Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

rifle and a
    handgun.
    “What did they complain about, Daddy, your students?” Angel sat beside Kael,
    again looking intently at him with his luminous gray eyes. His silky hair flopped
    forward, and he flicked his chin up to throw it back. Angel‟s hair had not been cut in
    months, and it was growing long, making him look far too pretty for Kael‟s comfort.
    He‟d make him have a buzz cut soon. Kael ran his forefinger down Angel‟s smooth,
    creamy, pale cheek.
    “I threw the blackboard erasers and chalk at them.” He paused. “And I
    suppose I called them names. I had to get their attention.”
    Angel raised both eyebrows but said nothing.
    “The men are stupid enough, looking off into space, sending texts while I‟m
    talking. Do you know how many mobiles I had to remove before they got the
    message not to bring them into my classes?”
    Angel shook his head.
    “No, neither do I. Loads,” Kael said, his outrage making his voice go up a
    couple of octaves. “And the women? I was sexually harassed!”
    Angel exploded into giggles and slammed his hand across his mouth. Kael‟s
    expression darkened. “It‟s not funny. It‟s just as bad as men doing it to women. I felt
    like a piece of meat every time they whispered to each other behind their hands or
    deliberately looked me up and down. They even said things, invited me to go to pubs
    with them.”
    “Sorry, Daddy.” Angel sobered quickly, though he was clearly having difficulty
    controlling himself.
    “You know what pisses me off? If you‟re a great big bloke like me, no one
    thinks your feelings can get hurt. But they do.”
    “Poor Daddy.” Angel slid his arm around Kael‟s neck and kissed his cheek.
    “You act tough, but I know how sensitive you are.”
    “They behave badly, and then they complain about me.” He took another slug
    of whisky. “Conran called me to his office just as I was leaving. That‟s why I was
    late this evening.”

    Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

    27

    “What did he say?”
    “He said I‟ve got no people skills. Can you believe that?”
    Angel adopted a thoughtful expression and nodded. “Yes, that‟s true. But it‟s
    not a reason to take you out of the classroom. You could learn some.”
    “What do you mean?” Shocked, Kael stared him for a moment. “It‟s not true. I
    do have people skills. I don‟t suffer fools, that‟s all.”
    Angel sat silent, watching him.
    “I‟m good with people. I just don‟t like them very much.”
    “Daddy, what did you do when Mr. Conran said that?”
    Kael grinned. “I threw him against the wall and threatened to break his nose
    again.”
    Angel nodded slowly, and Kael knew the boy was working up to one of his
    carefully delivered home truths. He placed a steadying hand on Kael‟s arm. “Daddy,
    you are not a subtle man. You say that yourself. You‟ve admitted you tend to think
    in black and white. But life is not black-and-white. It‟s a million different shades of
    every color in the universe. What I‟m trying to say is that when someone tells you
    you‟ve got no people skills and you throw them up against a wall, that kind of
    proves their point.”
    Kael cleared his throat but didn‟t speak. It took a mammoth effort to remain
    calm, especially since Conran had more or less said the same thing.
    “Daddy, you can‟t confiscate the cell phones of adults because they talk in
    class. And you definitely can‟t assault them.”
    “But they wouldn‟t pay attention!” He was still outraged at their disrespect.
    “Daddy, there is something else. Would you like another whisky?”
    “Why? To calm me down?” When Angel raised one eyebrow but did not answer,
    he shook his head. “I‟m perfectly calm.”
    Angel spoke slowly and carefully. “Sir, over the last few months, you have been
    very agitated.”
    “That‟s because my life has changed. I have the responsibility of you now. I
    have to keep you in school and worry about your future. I‟ve had despicable morons
    to deal with every day in class. And I bump into Conran in the hallways, which
    always gives me nightmares.”
    Angel took a long breath as if carefully considering his words. “You‟re fab at
    languages, Daddy, but I‟m wondering if teaching is right for you. You‟re stuck in a
    classroom with people you can‟t respect. You get so wound up you have to work out
    for hours at a time and take long runs to work off the agitation. You get mad really
    easily at the best of times and right