Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

in his class were
    whispering behind their hands about him. Attacked . He knew he sounded panicked,
    but he couldn‟t help it. “What did she want?”
    “Daddy, your eyes are so wide. You look terrified.” Angel collapsed onto Kael‟s
    chest, laughing. Kael pinched the boy‟s buttocks hard. Angel screamed but couldn‟t
    stop laughing. Finally, breathless, he said, “Daddy, I think you‟re scared of ladies.”
    “Do you?”
    “Yeah. Are you?”
    For a long moment, Kael pondered telling the truth and finally gave in to it.
    “I‟m fine with women on an intellectual level. There‟s been a couple I‟ve really liked.
    It‟s just when they fancy me and I think they might try to cop a feel that I get
    nervous. I don‟t want any woman putting her hands on me in an I‟d-like-to-get-into-
    your-trousers way.” Angel started giggling again, and Kael found himself joining in.
    “I don‟t know why that‟s so funny.”
    “I‟ll tell you why it‟s so funny, Daddy. It‟s because you‟re so big and not scared
    of anything. It‟s a bit like ladies screaming when they see a mouse. Mice are so
    tiny.”
    “Yes, but they‟re fast and so are women.”
    Angel snuggled into Kael‟s side. “Daddy, can I stay home today and be with
    you?”
    “No.” Kael spoke without margin. “I have to sleep for a few hours; then I‟ve got
    a class to teach this afternoon. You go to college. I don‟t want you missing anything.
    Go and get in the shower.”
    Angel got up and headed for the shower. Kael followed, joining him under the
    rushing water.

    * * *
    “I told you, Argentina was a one-off. I‟m not going back into the field.”

    64
    Fyn Alexander

    Kael had arrived at Vauxhall Cross straight from the gym, intending to eat his
    lunch before beginning his afternoon class on the benefits of sniper tactics. But
    when he strode into the busy cafeteria and saw Stillwell sitting with his whining
    cohorts, the urge to smack him was so great that Kael walked right back outside
    into the crisp midday. He was sitting on a bench beside the river when Conran had
    joined him.
    “Did you enjoy it? The assignment?” Conran asked quietly.
    “Yes,” Kael admitted. He bit into his ham and tomato sandwich and looked at
    the apple and banana and the bottle of water, noticing the folded piece of paper
    tucked under the food.
    “I wouldn‟t have thought you were the type to pack your own lunches.” Conran
    nodded at the Tupperware box.
    “I‟m not. Angel likes to make lunches for me. It‟s part of his service to his
    daddy.” He pulled out the paper and unfolded it. Enjoy your lunch, Daddy. I love
    you . He smiled as he read the signature. From your Angel.
    “How sweet,” Conran said, looking at the note.
    “Are you due for a spanking, Stephen?” Kael asked.
    As he always did when any mention of discipline came up, Conran glanced
    quickly left and right. “I‟m not here to talk about that. I want you back in the field.
    You‟ll have more time, not less, to spend with Angel. And when you leave for a few
    days at a time, he is perfectly old enough to look after himself.”
    “I‟m worried about his safety.”
    “His safety is no longer compromised. He knows more than he should because
    of the Bosnian situation last year, but I think you‟ve trained him to keep his mouth
    shut. Yes?”
    “Yes. He understands there are things I will not talk about. He knows how to
    keep quiet, and I‟d never tell him any details about my work.”
    Conran stared straight ahead at the river. “After Bosnia, you seemed to think
    he could be trained. I know you‟ve been taking him to the SIS shooting range. He‟s
    excellent.”
    “That‟s because I taught him to shoot and he has a very steady hand. As for
    training, I changed my mind once the adrenaline rush of the rescue mission settled
    down. I don‟t want my boy in danger again.”
    “With a natural aptitude for the work and you training him, he could be
    exceptional.”
    As if a curtain had been lifted, Kael realized he had been duped. “You fucking
    bastard. You encouraged me to take him to Herstmonceux, then had someone report
    back to you about his performance. Didn‟t you!”
    “No one in particular was spying on you. I asked all the participants their
    opinion of you, and inevitably they spoke about Angel.”
    “But you did it on purpose, encouraged me to take him along?”

    Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

    65

    “Yes. I wanted to know what he could do.”
    “I