Bound By Temptation Read Online Free

posturing.”
    With another snort and a muttered “posturing, my ass,” Ian limped away in his painfully choppy stride.
    After another thorough face mopping, Lucas ambled over to the wood bench that housed his phone, wallet, and keys. Missed call, along with a phone number, showed up on the display screen of his cell, but the call hadn’t come from HQ. The number looked familiar though.
    It had been so long since he talked to the owner of that particular phone number, it took him a second to place it. When recognition finally hit, a slow, expectant smile curved his lips.
    He’d bet his trident that number belonged to Rio. Hell, it must be close to two years since he’d last heard from the bastard. He didn’t bother to check his voice mail, simply collected his wallet and keys and headed for the red exit sign.
    The heavy steel door closed behind him as he hit the little green phone icon next to the missed call message. The sound of clanking equipment and shouts gave way to a dial tone and then a voice.
    “Addario,” his old teammate said, his voice as smooth and cool as ever.
    “Let me guess,” Lucas’s grin broadened, “you’ve had enough playing cops and robbers and want your seat back in the Zodiac?”
    “Rocky?” The chill in the smooth voice vanished.
    Lucas grinned, Rio was pretty much the only one who used that particular nick name these days.
    “Now why the hell would I want that?” Rio continued. “Bouncing between frigid and scorching, living like a vampire, all the terrorists in the world and half their cousins after me?” Lucas could almost see the lean-shouldered shrug that accompanied the response. “Hell no. I like where I ended up just fine.”
    How much of that was accurate, Lucas couldn’t say. True enough about the perils of the job, but Rio hadn’t left the teams because of that. He’d left because his grandmother, who’d raised him, had terminal cancer, and he wasn’t about to let her die alone.
    “So what the hell you been up to pretty boy?” Lucas asked. “It’s been what? Two years?”
    “That’s Sergeant pretty boy to you, and it’s closer to three,” Rio said thoughtfully, but then his voice lightened. “Unfortunately, not long enough to forget your ugly mug. You, Winchester, and Tag still living together?”
    “Aiden moved out,” Lucas said. Unlocking and opening his Jeep’s driver’s door, he leaned in to toss his wallet onto the passenger seat.
    Rio paused, and a different tone entered his voice, closer to chilly again. “You still at those condos out on Pacific?
    Curious about the change in tone, Lucas straightened and cocked his head. “I am, why you asking?”
    “Because I caught a case and the woman involved lived a couple units over from you until two months ago.”
    Ahhhhh . A woman had put that polar vortex in his buddy’s voice. Hardly a surprise—while women flocked to Rio like fruit flies to cantaloupe, Addario had a chip on his shoulder the size of Montana when it came to the opposite sex. Kind of surprising considering how devoted he’d been to the grandmother who’d raised him.
    And then the rest of Rio’s explanation registered. He went still.
    A couple units over…two months ago.
    His muscles tensed.
    I caught a case…
    His heart accelerated. A hot, static charge prickled up his spine and over his scalp.
    Emma. He has to be talking about Emma.
    “Is she okay?” The question shot out hard and fast. Urgent.
    From the pause that followed his query, his reaction had come as a surprise. Hell, to himself as well. He’d convinced himself that he’d cast Emma out of his mind.
    When a sharp sting pierced his right palm, he slowly opened his hand and discovered his keys had bit so deeply into his palm they’d drawn blood. He’d pushed her out of his life, admittedly—but out of his mind? Apparently that belief was more along the lines of wishful thinking.
    “She’s fine. Just ran into some excitement,” Rio said and Lucas could almost