Angel and the Assassin 3: Sins of the Father

excited about it.” Still sitting on the arm of Freddie’s chair,
    Adam leaned against his husband.
    Glancing up at Kael, Angel said, “I want to make Daddy proud, so I’ll do
    whatever I have to.”
    Pulling his boy close to his side, Kael kissed the top of Angel’s head. “I’m already
    proud of you. You know that. And tomorrow you can help me choose some Barbies for
    the girls.”
    A scream issued from up the stairs, and a frightened voice called out, “Uncle
    Kael.”
    Adam jumped to his feet. “That’s Zoe. She’s having that nightmare again.”
    “Let Kael go. She called for him,” Freddie said.
    Already on the bottom stair, Adam said, “She’s terrified when she has that
    nightmare.”
    From his seat, Freddie said firmly, “Adam, let Kael go. Go on, Kael. Be quick.
    Redeem yourself.”
    Taking the stairs two at a time, Kael paused briefly at the top to ready himself for
    what he might find before entering the bedroom. Sitting in the bed, her hair messy and
    her face wet with tears, Zoe stretched out her arms to him. Kael lifted her out of bed,
    surprised at how tightly she wrapped her arms around his neck. “The monster was
    here,” she whispered.
    “Where is it?” he asked.
    Zoe pointed at the window. On impulse Kael walked toward it as the child clung
    harder to him. Reaching out, he opened the window. “Get out, monster, and if you
    come back, I’ll spank you. Don’t make me do it.” With that he closed the window again.
    “There. He’ll never come back again.”
    “How do you know?” Zoe asked.
    Fyn Alexander | Sins of the Father
    200

    “Because I told him not to, and he’s scared of me.” With a sigh of contentment,
    Zoe kissed his cheek. “Why did you call me instead of Angel?” he asked quietly.
    “I knew you’d make the monster go away,” she said.
    For the next ten minutes, Kael rocked her gently until she was breathing evenly
    against his neck. Even when she was asleep, he was reluctant to put her down and
    stood for another few minutes rocking her and wondering how Ekaterina was doing.
    Fyn Alexander | Sins of the Father
    201

    Chapter Fourteen
    Standing by the river Thames, leaning on the wall, Sharon Saunders wondered if it
    was a good idea after all to show up at her son’s flat without getting in touch first. A
    momentary impulse had made her grab her bag, throw on her coat, and walk to Lime
    Street Station to get the train to London. Part of her knew it was time to tell Kael the
    truth, and part of her never wanted to think again about her lovely son’s father.
    “Mum? What are you doing here?”
    With a smile, she faced the great big handsome man her son had grown into.
    “Hello, luv. I hope you don’t mind me showing up like this.” For years she’d had no
    idea where Kael lived. He had never invited her there, always coming to visit her or
    taking her to stay in fancy hotels and guesthouses in the country. It was lovely, but she
    had never seen his flat until Angel had shown up in her son’s life.
    “Did you phone?”
    “I did, luv. I phoned when I got here. You must be switched off.”
    “Is everything all right, Mum? Is it Shawn again?”
    Hugging him around the waist, she said, “No, luv. I need to talk to you, and I
    didn’t want to do it on the phone.”
    “Couldn’t it have waited?” Kael was always blunt. He had good manners. She had
    taught him those and the posh school had polished them, but he had always said what
    was in his head, and often it was inappropriate.
    “No. It couldn’t wait another minute.”
    The man in a fancy coat opened the door of the building, and they took the lift up.
    Fyn Alexander | Sins of the Father
    202

    “Where’s Angel?” she asked as they entered the silent, perfectly clean and ordered
    flat.
    “He has the chess club after school today.” Kael hung their coats in the hall
    cupboard. “And he asked if he could meet his friend Jack after that. He’ll be home by
    seven.”
    Following him into the kitchen, she said, “He has to ask?” Kael gave her that
    “please don’t ask about my private life” look that she had seen over the years. “He’s a
    lovely boy. Make me a cup of tea, son.”
    Kael filled the kettle and plugged it in. “Do you want a snack? We can go out for
    dinner when Angel gets home.”
    “No, luv. Just the tea.”
    Nervous at what she had come to tell him, she wandered into the large, perfectly
    tidy living room. Even when he was a lad, Kael had been tidy, always