Shadows (Black Raven Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

Hell.” He swiped back to the prior photo. He’d been on Westport yachts before. Rich people who paid Black Raven for protection needed security on all kinds of toys. “The yacht’s at least 150 feet. It was like she was diving off the roof of a three or four story building. She’s either got balls of steel or,” he paused, “she’s really stupid.”
    “That assessment is overly simplistic for her,” Ragno said.
    “Unfortunately for the man in the photo who is drooling over her,” Pete said, “balls are one thing she doesn’t have. His wife divorced him after those pictures made the tabloids. A few weeks later, Skye had the car accident in the Keys.”
    Sebastian scanned reports of the car accident as Ragno continued, “As she and Spring were recovering from the accident, their father was indicted for the offense that led him to prison. In the year after the car accident, before disappearing into the life of Chloe Stewart, Skye kept a low profile. The remaining photographs, taken before she changed her ID, are tamer.”
    In the next photo, Richard Barrows and his two daughters were walking across a rooftop helipad to a waiting helicopter, the Manhattan skyline visible in the background. Pete glanced at the iPad, then back at the road. “There, Skye is looking at the camera. There’s a strong resemblance between the sisters, except Spring has blue eyes, like her father, and looks, well,” he shrugged. “Girlish, almost. Skinnier. Not as curvy. Younger than her age. Their hair is black now.”
    Skye had gray-green eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips. She was pretty. Gorgeous, even, with alluring planes and angles in her square jaw and high cheekbones. Her form-fitting slim skirt, wrap sweater, and high heels showcased a body too curvy for super-model status, but in the real world, it was hell-yes-perfect. Too bad she wasn’t his type, and that had nothing to do with her status as Barrows’ daughter, which made her doubly not his type, because Sebastian didn’t mix work with anything but work.
    Ragno said, “Medical records indicate Spring was tested multiple times for autism spectrum disorder and Asperger’s syndrome.  I can’t find conclusive diagnoses, perhaps because none exist. She seems to defy explanation, even for experts. She has a mix of psychological problems, learning deficits, and savant-like qualities. In contrast, Skye is brilliant, yet she’s turned her back on her brilliance by not pursuing the type of work for which her mind is suited.”
    “How brilliant?” Sebastian asked.
    “Like don’t let the bikini photo fool you. MIT at fifteen,” Ragno said. “Graduated with honors at nineteen. Teachers and professors indicate she has her father’s brilliance. Problems in school were due to boredom and inconsistent focus.”
    “Smarter than you?”
    She chuckled. “I’d love to find out. Anyway, their mother died when Skye was thirteen, right as Barrows hit it big with his software. Eleven years separate the sisters. Skye just turned twenty-nine. Spring is eighteen. Spring’s mental challenges make Skye the one to talk to.”
    “We’re three minutes away now,” Pete said, hitting the blinker and braking for a turn.
    “They’re in day three of opening week of Creative Confections, which in a recent interview, Skye, um, Chloe,” Ragno said, placing emphasis on the letter C, “described as a cake and coffee cottage. Chic and cozy, specializing in confectionary decorative arts.”
    “What the hell does that mean?”
    Ragno chuckled. “Spring is an icing artist, with a unique flair for color. Every cupcake and cake is a work of art. She should have a reality show. The cakes and cupcakes, decorated by Spring, are the centerpiece of the business for now. Eventually, Skye plans to offer celebration planning services.”
    “Wait,” Sebastian groaned. “Chloe. Colbie. Covington. Creative. Confections. Cakes. Cupcakes. Chic. Cozy. Can there be one more goddamn word starting with