Rose Petal Graves (The Lost Clan #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the back of my desk chair and tiptoed down the stairs. They only creaked once. I checked Dad’s door. When it remained shut, I dashed into the living room, slid my boots on, wrapped a scarf around my neck, and threw open the front door.
    Cruz was standing right there, ridding his shoes of the excess snow.
    “What the hell are you doing outside at this hour?” I hissed.
    “I had trouble sleeping,” he said, coming in. “Apparently, you too.”
    “Who were you talking to?”
    “Are you training to be a detective or a doctor?” He pulled off his leather jacket and hung it in the closet.
    “Answer the question,” I said, folding my arms.
    “I don’t see why I owe you an explanation, Catori.”
    “Because you’re staying under our roof. And it’s four o’clock in the morning. And you were lurking outside.”
    “I called a friend. And I went outside, so that I didn’t risk waking you or your father.”
    “What language were you speaking?”
    “Not that I don’t enjoy your inquisition, but why are you up?”
    My cheeks flushed. “I…you…I was reading. And then I heard you.”
    “What were you reading?”
    “A book.”
    Thankfully he didn’t ask which book.
    “What did you mean by not being related to the Woods, yet ?” I asked, untying my arms.
    “My parents worked for Linus Wood, so I grew up with his two children.”
    “You’re friends with Ace and Lily?”
    Cruz nodded.
    The Woods children were like royalty—famous and yet mysterious. Their mother was a famous actress and model who married wealthy and powerful Linus Wood, the man who had a share of every American multibillion-dollar company. Some said he had a keen eye for finding golden opportunities, while others assumed he had a knack for blackmail and persuasion. I sided with the others.
    “Are they as obnoxious as they looked in that Vanity Fair spread?” I asked.
    His lips quirked up in a smile. “More.”
    “What did your parents do for them?”
    “Mom was their nanny. Dad was Linus’s right-hand man.”
    “And you became a medical examiner? What made you want to become that ?”
    “When my parents passed, it was my way of making death less alarming.” His gaze roamed over my bare legs. “You do know you’re missing pants.”
    “I have shorts on.”
    “Is that what those are?”
    “They’re not extra-large panties.”
    He laughed softly.
    “You should get some sleep, Catori. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day for you.”
    My smile faltered. “The funeral isn’t tomorrow.”
    “Isn’t your entire family arriving though?”
    “Aren’t you well informed?”
    “Blake told me I needed to get out of town by Thursday because all the rooms at the inn were reserved. I assumed it was people coming for the funeral.”
    “You assumed right.”
    “My friend just told me the ferries to cross back to Beaver Island aren’t going to be operational tomorrow. Do you think I can stay an extra night here? I’ll make myself scarce.”
    I bit my lip. “One more night should be okay.”
    “Thank you.”
    I was about to return to my room to get some sleep, but thought about the book under my mattress. “Hey, Cruz, could you help me flip the lid of that old casket over?”
    He narrowed his eyes. “Why? It was empty.”
    “I’m not looking for remains.”
    “What are you looking for then?”
    “Just…never mind.”
    He narrowed his eyes. They looked incandescent in the ray of moonlight hitting the right side of his face, just like his skin.
    “What’s up with your skin?” I asked.
    He tipped his face to the side. “What do you mean, what’s wrong with it?”
    If I told him it glowed, he would think me certifiable. “You’re very pale,” I ended up saying. “Are you sick?”      
    “You’re the doctor. You tell me.” He took my hand and rested it on his wrist. “How’s my pulse?”
    My skin burned and then sparks erupted. “Did you see that?” I yelled, yanking my hand away from his.
    “Static shock.”
    I