Nightwalker Read Online Free PDF Page B

of his goal by someone like
    Cassie. Cassie was far wealthier than her sister and her money, Justin
    knew, had been earned, not inherited. The money Cassie had inherited,
    Alison once confided, had disappeared along with her sister's first
    husband. It was after he had left that Cassie had discovered she had an
    incredible talent for playing the stock market. With an astuteness that
    bordered on the uncanny, Cassie had apparently recouped her fortune and
    added to it.
    But somehow Cassie never managed to wear her money with the ease of
    her sister. On the three occasions when Justin had met Cassie, her hair
    had always been in mild disarray. Once there had been a distinct smudge
    on a silk blouse; on another occasion she had been wearing tennis shoes
    along with a suit that had clearly been designed in Paris. Somehow the
    suit had become a bit rumpled, Justin remembered. The twisted curve of
    his mouth became a little less harsh for a moment as he summoned up the
    picture.
    She had been scowling at him on all three occasions. The recollection of
    her contempt hardened his expression once again. Cassie had realized
    from the first instant that Justin Drake was not pursuing Alison out of
    love.
    It was more than infuriating to be so easily out-maneuvered by the little
    wretch. It was downright humiliating. She had pulled off that blackmail
    stunt with unerring accuracy, zeroing in on his vulnerable point with a
    skill that elicited his admiration even as it made him furious. She had
    been quite right. Alison would have refused to marry him if she had
    known the truth about his past. Cassie hadn't even needed to throw in the
    additional threat of cutting off her sister's money.
    Justin's hands tightened briefly on the steering wheel. It was impossible
    not to appreciate Cassie Bond's courage and nerve even as he
    acknowledged his own angry response. She had cost him more than she
    knew, however, and he wasn't about to let her go unpunished.

    In spite of her desire for "atmosphere," Cassie had a few distinct qualms
    as she walked through the old mansion and experimented with light
    switches. A few lamps worked, fortunately. Good thing she'd thought to
    bring along some extra light bulbs, however. Most of the bulbs beneath
    the dusty, torn shades were burned out.
    Much of the parlor and library furniture was draped in dingy sheets in a
    halfhearted attempt to protect the various pieces. When she climbed the
    grand, carved staircase to the second level, however, Cassie discovered
    that no one had bothered to cover the upstairs furniture.
    There were huge four-poster beds in the three bedrooms that had
    furniture. But when she struck the bumpy mattresses with the flat of her
    hand, dust rose in a musty cloud. It looked as though she'd have to spend
    the first day of her creative retreat clearing a few rooms in order to make
    them livable. Some creativity!
    "I'm going to flip if it turns out my true talents lie in the realm of
    housekeeping!" she announced downstairs in what must have been the
    breakfast or morning room.
    Her voice seemed unnaturally loud beneath the thirteen-foot ceilings. It
    rang through the huge, silent house. Far more unnatural and quite
    unnerving, however, was the response her words received. Cassie jumped
    as a low, plaintive cry reached her ears.
    Even as she reacted so abruptly, her common sense identified the
    rasping cry. There was a cat in the house. Curiously, Cassie walked across
    the hall into the dining room. Dressed only in a pair of jeans and a white
    shirt, she was beginning to feel very chilled. The cat was probably cold,
    too. Cassie's loosely anchored bundle of hair shifted precariously to one
    side of her head as she bent down to peer beneath the magnificently
    carved sideboard.
    "Hello, cat. Are you cold? Want to come with me to build a fire in the
    library fireplace? The radiators don't seem to be working very well."
    The green-eyed monster under the sideboard regarded her unblinkingly.
    He