Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

bring her into England. How are
    you going to do that? And Dudek will be after her. You know that?”
    “If I stopped to think of all the complications, I‟d never do anything. When is
    Europol going to start arresting these fuckers?”
    “I have no information on them. This isn‟t under my jurisdiction. Don‟t do
    anything stupid.”
    “Don‟t worry about me, mate. There‟s nothing I can‟t do.” Kael grinned, feeling
    much better now he had the information he needed to form a plan.
    “You wouldn‟t want to do anything to jeopardize Angel‟s happiness,” Conran
    said.
    “What do you care about Angel?”
    Quietly Conran said, “I‟m glad you have him, and that you‟re seeing Freddie
    again.”
    “It was you who told me to back off on my friendship with Misha. Then you
    sent her to fucking China.”
    “That was different. She was an operative, and she had been pegged for the
    China assignment for some time. Is that why you want to keep Angel out of the
    service?”
    “I don‟t want anything bad to happen to him.”
    “Did he ever work out that it was you who killed his stepfather?” Kael shook
    his head. Conran had no idea that Angel had witnessed the hit. “Good. And since
    Freddie has no idea what you do, though he may have suspicions it is something
    covert, I cannot object to that friendship either. In fact I believe it‟s good for you.”

    120
    Fyn Alexander

    Kael leaned back, trying to get comfortable on a chair that was far too small
    for him. “What‟s that supposed to mean?”
    “You became very strange after Misha left England.”
    “That‟s because you wouldn‟t tell me where she was.”
    “I couldn‟t. You know that. I thought you‟d understand.”
    “I didn‟t know if she was dead or alive, and she never came back. Four years,
    almost five, then—” He stopped abruptly, afraid his voice would betray his emotion.
    “You were always brilliant at your work. You seem unscathed by it. I‟ve seen
    operatives work for four or five years and then need to be moved into a quieter job
    because they couldn‟t take the strain anymore. But you‟ve never shown fatigue no
    matter how many targets you‟ve hit. After Misha left, you spent all your time at the
    firing range and the gym, or in those S and M clubs you frequent. But you were
    more brilliant than ever at your work. After she died, you became even more of a
    concern.” Conran lowered his voice until it was barely discernible. “And this
    business of having sex with your targets before killing them had everyone spooked.”
    “I only fucked them if they wanted it. They were going to die anyway. It did no
    harm to play with them first.”
    “So you say. I was worried about you, and so were my superiors. We all
    thought it was just a matter of time before you went rogue.”
    Kael shrugged. “I‟ve always been rogue. I‟ve always followed my own path.”
    “I understand that, but there‟s a fine line between a trained assassin and a
    psychopath, and I was afraid you were approaching that line after Misha went.
    After she died, I was certain you had crossed it. What was it about you and her? I
    know you never dated her.”
    Kael looked out of the window at the busy street. “We were the same. We both
    loved our jobs. We both loved to compete. She made me laugh. It was a special
    connection. I don‟t understand it either.”
    “I told her from the start to keep an eye on you.” Conran watched him intently,
    as if trying to understand him. But he never would.
    “You told her to be my friend?” Kael asked.
    “No, just to keep an eye on you because you were a loose cannon. I never
    expected the bond you developed. She joined MI6 not long before you, but she was
    older and had come straight from eight years in the army. She was in Special Forces
    at a time when there were no women in Special Forces. There are now, of course.
    She was excellent and fearless.”
    “I know.”
    “But you grew too close, and I was concerned that two people with such
    fearless, fighting spirits could trigger each other to take chances they shouldn‟t.
    Angel is good for you. He has discernment, which is as vital as courage. He‟s making
    you more human.”

    Angel and the Assassin: Be Brave

    121

    Kael stood, and his tone was sarcastic when he said, “Thanks for the coffee and
    the pep talk.” For fun and to cause the maximum of embarrassment, he leaned
    down and kissed Conran on the cheek. “See you later, love,” he said