
Jack let go and Nick collapsed onto the couch. “Lay down smart ass I’ll get you some ice. Just remember you’re only eleven years younger than I am.” When he walked out of the kitchen with the ice pack he found Nick’s eyes were closed. “Nick,” He said softly but got no reply. He watched the steady rhythm of Nick’s breathing and felt reassured his friend would be all right. It wasn’t like Nick to stand still and take a beating like that but if his son’s life was at stake he’d do the same thing. Nick, Kathy and little Nicky we’re his family and when this was over there was going to be hell to pay. He’d never really put into words just what Nick meant to him, that wasn’t what men did but he hoped he knew. They’d been through so much over the years it was mind boggling; births and death and everything in between. He felt the loss of Little Nicky as if he were his own. He had to make sure they all came out of this safely and letting Nick run rampant was the answer.
Deep in his gut Jack wasn’t sure Nick was going to survive this time. Tears stung his eyes at the thought of losing any of them. That was not an option for him. He headed into the kitchen to make food and take his mind off the problem. If Nick wasn’t sleeping he probably wasn’t eating either. He would need all the strength he could find to face what was a head of him.

.

The room was dark and quiet, almost peaceful. It had been three days since he made love to Angel and got the news his son was being used as insurance to ensure his cooperation. Waiting on word from Angel about his son and waiting for Kathy to wake up was taking it’s toll on him. He felt afraid to leave her alone just in case Angel came back to finish what she started. He’d hired guards but wasn't sure who he could trust at this point. Jack always seemed to be on hand to reassure him and spell him so he could get a few hours of restless sleep. He hadn’t told Jack what had happened between him and Angel. He just couldn’t find the words to bring that dark secret into the light. The swelling in Kathy’s brain seemed to be going down and all functions were normal she was off the ventilator but she still wasn’t there with him.
The big bouquet of flowers he sent her sat in the corner of the room. The air was filled with the sweet scent of lilacs. They were blooming now but they had such a short life. So much like his Kathy, they brought beauty and happiness to all who saw them.
Kathy felt warm and peaceful for the first time and something smelled so wonderful she had to find out what it was. She opened her eyes and her breath caught in her throat the man from her nightmare was sitting in the chair next to her bed asleep. The face seemed almost peaceful but it had taunted and terrified her in her dreams. The dark wavy hair looked unruly and a dimple she was all too familiar with. The long and lean body shifted in the chair her heart pounded and something on a primal level told her she needed to be afraid of this man. Dark, fierce eyes had burned her with their gaze before. Her body felt heavy like it didn’t belong to her. She looked around the room looking for a way to escape and when she looked back those eyes were open and staring directly at her. The man sprang to his feet quickly. Kathy opened her mouth to scream but all that came out was a high pitched squeak.
“Oh my God, Kathy.” He reached out a hand to touch her but she struggled to get away from him. Tears slid down her cheeks as she tried to move uncooperative legs. She tried to scream again to plead for her life but what came out made no sense.
“Baby, what’s wrong. It’s me, Nick.” He tried to hold her and comfort her but she struck out at him and he tasted blood. “Calm down.” He tried to hold her still as he hit the call button. Kathy’s Dr. hurried into the room. “What’s happening?”
“She’s awake but she’s hysterical. She seems scared of me.”
“Step back Mr. Dempsey and hit the call button again we’ll give her something to calm her down.”
Nick hit the button again and stepped into the corner of the room out of her sight.
“Nurse, you stay with her until I get back.” She stopped struggling when Nick was out of her sight. “Mr. Dempsey.” The Doctor motioned to the door and Nick followed him into the empty lounge.
“What the hell is going on,” Nick said pacing back and forth.
“I told you she could have some problems. Have you ever been violent with her Mr. Dempsey? Her reaction was very unexpected.”
Nick turned on the Dr. “Where the hell do you get off asking me something like that. I’ve never hit a woman. I couldn’t.” somehow he had managed not to hurt Angel for her part in all this. Nick shook his head. The Dr. didn’t know why but he believed him. His reaction was too sincere and he didn’t seem like he was capable hurting someone defenseless.
“YOU said possible memory loss you didn’t say she’d be terrified of me.” Nick put his hand up to his bleeding lip.
“Mr. Dempsey the best thing you can do right now is to go home. I’m going to run some tests. She may have had a small stroke. I don‘t what to say except stay away from her for now. The fact she‘s awake and alive is amazing any more stress could kill her.”
