Chasing Shadows Read Online Free PDF

just had here-mail the pictures, but he’d been curious. He wanted to know more about the woman she’d become.
    Her faded jeans rode low on her hips. A bright coral, formfitting, long-sleeved sweater accentuated her curves. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a strange-looking rope with multicolored beads hanging down at the end. Mascara darkened her lashes and her lips were glossy. Inviting. His mouth went dry as memories of last night’s escapade stormed through his mind. He should have kissed her and not worried about the consequences.
    â€œCome in,” she said with a sweep of her hand.
    Forcing himself to focus, he stepped into her apartment and realized he’d misjudged her. He’d expected a contemporary setting with high-end furniture and expensive decorations. His gaze cataloged the interior. The walled-in, small living room looked cozy with well-worn leather seating and a scarred coffee table strewn with photography magazines. In the corner stood a small Christmas tree, the lights twinkling.
    A beautifully carved, yet beat-up armoire sat against one wall. Its opened doors revealed an older television, a stereo and lots of books. To his right was a small eating area and an even smaller kitchen. And he assumed the closed, sliding partition led to her bedroom and bath.
    â€œThis way.” Kristina walked toward a curtain, which she pushed aside and motioned him through.
    The enormity of the loft-style photography studio surprised him. A large bay window dominated the far wall. Light stands and a stack of props took up one corner. A changing area and a workstation occupied theother two corners. The middle was open and a tripod with a camera sat at the ready.
    Large photographs in minimalistic frames were stacked in a corner.
    â€œGreat space,” he commented. He walked over to the framed pictures. The one face-out was of what looked like an African village.
    â€œThank you. It took me a while to get it the way I wanted.”
    â€œYou did a good job.” He motioned to the photos. “Did you take these?”
    She nodded, her expression a bit apprehensive, as if his opinion mattered.
    Flustered by that thought, he flipped through the stack of images. More of Africa, others looked to be in an Eastern European setting, while a few were definitely South American. All third-world communities. Impressed by both the pictures and the fact that she’d gone to these places, he said, “These are great.”
    â€œThank you.”
    Her pleased smile zinged through him, creating a wave of unexpected yearning that tightened his chest. He moved away from the photos and back to business. “So, what did you have to show me?”
    Her eyes gleamed with excitement. She rushed to the workstation and picked up several pictures. “Check these out.”
    Gabe studied the images. The first two were of Frank as he walked away from the camera toward the dark alleyway. The second showed the man in the shadows, his face unfortunately obscured by darkness. The thirdshowed Frank handing over the envelope. The fourth was of the man emptying the contents into his hand. And the fifth was a zoomed-in shot of a dozen pills in various shapes and sizes.
    Gabe raised an eyebrow. “Looks like Frank’s into drug trafficking.”
    â€œSee, I knew there was something off about him,” she gloated, looking quite delighted with herself.
    Gabe liked her enthusiasm but he couldn’t let her think she’d done a good thing. The thought of her getting hurt made his shoulder muscles tighten. “Yes, you were right. But you took a risk.”
    The enthusiastic light faded from her blue eyes. “Didn’t we have this discussion already?”
    â€œNever hurts to reiterate. Besides, this doesn’t mean he had anything to do with Carl and Lena. We still haven’t established anything has happened to them.”
    â€œWhen will you?”
    â€œSoon.” He hoped. Then