Grave Attraction Read Online Free

mutt had puked them up by the couch.
    Wonderful.
    He’d nearly finished scrubbing the stain from the carpet when Buford began barking his head off outside.
    â€œKnock it off!” Adam yelled out the open sliding glass door. Buford grew quiet for all of two seconds before starting up again, the pit bull’s deep, gravelly woof drowning out the sound of frogs and cicadas.
    Cursing under his breath, Adam switched on the light for the back porch and stalked outside. The last time Buford went this nuts, he’d cornered a raccoon out by the garbage cans. And while the big goofball had only wanted to play, the raccoon didn’t appreciate the attention and clawed the crap out of the dog’s face. Adam didn’t want to spend another evening—and six hundred bucks—at the emergency vet clinic getting Buford stitched up.
    The mutt’s bark got sharper, more insistent, and Adam picked up the pace. The light from the porch didn’t reach this far, leaving the back half of the property cloaked in shadows. Adam clicked on the penlight attached to his key chain, sweeping the narrow beam in the general direction of Buford’s barks. Two reflective eyes stared back at him, belonging to an opossum. The frightened animal froze in its tracks for a second or two before scrambling up one of the orange trees.
    Another sweep of the light and Adam found the dog. The stupid mutt stood by the wood shed, his stubby tail wagging so fast it was a blur. With his front paws down and his butt in the air, the dog let out another deep woof before bounding toward something lying in the tall grass.
    This was so not what Adam wanted to be doing on a Friday night. He should be at Shackles with the guys, playing pool and flirting with the new waitress. He’d been circling the curvy redhead for close to a week, and it was about time to seal the deal. But instead of getting sweaty with a hot, willing woman, he was stomping around the backyard after the damn dog.
    His thoughts strayed to the blonde at the serial killer’s house, and all desire for the redhead evaporated. The last time he’d checked the scanner, the police had broken down the door of the shuttered house and discovered her locked in the cage. The killer and his accomplice were nowhere to be found, which really pissed Adam off.
    Who was she? Why was she targeted? And why couldn’t he get her out of his mind?
    â€œThis better be good,” Adam grumbled as he got closer to the dog. The eastern side of the property bordered wetlands, and since he normally didn’t venture out this far, he hadn’t mowed it in almost a month. Weeds had overgrown much of the area, some coming close to knee height. Adam’s running shoes sank into the soggy earth and made a squishy suction sound every time he pulled them out of the muck.
    Another sweep of the light, and he stopped short at the sight of a man less than ten feet away. The dark-haired stranger was lying facedown in the grass, as naked as the day he was born. One of his arms was flung out to the side while the other was tucked under his torso. His head was angled away from the house, shielding his face from view.
    Well, there’s something you don’t find every day. Buford let out a low whimper right before he sniffed the guy’s bare ass. A startled grunt came from the man as he reached back and swatted the dog’s muzzle. He mumbled something too low to make out, but his voice sounded vaguely familiar.
    Adam inched closer, the hairs rising at the nape of his neck. He aimed his flashlight on the stranger’s pale upper body. This close, he could make out the cuts and bruises marring the guy’s filthy skin. But Adam still couldn’t see his face, leaving him unable to determine the man’s identity. Whoever he was, he was in a bad place, and he obviously needed some help.
    â€œYou want to tell me why you’re trespassing on my property?” Adam asked.
    â€œWhat