by Tracy Sharp
Although it took about a half hour to get there, the drive was too damned short on such a gorgeous day. The warm wind smelled fresh as it gently moved my hair around. Good thing I don’t spend much time on styling it.
Callahan was leaning against the tow truck, which now had a boat trailer hooked up to the back of it. He was looking sporty in a pair of cargo shorts and a t-shirt bearing a picture of a bearded smiley face on it. He wasn’t wearing sunglasses and squinted against the sun as he smiled and headed toward me.
“You’re looking mighty yummy today.” His eyes appraised my legs in my denim cut-offs.
“Thanks.” I also wore a blue tank top. No bra. I’m not really chesty, so I can pull it off. “You’re not looking so shabby yourself.”
He moved in to place his hands on my hips and kiss me but I stepped back. “We’re on duty. Very unprofessional.”
He stepped back and grunted his disappointment, giving me his best annoyed look.
“Later,” I said, winking and blowing him a kiss before I turned and headed toward the beach. “So where is it?”
“Hold up and I’ll show you, gangbuster.”
“Hey, it’s the only way to do this job,” I threw over my shoulder.
“It’s the only way you do anything.” He caught up to me, smacking me on the behind.
“Hey!”
“Ha! Gotcha!”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“There it is.” He nodded toward a gorgeous specimen of a speedboat floating gently beside the dock.
I whistled. The boat was a beauty. Sleek and white, shaped to cut through the water smoothly. It was a thirty-footer. The guy who’d bought it had paid a hundred and twelve grand for it.
And now we were about to steal it from him.
“Where’s the owner?”
“In the clubhouse having lunch. He’ll be in there for a while. He likes to take two-hour lunches that consist of several cocktails. He likes one of the waitresses. Will says he keeps flashing his cash at her and asking her out but she never says yes.”
“Why not? Is he really hideous?”
“No, she just has higher standards, I think.”
“Too bad he’s not flashing his cash at the bank.” I stood on the dock looking down at the boat. “You think we can get this baby up on the trailer before anyone notices and tells Richie Rich in there?”
“Only one way to find out.” He grinned at me, brushing his fingers over my butt again.
I grinned back. “Go get the tow truck. Let’s have some fun.”
* * *
I had a few hours before Callahan picked me up. We were going to dinner and a movie. I was getting used to the dating thing but I still needed time alone. He’s a good guy. He understands.
Adrenaline was still coursing through my body and my mind was cranking. We’d made it out with the speedboat without any theatrics from the owner. We’d moved fast and didn’t address any of the stares from curious people. My guess is that the guy was a real asshole and they were secretly gleeful that his boat was being repossessed, or maybe they just didn’t want to get involved. It worked out fine for us either way.
I still needed to burn off some of the tension I’d accumulated in my neck and shoulders. I went into my bedroom and stripped off my cut-offs. I chose a loose pair of cotton shorts but kept my tank top on. It was hot in the house and much hotter upstairs. Most people would think I’m a maniac for lifting weights in such heat. The alternative was to toss and turn all night.
I had a giant fan sitting on the stair landing that pointed into my spare bedroom and I was getting a good breeze from it. It had a real kick to it, so it wasn’t just blowing hot air around. Working out would be bearable.
Frank came wandering in, yawning and stretching. He knew the routine and plopped himself down a few feet from my weight machine to settle in and watch me, his yellow eyes flickering with just the slightest bit of interest.
I began with light free weights to warm up, twenty pounds. I sat on the bench of my weight machine and concentrated on feeling the muscle work. I watched as it bunched and relaxed and slowed my breathing. I focused on inhaling and exhaling, getting my rhythm going, closing my eyes and clearing my mind, listening to the white noise of the fan.
My eyes snapped open. An unfamiliar sound had roused me from my meditation. I couldn’t really place it, except that it was a sound which didn’t belong. The faintest noise, barely audible above the sound of the fan. I looked at Frank who was staring at the doorway to the landing, his ears almost flattened.
