Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

should smack you for that,” Kael said. He put his lunchbox on the bench
    beside him. Conran got up at once to put several feet of space between them now
    that Kael‟s hands were free. “My boy is going to go to uni and have a bright future.
    I‟d be happy for him to work for SIS, just not what I do. He could work in
    intelligence.”
    Conran came closer again even though they were alone. He spoke quietly.
    “Look, there‟s a situation I want you involved in. You are the only man for the job.”
    Kael finished his sandwich and took out the banana. “What does this remind
    you of, Stephen?” He grinned and slowly peeled it.
    Conran sat down again, pulling his jacket closer against the sharp wind from
    the river. “Someone will need to be brought back from Europe. I want you in on this
    one. I don‟t have the details yet.”
    Kael ran his tongue up the side of the banana and laughed when Conran
    crossed his legs and placed his hands over his crotch. He bit into the banana, taking
    half in one bite. “That‟s what I‟ll do to your cock if you try to get my boy caught up
    in anything dangerous. Do you understand?”
    “Yes.” Conran looked nervous. “We‟ll talk again about this.” He began to walk
    away.
    “I‟m a teacher now,” Kael called after him.
    Conran walked back and leaned in close. “Saunders, you‟re a killer. It comes as
    naturally to you as—”
    “As crawling on your knees does to you?” Kael interrupted.
    “I was going to say as naturally as breathing.” He walked away.

    66
    Fyn Alexander

    Chapter Eight

    “I‟m so excited. Daddy will be so happy.”
    Angel looked at the glass and oak dining room table set with candles and white
    damask napkins. He had found them in the dining room sideboard along with the
    beautiful set of dishes they had used only once before, last Christmas day when
    Sharon had spent the holidays with them.
    “Everything looks lovely.” Adam smiled.
    Freddie‟s husband and their two daughters had arrived an hour ago to help
    Angel. Adam had consulted at length on the phone with Angel in the days prior.
    Angel would make the birthday cake, a quiche, and a chicken dish, and Adam would
    cook the rest of the food and bring a few bottles of wine. Freddie had arranged the
    day before to take Daddy out for a drink and a catch-up chat so they could arrange
    the surprise. Freddie was due to walk in the door with Kael at any minute.
    “Did you want to do the whole jumping out and shouting „surprise‟ thing?”
    Adam asked.
    My Daddy shoots people who surprise him.
    “That‟s probably not a good idea. He‟ll be surprised enough. But actually…” He
    looked at Zoe and Amelia, who had been running up and down the open-plan living
    room-dining room since they arrived, and he called them over. “Girls, Uncle Kael
    will be here any minute with your dadda.”
    “No, this is Dadda,” Amelia said, coming to a skidding halt in from of him.
    Angel scanned the hardwood floor for skid marks.
    “And Daddy is Daddy,” Zoe explained.
    “Right. Okay. Uncle Kael and your daddy will be here in a few minutes. I want
    you girls to hide in the bedroom until you hear them come in. Then come running
    out and shout „Happy birthday, Uncle Kael.‟” He showed them to the bedroom, and
    they climbed into the middle of the king-size bed. “Not a sound until you hear
    them,” he said and walked out.
    “That will keep them quiet for five minutes,” Adam said when Angel joined
    him again to look at the table.
    “I‟ll light the candles now.” Angel struck a match and lit the three tall white
    candles in the elegant, plain silver candelabrum. He looked at Adam, who was
    uncorking the white wine and watching him at the same time.
    “You‟re an odd couple, aren‟t you?” he said kindly.

    Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

    67

    “Me and Daddy? Why?”
    “A big, handsome, tough man like him and a sweet innocent youth like you.”
    He chuckled. “Zeus and his Ganymede. Hadrian and Antinous.”
    An image of the two men he had shot last September jarred Angel for a
    moment, along with some of the stuff he had seen and experienced in the not so
    loving foster homes he had lived in. He shoved the images out of his mind and
    focused on the elegant table. “I‟m not as innocent as I look.”
    “Do you think Kael will mind the girls being here? I get the impression he‟s not
    crazy about children.”
    The thought had occurred to Angel, but he didn‟t want to say