Angel and the Assassin

felt
    distressingly out of control. He wanted Angel on his feet and out of sight or, at the
    very least, on his feet and not drawing attention to them. The only way to keep
    moving was to pick him up and carry him if he refused to walk. While that was
    entirely possible, it would draw far more attention than they were drawing now.
    “Fine. You will get to your feet and walk quietly beside me. Do you
    understand?”
    “Yes, Sir.” Angel looked up at him, wide-eyed, his lower lip quivering. Kael
    released his hold. Angel stood up and brushed his jeans off with both hands.
    “Let‟s go, boy,” Kael began, but before he could finish the sentence, Angel had
    turned to his left and was running hell-bent into the park.
    Overwhelmed with helpless rage, Kael ran after him between trees and people.
    Not only was Kael extremely fit, but his legs were much longer than Angel‟s. It was
    also not the first time he had had to chase a quarry. At night in a dark urban
    environment, he would use speed and agility if need be, but in an open-air setting
    he would often take his time, allowing the target to exhaust themselves.
    Now all he wanted was to get to Angel.
    With a burst of speed, he sprinted and grabbed the collar of the boy‟s jacket,
    dragging him to the ground. He made every effort not to land too heavily on him. He
    didn‟t want to break any of the boy‟s ribs, but there was no way to get him down
    without at least winding him.
    Angel landed on his back, and Kael threw himself on top of him. He raised
    himself slightly to look down at the boy, who lay unmoving. Angel stared up at him,
    fear, anger, and confusion mingled in his wide-eyed stare. Slowly his face crumpled.
    Great heaving sobs erupted, and he bawled like a toddler with his mouth open and
    his hands on his cheeks.
    Kael sat up on the grass, gathering him into his arms. People walked past,
    looking sideways at them, but he neither cared nor noticed. He should be scanning
    the park for possible tails, but he could focus on nothing but Angel, shaking and
    crying in his arms, his face pressed against Kael‟s chest while tears soaked the front
    of his T-shirt. Torn between confusion and embarrassment, Kael rocked him, not
    knowing what else to do.
    After a long time, Angel‟s sobs slowed to little sniffs and shudders, and
    eventually he fell silent, his arms wrapped tightly around Kael‟s chest under his
    jacket, his head bowed under Kael‟s chin. He rubbed the boy‟s back tenderly,
    continuing to rock him.
    “So much has happened.” Angel‟s voice was low, breathless. “What happened,
    Daddy? I don‟t get it. What happened?”
    Kael did not correct him for saying “ daddy .” “I don‟t know what you‟re talking
    about, sweetheart.” He spoke the endearment automatically, surprising himself. He
    could not remember ever calling anyone sweetheart before.

    Angel and the Assassin
    51

    “Sven getting shot, meeting you, being here.” The words tumbled off his
    tongue, bumping into each other, making no sense. “I want to be a good boy for you.
    I want to obey you, but I‟m so confused.”
    Kael took Angel‟s arms and held him away to look at him. “Let‟s wipe your
    face; you‟re a mess.” He rifled his pockets, knowing he never carried a handkerchief.
    “Here, use this.” He pulled up the hem of his T-shirt. Angel took it and wiped his
    eyes and his nose on it.
    “Charming.” Kael chuckled, looking at the mess on his shirt. Unmindful, he
    tucked it back in. “Do you feel better?” he asked, wanting Angel to say yes.
    “I feel scared and confused.” Angel looked at him, his long eyelashes still
    touchingly damp. “Sir, why did you kill Sven?”
    “I told you why,” Kael said, using his thumbs to wipe the remaining tears from
    Angel‟s eyes.
    “Yeah, I know, the guns. What I mean is, why you?”
    Because I’m an assassin.
    “Do you trust me?”
    Without pause for reflection, Angel said, “Yes, Sir, I trust you.”
    “Then don‟t ask me any more questions about Cape Cod. Trust that I know
    what I‟m doing and that I have reasons for everything I do.” He looked deeply into
    the beautiful silver eyes. “No more questions.”
    “Sir, is it like, you know, the spy movies, where the dude says, If I tell you, I’ll
    have to kill you ?”
    Kael‟s mouth quivered. He wanted to laugh but managed to suppress it. There
    was something very innocent about this boy. He was awfully young for his age, or
    perhaps Kael had just