“Okay.” Bonnie smiled her warm, luminous smile, which always seemed to light up the world. “I only wanted to make sure that even if someday you can’t see me anymore like this, you’d know that I hadn’t really left you.”
I’ll always be there for you.
Not a coincidence that Bonnie had echoed those words when she had come to Eve today.
“No, not a coincidence,” Bonnie said softly.
“A promise?”
Bonnie nodded. “A promise that will last forever. You’ll remember that, Mama?”
“I’ll remember.” She swallowed to ease the tightness of her throat. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll accept it. I’m not giving you up, baby. We’ve worked this ghost business out to a fine art. So you just go tell all those mysterious entities that think they can keep you from me for no apparent reason that it’s not going to happen.”
“Because you say so.” Bonnie was suddenly chuckling. “Only you, Mama.”
“Why not? I know the love goes both ways, and being with me is probably good for you, too.” She smiled into her eyes. “So I don’t intend to let you go. I don’t care what kind of horror story you’re sensing ahead. We’ll make it through together.” Her smile deepened with all the love she was feeling. “Because I’ll always be there for you, too, Bonnie.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
IRIS JOHANSEN is The New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Witness, Live to See Tomorrow, Silencing Eve, Hunting Eve, Taking Eve, Sleep No More, What Doesn’t Kill You, Bonnie, Quinn, Eve, Chasing the Night, Eight Days to Live, Blood Game, Deadlock, Dark Summer, Pandora’s Daughter, Quicksand, Killer Dreams, On the Run, Countdown, Firestorm, Fatal Tide, Dead Aim, No One to Trust, and more. And with her son Roy Johansen, she has coauthored Sight Unseen, Close Your Eyes, Shadow Zone, Storm Cycle, and Silent Thunder.
Visit her at www.irisjohansen.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/OfficialIrisJohansen. Or sign up for email updates here.
ALSO BY IRIS JOHANSEN
Sight Unseen (with Roy Johansen)
Live to See Tomorrow
Silencing Eve
Hunting Eve
Taking Eve
Sleep No More
Close Your Eyes (with Roy Johansen)
What Doesn’t Kill You
Bonnie
Quinn
Eve
Chasing the Night
Shadow Zone (with Roy Johansen)
Eight Days to Live
Deadlock
Dark Summer
Quicksand
Silent Thunder (with Roy Johansen)
Pandora’s Daughter
Stalemate
An Unexpected Song
Killer Dreams
On the Run
Countdown
Blind Alley
Firestorm
Fatal Tide
Dead Aim
No One to Trust
Body of Lies
Final Target
The Search
The Killing Game
The Face of Deception
And Then You Die
Long After Midnight
The Ugly Duckling
Lion’s Bride
Dark Rider
Midnight Warrior
The Beloved Scoundrel
The Magnificent Rogue
The Tiger Prince
Last Bridge Home
The Golden Barbarian
Reap the Wind
Storm Winds
Wind Dancer
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
About the Author
Also by Iris Johansen
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
YOUR NEXT BREATH. Copyright © 2015 by Johansen Publishing LLLP. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Rob Grom
Cover photographs © Shuhui Yang and Shutterstock
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Johansen, Iris.
Your next breath / Iris Johansen.—1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-250-02008-6 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-02007-9 (e-book)
I. Title.
PS3560.O275Y68 2015
813'.54—dc23
2014040835
eISBN 9781250020079
First Edition: April 2015