ci5hq | Pros Novel Read-Along - Painted Angels by Angelfish

Well, this time I forgot the reminder, but I'm pretty sure that you'll have remembered anyway... *g*
Painted Angels by Angelfish.
Cover art by

firlefanzine

Chapter Nine

Half an hour after leaving Bodie, Doyle is in the laundrette, where the woman who works there knows him, and is startled by his beaten-up face. He's still processing things, including the fact that his father is dead, and what has just happened with Bodie. The latter makes him smile, but "it's no damn good." He's attracted to Bodie, and even Bodie's bad qualities wouldn't matter - except that Doyle now knows that he has the same bad qualities himself.

When the laundry's done, Doyle goes to Knightsbridge to return Gabe's clothes. Gabe simply accepts Doyle as his friend, and they talk about what's happened since they saw each other last. Gabe reveals that he's moving to a job in the Vatican, and that before he leaves for Rome he's going to go home to see his family - and that he thinks Doyle should come with him. Gabe recognises that it was someone else that Doyle wanted the previous night, and doesn't need Doyle's apology - but he also guesses that it was Bodie that Doyle really wanted, and that Doyle is resigning so that he won't end up losing Bodie as well. Doyle denies it, repeats that he's leaving.

Doyle finally heads to HQ, and comes across Murphy, who's returned to sign up with CI5 after all. Murphy tries to talk to him about Bodie, pointing out that he looks better than he's seen him in years - "Must be doing something right, Raymondo."

Cowley, meanwhile, is short of men in CI5 and doesn't want to lose Doyle, though Doyle is adamant that he's leaving. He and Bodie have a story to cover up their fight, and although Cowley knows it's just a story, and that something else happened, he's impressed that they're working together so tightly, even over the lie. He suggests to Doyle that Bodie doesn't need to be betrayed again - Doyle denies that his leaving is betraying Bodie again, and says that Bodie will be fine with Murphy. Cowley, however, also knows that Bodie is "as he is now" because of Doyle.

In the end, Cowley lets hiim go: "Hand your gun in at the armoury."