Something wasn’t right. There was somebody in my house.
I quickly got up and moved to the right side of the doorway, staying as flat against the wall as I could. I waited. The minutes ticking away seemed like individual lifetimes. My heart was pounding and sweat had broken out all over me. I waited. I glanced at my watch. Two minutes had gone by.
Had Frank and I both imagined the sound? Was it just the old house moving in a new, unusual way. No. There was somebody there. I could feel it. Then a shadow passed over the door and I held on tightly to the dumbbell in my left hand. He had to know that I knew he was there, so he’d expect me to be on one side of the door or the other.
I didn’t wait for him to figure out what to do. I stepped out and swung the dumbbell at him in one fluid motion, hitting him square in the chest. I heard ribs crunching.
My eyes took him in within a split second. His short, platinum hair, buzzed close to the scalp. Large tattooed arms. He grabbed at his chest but held on to his knife, blue eyes wide with surprise.
“Surprise!” I screamed at him, bringing my knee up to smash against his groin. He bent and grabbed himself between the legs, gagging. He dropped the knife. I kicked it away. It went sliding across the hardwood floor to the opposite end of the room. Just as he was trying to straighten up, his eyes filled with rage, I brought my foot up and slammed it flat into his stomach, sending him tumbling backward down the stairs. When he landed, one arm was twisted at a strange angle. It was obviously broken in a few places. He was lucky his neck wasn’t broken.
There was still time for that.
I went down after him. He lay on his back at the bottom of the stairs, slowly shaking his head from side to side. I straddled him and brought my dumb bell down on his throat, placing a knee on his good arm. I mashed my weight onto it as I leaned over and looked into his face, tilting my head and smiling cheerfully at him.
“Thanks, man. You’re exactly what I needed today. Wanna go another round?”
He stared at me, his eyes wary. “No, I’m sorry. Can I go?”
“Who sent you?”
He opened his mouth to answer but I put my fingers over his lips to silence him.
“You know what? Never mind. I don’t even care. Tell you what. I’m going to let you go. Let you live to tell the tale. Believe me, you come around here again, I’ll cut your balls off. I mean it.”
He nodded, then grimaced. He must’ve pulled a muscle in his neck. “Okay,” he croaked.
“You tell whoever it was that sent you to grow up and stop being such a spoilsport. If he doesn’t want me stealing his pretty ride, he should make his damn payments. You tell him that for me, okay?”
“Yeah.”
I patted his cheek. “Good boy.”
I got off him and he scrambled to get up. He wasted no time getting to the kitchen and heading out the door.
I nodded to myself, took a deep breath and stretched. I checked my watch. Ten to four. Still had two hours to kill. I’d take a shower, then maybe sit outside and sip on a beer before Cal showed up.
Cool.
First I needed to check my mail. I don’t check my mailbox every day. I just forget. I figure the bills can wait a few days before I look at them.
So I made my way across the yard, squinting in the sunshine as I went. I was beginning to feel like a vampire. Since I lost my construction job, so much of my time out is spent in a car watching a target and lots of times the s
urveillance occurs at night. I’m not used to being directly under the sunshine anymore and my deep, bronze tan had faded. I’d have to find some time to sit outside with a book like a normal person.
I opened the mailbox, surprised to see a small, brown package sitting in there. I picked the package up and frowned. It was a padded envelope with what felt like a small box inside it. There was no return address. I lifted the package to my ear. It wasn’t ticking, so I figured it was somewhat safe to open.
Using a thumbnail, I made a tear large enough to rip the rest of the envelope open without much trouble. The small box was taped shut with regular Scotch tape. I shook it lightly. There was something hard inside but the clunking sound it made as it hit the sides of the box was muffled by something else. I tore at the ends of the tape and finally got the box open. White tissue paper surrounded the item inside. I moved the tissue aside and my mouth dropped open. I caught my breath and stared at the object, awed by how beautiful and exotic it was.