“She’s my wife for the love of God how am I supposed to stay away. She wasn’t making any sense and she couldn’t move her legs.” Nick rambled nervously.
“I think you should stay away. Her inability to speak and move concerns me. She may never be the Kathy you knew. Please, Mr. Dempsey go home I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”
Nick shook his head and glared at the Dr. before he left. “That isn’t an option.”
The Dr. let out a sigh of relief and tried to steady his nerves. He’d never had this kind visceral reaction to anyone before. Every time he dealt with the man he wasn’t certain he’d make it out alive. He reminded him of a wolf caring for its wounded mate and God help him if he made a mistake. He couldn’t imagine what a woman like Kathy Tyler could see in a man like that he didn’t understand that bad boy, Batman obsession. Taming the wolf that could kill you but didn’t.

Nick walked slowly hesitantly into Kathy’s hospital room. The sounds and smells all too familiar to him. This time it was his beloved Kathy in that bed fighting to stay alive, hooked up to life sustaining machines. The mansion gate was a shrine to her. He was floored by the response of friends and fans, flowers and chocolates filled the front of the house. He was suddenly struck with the realization he had brought her neither. He’d been so preoccupied with her shooting and Nicky’s abduction. Maybe he had developed Kathy’s there’s always tomorrow philosophy. He’d found out the hard way when Angie died. The first and only time he’d brought her flowers was at her funeral. There were always seemed to be two women in his life drawing him in but that wasn’t because he found them lacking. Maybe he had so much to give, more than one person could handle. He wondered if they found him lacking. Kathy’s obsession with chocolate. It stimulates the brain like love does. Had he let her down not giving her all the love she needed and deserved. Did she find him lacking as father, lover and companion. Had his abandonment pushed her into a life she didn’t want, one she regretted. Kathy was so lifeless so pale, not the vibrant woman he cherished. Could he take Nicky‘s mother from him and carry that burden the rest of his life. The thought of her death overwhelmed him as much as it pained him. He took her hand and cried at the thought of losing her. God how he missed her touch, her smile, that sweet scent that was drown out by the sickly antiseptic smell of that place. What if the damage was so severe she’d never wake up and never be his Kathy again. Could he make that fateful decision and end her life? Could he end the life of his lover, the mother of his child if needed? He held her hand willing her his love and strength offering up his own life instead.
“Please God take me,” he pleaded softly. He had nothing without her and Nicky. He was nothing and there would be no point in going on with out them. Why had they been given to him only to be taken away? It was no mystery to him why he could never be a priest as his mother wanted. He had no faith. He had no God. His life had been spent believing in one thing, himself. It was all about the control and placing his life in someone else’s hands was beyond him. Even as his mother lay dying wracked with pain she still believed, still had faith. In Nick’s life there were no miracles only chances to be taken. Battles to be won or lost. God would mean that his life was not in control. Someday he would have to answer for his life, his actions. That thought terrified him and pushed him deeper into denial. The world would survive without him in it and Jack would at long last have peace in his life.
Nick walked out of the bathroom to find Kathy’s doctor at her bedside. He jumped when he saw Nick. “You’re a hard man to find.”
“I don’t think it’s safe to be around me right now.”
The doctor saw the look in his eyes and wondered if it was ever safe to be around this man. How did some become deadly and others just mildly bothersome to society.
Nick cleared his throat struggling to speak without tears. “She squeezed my hand earlier that’s a good sign right?” Nick said desperately grabbing at any glimmer of hope.
“It could just be a reflex. We don’t know what goes on in the mind when someone’s in a coma. The last scan showed the swelling has stopped. We don’t know what kind of damage, blindness, paralysis, memory loss. The brain appears to be functioning but you may have a choice to make. When the swelling goes down we’ll take her off the ventilator and see if she can breath on her own.”
Nick moved so quickly the doctor took a step back. “All I have heard from you is a whole lot of I don’t knows. You don’t take her off unless I’m here do you understand? I’m not giving up on her.”
Once the doctor got his heart of his throat said. “I’m sorry Mr. Dempsey but that’s all I have to offer you at the moment. The human brain is as fragile as it is resilient. I see people who suffer great trauma and survive while others with seemingly simple injuries not survive. Sometimes it’s simply out of our hands it’s up to them,” he said nodding to Kathy.
Nick appreciated the Dr.’s honesty and lack of fear. He had no doubt faced more than his share of hysterical family members. Nick ran his hand nervously through his hair.
“Thanks for the truth,” he said sheepishly.
