RYDER: A Standalone Military Romance (Blake Security Book 1) by Celina McKane Read Free Book Online Page B

asked was if there was anyone you knew who might want to do something like this? Maybe someone who knows you’re here working for these rich people.”
    “No. I don’t know anyone who would be a kidnapper.” She was obviously offended. I wasn’t sure why.
    “Alicia, why did you come to the United States in the first place?”
    “For a better life. Have you ever been to my country?”
    “Yes.” I’d been there on more than one mission while I was with the Seals. There were parts of it that were so beautiful they took your breath away and other parts where your heart broke for the people who had to live there. In a lot of ways, it was like the beautiful country we lived in. My guess, however, was that Alicia came from one of those places that broke your heart.
    In a quiet voice and without making eye contact with me, she said, “I was raised by a single mother with five kids. I was the only girl. It’s a miracle that I became a nanny and not a prostitute as well.”
    “Who did you know in the US before you came here?”
    “I have a friend that came here to be a nanny four years ago. We kept in touch, and when she heard about a job, she recommended me to the couple. The husband was in Moscow at the time on business. He interviewed me, and after he got home and spoke to his wife, they hired me and helped me with the arrangements to come here.” 
    “What exactly happened at that job? You never said why you had to leave.”
    “That’s confidential, too,” she said.
    “Again, this is all just about keeping Celia safe. I’m not going to go around announcing that you gave me confidential information. I have my own reputation and the reputation of my company to be concerned with.”
    She sighed and said, “The husband couldn’t keep his hands to himself. The fact that I didn’t like that didn’t seem to bother him, but his wife didn’t like it either, so I was let go, quietly. I was recommended to the Bransons and given a bonus after I signed a confidentiality agreement.” I felt an unexplained surge of anger in my chest that she would have to deal with that.
    Tamping that down I said, “Has Mr. Branson ever made advances toward you?”
    Celia made another noise. It sounded like a happy one to me. Alicia suddenly stood up straight and said, “I should go change her.” She held out her arms, and I gave her the baby. She didn’t answer my question or say another word. She carried the baby over to the back stairs and disappeared in a few steps. I had to assume the answer to that question was yes, and once again, I was angry.
    “Hey!” The sound of Leif’s voice behind me caused me to jump. I turned and looked at him and he said, “Did I scare you?” with a chuckle.
    I rolled my eyes at him and stood up. I’m at least eight inches taller than he is. He looked up at me and grinned. “Go ahead and puff out that big ol’ chest. I saw ya jump. Sorry I scared you. I shoulda known how jumpy you Seals are.” He wasn’t a huge guy, but he was a Green Beret and he’d done four tours of duty. I knew he was a tough S.O.B. as soon as I met him.
    I gestured at him with my middle finger, but I smiled. “Are you here for your shift, or just to give me a hard time?”
    He was smiling that big goofy country boy smile of his. “I’m here for the shift and to give you a hard time. The boss wants you to go by the shop on your way home.” Like Granny, Leif sometimes makes up his own words for things. I guess Oklahoma and the bayou aren’t so far apart.
    “All right, stick close to the nanny and the baby.”
    He nodded, and as I started to walk out, he said, “I wouldn’t mind sticking up against that nanny, she’s hot.”
    I didn’t even think about it. I spun around, and I was actually ready to fight my friend over a woman that I barely knew. What the hell is wrong with me? Leif was laughing, and that snapped me out of it. “What are you laughing at?”
    “You,” he said. “I saw the way you were looking