Angel and the Assassin 3: Sins of the Father

yet.”
    “He’ll take Daddy’s advice,” Kael said, claiming ownership of his boy.
    “Daddy?” Shawn half laughed, looking confused.
    “Yes, Daddy. That’s me,” Kael said. “He calls me Daddy.” Angel glanced up at
    him, slightly surprised but pleased that Kael had acknowledged the depth of their
    intimacy.
    To Shawn Angel said, “I always take Daddy’s advice.”
    “Whatever turns your crank,” Shawn said, draining his beer. “When did you start
    shaving your head, Kael?”
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    “About six or seven years ago.” Less chance of leaving evidence at a kill.
    “Kael had lovely hair when he was little, all blond and curly,” Sharon said.
    Sudden laughter broke from Angel, and he looked at Kael. “You had curly hair,
    Daddy? I can’t imagine you as a baby.”
    “I was adorable, wasn’t I, Mum?” He grinned at her.
    “You certainly were. And you still are.”
    “You spoiled him rotten from what I saw when he was a teenager,” Shawn said to
    Sharon with what appeared to be a touch of resentment creasing his forehead. “I’ll just
    go outside for a smoke.”
    Rising with him, Kael said, “I’ll come out with you for some air.”
    “Do you smoke now?” Shawn asked.
    “I’d never do anything so disgusting, but I’ll keep you company.” He looked at
    Angel. “You stay there, boy.” Kael grabbed his leather jacket from the hall cupboard
    and followed Shawn outside. As they walked down the stairs and outside the building,
    he watched Shawn with renewed wonder that he had ever loved and admired this man.
    The moon sailed high in a black sky, reflecting on the water of the Mersey. The red
    tip of Shawn’s cigarette went back and forth to his mouth in the darkness.
    “What do you want, Shawn?” Kael asked.
    “I’m seeing your mum again,” he said.
    Involuntarily Kael’s fists clenched, but he kept them at his side. It had been a
    couple of years since his mum had had a boyfriend, and Kael wanted her to find
    someone new. He’d just hoped her standards had improved and she would find a man
    who was not a user like all the other useless wankers she’d been with over the years.
    “For how long?”
    “Just the last few weeks. She said you bought her the flat.” The area outside the
    building was dark, but Kael, with his exceptional eyesight, easily saw the skepticism in
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    Shawn’s face. “A place like this on a teacher’s wages? Either you got into crime—
    because you were clever enough to make a success of being a big-time criminal—or…”
    Kael cut him off as much to distract him from his train of thought as anything. “As
    opposed to a petty criminal like you? Have you been in jail recently?”
    Shawn gave a small laugh. “Yeah, I was actually. Possession of stolen goods. But
    you either got into crime big-time or you do something as well as teaching.”
    “I teach government people how to speak other languages. Politicians, people like
    that. And I translate for foreign dignitaries,” Kael lied. “That’s why I get paid so well.
    And just so you know, I kept the flat in my name in case Mum got involved with any
    bums. She always had a knack for picking useless dickheads.” It wasn’t true. The flat
    was his mum’s, lock, stock, and barrel, but Shawn didn’t need to know that.
    Shawn took a long pull on his cigarette and blew hard through his nostrils, forcing
    Kael to take a step back to avoid inhaling the smoke. “Don’t be like that, Kael. We got
    along great when you were a kid.”
    “You were fucking me when I was fourteen.”
    “You wanted it as much as I did. You were taller and stronger than me even then.
    You could have stopped it at any time. Don’t play the victim now.”
    It was true. He’d been head over heels in love that summer. “It doesn’t matter
    what I wanted. I was still a kid, and it was illegal. What if I told my mum? Think she’d
    still want you around?”
    A flicker of nervousness crossed Shawn’s face, and he looked up at Kael. “You’d
    hurt Sharon just to get back at me?”
    No. Kael would not hurt his mum just to get rid of Shawn. He had betrayed her by
    having sex with this loser during that summer holiday. She had been out working her
    arse off all day to support them while Kael was enjoying a summer of love with a man
    who should have known better and was old enough to be his dad. But he wanted
    Shawn gone from his mum’s life, so he would use