Angel and the Assassin

affection. At home he had gone
    quietly to the bedroom to start getting ready for bed.
    Angel emerged from the bathroom naked and crossed the room without looking
    at him. Almost every night he would run and leap onto the bed, but tonight he
    walked. He pulled his blankie from under his pillow before getting in and lying
    down, holding it on his belly. Kael waited for him to roll into his side and lay his
    head on Kael‟s shoulder, but he lay on his back without a word. The king-size bed
    was big enough for four, and Angel lay close to the edge with a three-foot space
    between them.
    “Did you enjoy Freddie and his family?” Kael asked, not understanding what
    was going on.
    “Yes, Sir, it was a nice evening. Did I behave okay?”
    “Yes, you were good. I was proud of you.” He turned onto his side facing Angel,
    waiting for him to come closer. He had not realized just how much he liked having
    Angel in his arms at night. Even though they sometimes rolled away from each
    other during sleep, he often awoke with his arm lying across the boy‟s waist. One
    morning he woke up to find Angel, fast asleep, lying on top of him.
    If he wanted Angel in his arms now, he should order him to do it, but ordering
    him to suck his cock was very different from ordering him to lie in his arms with his
    head on his shoulder so he could feel Angel‟s warm breath against his neck and
    Angel‟s heart beating against his own. He felt embarrassed to demand that kind of
    intimacy.
    “Are you tired, boy?”
    “Yes, Sir.”

    134
    Fyn Alexander

    And how come all of a sudden he was Sir and not Daddy? He had felt stupid at
    first when Angel called him Daddy. Now he liked it. He wanted it. He wanted to
    reach out and run his fingertips over Angel‟s smooth cheek, to trace a line down the
    bridge of his straight nose, but he couldn‟t bring himself to be spontaneously
    affectionate. He could not allow himself to be so vulnerable as to be playful and
    sweet with him, at least not unless Angel started it. Once the boy crawled into his
    arms, it was easier, but not when he was like this.
    He looked at Angel‟s profile as he stared at the ceiling. He looked at the pale,
    bare chest with the tiny rosebud nipples, both his hands clutching his blanket.
    Maybe it was Freddie‟s family, so close and loving, that reminded him of what
    he had missed out on spending his childhood in a string of foster homes.
    He’ll be all right by morning. He’ll be himself again.
    “Go to sleep, Angel.”
    “Yes, Sir.” Angel rolled onto his side, facing away from him. Kael turned to
    face the opposite wall. His arms felt empty. He missed his boy, and he was only a
    couple of feet away.

    Angel and the Assassin
    135

    Chapter Sixteen

    They were finishing dinner when Kael‟s mobile buzzed. It was the one Conran
    called him on. Either he had a job for him or he had news about Angel.
    “Stay there.” He left the kitchen and went quickly into the dungeon. He closed
    the door and locked it, then crossed the room to the far side, pressing the phone to
    his ear.
    “What do you want?”
    “You have a job.”
    “What the hell?”
    There was often a gap of a few weeks and occasionally a couple of months
    between assignments. In the last two months he had had one job after the next. He
    needed a break, and he didn‟t want to leave Angel right now. The boy was acting
    strange. He had not improved after being upset by Freddie‟s happy family and had
    grown more distant over the last week, being scrupulously obedient and respectful,
    but his playfulness was gone. He was no longer naturally affectionate, and he never
    said daddy anymore.
    “What about my boy‟s citizenship? What about protecting him?”
    “I‟m working on it. These things take time.”
    “How‟s your nose?” Kael asked. Not that he cared. He simply wanted to remind
    Conran what he was capable of.
    “It was broken, but you know that.”
    “I‟ve been trained to break noses; what do you expect?” He laughed. “You can‟t
    train a dog to fight and then expect it to know when not to.”
    “I had to tell my wife I slipped and fell.” The resentment in Conran‟s voice was
    almost comical.
    “She‟s a clever woman; I doubt she believed you,” Kael said. “And don‟t think
    for a second I am finished with you for telling Angel that shite about his mother.” A
    thick silence followed while Kael waited. When you had made a point, it was always
    best to let it ferment.
    “Go up to