Sitting in the box was a small, jade dragonfly with gold wings and sapphires for eyes. A hole had been drilled through the end of the body, and a long, red cord had been strung through it. It was a stunning pendent. I’d never seen anything like it. This was certainly a family heirloom. Nobody made jewelry like this anymore. I was sure of it. And jade was a stone used in Asian countries to make jewelry and figurines.
My eyes caught the corner of a small piece of folded lined paper tucked inside the bottom of the box. With one hand I worked the note open, careful not to drop the dragonfly. Two words were written in neat script on the center of the paper.
Thank you.
I looked at the dragonfly and smiled. I knew the meaning of a dragonfly. I’d read somewhere that it was a symbol of strength and courage. I looped the cord over my head and felt the weight of the dragonfly pulling the cord gently against the back of my neck. The weight of it was comforting. I held the dragonfly in my hand for a moment. It was far too precious a gift to accept but somebody had wanted me to have it.
I let the pendent drop and it hung between my breasts, somehow making me feel more grounded.
Then I made my way back to the house to get ready for my date with Callahan.
We had a lot of catching up to do. And I did mean to catch up.
A lot.
FINDING CHLOE
A Leah Ryan Suspense Novel
TRACY SHARP
FINDING CHLOE
An exotic dancer vanishes from the underbelly of the city. Repo agent and reformed car thief Leah Ryan has a knack for rescue, and she's a sucker for a lost cause.
Unable to turn away from helping find a stripper whose disappearance many are indifferent to, Leah soon discovers that there are those who would keep Chloe Nolan from being found, and that there is far more to her disappearance than meets the eye.
This is the second book in the Leah Ryan series. Leah also appears in the short story Jacked Up, which also features Lieutenant Jack Daniels, written in collaboration with J.A. Konrath.
Chapter One
I’m being watched.
It was the second time I’d seen the guy in two days. Just the day before I’d seen him on the beach, wandering along the sand and looking nervous. When I caught him watching me he looked down, suddenly finding his flip-flops extremely interesting. His longish, dark blond hair was shaggy, and he looked too thin. He was maybe in his early twenties but had a worn look about him. This guy wasn’t a surfer. He didn’t have a tan.
I kept my eyes on him after that, and it wasn’t long before he gave me a last furtive glance and wandered off. I didn’t know why he’d been watching me, but told myself that he wanted to pick me up but was too shy. Still, I kept my eyes open for him on the way to my car and on the ride home.
I’d forgotten about him by the time I got home, where Buddy, my hundred and twenty-five pound rottweiler greeted me. He can cheer me even on the worst days, with that big rotti smile of his. It’s pretty easy to forget about creepy guys following me when Buddy’s around.
But the next day, there he was again.
I was sitting at the counter of my favorite Chinese food take-out place, looking through the glass door to make sure Buddy was okay in the Jeep. There the guy was, wandering too casually past the door, glancing at me as he went. When he saw that I’d caught him looking at me he quickened his pace and was soon past the door and out of sight.
I jumped up from the chair and bounded to the door, whipping it open and flying through it. He was walking quickly toward the parking lot, hands in his pockets and head hung low.
“Hey!” I ran toward him.
Buddy started barking his head off, massive block head poking out of the Jeep window.
The guy looked back at me, eyes round with shock, but kept walking.
“Stop right there or I’ll keep following your ass.” My heart was drilling against my ribcage. The guy could have a gun on him. I probably should have followed him quietly, but now that I’d started this I had to follow through. “I’ve got a full tank of gas, so I don’t care. It’s a nice day for a ride.”
His step faltered. Finally he stopped, turning slowly to face me.
“Why the hell are you following me?” I glared at him, my hands bunched into fists, ready to pummel him if I had to.
At first he didn’t say anything, but stared at me with wide, ice-blue eyes. Finally he spoke. “Because I need you.”
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
“Please. I need your help.” His gaze seemed to go right through me.
