Read Online Slow Release (Ebony and Ivory Book 1) by Suzanne Steele, Stormy Dawn Weathers - Free Book Online Page A

envelope on my desk. “This was delivered for you, sir.”
    “Thanks, Ms. Stratton.” She quietly left, apologizing for the intrusion.
    “Don’t touch that,” Jerome ordered as he reached over with a gloved hand and picked up the envelope.
    I leaned back in my chair, interlocking my fingers behind my neck, and allowed him to do his job. I watched as he sliced the envelope open with precision, using one of the letter openers I had out on my desk. The tone of his voice clearly revealed it wasn’t good news.
    “We’re going to have to tell her, and I’ll get a rush on the hacking job we’ve got Marcus doing.”
    “Let. Me. See.”
    One by one, he tossed me the 8x10 glossies. Each picture was of Skye, and each one had the eyes gouged out. The last picture, which was the most ominous of the stack, had red ink clearly stating the intent of whoever was doing this. I stared at the words, Dead Bitch! written across her beautiful face and was overcome with rage.
    In that moment, things got very real. Now, I knew this wasn’t just some jealous model venting. This was someone who I feared, for some reason, wasn’t going to stop until Skye was laid out on a slab in the morgue.
    It wasn’t uncommon for me to get 8x10 glossies. Any photographer I’d ever worked with knew to send them. Where most agents would settle for seeing the digital image on a computer screen, I wanted to see what the actual magazine layout would look like.
    I pushed the button on the security system that allowed me to speak to my maid without calling her back into my office. “Ms. Stratton, who delivered that envelope?”
    “It was on the doorstep when I came in this morning.”
    “Very good, that will be all.”
    “Is everything okay, sir?”
    “Yes, everything’s fine,” I lied, directing my attention back to Jerome.
    “Finding out who sent these isn’t going to be an easy task. These images have been sent out to other photographers and various magazines. Any number of people could have gotten their hands on them.”
    “We’re looking at models, photogs, hell, even reporters under the right circumstances.”
    “She isn’t famous enough to draw paparazzi,” I concluded.
    “That’s what makes me think this is personal, Damon. I think it’s time for you to accept the fact that someone your woman doesn’t know, knows her.”



Chapter Seventeen
    Skye
    I headed down to Damon’s office immediately after he called for me over the mansion’s security system. As soon as I entered, I took note of how thick the tension was in the room. Both men looked anxious, and I immediately knew something horrible must have happened.
    “Sit,” Daman instructed waving his hand towards the large leather chair next to Jerome.
    “What’s going on, guys?” He answered my question with one of his own.
    “Have you ever had a problem with anyone following you? Think, Skye, it’s important. Even in Haiti, was there ever an incident of someone stalking you?”
    I chuckled, but it wasn’t due to humor. It was a nervous reaction to the thought that someone might have been following me, and I was completely clueless.
    “The men in my country don’t do things like that. If they want a woman, they make it known. To sneak around in the shadows would be considered a sign of weakness. They’re too macho for that.”
    At that point, Jerome cut in, “It may not be a man; it could be a woman. Have you ever had a woman who acted like she wanted your life?”
    That did make me laugh before I answered him. “Yeah, everybody wants to live in a hut with Haitian brown tarantulas greeting them on the doorstep.”
    “Well, I get that. The thing about it is that stalkers are on a different plane psychologically. Many times, they’re dealing with mental issues you and I don’t understand. Once they fixate on someone, they become obsessed. They convince themselves their victim is in a relationship with them. When the object of their obsession doesn’t respond in a way