Red Phoenix

on the charm. ‘Most appreciated.’
    ‘No problem, Mrs Chen,’ Paul said.
    I froze completely. My heart leapt into my throat. Of course, that was the name on the paperwork. But it felt so damn good to be called that. I shook the feeling off; things to do.
    ‘Just Emma, guys,’ I said, ‘and I’m not Mrs Chen. Miss Donahoe. But just Emma, nanny.’ I pointed at the car. ‘Leo, driver.’
    ‘Okay,’ Paul said. ‘Sorry.’
    ‘Well,’ I said, ‘better get these kids fixed up. Thanks, guys. See you later.’
    They both smiled and nodded as I returned to the car.
    I heard shouting behind me and turned. A Chinese woman in the back of a large black Mercedes driven by a Filipino driver had seen us park and was arguing loudly with the guards that she should be allowed to park as well.
    Michael and Simone pulled their bags out of the car, assisted by Leo.
    ‘We Retainers will drop the Princess in her classroom and check the area, then we’ll drop the on-site guard to his station,’ I said cheerfully.
    ‘Yes, ma’am,’ both Michael and Leo said, but Simone scowled and put her hands on her hips. ‘You’re the nanny, Leo’s the driver, Michael’s my cousin, and I’m not a princess.’
    ‘Maybe this will work out after all,’ Leo said as he watched the children entering the school.
    A large number of mothers were hovering outside the first graders’ classroom and I had to fight my way through them with Simone. Leo and Michael hung back and waited. Simone hesitated, intimidated, when we entered the room; the children were all over the classroom. There weren’t old-fashioned desks, just small tables for the children to sit at, and a row of hooks along one wall for their bags.
    I helped Simone put her bag onto a hook at the side, then we approached the teacher. She handled the chaos with aplomb, cheerfully organising the children to sit at the tables.
    ‘Hello, this is Simone Chen,’ I said to her, a young blonde Australian woman with a kind face.
    ‘Hello, Simone,’ the teacher said. ‘Have you been to school, or kindergarten, before?’
    Simone shook her head, her eyes wide with apprehension.
    ‘Okay then,’ the teacher said briskly, ‘I’ll put you next to a little girl who already did a year here in the preparatory class, and she can help you. Is that okay?’
    Simone nodded, eyes still wide.
    ‘Do you remember about Simone?’ I said to the teacher.
    ‘No, what?’ the teacher said, obviously trying to recall any medical problems.
    I leaned over to speak quietly in her ear. ‘She has a guard stationed downstairs in the car park at all times. Either Leo, who’s outside waiting, or myself. She’s a kidnapping target; she’s already had a few attempts on her. Sorry.’ I grinned an apology. ‘But while we’re downstairs, she’ll be fine.’
    ‘I remember,’ the teacher said, studying me appraisingly. ‘Mrs Nelson told me about you.’ She smiled. ‘Well, I don’t need to worry about any terrorist attacks or anything while you’re downstairs. How did you get into the bodyguard business?’
    ‘I can honestly say that I had absolutely no intention of ever being one,’ I said. ‘I’m really just a nanny with some extra training. When your ward is a target, you learn quickly.’
    ‘I suppose you do.’ The teacher glanced down at Simone, who was talking quietly to the girl next to her. ‘Who’s the other bodyguard?’
    I opened my mouth to ask Simone to call Leo in, then stopped and mentally kicked myself. Damn, she was better at this normal stuff than I was.
    ‘You can’t miss him,’ I said. ‘He’s huge and black. Really nice guy. His name’s Leo. He’ll be downstairs in the car park. Simone knows who he is.’
    The teacher shrugged. ‘Lot of trouble to go to when she has all these kids around her. But if your boss wants to waste his money, that’s his business.’
    I laughed softly. ‘You’re exactly right.’ I watched Simone briefly. ‘I think I’m okay to go now. Can I leave you my mobile number just in case?’
    ‘Sure.’ The teacher gestured towards her desk, and I wrote my and Leo’s mobile numbers onto a piece of paper.
    ‘Call either of us if anything suspicious happens,’ I said, and she nodded.
    ‘You don’t look like a bodyguard. You armed?’ she said quietly.
    ‘No, and really, I’m just a nanny,’ I said and left it at that. If I mentioned the martial arts then I could be roped in to giving a demonstration, or, even worse, teaching