“Well here’s some more. You look like you’re going to keel over. If…when she wakes up she’s going to need you for a long while to come. If you won’t do it for you than do it for her-get some rest.”
Nick nodded and extended his hand and the doctor shook it vigorously. Get some rest that was easier said than done. Somewhere out there was his son.

Nick stood in the shower letting the hot water soothe his aching muscles. He’d forgotten what a demanding lover Angel was. He scrubbed his skin but no amount of soap and water could wash away his sin. Her touch, her scent permanently burned into his flesh. Angel was his equal in bed challenging, demanding always pushing him to his limits. It burned bright and hot like a shooting star; it was always over quickly with both satisfied with the results. With Kathy sex was slow leisurely. She savored sex like she did chocolate enjoying every bit until the end. Kathy awed him and he worshiped her completely. The bond he shared with both these women were too strong to be denied. He did what he had to do for Kathy and little Nicky but God help him he enjoyed it. Now that Angel was back in his life how could he live with out her.
The shower door opened and Angel stepped in to join him. “Nick,” she said reaching out to touch him. He recoiled as if her touch would burn him.
“You can’t screw your way out of this one Angel. You shot my wife and kidnapped my son. There’s no forgiving that. Give me my son,” he growled. His tone sent shivers down her spine but the man that stood before her was beleaguered and broken. She saw the pain in his eyes and it tore at her heart. Would he have shown such devotion to their child? She looked into his chocolate brown eyes which had now turned dark and angry. She saw death reflected in them; hers. She shivered even as the warm sprays of water caressed her skin. Had she pushed him to far?
“This just can’t be about us, about sex. Tell me what you want,” he said shaking her.
“They’ll kill us all,” she whispered. Her words sucked the life out of him. Nick braced himself against the shower wall. He felt his strength leaving him swirling around like the water in the shower drain then it was gone. He sank slowly to the shower floor not noticing the water had turned tepid. Unaware Angel was standing over him shivering in the cool spray. She reached out a shaky hand and turned the water off.
“Why?” he asked staring, unblinking at the tile wall. “Why do all this? To punish me? Why not kill me and be done with it?“
“No, they want you to do something. We’re meeting with them later. I don’t know anything more or I’d tell you.”
“God damn you.” His dark eyes moved to hers searching for something she couldn‘t give him. He saw a fear there that went beyond any emotion he could wring from her and he knew to take this seriously. Was she the mastermind in a twisted plot of revenge or was she merely a pawn like the rest of them? He’d never hit a woman before but when he reached out to touch her she pulled back. “I told you I’d never hurt you. I just wish you would have done the same for me.”
Maybe God had already damned her, abandoned her seven years ago when they took her baby from her. How could Hell be any worse than wondering everyday what had happened to her child. She was already lost in a deep abyss of darkness she would take his anger as deserved. Maybe he’d never slapped or beaten her as Carlos and Meyers had but what he had done to her somehow seemed far worse. For the first time in her life she felt love and hope then he took that away and since there had been only darkness. She’d given him her heart and soul and his rejection had so completely destroyed her. Was first love the most special? She never stopped loving him even through his marriage and birth of his son he was always in her heart. Loving him, hating him praying he’d know the pain she had. Revenge left her cold and empty aching for the man she’d reaped it upon. One more stab in her soul until it was shredded like paper in the wind. There was only one thing that got her up in the morning, the hope of finding her daughter. A for a brief time they had shared a love, a soul and they had created a life. A precious child that was taken from her, a child Nick knew nothing about. How would he react to this news? Would he deny this precious gift or would he do anything to find her as she had. Giving herself to that pig Meyers with the promise he’d find her child. Who better to find her missing child than the FBI. Her child’s father she realized too late. She couldn’t tell him yet and add to the pain of losing another child. The suffering was there in the dark eyes that searched hers for an answer. The anger that filled her heart was replaced with pity
His worst fears were realized his son was a pawn in someone’s deadly game of revenge. She didn’t understand his world. They would no doubt kill them all in the end anyway. Anyone who knew Nick knew they would pay with their lives for hurting his family.

“What about what you did to me. You sent me home to the hell I ran away from. You left me for…” she said defiantly.
“Don’t you dare speak her name after what you did.” Anger won out and he sprang on her like a cat on a bird, his hand gripped her throat. She closed her eyes and breathed him in the rich male scent of him so familiar. She sucked in her breath waiting as the hand tightened. She had seen the predatory look in his eyes before when he felt threatened. Watched him kill without mercy, without hesitation. Her savior had turned out to be an undercover vice cop. The tears fell down her cheeks, warm and wet. For the child she’d never see. If her life was going to end now she wanted it to be by his hand. Just to touch him, taste him one last time. Suddenly the grip loosened and he brushed away the tears.
