Fallen Read Online Free PDF Page B

top of the slope, Maddie lost her balance in the wet grass and sprawled forward. Her head struck the edge of an elaborate mausoleum. She pushed to her feet, trying to clear her thoughts, gripping the old stones.
    Angry voices cut the night, followed by the tap of running feet.
    Not good , Maddie thought.
    There had to be someplace to hide. Maybe beyond the grass, where the light from the overhead streetlights did not penetrate. She moved along the rough wall, feeling her way blindly by the sharp outlines of designs that were probably names and dates and even noble crests.
    The voices were closer now. She saw a beam of light flash over the slope, swallowed up by the gray fog that no one could see but her.
    She had to find a place to hide.
    Her elbows struck a recess in the wall and she slipped inside, wedging her body back as far as she could. More steps appeared to lead downward. There was no time to hesitate.
    As the fog piled up at her feet, she followed the steps down into the darkness.
    When Maddie looked back, she saw that the fog had stopped at the very edge of the mausoleum or crypt or whatever it was. She took that as a good sign.
    Damp, musky air poured over her shoulders from a hidden crevice. She shivered, one shoulder pressed against the wall to guide her down into the darkness.
    “She was here a minute ago. I saw her right over there past the bench.”
    “A single girl out here alone? It’s a cemetery, fool. We’ve got more important things to think about. Our buyer should be here any minute. Go get into position. No slipups tonight. Too much lucre involved.”
    Maddie’s heart pounded. Buyer for what? Did they have a drug deal planned? That made good sense. Not many witnesses would wander into a graveyard at night.
    Only an idiot like Maddie.
    She felt a little dizzy, and she leaned back against the cold stone. Her fingers trembled as she felt the curved shape of what might have been a flower. How had everything gotten so out of control?
    “Just let me look one more place. You don’t want any witnesses tonight, do you?”
    “Damn right. Go on. Make sure we’re alone.”
    Maddie bit down a ragged breath as she heard footsteps tap over the stone path only a few feet away from where she hid. If the man shone his flashlight downward, he couldn’t help but see her.
    Maddie touched the wall and felt the outline of the stone petals. All her choices had run out.
    The only way was down.
    With the sound of footsteps ringing in her ears, she inched forward along the narrow, uneven steps, through leaves and debris, the air musky with mold and dampness and the weight of death.
    She dropped down two steps, no longer careful of her footing. A flashlight beam danced over the stone staircase, focused on the spot she had left only seconds before.
    Maddie drew her body into a tight ball, sinking down behind what felt like an ornamental chair carved into the wall. She felt the curved outline of a chair leg with another flower that seemed to hold the petals of a rose.
    Maddie felt disoriented, as if she had been here before.
    Impossible of course. She grimaced, watching the flashlight beam crisscross the stones and stop on a pile of dead leaves. To her horror, Maddie realized her bare foot was outlined in the light.
    “ Got you , damn it.” The man’s voice was hoarse with excitement. Maddie pressed backwards, her hands to the wall, but there was nowhere to go. The wall behind her was solid. There were no openings.
    “Think you can follow us and roll us for our money, do you? Or maybe you’re after the drugs.” A shadow rose up before her as the man came slowly down the steps. The flashlight traced her foot and leg. “She’s over here,” the man called harshly.
    Where now?
    Something rumbled deep in the ground beneath her. Musty air swirled up carrying dead leaves. And then, though it made no kind of sense, Maddie felt the brush of hard skin. Fingers locked tightly around her arm.
    She was jerked backward with a