Page 99 of Hot for Hostage

Vince was.

And now he wouldn’t even look at me.

It’d been a long time since I felt dread like this.

“What did you do?” I murmured.

“Huh?” He coughed into his fist, glancing at me in alarm. “I didn’t do shit?—”

“Tell me exactly what you said to her, Vince.” I took measured steps closer to him, but my last shred of patience was dangerously close to snapping. “You know I’m not engaged. You know I’ve never been involved with Daniella. Tell me you told Sadie that.”

His jaw clenched. “The only thing Iknowis you don’t need some helpless, naïve baker at your side.”

“You mean the girl who lifted a gun off you?” His hypocrisy made me scoff, and I pointed at the window. “And who just escaped from under your nose a second goddamn time? Don’t tell me what I need when you’re the one who needs to stop underestimating her.”

Vince’s face twisted into a scowl. “Can’t you see Seb and I are trying to protect you? Look around you. You’ve known this girl for a day, and she’s already made you soft.”

Seb and I.

Another piece of the puzzle clicked into place, and I shook my head. I couldn’t believe it. Didn’t want to. “My pop knew about Sadie before he came over. Tell me you’re not the one who let that slip.”

I wanted to be wrong, but the guilt was written all over Vince’s face—especially when he refused to look me in the eye.

“Seriously?You fucking snitched on me?”

“It was supposed to be harmless,” he muttered. “I thought he’d just tell you to cut her loose.”

“While Zain is searching for her?” Vince was the closest thing I had to a brother, but my fingers itched to choke him. “I shot the man’s family. What do you think he’ll do to Sadie if he gets his hands on her?”

His lips thinned. “I didn’t know he was involved then.”

My laugh lacked any humor, and I pulled out my phone before scrolling to the latest addition to my contacts. “Get out of my sight.”

“We’re just worried about you,” he said. When I turned away, he grabbed my arm. “Hey. I’ll make this right, okay? I’ll help you find her?—”

“You’ve helped enough,” I said coldly, shrugging him off and striding away. If I stayed, I’d take a swing at him, and my priority was to get Sadie back before anything worse happened. I’d deal with him later. “I’m not kidding, Vince. If I see you again before I get her back, you better pray my gun jams.”

a van with a plan

. . .

Sadie

Sadie’s Guide toHostage-TakingBeing Taken HostageForming a Partnership with Your HostageEmbracing the Hostage LifestyleNot Freaking OutEscaping, Tip #27: In the inevitable scenario where you’re on the run from your ex-hostage-turned-hostage-taker, rely on trusted friends for help.

“We have a plan, right?” I called up to Gladys, shifting as Bear leaned into my side. I was growing twitchier the further we drove from Davian’s compound. “Where are we going?”

“Away from those crazy murderers,” she shot back. “I’ve got a full tank of gas and a lead foot. We’re driving as far as we can in the opposite direction of that cursed place.”

I rubbed Bear’s neck as the van rumbled along, earning a nudge against my head from him. “They’re really not as scary as you think.”

“Oh, they are. The Reeds are bad news, Sadie. Murder. Secrets. Shady dealings at all hours of the night.” She listed off the allegations like a grocery list. “You don’t know who you’ve gotten involved with.”

“I might have some idea,” I muttered, thinking of the man in the shed.

“It’s even worse than I thought.” She took a sharp turn that made me careen into Bear’s furry face, and he sneezed on me. “My book club dug around and found more dirt on that Sebastian. He’s put six different family-owned places out of business this summer. It wasn’t just Haven’s rent that doubled.”

Well, that wasn’t good. But my curiosity got the better of me, and I squeezed my eyes shut before asking the other thing I’d been wondering since Davian’s father had ambushed me. “Just curious, but did your book club mention if Davian is seeing anyone?”

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