Angel and the Assassin 3: Sins of the Father

straight white teeth with great care. “There, now rinse.” Angel
    rinsed while Kael wrapped a length of floss around his fingers. “Open up again.” Angel
    obeyed, head tilted back, eyes nearly closed with exhaustion while Kael flossed his
    teeth. “There you go, sweetheart. Rinse again.” Angel rinsed and then sat on the toilet
    seat to pee, a sure sign he was tired. When he was finished, Kael said, “Bed.” He patted
    him on the arse to encourage him.
    In the lavish bedroom, Angel climbed into the king-size bed and stretched out,
    looking up at Kael. “I want my Daddy,” he said, making Kael chuckle. He lay beside his
    boy, cuddling him close, and found himself humming “Rock-a-bye Baby.” When Angel
    was fast asleep, he put on the workout clothes and headed down to the gym.
    For two hours, Kael lifted weights and ran on a treadmill. Throughout, a small,
    heavily sweating man watched him in the mirrors while struggling to use the various
    machines. On his way out of the gym, Kael walked up to the man. “Are you cruising
    me, or do you work for him?”
    Blinking and nervous, the man asked, “Him?”
    “Don’t be a fucking idiot. Either you’re after my arse or you’ve been told to watch
    me. Either way I’m not happy.”
    Swallowing hard, sweat trickling down his face, the man was reacting more in
    nervousness than exertion at this point. “I didn’t mean to offend you.” He walked
    quickly away.
    Yes, he worked for Romodanovsky.

    * * * *
    The sun shone down from a bright white sky over Red Square with its crowds of

    tourists and locals wandering about. “That,” Kael said, pointing at a beautiful, ornate
    cathedral, “is St. Basil’s. One of the most famous churches in the world and certainly the
    most famous in Russia. It was commissioned by Ivan the Terrible who lived”—he
    looked at Angel—“when?”
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    Cheeks pink with the cold wind, Angel looked up at him through his Irlens.
    “Fifteen thirty to fifteen eighty-four.”
    “Exactly. And after the church was built, he had the architects killed over there so
    they could not repeat the beauty of St. Basil’s anywhere else.” He pointed at the
    execution spot. “Come on. Let’s go into the church.”
    “Do you believe in God, Daddy?” Angel asked.
    “No,” Kael said simply. “I believe in beautiful architecture, and this is a fine
    example.”
    “Dyadya!” Uncle.
    Freezing at the word, Kael turned around, looking for the owner of the voice just
    as a blonde little girl barreled into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. His heart
    soared as he looked down at Ekaterina, the child he had rescued from prostitution more
    than a year ago. With his hands under her armpits, he lifted her up until she could wrap
    her arms around his neck, kissing his cheeks over and over. “Hello, Katya!” He spoke to
    her in Russian, using her pet name.
    “Dyadya, I thought I would never see you again.” She looked at Angel and
    reached over to hug him with one arm, but she would not release Kael. Looking over
    the child’s shoulder, he saw Romodanovsky about twenty feet away, smiling, three
    minders standing very close to him and others at a distance, scanning the square. Beside
    the Russian was a slender young woman dressed in a smart coat and hat.
    Following his gaze, Ekaterina said, “That’s my mama and Uncle Arkadiy. He
    asked me to help him end organized crime in Russia. He’s going to be the president of
    the Russian Federation. He takes me with him to rallies and speeches all over Russia.”
    Why was he even surprised that Romodanovsky would use an abused child to
    further his agenda? Of course he would. “What’s organized crime?” Kael asked the
    child, wondering if she even knew what she was being used for.
    With a slight frown, she said, “I don’t really know, but it’s something about the
    men who kidnapped me off the street when I was six years old.” Then her brilliant
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    smile was back again. “Uncle Arkadiy is going to send me to study in England when I
    am older so I can be a lawyer and help him lead the country.”
    Overcome with joy at seeing the child looking so well, like an ordinary little girl,
    Kael kissed her forehead. “I’m so happy to see you, Ekaterina. I think of you often.”
    Taking his face in her hands, she said, “I told Uncle Arkadiy all about you.”
    Romodanovsky strode forward and spoke in English.