Page 50 of Sentinel's Kiss

Chapter 12

Sentinel stood at the door and watched Ashley sleep. They had had a great meal where they ate too much. He might have overpoured her wine a bit, but she didn’t complain. They actually had sex in a bed instead of in the car and he wished he was cuddled next to her right now. She gave a boozy little snore as he left the hotel room. Sentinel put the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door. Pulling the black hoodie down over his head, he slouched and made his way to the parking lot, avoiding the lights and hopefully any cameras.

While he was driving back to the Poconos Hunting Club, he called in to the Blue Line and was surprised when Evil answered.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in bed with your wife?” Sentinel asked.

“Ryder and Warden are out.” Evil put special emphasis on “out,” so Sentinel knew they were completing the Judge’s missions.

“Together?”

“No, they’re going their own way.”

“I would have liked one of them to have backup on the sniper.”

“Warden can handle it, and you know Ryder is all right with that other piece of shit.”

Sentinel grunted. He would have liked her to have backup too, but he valued his balls too much to ever suggest that to her. “What’s Stan doing now?” Someone was always monitoring the cameras Ryder had set up in Stan’s house and would do so until Sentinel ended it or Ryder got too impatient.

“He’s on the computer chatting with his Russian girlfriend.”

“It’s two in the morning.”

“Nine a.m. over there. Why aren’t you fucking the reporter’s brains out?”

“Ease off on my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend, huh? When did this happen?”

“Today. It’ll be good while it lasts.”

“It’ll last longer if you stay in bed with her.”

Sentinel drew in a deep breath. “Something’s going on at the hunting club. My Spidey senses were tingling. I found out that Stan might have spent his winters there with a hooker who was masquerading as a nurse. At least two of the other vics’ husbands were dipping their wicks too.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Just look around.”

“Where’s your girlfriend, the reporter?” Evil asked.

“Sleeping off two bottles of wine and a raucous time in the sheets.”

“Lucky her.”

“Just wanted you to know where I’ll be if I don’t come back.”

“Jesus, Sentinel, do I have to come down there?”

“No, I just want you to know who to take care of if I don’t check in tomorrow.”

“You check in right after, if not during. And if there is even a possibility that you are in over your head, you get the hell out and we’ll all be there in a few hours.”

“It’s probably nothing.” But his gut didn’t feel that way.

“I want a call in two hours.”

“Make it three, just in case.”