“All I wanted was you,” she sobbed.
The two men in the room down the hall jumped at the sound. The noise amplified by the listening device they had planted in the room. Kyle looked at Bob with wild eyes.
“He’s gonna kill her,” Kyle exclaimed. “I know I would.”
“You don’t know Dempsey. He thinks with his dick. He might put the fear of God into our little Angel but he’d never hurt her.”
“I don’t know how you can sit by while she seduces him you two are…” Kyle said.
“Kyle she was just a wild ride. She’s a whore, she’s his whore and she’d sell her soul to be with him,” Bob said. He turned to leave the room. He knew what was going to happen between them. As much as he pretended to the world he didn’t care he felt like his heart was ripped from his chest and Dempsey was going to die for this.
“Maybe she did,” Kyle mumbled. He’d never seen such a cold bastard as Meyers.
Even if he couldn’t admit it the thought of Dempsey touching her hurt him. He knew she’d never belong to him, Dempsey would always be between them. He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. He blew the smoke out slowly watching as the puff of smoke floated across the room like a cloud in the sky. Angels love for Dempsey, another reason for him to hate the man. The list was ever growing and endless. If things turned out the way he wanted Dempsey would be in jail or better yet dead. How would she feel about him then would it stop her obsession with the man. He’d been with enough women to know she was faking it. They were using each other to get what they want. He wanted her and she wanted Dempsey. He’d had her for almost four years now but she was like a caged wild thing. The longer he held her the more she pulled away. The caged cat he’d seen at the circus, pacing, waiting for death the spark of hope gone from it’s eyes. He had a feeling things were going to end badly for all of them. The price you pay for their obsessions. The thought that Kathy wasn’t dead nagged at him she’d seen him and knew who he was. When all this was over Dempsey would have no credibility but Kathy could point the finger at him. He had to find a way to finish the job.
“I never meant to hurt you my sweet Angel.” He picked her up in his arms and carried her
to the bedroom and laid her onto the bed. Tears glistened in the green eyes he had lost himself in so many times before. He looked in those eyes and saw the frightened girl he had known what seemed like a lifetime ago. God, what had he done to her. Had his rejection created this confused mess before him. She was so you and he never knew her feelings for him were so deep. He had only seen her as a child in a woman’s body. A beguiling temptress who had drawn him in. No matter how hard he tried to deny it he had loved the woman who was half his age. He held her tightly, hating her, wanting her, loving her. She reached up and pulled him down to her. He saw the look in her eyes and knew what she wanted.
“Don’t make me do this. I love…” Angel wrapped her hands in his thick dark hair and silenced him with a kiss. Pushing away from her he lay back on the bed confused and angered at being drawn into this nightmare. Angered at his body’s reaction to her even after all she had taken from him. From the look in her eyes he knew there was no way around it. He was going to give her what she wanted like it or not.
Angel straddled him and began to unbutton his shirt. She pulled it back and her breath caught in her throat.She ran her hand along his cheek. “You can barely see the scar Carlos gave you. It was the last thing Carlos did,” Angel whispered.
“You killed him to protect me. How could you hurt me like this now?”
She wanted him to suffer the way she had all these years wondering what had happened to her child. Was she alive or dead was she loved and cherished in the way she could have done.
Angel ran her hands across his battle scarred chest. So many more scars, so much more pain she told herself and now she was adding to it. He closed his eyes and thought of Kathy fighting for her life and the thought of betraying her was painful. But he knew more than anything she needed her son. Angel unzipped his jeans and reached inside. Nick wound his hands in the sheets trying hard not to give her a response. If it had been any other woman he would have been successful. Sex with Angel was always wild, unrestrained and forbidden but now it was an act of betrayal.
“You know you want this as much as I do,” she murmured brushing his lips with hers.
He threw her off and rose from the bed. The idea of this sickened him but Nicky’s life hung in the balance. He’d do the devil to save his son. Kathy would forgive him, she’d understand.
Angel smiled as the faded jeans and boxers fell to the floor he was still as magnificent as she remembered. She shivered in anticipation as he joined her in bed. She didn’t know if the room was bugged and didn’t care. She was going to have the man she loved one last time even if the price was her life. The last eight years without him she had only been going through the motions. Staying alive, surviving only to find her daughter.
