Enemy Mine by Lindsay McKenna Page A

the three goons, whom she was sure would arrive any minute now. It was nearly 1400, and the humidity outside was heavy. Fortunately,the gym was air-conditioned, and the coolness revived her somewhat. But it didn’t stop her from sweating.
    Kathy grimly noticed the video cameras at all four corners of the gym, no doubt videotaping her test. She wondered if Garcia would be watching. This thought made her sharpen her resolve. She took that anger and fed it through herself. It wiped out some but not all of the fear clattering through her body like a runaway freight train.
    Kathy didn’t have long to wait. Therese, who stood at the door to watch, had warned her the men would be armed and would come at her all at once. This, she told her, would be to simulate a kidnapping attack. Kathy must be ready to defend Garcia’s daughter, Tiki, with her life. Yeah, right. Therese left out the fact that her boss was a drug lord and that other powermongers would love to take him down and kill his family, to become kingpins in his place. Swallowing hard, Kathy saw the three men enter and walk past Therese, whom they acknowledged with deferential nods. And then their gazes swung to her.
    Steeling herself, Kathy silently thanked Coulter for the information he’d shared. He’d described them flawlessly. The German, Otto, was a pale milky man, whose shaved head shone like a cue ball. His blue eyes narrowed upon her. Frank, the Belgian, grinned at her, revealing that his front three teeth were missing. Her attention swung to the last one, Turban, whose ebony skin glistened with perspiration. His head was shaved also and his beady chocolate eyes were set close together.
    Otto and Turban had bands of ammunition drapedacross their massive chests. All had weapons in their hands, AK-47s, the snub noses aimed at her. And all had knives in their belts or strapped to their lower legs. Her skin crawling with terror, Kathy crouched and took a steadying breath, feet slightly apart for balance.
    Once they reached the mats, fifty feet away from her, they attacked. Fanning out, they came toward her from three different directions. Kathy had no time to think, only to react. Otto raised his rifle butt to club her. She instantly lashed out with her right foot and caught the German squarely in the chest. The powerful impact jarred her, but she kept her balance.
    “Oomph!”
    Otto went down, the rifle he carried flying into the air. Kathy caught it and spun around as Frank charged her. She saw the surprise in his eyes when she swung the rifle, smashing the stock against his upraised hands, which held his own weapon. Then she balled up her right fist and slammed it into his face. Pain from the punishing crunch ran all the way up her arm to her shoulder, but Frank went down, unconscious, his weapon hurtling to the floor.
    Kathy had no time to notice how her knuckles burned. Instantly, she felt the air exploding inches from her head. Turban had raised his weapon and brought it down, thinking to catch her from behind and split her skull open.
    Breathing hard, she leaped away. The rifle smashed into the mat at her feet. Frank and Otto were still down, so she had to contend with Turban, who was grinning and showing his yellow teeth. Crouching again, Kathylet him come at her. This time he jabbed his rifle toward her chest. Deftly moving to one side, like a fencer parrying a blade, Kathy went for the man’s eyes. In seconds, she was jabbing his eye sockets with her fingers.
    With a roar of pain and surprise, Turban jerked back, dropping the AK-47. His hands covering his eyes, he peddled backward, off balance, arms flailing like a windmill. His screams filled the hall.
    Whipping around to her right, Kathy saw Otto start to get to his hands and knees. Mouth open and breathing hard, Kathy attacked him. The toe of her tennis shoe caught him beneath the jaw, and she heard a terrible crunching sound. She’d broken it. Otto cried out and slumped unconscious to the