Angel and the Assassin (24 page)

“You bastard, you evil bastard.” Conran‟s face twisted with pain; his eyes filled with tears of frustration. “No one ever gets to win with you, do they? You‟re always on top.”

“That‟s right; I always win,” Kael said very calmly. The memory of Angel, hurt and angry, calling him an anal-retentive asshole suddenly filled his head. He hadn‟t won that scrap; Angel had. “No one need see this video as long as you take care of my boy.”

“Are you in love?” Conran tried to be sarcastic, but it was obvious he was very frightened of being found out and frustrated at his own helplessness.

Anger tightened his muscles. He felt responsible for Angel. He was Angel‟s mentor and protector. He was not in love. “Don‟t be ridiculous. I‟ve never loved anyone in my life.”

The little girl got up from the grass and began a stumbling run toward them.

She threw herself on Conran‟s legs. “Daddy, play with me.” She looked at Kael, shy for a moment, and then smiled coyly. Kael never knew what to do with children. He had never wanted them. They were an alien species to him.

“You‟re big,” she said. “Put me on your shoulders.”

“You shouldn‟t talk to strangers,” Kael said with a stern expression.

The child burst into tears and ran back to her mother.

“For God‟s sake, Saunders, you terrified her,” Conran said.

“You should teach her not to talk to strangers,” Kael said, though he wished he had not made the child cry. “If you don‟t protect my boy, Conran, the first thing I‟ll 124

do is take this video to the top brass at Vauxhall Cross. The fact that I‟m on it is irrelevant. They know what I am, and I don‟t have a wife and kids to embarrass.”

“Why not just kill me now?” Conran said. “At least then my family will get a good pension. This will ruin me.”

Adopting the most evil expression he could manage, Kael said, “I‟ve no intention of killing you, and they won‟t need a pension, because I‟ll kill them. If you do anything to hurt Angel, or if you let anyone else hurt Angel, I‟ll go after your family and I‟ll pick them off one at a time, starting with that little girl. The only one I‟ll make a point of leaving alive will be you, Stephen.”

Conran began to pant, his face growing red with rage. He tried to speak, but the words seemed stuck in his throat. “You bastard,” was all he could say. “You bastard.”

“You know I‟m a bastard; that‟s not news.” Kael sounded very calm, as though he was enjoying himself, but the truth was he hated threatening a child and he would never hurt one. But Conran didn‟t know that, and Kael was unsure whether to be flattered or outraged that the man believed him capable of such an act. The video should have been enough to gain Conran‟s compliance. It was his own fault that Kael had to threaten his family.

The little boys ran over with their mother behind them holding Annabelle by the hand. Kael had met Conran‟s wife before. She had no idea he was gay, and she was very attracted to him, though she would never admit it. Her pupils always dilated when she looked up into his eyes. At the same time she knew her husband had met him at school when he was a scholarship boy from a council estate, and she thought she was too good for him. She thought he was nothing but
a bit of rough
.

Kael smiled at her and watched her throat constrict as she swallowed hard. “Mr.

Saunders, I believe, the language specialist?”

“That‟s right.” She knew perfectly well who he was. “Call me Kael.”

Conran threw her a nervous look. “Darling. I‟m afraid I have to do a bit of business. Could you go on home with the children, and I‟ll be there as soon as possible?”

“Stephen!” The protest came out as a whine, making Kael grateful that he did not have a whining wife. Every time he saw couples like this, Dominant/submissive relationships made more and more sense. Someone had to be in charge.

“Sorry, darling, but I‟ll be home soon. I wouldn‟t ask you if it wasn‟t important.”

She released a long sigh and looked accusingly at Kael, who kept on smiling at her.

When they were gone, walking across the grass toward the car park, Conran looked up at Kael. “I‟ll do what I can, but you had better keep the boy out of the way for a little longer until I can work on a few people. It‟s a good job you are so valuable, or you‟d never get away with this.”

12Kael looked over at Angel, who sat obediently on the fountain wall watching him. He beckoned him, and the boy jumped up and hurried toward him, finishing his ice cream. “Angel, this is Mr. Conran.”

