Page 42 of Sinners Reunion

“Right,” Josie drawls with a glance over her shoulder. “Should we test that out?”

“Go for it. Strip down to your nipples and see if I’m affected.” I start walking. “Spoiler alert! I won’t be.”

“If you ever say spoiler alert again, you won’t have to worry about an offer from me. Yikes, dude. No one says that anymore.”

“Spoiler alert, I don’t care.”

“Yeah, you never really cared about being cool. That’s what I like about you.” She glances at me. “Past tense. Liked.”

“It’s okay to admit you like me. I like you too. Present tense.”

Thankfully, the cabin appears ahead of us, putting an end to the uncomfortable direction this conversation was heading. If I said many more sweet things, she’d have tested my ability to say no to her pussy. And I’d have lost.

Bennett and Cat stroll out of the cabin as we reach the crumbling front steps. The shotgun rests over Bennett’s arm, and blood splatters decorate both their faces.

“One left,” Bennett says. “Don’t go reading the letter to my dad, either. That’s for his shitbag eyes only.”

I give him a salute and hurry into the building. Two men lie dead on the floor in a lake of blood, with a bloodstained envelope pinned to each.

“Hello again, Violet,” I say to the ashes sprinkled on one man’s face.

“Remind you of anything?” Josie whispers as she nudges the closest man’s leg with the toe of her sneaker. “Like maybe a late-night session in a hot tub filled with blood, come, and hopes and dreams?”

I remember.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I say instead. It’s kinder, and I need to keep up the façade. I’ve slipped up too much already. “Where’s the third target?”

Josie glances around, turning in a circle as she surveys the space. We both spot the open back door at the same time.

“Blast,” I say under my breath. “That Bennett never did play fair. He cut the third one loose.”

With a sigh, Josie props the shotgun over her shoulder. “Let’s get tracking, then.”

We’re on the same page for once as we bolt out the back door and race after our quarry. He couldn’t have gone too far.

“That way,” Josie says, flicking her thumb to the right.

I spy the broken branch that tipped her off. “Oh, good girl,” I say behind her.

“Stop it. I’ll come.”

She’s not lying. She will.

We spot his trail again, moving deeper into the forest. I know exactly which man got away, and I’ll be damned if he gets much further. Freedom is an impossibility where he’s concerned. You don’t molest and murder children and live to tell about it.

Josie stops running and drops to a squat. I do the same, and using hand signals, I ask her what she sees. She points toward a clearing and signals up. As my gaze drags higher, I spot the wheedling little shit clinging to a pine tree.

“Do you want to take the kill, or can I?” she whispers.

“Think you can peg him square in his bum?”

“If you’re about to make another butt-fucking joke⁠—”

“Now that you mention it, I did set myself up well. Peg and getting him in the bum?” I shake my head. “You can’t blame me, my beauty. The jokes write themselves.”

With a grumble, she grabs the shotgun and strolls into the clearing. I hang back and watch her, just to see what she’ll do. You can never tell with that one.

She turns to face me, then gives me a wink and places her hand over her eyes. She turns in a dramatic circle, looking all around. “I just can’t seem to find him. Wherever could he be?”