Angel and the Assassin 3: Sins of the Father

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    him, the boy said, “This is nice, Daddy. You don’t usually wash me.”
    “No, that’s right. You’re the slave, and you have to wait on me hand and foot.”
    Angel took a step back and bowed at the waist, making Kael laugh.
    They finished bathing and dressed only in underwear. In the kitchen, Angel made
    dinner while Kael took his laptop and sat at the counter, watching him work. “What are
    you making?”
    “Chicken stir-fry, Daddy.”
    “That sounds good. Give me a Stella.”
    Angel took a beer from the fridge and a glass from the cupboard. Holding the
    glass up to the light, he eyeballed it to make sure it was perfectly clean. Carefully so as
    not to get too big a head on it, he tilted the glass and poured. Only when he was
    satisfied that it was perfect did he slide the glass over to Kael. Every job Angel did he
    took seriously and performed it to the best of his ability. It was an excellent trait, not
    just in a slave but in a human being.
    Thirsty, Kael took a long pull on his beer before opening his in-box. “There’s an e-
    mail from the school.”
    “What? About me?” Angel asked, setting the table.
    “Uh-huh.” Kael began to read. “‘Dear Mr. Saunders, please choose a time from
    those listed below to come in to the school to discuss your ward Angel Gabriel Button’s
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    future plans. Applications for university must be made in the next few weeks.
    Redmond Independent College expects the best of its students, and we are happy to
    send letters of recommendation to the universities Angel plans to apply to. Yours
    faithfully, Philip Staynton, Headmaster.’”
    Angel had stopped what he was doing to listen, his arms crossed over his narrow
    chest. He was taller but had not filled out significantly and was as long and slender as
    ever. What concerned Kael was the worried look on his boy’s face.
    “We’ll go in tomorrow after school. Five o’clock is available.” Kael typed a quick
    reply, reread his answer, and then hit Send.
    “Dinner’s ready, Daddy,” Angel said quietly.
    “Good, I’m starving.” Bringing his beer to the table, Kael sat down, waiting while
    Angel served him. “What the matter?” he asked when Angel sat opposite him.
    Angel forked up a piece of chicken and looked at it. “Mr. Conran told me I could
    go straight from Redmond into SIS. He said they would start me training in surveillance
    because of my exceptional eyesight and my ability with firearms. He says I could go
    into intelligence gathering.”

Barely able to suppress his anger at Conran for interfering with his supervision of
    his boy, Kael kept his voice low when he said, “I’ll teach that wanker not to get
    involved in my business.”
    “Daddy, he’s a nice man. And I want to work with you.”
    “You can’t work with me. I’ve got eleven years of training and experience behind
    me. My work is for an elite few. Aside from that, I was twenty-two when I went to train
    at SIS, and I had a university degree. Also you have to be aged twenty-one or over to
    work for MI6. It says that right on the Web site, which I’ve seen you looking at.”
    “Daddy, Mr. Conran said he would make an exception for me on the age limit.”
    “That’s enough! What you do with your life is my decision, not Conran’s.”
    “What about what I want?”
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    61

    “Who’s your master?”
    Angel lowered his eyes and said quietly, “You, Sir.”
    “Exactly.” Kael drained his glass, consciously trying to calm down. He was happy
    to be home, and he didn’t want to spoil the evening. “Eat up. This is good.”
    “Yes, Sir. Do you want another beer?”
    “Yes, please.”
    “I love you, Daddy,” Angel said and kissed Kael’s ear when he put the beer in
    front of him.
    For the remainder of the meal, Angel was quiet. Kael had made his decision about
    what he wanted for his boy, and he was not going to change his mind. He was tired
    from no sleep for thirty-six hours, and he was starting to get bad-tempered so it would
    be best for both of them to stay away from subjects they didn’t agree on.
    Kael left Angel clearing the dishes and went with his laptop to lie on the bed. He
    wouldn’t sleep yet, but he needed to rest. Though he had done it numerous times over
    the last couple of months, he Googled the University of Cambridge, remembering his
    years there. About ten minutes later, Angel joined him.
    “Daddy, do you want your