She slipped on a pair of sunglasses she’d carried downstairs with her and led her young shadow outside and down the front steps. Her first destination was the garden she and Caleb had lingered in last evening. The place where he’d uttered that cryptic statement that had said everything, and nothing, about the trespassing Hispanics. Under the pretense of strolling through the grounds, she took her time studying the confines of the compound, at least what she could see of it from there.
The drive leading to the road in front of the house was at least a mile. Gates stretched across the entrance, connected to what she imagined was an electric fence line. Although she could see activity there, she was unable to make out the number of men patrolling from this distance. She made a mental note to investigate it later.
It wasn’t necessary to feign fascination with the magnificent display of color before her. Although Rachel had no claim to a green thumb, she could appreciate the efforts of those who did. The garden was a fitting addition to the nearby mansion, and for the man who seemed used to the best of everything.
With seeming aimlessness, she exited the garden and began strolling toward the buildings, ignoring the young man at her side. But when they were within a hundred yards of the training facility, Raymond broke the silence. “Ma’am? You’ll probably want to head back up toward the house. These buildings are used during the day for training operations.”
“Perfect.” She graced him with a bright smile. “I was telling General Carpenter last night how much I was missing my daily workouts, and he invited me to use the gymnasium facility. Is this it?”
“Yes, this is it, but I don’t think the colonel would…that is…” His words trailed off when she whipped off her glasses to stare at him.
“The colonel?”
Raymond was clearly uncomfortable. “I—I mean the general. He probably wouldn’t like it.”
“But I’ve just told you that he okayed it, didn’t I? So I don’t foresee any problem.”
Turning on her heel she strode to the entrance and pushed the door open. Carpenter hadn’t been exaggerating, she discovered. The building was fully outfitted with top-of-the-line equipment. No expense had been spared training the men and women of The Brotherhood how to fight for the dogma they were dedicated to.
Despite the use for which it was intended, she had a grudging admiration for the equipment itself. She’d never worked out in such a well-maintained gymnasium outside of the agency’s training facility.
She walked about the place, openly watching the drills going on in some of the rooms. And when she found a gymnasium empty, she lost no time entering. It was too much temptation to merely look at the various stations. Soon she was slipping out of her shoes and hoisting herself up on the balance beam to run lightly across it and back several times. Then spying an electronic sparring machine in the corner, she went to examine it. She was only peripherally aware of the moment when Raymond slipped away, probably to report to Sutherland.
“I see you’re interested in our machine. Do you train?”
Rachel whirled around to see a red-haired woman about her age crossing the gym toward her. She was dressed in the customary black fatigues.
“I do, but I rarely have the opportunity to use equipment like this. You’re very lucky. I’m Rachel, by the way.”
“My name is Kathy.” The woman surveyed her curiously. “I hope you fare better than the last two applicants. General Carpenter takes his responsibility to The Brotherhood very seriously, and his standards are quite high.”
There didn’t seem to be an appropriate answer for that statement, so Rachel didn’t offer one. “The general invited me to use the facilities and I’m going to take him up on it. Is this gymnasium going to be free for the next hour or two?” As she spoke, she unbuttoned her shirt and shrugged out of it. Clad in a tank top and shorts, she sat to pull off her shoes. She always preferred to work out barefoot.
“There isn’t a session scheduled for this hall until this afternoon. I’ll be leading it myself.”
Rachel bent her knee and lunged forward to loosen up. “Oh, so you’re a trainer here.” She switched legs. “I was an instructor myself in the organization I came from.”
The woman looked pleased. “Really? Would you like a sparring partner? It’s not often that I can find a worthy match here.”
“Sure.” She welcomed the opportunity. It was imperative to stay in shape during the assignment. It was impossible to tell when she would be called on to defend herself.
After a warming up for a few minutes, the women stepped into the middle of a ring drawn on the mat. For the first few minutes they circled each other, feinting a few times, gauging the strength and agility of their opponents. Watching Kathy’s eyes, Rachel was able to estimate when her intent changed to something more serious, and easily dodged the first spin kick, dancing gracefully out of reach.
Kathy’s face hardened. They circled again, and Rachel rushed in, landing a blow lightly in the woman’s midsection. The other woman feinted left, and kicked out. Too late, Rachel moved away. The kick caught her in the shoulder with enough force to stagger her. If she hadn’t moved at the last minute, it would have taken her down.
Her eyes narrowed. This was no ordinary sparring match, one to test speed, endurance and agility. Kathy wasn’t checking her blows. From the look of determination on the other woman’s face, she wouldn’t be satisfied until Rachel was lying on the mat.
She had no intention of indulging her.
Rachel began to spar in earnest, determined to put an end to the competition. Again she watched Kathy’s eyes. That’s where the purpose would show, a split second before the hands or feet moved. She dodged a blow that would have rocked her chin back and waited for the next kick. When it came, she caught the heel of Kathy’s foot and used her momentum to pull the woman off balance. She landed hard on the mat and Rachel followed her down, her knee to the woman’s throat in a final demonstration of victory.
“Ah…an interesting exhibition.” Rachel’s head jerked at the sound of Carpenter’s voice, and Kathy took advantage of her distraction to roll away and rise.
Rachel stood, her brows arched. “I wasn’t aware we had an audience.” Several men, including Sutherland and Raymond, were gawking from the doorway. Her attention, though, was focused on Carpenter, trying to gauge his reaction. He was, she decided a moment later, mildly amused.
Carpenter looked around him. “Dismissed, men.” When it took a few moments for them to begin to disperse, he repeated himself, a thread of steel entering his voice. “I said, you’re all dismissed. Back to your stations.”
They exited quickly, and Kathy slipped out a side door, leaving Rachel and Caleb alone in the gym. Rachel went over to retrieve her shirt and shoes, and Caleb strolled after her. “Here.” He tossed her a towel from shelf against the wall. “Not that you seemed to work up much of a sweat. Are you finished with your workout?”
“Actually…no. I had just started when Kathy offered me a match.” She studied him carefully. “You told me I could use the facility.”
His hands in the pockets of his trousers, he meandered over to her and leaned against the wall. “And I meant it. I just hadn’t been prepared for the sight of my fiancée dumping the colonel’s daughter on her behind.” He shook his head, as if the memory of the sight still amused him.
Her attention fragmented. It was the first time the term fiancée had been used without a qualifier—like applicant or candidate. Another thought occurred. Stilling in the act of retying her shoes, she looked up. “Daughter.