Cordinas Crown Jewel Read Online Free PDF Page A

sick—which would just cap things for me here.Then we’ll see if we can find something to eat in this place, and make the best of it.”
    “Mr. Caine, that is incredibly gracious of you. But I wouldn’t want to—” She sneezed, three times in rapid succession.
    “Down the hall,” he told her, pointing. “Up the stairs. Bathroom’s all the way at the end. I’ll make coffee.”
    Too chilled to argue or think of an alternative, she picked up her suitcases again, struggled with them down the short hall and up the stairs. Like a horse with blinders heading toward the finish line, she kept her gaze straight ahead and closed herself in the bathroom.
    Locked the door.
    There were towels on the floor, toothpaste—sans cap—on the counter on a small white sink that, while not gleaming, at least appeared to have been rinsed sometime within the last six months.
    There was also, she soon discovered, hot water. The minute she stepped into the shower, the glory of it wiped out every other sensation. She let it beat on her, flood over her head. She very nearly danced in it. When the warmth reached her bones, she simply closed her eyes and sighed.
    It was with some regret that she turned off the taps, stepped out. Locating a reasonably clean-looking towel on the rack, she wrapped herself in it as she dug out a shirt and trousers.
    She was standing in her underwear when the lights went out.
    She screamed. She couldn’t help it, and ended up ramming her hip sharply against the sink before she controlled herself.
    Her hands shook and her temper spiked as she fought to dress herself in the dark.
    “Mr. Caine!” she shouted for him as she inched out of the bath. The place was pitch-black.
    “Yeah, yeah, don’t blow a gasket.”
    She heard him tromping up the stairs, saw the narrow beam of light bobbing with him. “Power’s out,” he told her.
    “I never would’ve guessed.”
    “Perfect time for sarcasm,” he muttered. “Just stay put.” He and the light disappeared into another room.He came back with the flashlight, and offered her a flickering candle. “You done in there?” he gestured with his head toward the bathroom.
    “Yes, thank you.”
    “Fine.” He started back down, and the next boom of thunder had her hurrying after him.
    “What do we do now?”
    “We build a fire, drink coffee, heat up some soup and wish you were someplace else.”
    “I don’t see any reason to be rude. It’s hardly my fault there’s a storm.” She tripped over a pair of shoes and rapped into his back.
    “Damn it!” The jar had his shoulder singing. “Watch it, will you?”
    “I beg your pardon. If you didn’t live like a pig, I wouldn’t trip over your mess.”
    “Look, just go in there.” He pointed to the front room of the cabin. “Sit down. Stay out of the way.”
    “Gladly.” She sailed into the room, then spoiled the effect by letting out a muffled shriek. “Are those …” She lifted a hand weakly toward what her light had picked out on a littered table. “Bones?”
    Del shined the flashlight over the bones sealed in airtight plastic. “Yeah. Human, mostly.” He said it matter-of-factly as he headed toward the fireplace. “Don’t worry.” He crouched and set kindling. “I didn’t kill anyone.”
    “Oh, really.” She was edging back, wondering what she might use for a weapon.
    “The original owner died about seven thousand years ago—but not in the fall that fractured a number of those bones. Anyway, she doesn’t miss them.” He set the kindling to light.
    “Why do you have them?”
    “I found them—on a dig in Florida.”
    He set logs to blaze and stood. The fire snapped at his back, shooting light around him. “You … dig graves?” she managed to ask, the horror only a hint in her voice.
    For the first time, he smiled. It was a flash as bright as the lightning that shot across the sky. “In a manner of speaking. Relax … what was your name?”
    She moistened her lips.