Angel and the Assassin 3: Sins of the Father

Samantha and patted her hand. “I raised Kael on my own, so I know
    how hard it is trying to raise a son without a father. All you want to do is keep them on
    the straight and narrow.”
    “Straight? You fail.” Angel laughed out loud as he sat again.
    “Angel!” Sharon smiled at him with unconcealed affection. “But look how they
    turned out,” she said to Samantha. “Your son and mine. Aren’t they fab?”
    “Yes, they’re fab,” Samantha said quietly, making Kael wonder if, in the face of his
    honest, hardworking mum, she was ashamed.
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    “Here’s something for you, Daddy.” From the inside pocket of his tux jacket,
    Angel withdrew an envelope. It was already open, and it was addressed to Angel
    Gabriel Button.
    Spotting the crest right away, Kael said, “It’s from Cambridge.” His hands would
    have shaken if he had not carefully controlled them. The waiter brought over the
    menus, which broke the tension and took the attention from the letter. Quickly Kael
    read it. “You got in.” Laughing from sheer happiness, he said louder, “He got into
    Cambridge. My boy was accepted at Cambridge.”
    “I think the recommendation from the politician probably helped,” Angel said.
    Beaming with pleasure, Sharon clapped her hands. “Well done, Angel. I was so
    proud of my Kael when he got into Cambridge. I told everyone. I never shut up about
    it. Isn’t that great, Samantha?”
    “It certainly is. Congratulations, baby,” Samantha said.
    But Angel’s eyes never left Kael’s. “That’s my boy,” Kael said quietly. “But I
    wonder if they can defer it for a year.”
    The hope in Angel’s face resembled a puppy expecting a treat. “Defer it?”
    “I’ve decided to let you take a gap year. I think you need a break from academics
    for a while. What do you think?”
    “Daddy, do you mean it? I mean, I want to go to uni, but just not yet.”
    “I know. I’ll get in touch with them and see what we can do,” Kael said.
    With his hands in prayer position, Angel said, “Thank you!”
    The relief in Angel’s expression was priceless. The boy really needed a break.
    Happy, he opened his menu. “I don’t know what to order, Daddy,” he said. “You
    choose for me.”
    “You’d better choose for me as well, luv. I haven’t a clue what half this stuff is,”
    Sharon said with a laugh.
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    Samantha closed her menu and placed it on the table. “Gregoire usually orders for
    me. I’ll leave it up to you, Mr. Saunders.”
    “Call me Kael,” he said, looking at his menu. “Now let’s see what everyone would
    like for a starter. Mum likes soup, and there’s a stilton and pear soup that sounds
    wonderful.”
    “That’s fancy,” Sharon said. “My favorite’s tomato from the tin.”
    God, he loved his mum! No pretensions, no airs and graces. What you saw was
    what you got. He was so lucky.
    “Angel likes macaroni cheese, cheeseburgers, and peanut butter on white bread.”
    Angel shrugged. “I’m just a simple boy, Daddy.”
    “You can start with a salade Nicoise,” Kael said decisively.
    The protest was instant. “Daddy, that has fish!”
    “Think of it as a challenge,” Kael said. “I want some greens down your throat.”
    A long, exasperated sigh escaped his boy. “Yes, Sir.”
    Kael turned his attention to Angel’s mum. “Samantha. I think you would like the
    goat-cheese balls with walnuts and honey surrounding pâté de foie gras.”
    Pulling out a small fan, she flicked it open in one smooth movement. The room
    was air-conditioned, so the fan was nothing but an affect. “Sounds wonderful. Why did
    you choose that?”
    “It’s pretentious.” Kael met her gaze.
    A long pause followed during which Samantha pierced him with her stunning
    blue gaze over the top of her fan. “Touché.”
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    Chapter Seventeen
    Kael’s mobile buzzed. Usually the only phone he took into the dungeon was his
    secure line, but he had been waiting all day for a call from his mum. Grabbing the
    phone from the torture table where he had left it, he stepped outside into the hall. Angel
    was in the shower, and the rushing water made conversation difficult.
    “Mum?”
    “Hello, luv.” She sounded weary. “He pleaded guilty.” Shawn had finally gone to
    court on his indecent assault charge.
    “What did he get?”
    “They called it a first offense because he’d never been