Page 91 of Unholy Bonds

“Do you want to come with me to the office? I’m free now, and we can take a look at both their reports.”

“You’ll do that for me?”

“As long as the girls get justice… I’ll do it. But Ryden, this has to be unofficial. If Detective Rosario knows, he will…”

“I know. It’ll be our little secret.”

36

TASTE OF YOU

YARA

Ryden followed me in his car. When we reached the ME office, he parked first and stepped out in a hurry. Walking to my car, he opened the door for me, looking like he had just walked out of another world. The sun cast its golden rays along his body, dancing on his bronzed skin, making him look even more delicious than he already was.

“I can do it,” I said as I stepped out of my car, my body pressed against his. He didn’t move. He didn’t look like he was planning to move, but of course, I didn’t complain. The need to touch him 24/7 was sometimes so overwhelming.

“I know you can, but I wanted to,” he said with a shrug. I scoffed, but the way his eyes shone with sincerity made me feel something warm, and I didn’t like that feeling very much.

I cleared my throat, trying not to let his words detonate the walls I had built around myself. I had built those walls for a reason, and I couldn’t let him breach or break them.

As if he could feel my nerves, his smoldering eyes met mine. “Sometimes you say the most impertinent things without even blinking, do the most improper things, and take whatever I say like a fucking warrior. And then there are times like this… and it makes you nervous.”

“I’m not nervous.”

“Whenever you’re nervous, there’s a line here…” He traced his finger between my eyebrows. “And a subtle tilt here.” He touched the side of my lower lip. “And then there’s that look in your eyes, like a deer caught in headlights.”

“You talk too much, Ryden Sinclair. If you want to use your mouth, I can think of a few ways you can productively use it without going blah, blah, blah.”

His eyes twinkled as he leaned closer and pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I want to find which one of you is real.”

“What do you mean?” I asked with a frown, pushing his hand away from my forehead.

“I want to see if you’re the confident woman who touched herself when I was watching or the twitchy little mouse who… just looked like she was between the claws of a hungry cat when I opened the door for you.”

“Oh, shut up and come with me.”

He laughed and obediently followed. “Yes, ma’am. I love walking behind you.”

“Because you look like my bodyguard?”

“Because I look like I’m protecting what’s mine from wandering eyes. That ass of yours… It’s enough to make any man go mad. I want to punish you for wearing such a tempting dress to pull all the eyes to your ass.”

“Are you going to lick it better after you punish me?” I asked, my voice flirty, and his breath hitched.

“Of course. I’ll even kiss your pussy better, you know, to reward you for always listening so well,” Ryden said, caressing my throat with one finger.

I swallowed the thick lump of lust back down, trying to regulate my breathing. One of the orderlies rolling out a big garbage bin stopped and stared at us, his mouth half hanging open.

“There’s nothing to see here, Stan. Go,” I said, and Stan flushed before he walked away—or more like ran away. I opened the door to my office for Ryden, motioning him inside. “You first.”

He walked in and growled when I smacked him on his sexy ass. “Your ass is just as impressive,” I whispered, following him and locking the door behind us.

“Take a seat,” I said, settling behind my desk. “I’ll find the reports.” A quick search on my laptop pulled up the autopsy report numbers for both Sofia and Nikki. I was right. Doctor Tobias was the one who autopsied Sofia. “Let me find the physical copies,” I said, standing up from my chair.

Even though every report was filed by the name, case number, and TOD on the computer, I always kept physical records. It was easier to bring them home with me when I was stuck on a case.

I walked to the tall metal shelves filled to the brim with brown paper files, each file meticulously printed with the case numbers and the names of the victims.

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