Your Next Breath

Your Next Breath Read Free

Book: Your Next Breath Read Free
Author: Iris Johansen
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tricks on the boat docks in Hong Kong. She started on drugs just to keep from cutting her wrists. But she was good to my mother, she was good to me. She’d share food with us. And she kept the men away from me until I was old enough to take care of myself.”
    “I know, you told me.”
    “I did, didn’t I?” She shook her head to try to clear it. “I thought she’d be safe in that little village. After I went to work for Venable, I thought I’d cut the ties to that old life. But there was still Olena, and I didn’t want to leave her in that hell.”
    “And you didn’t,” Hu Chang said gently. “We found a place for her, you got her off the drugs and gave her a chance.”
    “And she still died with a cut throat,” Catherine said bitterly. “Just the way it might have happened on the docks in Hong Kong.”
    “But she had those years you gave her, Catherine. And Ivan said they were happy years.”
    “She should have had many more years. She wasn’t much more than fifty.” She drew a deep, shaky breath. “Who did this, Hu Chang? Why? How can we get him?”
    “Three good questions. I have no answers.” He took the phone and dialed the photos down. “Not for Olena. Not for Jantzen.”
    Her eyes widened. “Jantzen?” Shock on top of shock.
    “He is also dead. I did not take these photos I’m going to show you. Venable sent them to me because you were involved, and he thought you should be advised. I take it you worked with Jantzen?”
    She nodded. “We worked several drug busts together in Caracas and Quito. He’s a good guy. I liked him.”
    “A good friend.” He nodded. “As good a friend as a loner like you permits herself.” He handed her the phone again. “With the exception of my humble self.”
    She flinched as she saw the photos of Jantzen’s body torn by bullets. “He had a wife and a kid. He was always talking about how smart his little girl was. What happened to him?”
    “A trap. He called Venable and told him that the meeting with the informant was bogus. They knew he was CIA.” He paused. “And they knew his connection with you.” He pulled out a small box and handed it to her. “This was wrapped around his hand when they found him.”
    She opened the box and pulled out a fine gold chain. But it had a circular ID plaque hanging from the chain with her name engraved on the surface. “Dog tags? I don’t wear dog tags even when I’m in the jungle. Certainly not gold ones.” The metal felt oddly warm in her palm. This strange chain had been held by Jantzen, and she had the feeling that some of his vitality lingered. God, his poor wife, Laura; what would she do now? It was easy to say that everyone survived, but how? “I need to call his wife.”
    “She hasn’t been informed yet. Venable wanted to explore the reasons why he was targeted, so that he had something concrete to tell her.”
    She looked down at the dog tag. “What can he tell her about this stupid dog tag? It doesn’t make sense.”
    “Neither does this.” Hu Chang pulled out another gold dog tag. “Olena was wearing it. Ivan said it looked like a gift. They’re both eighteen-karat gold and very fine workmanship.”
    “No coincidence,” she whispered. “Halfway across the world but no coincidence.”
    “That was my thought when I received word from Venable.” He paused. “And I received another message from him right before I arrived here. There are no photos yet, but he’s just heard that a Kirov Slantkey was shot in the head while riding his motorcycle in Moscow. Venable said you’d know.”
    “Yes. Slantkey was the informant who told me Rakovac was holding Luke in Russia after he was kidnapped. It narrowed down the search area. I was very grateful to him.” She leaned back in her chair. She felt weak and confused and unbearably sad. Get it together. Something bad was going down, and she had to identify and stop it. “Three deaths. All connected to me?”
    He inclined his head. “I would wager

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