Dragon Heat 1 - Dead Sexy Dragon Read Online Free PDF

cell.”
    “Sure.”
    The call ended and Cora returned a message from her
    insurance agent. There was some question as to whether
    the policy would pay for the total loss since Cora had
    technically been engaged in illegal activities, albeit under
    duress. That piece of information left her even angrier at
    herself. What the hell had she been thinking? Why hadn’t
    she been braver and told those punks to go to hell? Why
    hadn’t she been smarter and reported their sorry asses to
    the police?
    But what was done was done and there was no changing
    it. She’d made her bed. At least she’d be able to start over
    in a new city. Where or how she’d build her new bakery,
    she had no idea. She’d find the right place eventually. She
    had to because the thought of never again waking up early
    to knead dough or decorate cupcakes or mix up some of
    her grandmother’s famous pastries was unimaginable.
    Baking was in her blood.
    Her business dealt with, Cora called and texted a few
    friends to let them know she was okay. She hedged on the
    location with them as well. She couldn’t be too careful.
    With her to-do list complete, Cora set aside her phone
    and laptop and wondered how to spend the rest of her day.
    Used to the hustle and bustle of the bakery, she found the
    house incredibly quiet, almost unnervingly so. How could
    Stig bear the solitude? Perhaps he found the animal
    residents of the surrounding woods company enough. The
    thought of said animals goosed her memory. She eyed the
    kitchen and shoved off the couch. Last night, she’d heard
    something odd down in his basement. She’d meant to tell
    Stig about it but he’d left in such a hurry. The thought of
    bothering him now wasn’t all that appealing. His abrupt
    departure had made it fairly clear he wasn’t in the mood
    for chitchat.
    Cora stood in front of the forbidden door. There could
    be something down there, something hurt and in need of
    help. Curiosity triumphed over sense and Cora twisted the
    handle. The unlocked door creaked ominously as she drew
    it open and stepped through the doorway. Steps led down
    into darkness. She cautiously felt the wall on either side of
    the staircase but detected no light switch.
    She retreated from the darkness into the safety of the
    kitchen and located a flashlight in one of the drawers. She
    flicked it on and carefully descended the stairs. Moist,
    pungent air engulfed her. She listened intently for any
    noises but heard only the faint drip of water. A plumbing
    leak?
    The light beam bounced side to side. She expected to
    see a basement of some kind, four walls and shelves, but
    there was nothing. As far as she could tell, there was only
    the stairwell leading down to a cement floor.
    Her internal alarm clanged loudly. This wasn’t right. As
    she reached the bottom of the stairs, her worst fears were
    realized. The staircase dead-ended at a large metal door
    with a keypad.
    Cora’s blood went cold. This wasn’t a basement. This
    was a holding cell.
    As if the fires of hell nipped at her heels, she rushed up
    the steps. Panting and shaking, Cora slammed the basement
    door. She dropped the flashlight back in the drawer and
    ran back into the living room where she promptly flopped
    down on the sofa and tried to reconcile what she’d seen.
    What was Stig keeping down in that basement? Was it
    something illegal? He obviously didn’t want anyone to
    know about it. Oh God! What if he found out she’d been
    down there?
    “Calm down.” Cora spoke sternly to calm her nerves.
    Stig was a standup guy. He’d been a marine, for crying out
    loud. Surely there was some other explanation for what
    she’d uncovered. It was likely to be simple and not in the
    least bit sinister.
    Of course, she couldn’t ask him because he’d pretty
    much forbidden her to go down there. What was that
    saying about curiosity and cats?
    Her gaze fell on the limestone mantel. There were
    pictures of Stig with similarly burly men she’d never