Angel and the Assassin 3: Sins of the Father

them like a protesting prisoner in a movie, but
    the words he uttered in a sobbing voice were more like those of a hurt child. “I hate
    you! I hate you!”
    Fyn Alexander | Sins of the Father
    88

    Without looking back, Kael strode out of the dungeon and closed the door. The
    soundproofed room effectively shut out the boy’s cries. Standing to catch his breath, he
    waited for a minute before entering the living room again. As much as anything, he was
    embarrassed knowing Conran must have heard Angel screaming “I hate you.”
    Before sitting down, Kael poured two glasses of whisky, drank his own, and
    handed the other to Conran. “Kids, what would you do with them?” he said with half a
    laugh.
    Conran sipped his whisky. “Was that a serious question?”
    Throwing himself down on the couch, his long legs stretched out in front, Kael
    said, “What do you mean?”
    “You said, ‘Kids, what would you do with them?’ Are you asking my advice, or
    was that rhetorical?”
    Looking into Conran’s serious, pale blue eyes, Kael realized this might just be a
    good time to get some advice. Conran crossed his legs, holding his drink in front of
    him. A defensive posture, drawing himself in, in case I don’t react well . With a quick
    assessment of his body, a thing he did routinely on a job, Kael found that his heart was
    still beating fast, his breath was slightly short, and his adrenaline was high. He sat
    straight, took several cleansing breaths, and felt calmer. He shrugged. “Go ahead.
    Advise me.”
    “I think you should listen to him.”
    At once Kael’s muscles tensed. It took half a second to calm himself again. He
    didn’t want to be told that Angel had a right to his feelings. “You offered to take him
    into SIS even though he’s not old enough yet. You shouldn’t have done that.”
    “Training, that’s all I meant. I’d hardly send him out on assignments before he
    was ready, but he’s got talent.”
    “Tell me about it. I just locked him in the standing cage with a padlock on the
    bars. He’s like Houdini. He can get out of anything.”
    Fyn Alexander | Sins of the Father
    89

    “Really? That’s handy.” The look of interest on Conran’s face made Kael wish he
    hadn’t mentioned it. “Angel’s clever like you, Saunders, but without your
    ruthlessness.”
    “That’s the problem. To do what I do, you have to be ruthless.”
    Conran nodded. “He wouldn’t make a good assassin. I’ve never had that in mind
    for him. Why not let him at least take a gap year and do some training in intelligence
    gathering?”
    “I want him to go to Cambridge like I did.”
    Conran took a mouthful of whisky before saying, “I’d like my three to all go to
    Oxford since I went there, but Rupert, the eldest, will never go. Annabelle is the
    brightest of the three.”
    “The schools they go to before they get to university are half the battle. The
    headmaster at Redmond admitted that much to me. Are you going to send your boys to
    College Grange?”
    “Yes, they’ll go there.” Looking into his glass, Conran said quietly, “But Rupert
    has learning disabilities. He’s a couple of years behind his peers.”
    “Oh, I didn’t know,” Kael said. “Sorry.” He had seen all three of Conran’s children
    over the years, but he had never spent any time with them. “He looks normal enough.”
    That wasn’t a good thing to say.
    “It’s not the end of the world, and yes, he’s physically healthy and very
    handsome. But he had a difficult birth, and the doctor thinks it’s from that. We have to
    adjust our expectations, that’s all. Find out what he’s good at and focus on that. Rupert
    is not me, and Angel is not you. They have to be themselves.”
    “I know, but I want the best for Angel.”
    “You know, Saunders, I was very nervous about you having a relationship of any
    kind. It’s really not good for a man in your position, but when I realized who Angel is,
    Fyn Alexander | Sins of the Father
    90

    his talents, his intelligence, I knew it was safe. Despite the way he behaves sometimes,
    he’s very mature.”
    Crossing his arms over his chest, Kael blew air out hard between his lips. “He’s
    been acting like a five-year-old the last few days.”
    “Some of your behaviors could be construed that way as well at times.” Conran
    licked his upper lip, a nervous gesture Kael had noted over the years.
    “I see,” was all he said in response.
    “Angel has come through on no less than