Read Online Enemy Mine by Lindsay McKenna - Free Book Online Page B

“So, if my English sounds flawed, that is why.” She saw Señora Olivares’s mouth twitch. Was that a good or bad sign?
    “I see here that you have been trained in early childhood education at the British Nanny Institute in Toronto. Two years of training and you were an A student.”
    “Yes, ma’am.”
    “What kind of employment are you looking for, Ms. Lincoln?”
    Taken aback, Kathy quickly said, “Permanent only, ma’am. I want to fit into the family and work with the little ones.”
    “I see…”
    This was torture.
    “I thoroughly checked all your credentials last week, Ms. Lincoln.”
    Kathy’s heart thudded in her chest. She kept her face carefully composed. Having sent her résumé two weeks ago, she expected to have her references verified. But still, as she watched Señora Olivares tap her bloodred polished nails over the personnel file, arched brows drawn downward, Kathy’s fears mounted. What the hell did that look mean? Had they found her out? Had her cover been blown? A hundred other worries floated in her head. Kathy saw no guards in the office, but she was sure the goon that had escorted her was out in the hall. Out of sight, but close enough to shoot her or bury her if Señora Olivares gave the order.
    “Do you prefer working with a particular gender, Ms. Lincoln?”
    Shrugging, Kathy said, “I love all children, no matter what their age or gender, Señora Olivares.”
    “I see. Well, I am fascinated with your other livelihood before you took child care training. You were in the CAF? The Canadian Armed Forces? Isn’t that a bit of a change in career paths?”
    Kathy didn’t know how to read the woman’s inscrutable look. Her brown eyes were flat and reminded her of a snake eyeing its next meal. “I suppose it is, ma’am,but when I was eighteen I had a lot of wild oats to sow. My parents felt it best that I spend three years in the CAF, enlisted ranks, to get over that.”
    “And you agreed with their plan?”
    “I thought it would be interesting work. I’m very physical by nature and I wanted a job that would test me.”
    “I see you worked in security?”
    “Yes, ma’am. In the civilian world my career would be that of a police officer.”
    “I see….” More tapping on the file with her claws. Another inscrutable look.
    Kathy sat very still, unable to gauge the woman. Her instincts told her to stay quiet.
    “And so, you took many police courses while in the CAF? Such as karate? Firing weapons of all kinds? Or were you in the office typing?”
    Kathy smiled slightly. “I was a field operative in security. I was cross-trained in hand-to-hand combat, and I am proficient in all the weapons I listed on my résumé. I did not sit in an office.”
    “Excellent. Well…” Señora Olivares raised her head “…the family I represent is looking for a bodyguard and a nanny, Ms. Lincoln. And they want someone who desires long-term employment. They pay handsomely, and you will travel the world with them.”
    “That sounds exactly what I’m looking for,” Kathy said. She noticed that throughout the two weeks she’d spent getting to this point, no one had ever mentioned the family’s name, which she knew was Garcia.
    “Before you meet my employer, he insists upon a small test to see if you can meet the requirements forthis position. He needs assurance that you are highly competent and skilled in these areas.”
    “Okay.” What tests? Kathy had taken a ream of written tests last week. They were all psychologically oriented and examined by a male psychiatrist in Garcia’s employ. She’d bluffed her way through the paper chase and past the shrink, who had reminded her of Freud in more ways than one. More tests? What kind now? She was sick of them. Seeing Señora Olivares smile for the first time, her hands folded over the file, Kathy got a bad feeling. Her smile never reached her eyes, which remained curiously flat yet very probing.
    “My employer wants a young woman with a