Page 163 - EAMMV9covers

NICHOLAS BOOTHMAN
budge. He cupped his hands. Yelled over the idling
engine, “Go. Now!”
This whole thing felt wrong. But something in
Julia’s voice on that crackly radio. Something in
Mannie’s eyes, despite the hard edge. Made me suck in
a breath. I stepped forward.
The chopper door swung open. A dark-haired
woman in a purple skirt, white blouse held onto the
frame like it might fly away without her. She waved
me over. Hurry up. I saw another woman inside at the
controls. Younger. Talking into a headset. Julia?
Tourists were stopping. Pointing. Helicopters in
Vegas are a big deal. The whirring blades. The mystery.
Got people staring. Thinking about money. Power. The
kind of stuff that stays in your dreams.
“Go go go!” Mannie again. Louder now, the blades
chopping the air.
“Not a chance in hell!” I yelled back. Point-blank.
“Because she’s a woman?” His eyes narrowed.
“Hell no. Because I don’t know any of you!”
“Know this then. Julia? More than two thousand
hours flying these things.”
Mannie jammed the Motorola to his mouth. “He’s
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