Page 95 of Sentinel's Kiss
“I’m stopped in the middle of the street, talking to you. I’d say we’re both in for a ticket should a cop come around.”
Ashley sighed. “Are you going to kill someone tonight?”
He stiffened. “Why do you ask?”
“Travis Munson…”
Oh, him again. Ryder was supposed to be keeping him off the trail, but the man was a dedicated cop and a tenacious bastard at that.
“He thinks you and the SOBs are vigilantes.”
“He also believes in the Easter Bunny. Doesn’t make it true. Are you looking for a story?”
“Damn it, Josh. I saw his files. Are you going after Stan?”
She was too damned smart. “He killed her, Ashley.” Sentinel knew he couldn’t be rational when it came to Sarah.
“You have no proof of that.”
“I don’t need proof. I know he did it.” Knew it as soon as he looked into the son of a bitch’s eyes. Knew it even before Lewis confirmed it.
“How?” Ashley asked.
“Gut.” He could tell her about Lewis. But then he would have to explain how he knew. He was such a fucking idiot. This would never work. She could never love him. She deserved someone who didn’t kill people as easily as swatting a fly. Normal people didn’t go around putting bullets into rapists and kidnappers. Normal people trusted a broken system.
“You can’t convict a man based on your gut,” she said.
“I’m not planning on convicting him.”
Ashley gasped.
And here is where he had to let her go. Evil and Warden had warned him about this. They wanted him to cut her loose before it got too serious. Only Ryder’s dissent had made it a suggestion rather than an order. But maybe they had been right. If he had been going to one of the Judge’s jobs, Ashley could have fucked it up or, worse, gotten hurt. He was kidding himself that there was room in his life for romance. For her. He had to end this. He couldn’t bear it if she ended up like Jenny. Murdered because of him. Still, all of his heart was aching for her.
“You’re talking about murder,” she said.
“No,” Sentinel said. “You are. Do you see yourself? Stalking me in the middle of the night trying to catch me doing something wrong? Accusing me of being a vigilante? You’re crazy.”
“Don’t try and gaslight me, Josh. I’m not one of your sex-crazed bar chicks who line up to suck your dick.”
“Nice talk, sugar mouth.” And damned if he wasn’t grinning.
“Where are you going tonight?”
Cut her loose.He heard Evil’s voice in his head. He didn’t want to. He took a deep breath. He could do this. He could end this now. She’d hate him, but she’d find someone else. Someone who still believed that evil could be conquered by good. He tried one last time.
“Stay at my house tonight.” He tossed her his keys. “When I come back in the morning, I’ll explain everything.”
“Everything?”
“Everything I can,” he amended. He had to protect the SOBs.
“Then fuck you, Sentinel.” And she threw his keys back at him and peeled off, burning rubber.
Shit.