Page 93 of Sentinel's Kiss
Chapter 21
Dear God, what was that infernal buzzing noise? Ashley pried an eye open and saw Josh’s phone on the floor.
“Josh.” She reached down and grabbed it. The oil had dried, but she was still a sticky mess.
The display said RYDER.
Ashley looked at the clock. It was two o’clock in the morning, the witching hour.
“Josh,” she said again, and shook his shoulder.
He grunted but didn’t move from where he was face-planted in the pillow.
The phone stopped. She tossed it on the table, but when she went back to sleep, it started up again. Still Ryder.
“Josh?”
Not even a grunt this time. Nothing good ever came from answering a phone call this late at night. But what if someone was hurt? It was probably just something with the bar. There were two other people she could call. Hell, Evil lived in the bar. But maybe it was something important.
Ashley sighed and answered the phone. But before she could say anything, Ryder was already speaking, her voice tense and fast. She spit out the words without pausing for a breath. “About fucking time. I found Stan. He accosted Tasha outside of Ashley’s apartment. She’s fine, but I’ve got a bead on him. Evil’s closest. He’s already on his tail. Get your ass down here.”
Ryder hung up.
Ashley blinked at the phone. Why would Stan be bothering Tasha? Slipping out of bed, she rummaged until she found her phone. No new messages, but there was a missed call from a number she didn’t recognize. If Stan had been trying to reach her about setting up a time to go to the Blue Line, Warden and Ryder would scare him off.
Why would Ryder be calling Josh at two in the morning to tell him about Stan? She didn’t want to give Munson’s words any credit, but it was starting to sound like Stan wasn’t such a whackadoo after all. The SOBs were out to get him.
She tried to see if there were any text messages she could access on Josh’s phone, but it was password protected. Feeling a bit like a snoop, she put his phone on the pillow next to him. When it rang again twenty minutes later, Ashley pretended to be asleep.
This time with the thing practically in his ear, Josh woke up.
“Jesus, what?” he ground out. “What?” he said louder and sat up. “No, I must have answered it in my sleep. I don’t remember. Fuck.” Josh got out of bed and lowered his voice to a whisper.
She watched him get dressed through slitted eyes. He was being very careful not to wake her. He was leaving.
“What did he do to her? Is she okay? Thank God. All right. I’m putting on my boots right now. I’ll meet Evil in ten.” Josh pocketed the phone and put on his shirt and jacket. “Son of a bitch.” Reaching into the drawer, he took out his pistol and put it on in his back holster.
“Where are you going?” she asked, her sharp tone sounding strident and accusing in the dark.
“I’ve got something to do.” Josh leaned over and gave her a kiss meant to scramble her brains. It almost worked.
“It’s three in the morning,” she said. “Can’t it wait until daylight?”
“I’m afraid not.” He gave her a small smile and grabbed his keys. “I’ll lock you in.”
She sat up, wrapping the covers around her. She was suddenly terribly cold. “What are you going to do?”
“I’ve got responsibilities, Ashley.”
“To the babies?” she asked, sitting up in bed and crossing her arms.
Please, let him not be lying about that.
“Yeah, but that’s not where I’m going tonight.”
She took a deep breath; that was something at least. “Where are you going?”
It occurred to her that he never spent a full night with her. No matter how hot and heavy they went at it. No matter how exhausted he was, Josh always got up around this time and left. Sure, he came back with coffee and doughnuts for breakfast, but this time that wasn’t going to cut it.