Up until then I’d been wondering if he was crazy, because he certainly wasn’t smooth enough to have been hired by somebody to watch me. No professional would’ve let himself be seen so easily. He was young, but he had the look of somebody who had seen too much in his relatively short life. And those eyes looked as deep as a bottomless well. Deep and intense, but lucid. Maybe he wasn’t a nut job.
Oh, God. I hoped he wasn’t a stalker who’d seen me somewhere and had suddenly taken a fancy to me. Those bastards are hard to shake. Sometimes damned near impossible.
I kept my voice even. “Who are you?”
“Is there somewhere we can go talk?”
“Pal, I don’t know you from a hole in the ground. You think I’m going to go somewhere with you and chat it up?”
“Please. A public place. I’m not here to hurt you. I’ve ... heard about you. I have a friend who needs your help. Just hear me out. You’re her only hope.”
I stood there staring at him for a moment, knowing that what I should do is just turn and walk away. I’d had more than my share of trouble in the past year, and damn it, I deserved a break.
I rarely do what I should.
I sighed. “Aw, hell.” How did I get dragged into these things?
I shook my head. Because if I don’t go looking for trouble. It finds me. That’s how.
I took a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go to the park down the street. My dog needs a walk. But I’m starving. I’m going back to get my lunch first.”
“Great. Thank you.” He began to follow me.
I turned and stopped. “Stay here. And don’t thank me yet.”
* * *
We sat on the grass under a huge maple tree. It was a perfect May day. The sun was shining but the air was still just a little cool. I’d planned to come to this park and eat my chicken and broccoli and watch as Buddy merrily marked each tree. Just enjoy the solitude of an early spring day with my dog. I could still appreciate the day, but the shaggy stranger who apparently needed me kind of put a damper on the solitude part.
I looked over at him. Despite the warmth of the day, he wore a long sleeved shirt. I watched as he scratched the inside of his arm. I had a feeling he wasn’t scratching a bug bite. “How long has it been since you had a fix?”
He looked surprised.
I nodded at his hand, which was still scratching at his arm.
He let his hand fall to the grass. “A month. It hasn’t been a day at the fair
, but it’s getting easier.”
“So, who the hell are you and why do you think you need me?” I speared some broccoli and chewed slowly. That take-out place makes the best Chinese food I’ve ever had. I drive five miles just to get their food. It ticked me off that I couldn’t enjoy it in peace.
“My name is Phil Moreau. A friend of mine is missing.”
“How do you know this friend is missing? Maybe this friend just doesn’t want to be found.”
“Because I know her. Far as I can tell, she vanished about a week ago. I’ve been trying to stay away from ... the old crowd, you know, so I don’t get back into the drugs. I thought she was just pissed off at me and that’s why she wasn’t calling. When I went back there to find her, everyone said she’d just disappeared.” Barely restrained panic tightened his face. I knew that feeling well. “She’d never just take off and not call me. She wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.”
“This friend of yours, she got a name?” Even as I asked him this question, I wondered why I was letting myself get involved. Why couldn’t I let it be somebody else’s problem for once?
“Her name is Chloe. Chloe Nolan. She used to be my girlfriend, but I had to break it off so I could get clean. She said she wasn’t ready to leave the life yet. The last time I spoke to her she said she had something cooking. Something that would make her a lot of money, and that we could both take off somewhere after. Live a clean life.” He sighed, long and heavy, his eyes scanning the park nervously. I could tell that in his mind he was seeing Chloe’s face. “We could have a fresh start.”
“She disappeared after that conversation?”
“That was the last time I spoke with her. I think she went missing pretty soon after that.” He scratched at his arm again. “Look, I heard how you helped that kid last summer, and how you helped those Asian women who were smuggled over and forced into prostitution.”
A shiver ran through me and I tried not to shudder. That whole thing had been a nightmare. The kid had been tricked into hooking for a very nasty man. My friend Jack and I had taken him safely back home. We hadn’t been able to help all of the women, though. Some of them hadn’t been so lucky.