Exposed - A Thriller Novella (Chandler Series) by J.A. Konrath & Ann Voss Peterson
with a scissors kick. I knewhow to swim well enough, and once I got myself beyond the terror ofbeing plunged into water, I could do okay. But that didn’t make iteasy. Julianne’s grabbing and thrashing made keeping my own fear incheck more challenging.When panicked, a drowning swimmer can pulldown anyone attempting a rescue. If this kept up, I would have todive deep, forcing her to choose between holding onto me orself-preservation. Once she let go, I would be able to secure herwith a cross chest carry.
I preferred it wouldn’t go that far. I’ddrowned once before and didn’t care to risk repeating theexperience.
“Julianne, I have you. It’s all right.” Ilooked straight into her panicked blue eyes and kept repeating thewords. Finally she focused, and I seemed to break through.
I caught sight of a seat cushion carried onthe waves, too far away to justify the effort to fetch it. InsteadI placed Julianne’s hands on my shoulders, so I could perform atired swimmer’s assist.
“Lean back and float.”
Miraculously she did as I said, her legscoming up on either side of me. Moving my arms and legs in amodified breast stroke, I pushed us both toward shore.
When I finally touched sand, my muscles wereso fried I wasn’t sure I could walk. We emerged from the water andlimped up on a strip of land flanked by a crowded, summertime beachand a waterside restaurant, its parking lot nearly empty in thehours between lunch and dinner.
Julianne leaned against me, her steps unevenas we wound through swimmers and sunbathers scattered along thebeach’s edge. People eyed her dripping clothes, but no one spoke ortried to help.
Overhead, the helicopter hovered high in thesky, its blades still beating staccato. No doubt the pilot had seenus come out of the water. Hawk Nose and whatever men he had leftwould be descending on the beach soon. We needed to be gone whenthey arrived.
I dipped a hand in the purse still slungdiagonally across my chest and brought out my phone.
After locating a sign proclaiming the beach’srules, I texted the name to the number Jacob had given me.
I sure as hell hoped Morrissey was close. Ifhe didn’t arrive soon, we’d have to make a run for it and hopethere was a train station nearby. At least I had the cash Jacob hadstashed in the purse.
“You … threw me out of a helicopter,”Julianne said. Her tone was belligerent.
“It was the only way.”
“I’m sure there were other ways. There had tobe other ways.”
“There weren’t.”
“You’re crazy.” She yanked her arm away andstumbled on her own for a few steps.
I caught up, grabbing the crook of herarm.
“I’m here to help you.”
“Get the hell away from me.”
“Those men weren’t working for a modelingagency, Julianne,” I said. “You were right to be afraid ofthem.”
“You threw me out of a helicopter, you crazybitch.”
Standing there with her hands fisted by herside, she reminded me of how young she actually was. And howstupid. But I couldn’t be too angry. After all, as many mistakes asshe’d made, I was still about half a dozen up at her age.
“Those men are human traffickers, Julianne.Ever hear of sexual slavery?”
She shook her head.
“They sell girls. They were planning to sellyou.”
“What?”
“You think normal modeling agents carry gunsaround? They’re going to sell you to some rich asshole overseas,where you’ll be raped and killed.”
Her eyes went out of focus. She stammeredsomething I couldn’t decipher.
“What are you on?” I asked, squinting intoher eyes. “What did they give you?”
“Leave me alone.”
Her pupils looked normal. From the slightlyslurred speech, and the lack of coordination, I guessed it wassomething in the diazepam family, Valium, maybe Xanax.
“Julianne, you have to listen to me and dowhatever I say. We’re not safe here.”
“If you don’t leave me alone, I’m gonna startscreaming.”
I saw her take a deep breath. Screaming woulddraw attention, which would draw Hawk Nose.
I raised my hand and slapped her, hard, wetpalm against wet cheek.
Her eyes went wide.
“I don’t give a shit if you don’t believe me,or you’re confused, or the drugs are clouding your head. These aredangerous men, Julianne. You’re in trouble, and if you don’t doexactly what I say, when I say it, I’ll knock out every one of yourteeth, and then any chance you might have at a modeling career willbe gone. Got it?”
She nodded quickly. “I … I …”
“Shut up and come with me.”
I took her by the hand and led her into anoverpriced gift shop in the beach parking lot. After spending aminute working the rolled up fifty dollar bill out of my purselining, I bought each of us a Red Bull and ordered Julianne todrink hers. They didn’t have first aid kits, and the bandages theysold were too small for my wound, but they had the next bestthing—super glue. I dripped half a tube onto the bullet burn,effectively stopping the bleeding. It was ugly, but effective.
The limo pulled up just as we walked backoutside.
Morrissey lowered the window. “I thinkeveryone east of Oyster Bay saw you jump out of the helicopter.Cops will be here any second.” He eyed my shoulder. “Are youbleeding?”
“I was. I took care of it.”
“Is she?”
“No.”
“You sure?”
I pulled on the door handle. It waslocked.
“Open the goddamn door, Morrissey.”
“Are you sure she isn’t hurt?”
“I’m fine,” Julianne mumbled.
The door unlocked. I pushed Julianne into theback seat of the car and slipped in beside her. Morrissey hit thegas, flattening us against leather. I fastened my safety belt andmade sure Julianne did the same. The air conditioning raised goosebumps on my nearly naked skin.
We wound along twisting, tree-lined streetsdotted with quaint Victorians that probably cost half as much as myapartment building back in Chicago. I spotted a dark blue van turnonto the street behind us and caught a glimpse of Hawk Nose behindthe wheel.
They had automatic weapons. If we got stuckin traffic, we were dead.
“You spot ‘em?” I asked Morrissey.
“Yeah. See the bar back there?”
I glanced at a leather-covered compartmentjust to the right of Julianne’s footspace.
“I stashed something in the ice bucket foryou.”
I opened the little cubicle. Tucked into theinsulated bin was a Glock 22. Fifteen .40 rounds in the magazine,one in the chamber.
Julianne