Page 5 of Sentinel's Kiss

To give her credit, she gave it to him. She sat next to him and held his hand again. Some women might have filled the silence with chatter, but she waited for him to recover and he owed her for that.

Was Stan a serial killer? Or had he been telling the truth two years ago and he really was innocent? Had Sentinel almost killed an innocent man? Or had he missed an opportunity to stop a serial killer two years ago? He needed more details.

“Tell me everything,” he demanded.

“The women were from up and down the East Coast.”

Sarah had been from Pennsylvania.

“They were all in abusive marriages.”

A muscle tightened in his jaw.

“Their husbands all belonged to the Poconos Hunting Club, and their husbands are no longer suspects in the murders.”

“Exactly like Sarah.” Sentinel’s voice was husky. In his mind, he was already rallying the SOBs. Not one more woman was going to be hurt by this bastard, or bastards. They would ride down to Pennsylvania and take out that entire hunting club and their bullshit alibis. Ryder had ways to get the truth out of people. Either the hunting club was a front or the killer was picking his victims from the men who went there. Sentinel was leaning toward the first choice.

“The last woman was found in New York,” she said.

His attention snapped back to her pretty face. “Explain.”

“Last week a woman was reported missing by her husband. Yesterday she was found in the trunk of her car in Lake Minnewaska in upstate New York.”

And now it was in his backyard, just like Stan was. Sentinel couldn’t shake the coincidence.

“I know these are related. I’m hoping to uncover some more evidence to help the police.”

The police would take too long. There would be at least one other death.

“I’m not sure how talking with me would help,” Sentinel said, stalling. He wondered how he was going to pull off an operation like the one he was thinking about, with a news-hungry reporter like Ashley sniffing around.

“It would bring back interest in Sarah’s case. A public outcry could go a long way to greasing the wheels of a stalled investigation.”

Sentinel couldn’t have Ashley in the way if the SOBs were going to clean house. Two years later and it still wasn’t the right time for them. What a fucking shame. He should have gone with his first instinct and had her naked before they had this conversation. Now he had to chase her away without having tasted her lips again. He took a deep breath and scowled at her. “You just want to sell ad space or papers or whatever it is journalists do to make money.”

Ashley’s head reared back. He felt like an absolute shit.

“I understand that this is a big shock to you,” she said, “but you don’t need to take your grief out on me. I’m trying to help.”

“You’re trying to help your career,” Sentinel forced himself to say. She couldn’t be anywhere near him when his crew took down the assholes who were behind this.

“Josh,” she said, putting a hand on his arm again.

This time he shook her off, even though it nearly killed him. “I think you should leave.”

Ashley rose stiffly and nodded. She left her business card on the table. “If you change your mind about talking to me, give me a call. I’m sorry, Josh. I never meant to hurt you.”

He followed her out of the bar just in case one of the regulars got an idea that Sentinel was giving up a claim on her. Not a chance in hell. If he couldn’t have her, none of these other idiots could either. Sentinel glared down a few hopefuls and watched her walk to her car. He knew he had hurt her by the way she carried herself. It had been like kicking a puppy.

It was for the best, he tried to tell himself.

“That was fast,” Warden said from the bar, where he was eyeballing Naomi’s devil tattoo. “Even for you.”

“Fuck you,” Sentinel said without any heat in his voice.

That definitely hadn’t gone as planned. Ashley should have been facedown in a pillow, moaning his name right now. Instead she was walking out of his life with her head held high and her fists clenched.

Sentinel knew he couldn’t keep her. He knew that two years ago. But it hadn’t stopped his damned heart and cock from hoping.