Shadows (Black Raven Book 1) Read Online Free

fortunes.
    “Drugs?” He glanced through the windshield. Outbound traffic was getting heavier as they headed into Covington. They were about forty-five minutes from downtown New Orleans, and on this Monday in February, commuters were headed to work. A quick glance in the visor’s mirror told him that the blue Explorer had disappeared. Good. As far as he could tell, no one was following them.
    “Occasional marijuana reports. Social alcohol. Big parties, fast cars, yachts, high fashion,” Ragno paused. “Skye ran through men. Lots of them—several well-known. She even dated Justin Timberlake. There are plenty of photos of the two of them together. ”
    On the iPad, Sebastian fast-gazed at paparazzi photos of Skye, who smiled at the camera like it was her best friend, while clubbing, bikini-tanning on yachts, and dining with other A-listers. Her smile was full and captivating and it was something she was rarely without. It set her apart from the others in the photos, because the current style for young heiresses in the fast lane was a perpetually bored, slightly annoyed, pouty look. Not Skye. She looked like she enjoyed the fun, and each time she was photographed in a group, more people looked at her than at the camera. He swiped backwards on the screen and started over, studying how she gave in to moments with reckless abandon, carrying everyone else along for the ride.
    “Her partying pictures are all two years old or older. About a year before her father’s conviction,” Pete said, turning at a traffic light into the outskirts of the quaint town. “Skye had a serious car accident in the Florida Keys. She was driving and speeding. It was raining. She swerved to avoid a key deer. One passenger died. Her sister was injured. After that, she kept a relatively low profile. No more high-life partying pics, no reports of famous boyfriends. She and her sister disappeared from public view right before her father’s conviction and imprisonment. Chloe and Colbie Stewart have established a new life here in Covington.”
    “And they’ve done a world class job of it,” Sebastian muttered. “Do we know why they’ve gone to such extreme measures to conceal their identity?”
    “No,” Ragno answered, “other than to separate themselves from the Barrows name. Their father was constantly denigrated and mocked in the public eye before he went to prison. Or, maybe they’re just as paranoid as he is.”
    As he scanned through the files, Sebastian’s gaze rested on a photograph of a long-legged, sun-tanned blonde tiptoeing on the top deck of a Westport mega-yacht, arms arched high overhead, as she readied herself for a dive. The next photo was zoomed closer. A white string bikini bottom was Skye’s only clothing. It was tied at the hips and only covered the barest essentials. Her small waist gently curved to full hips and a not-perfectly-flat tummy. Wet strands of platinum blond hair fell to her waist, partially concealing large breasts and pink nipples. “Wow.”
    Pete chuckled. “Yeah. That’s two years ago, right before her car accident.”
    If she had any tan lines, Sebastian didn’t see them. A flirty turn-up played at her lips, a gorgeous prelude to her stunning smile, and she was staring out, as though the only thing on her mind was the perfect dive, the sun, and the glistening, turquoise-blue water. A buff, dark-haired man in swim trunks reclined nearby, staring up at her with wide-eyed lust. Other suntanned women and men, all in skimpy bathing suits, were nearby, cheering her on.
    “Did she dive?” Sebastian asked.
    “Look at the next shots.”
    The photographer caught her in mid jump. The next shot showed a sloppy, legs-bent entry as her head hit the water. “Holy hell. She’s not a diving pro, but she did it anyway.”
    “You’re admiring her dive and not that body?” Pete asked.
    Sebastian chuckled. “Her body’s incredible, but beautiful, rich young women with perfect figures aren’t rare. Moxie is.