Angel slid his arm around Kael‟s waist. “I know, Daddy; I remember.”

Conran frowned at Angel. “I‟ve never met you.”

“He was in the dungeon watching,” Kael said simply.

Conran‟s hands shook. “Did you plan the whole thing?”

“How could I? You showed up at my flat after following me to the supermarket, remember? All I did was take advantage of the situation, and let‟s face it, Stephen, you had the best time of your life. And if you behave yourself, we can do it again.”

“I want nothing more to do with you,” Conran said. “I was a fool to trust you.

You‟ve always been as slippery as an eel, always out to use everyone.”

Angel stepped away from Kael and got up in Conran‟s face. “Hey, dude, who the hell do you think you‟re talking to? Don‟t talk to my daddy like that!”

Surprised, Kael looked at the boy, who stood with his fists clenched as if he would punch Conran in the face. “Angel, we have to be nice to Mr. Conran. He‟s going to get your citizenship for you so you can live here in England.” He reached around Angel to take his wrists and lower them to his sides.

“Well, that‟s nice, but he still can‟t talk to you that way, Daddy. You‟re his master.”

Kael laughed. Conran‟s face contorted as if he would burst into tears of frustration and rage. Two hot red spots flamed on his cheeks, and he looked around constantly. “He is nothing of the sort,” Conran blustered.

“He sure was the other night. Anyway, thanks for helping me, dude. When everything is sorted out, I can go and visit my mom because she‟s been really worried about me. She thought I was dead like my stepfather.”

“You little moron! Your mother doesn‟t give a damn about you. The maid called the police when she found Andresen dead.” Conran was doing the only thing he could to get back at Kael. He was hurting Angel. Kael grabbed Angel and began to pull him away.

“The police told your mother you were missing, and she wanted nothing to do with you,” Conran continued, louder. “She refused to return to America to help the police with their inquiries. She told them you would probably show up somewhere eventually, and even if you didn‟t, she was not interested. She hung up the fucking phone on them!”

“You fucker,” Kael said through his teeth. “You fucker!”

Angel looked from Conran to Kael. “Daddy, that‟s not true. You said my mom called the cops because she was worried when she heard Sven was dead.”

“He lied to you.” Conran began to walk away.

Angel went very still. “No, no. You‟re lying.”

126

“Conran!” When he turned, Kael raised his hand, fingers drawn into his palm, and with his knuckles struck Conran across the bridge of the nose. The crack was sickening as his nose broke. Blood flooded down onto the Aran sweater, and he bent at the waist, clutching his face.

Kael took Angel‟s hand and drew him away, walking quickly across the grass.

“Daddy, he was lying, wasn‟t he?”

“Of course he was. He was a little sneak at school, and he‟s still at it. He was trying to get back at me, so he hurt you. He was making it up.”

“Why would he do that? Why would hurting me hurt you?”

“He‟s jealous that you‟re my boy and he isn‟t.” What he meant was,
Conran
knows I’m in love with you
. But he couldn‟t say that. He couldn‟t even think it.

Three young males walked past. One of them laughed and pointed out that Kael was holding Angel‟s hand. The words
arse bandits
drifted over from ten feet away.

Kael released Angel‟s hand and broke into a run, grabbing the nearest one by the front of his jacket and backhanding him so hard he fell over backward, blood running from his mouth. With a sideways kick, he felled a second. The third began to run, and Kael could not be bothered to run after him. He walked back to Angel as if nothing had happened. He wasn‟t even breathing hard. He took Angel‟s hand again and carried on walking.

“Holy karate kid, Daddy, I‟d hate to see you really pissed off. Will you teach me to fight like that?”

If Kael had gone after everyone who had called him a derogatory name over the years, he would have spent his whole life fighting, but every now and then he decided it was fitting to make an example of someone. Most of the time he didn‟t care. “I‟m definitely going to teach you to fight like that. Come on. We‟re going out for dinner tonight at Freddie‟s house. He‟s really excited we‟re coming.”

Angel smiled up at him and squeezed his hand. “Does he know I‟m your boyfriend, Daddy? Did you tell him? Or did you say partner like older people say?”