He kiss was deep and demanding. Nick put his hand on the delicate fabric of her blouse and yanked. She gasped as buttons flew and fabric tore. Quickly she struggled to remove the rest of her clothing before it too was destroyed by his hand but she wasn’t fast enough. Skirt and panties met the same fate as her blouse. His hands moved possessively over her fevered flesh it was as if time had stood still and she was still the young girl held captive by his touch. Nick wasn’t the first man she’d had sex with but he was her first lover, first love. Eight years later no one had been able to take her to this place. To ignite the wildfire with in her. Only his touch could take away the pain that had consumed her these past years. Today she feared him as much as she desired him. She touched the scar on his side that she’d sown closed so long ago. His body was a little more battered but still firm and hard beneath her fingers. His words said no but his body remembered the pleasure. She fought back the tears of joy. He was hers again if only for a little while. Strong hands traced the body of the woman she had become. She didn’t need any foreplay she’d been waiting almost eight years for this moment. She wanted it to be rough and painful because she deserved it for her part in this but it wasn’t.

Angel was terrified and anxious but she needed to see Nick for the sake of them all. Meyers and his friends had plans for Nick and they were using his son as the bait. She wrote the note several times until her hand finally stopped shaking and the words were legible. They’d arranged a time and a place for her to meet him.
“There’s too many eyes on Dempsey. Were giving it to Jack as far as we can tell no one is watching him.”
“I don’t care what you do. This wasn’t what I got I into this for.” She remembered Jack. He had been kind to her all those years ago. What would he think of her now?
“Yeah, you’ve got Dempsey’s kid in the other room. You replace one kid with another.”
“Do you think it’s that simple to replace a child? You’re dumber than I thought.” Angel walked off into the bedroom. Nicky was crawling around the crib fussing. “I’m so sorry little man.” She picked him up out of the crib and took him to the chair. She sat down and he snuggled into her chest. “I love you, Nicky,” she murmured, gently stroking his back. No child could be replaced, no child could replace her daughter. She put her faith, her trust in the wrong man, realizing too late he had no intention of helping her find her daughter.
Meyers watched from the doorway as she held Nick’s child. He headed to the kitchen for a drink and headed to the garage for a cigarette. No smoking in the house since she brought the kid to the house. He was still struggling with the idea of killing Angel, too. Part of him wanted her dead and part of him wasn’t sure he could live without her.

Nick’s hands were sweating as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. He was on his way to see Angel. His heart pounded and his stomach ached at what he would find and how he would react. Would Nicky be there with her? A part of him never stopped loving her but this betrayal was devastating. Would he take her in his arms or would he take her life? He circled the block in the borrowed car and parked the next block over. It had been a long time since he felt this kind of fear and excitement. He watched and listened all his sense heightened by the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He took a deep breath and tried to steady his nerves before he knocked on the door. He had to stay calm and focused, his sons life depended on it. What ever demand she made he would do it. all that mattered was seeing his son back safely in Kathy’s arms. He knocked on the door of the address he was given. “Come in’” a muffled voice yelled from behind the door. His breath left him when he saw her in front of the window. Her skin glowed and light danced on her hair. Bathed in the soft glow of sunset she looked like an angel and she was his Angel then and forever.
His anger turned inward and all he wanted to do was touch her. To feel the flesh, to hear her sighs. He realized he was hers and a piece of him always would be. He had never stopped craving her anymore than he would a line of coke or a shot of Jack Daniels. Each woman he loved he carried a piece of her with him, only death could break that bond. Angel was a painful part of his past and had no place in his future.

Angel’s breath caught in her throat. She couldn’t believe at long last the man she loved stood before her and the look of hatred in his eyes was for her. She scanned the room quickly for a way out or a weapon if she needed it. But deep down she knew she’d never be able to hurt him anymore than she already had. What could be more painful than killing his wife and stealing his child? Yet somehow her fate was worse never having held or seen her child before it was taken away. How long did she have to wait to feel her daughter in her arms. She inched her way towards the hallway, this was a horrible mistake. His dark angry eyes never left her for a moment. She’d forgotten how lethal he was, like a cat quick silent, deadly. The silence terrified her.
“She’s not dead,” he hissed and in a heartbeat Nick closed the distance between them.
“You bitch. I can’t believe you did this to me!” Nick screamed. Angel backed into the wall broken pictures sent shards of glass at her feet. To see her again was like opening an old wound the pain leaked from him like the blood of his victims, it covered him, engulfed him until he thought he’d drown in its depths. His sins had been cast upon his son.