Older people
?
Boyfriend
was such a pussy word. Kael had never dated. He did not want a relationship. He wanted to keep life simple, and what was simpler than a boot in the arse and a “good boy” said with feeling. And here he was, going out to dinner with another couple. He didn‟t know whether to take flowers and wine or run for his life. “I didn‟t talk about it.”

“Oh.” A look of disappointment crossed Angel‟s face. “We‟d better pick something up to take,” he said, as though they had done this a dozen times before.

“What? Wine or something?” Kael asked, having no idea why he was deferring to Angel.

“You know what would be better, Daddy?” Angel slid his arm around Kael‟s waist, and he pulled the boy into his side as they walked toward the road.

“I‟ve no idea.”

12“Let‟s pick up presents for the little girls. People love you if you‟re nice to their kids.”

If that was the case, Conran must hate Kael with every scrap of his being right now. “What do you buy for little girls? What do they like?”

“Barbies,” Angel said. “Everyone knows that.”

128

Kael dressed in smart black trousers, a black dress shirt, and black shoes and socks. He walked into the bathroom where Angel stood spiking up his hair in front of the mirror. “How do I look, boy?”

Appraising him with a low whistle, Angel said, “Crazy sexy but definitely like a killer.” Coming up beside him, Kael looked at himself in the mirror. “Daddy, we‟re going out to dinner with two gay fathers and a couple of little girls. All you need is a pair of dark glasses and you could be a bouncer at a mob funeral. Have you got a nice blue shirt to match your eyes?” Kael shook his head. “Gray?”

“Yes, I‟ve got gray.” He went to change, wondering why he had asked the boy‟s advice in the first place. Angel had dressed in leather trousers and a black shirt. He didn‟t look like a killer though, just a young boy who wanted desperately to be a leather man.

Angel was still working on his hair when Kael returned in an attractive gray shirt. “That‟s way better, Daddy.”

Kael looked at Angel seriously. “You behave yourself tonight, all right? Don‟t do anything to make me ashamed of you.”

“Yes, Sir, Daddy,” Angel said.

“Why do you do your hair like that? Have you thought of getting a buzz cut?”

“You can give me a buzz cut anytime you want, Daddy, but I do it like this to look like Cloud.”

Kael squinted at him. “What cloud?”

“I‟ll show you. Have you got a computer?”

“Of course. I‟ve been hiding it from you in case you do anything stupid.” He brought the laptop from where he had it hidden on a high shelf at the back of the wardrobe, and booted it up. Angel joined him in the bedroom and Googled Cloud Strife.

“Here, Daddy.” Kael looked over his shoulder. “That‟s Cloud Strife from
The
Advent Children
. It‟s a movie and a game. I love the movie. I had my hair cut to look like him because he‟s my hero.”

“I see that. His face looks like yours too, delicate and pale,” Kael said.

“Yeah, except Cloud has blue eyes and mine are gray.”

“Why is he your hero?”

12“Because he saves everybody from the bad guys. He does brave things, and I always wanted to be brave, like you, Daddy.”

“I‟m not brave, I‟m just foolhardy; there‟s a big difference. I‟m a thrill seeker. I can‟t help myself.”

Angel kissed his cheek. “You‟re my hero now, Daddy. I should shave my head like yours.”

Kael laughed. “Let‟s go, boy. We‟ve got Barbies to deliver, though I‟m not sure how appropriate it is to give plastic models of prostitutes to small children. If Freddie freaks out about them, your head will be on the block.”

“Daddy, trust me. Those little girls will love you for this.”

* * *

He was doing well for himself judging by the size of the house and the Chelsea address, but the hardwood floor was littered with toys and books, and a white, long-haired cat strolled about as if it owned the place, shedding hair everywhere. Kael looked down at his black trousers and wished he‟d worn old jeans.

“Our humble abode.” Freddie spread his arms, taking in the house.

“And his humble husband.” Adam walked in and shook hands with Kael and Angel.

“So what is your name, young man? We were never properly introduced.”

Freddie threw a chubby arm around Angel‟s shoulders, squashing him against his body.

“Angel Gabriel Button.” He looked at Freddie.