Page 110 of Hot for Hostage

But there wasn’t time for ribbing him, even if he did have shockingly petite feet.

We climbed into the front of the SUV, and I started making calls while Vince took the main road back toward the city.

I tried Sadie four more times. No answer.

It was difficult not to take it personally.

I called my men at the shelter, too—but there was no sign of her. Sadie’s landlord said he’d keep an eye out for her, and Bruno promised to call me if she showed up at his place. What was supposed to be a quick chat with Mr. Sanders to see if he’d outfitted the Dog-Mobile with a tracking device was hijacked by his undying gratitude for my donation.

“No, I never saw the point in GPS tracking. Sounds like just another way for the government to keep tabs on all of us,” he answered gruffly. “Though now, with the sizeable donation you made, I don’t see why we couldn’t make that happen. The new security system was installed today, and one of your fellas walked me through all the features. Spiffy stuff, never seen any technology like it.”

“Back to my other question. Has Sadie called?—”

“I just can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for Happy Tails Haven,” Mr. Sanders continued, gushing more undeserved praise. “I don’t care what anyone else says about you, Mr. Reed. You’re a good man. A decent man. You’ve changed these dogs’ lives. Hell, as far as I’m concerned, you’re a hero.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. My reputation would never recover from helping Sadie.

“Don’t mention it,” I said, keeping my tone brusque. “Have you heard from Sadie at all today?”

“No, no. Is something wrong?” He finally sounded concerned. “She was supposed to bring Bear back this morning. The rest of us had a surprise party planned to celebrate their return, but then Gladys and Ryan disappeared. I can check the new cameras?—”

“Just call me at this number if you hear from her,” I said before hanging up.

I was texting Enzo to see if he could hack Sadie’s cell carrier to track her down when Malcom’s name flashed across the screen.

I’d never been happier to answer a call. “Tell me you found her.”

“We caught up to the van,” he answered shortly.

The worry that’d had my chest in a chokehold since Sadie left finally loosened its grip, and I could breathe again. “Good. Send me your location, and we’ll meet you?—”

“Wait.” Malcolm cleared his throat. “Boss, we found thevan… but your girl wasn’t in it.”

how many times can one be taken hostage?

. . .

Sadie

Sadie’s Guide toHostage-TakingBeing Taken HostageForming a Partnership with Your HostageEmbracing the Hostage LifestyleNot Freaking OutEscapingBeing Taken Hostage (Again), Tip #30: Avoid being taken hostage yourself at all costs. (I can’t seem to master this one yet.)

Karma had found me. What was that saying?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Well, apparently that applied to hostage-taking.

And if there was one place I never expected to wake up in my life, it would be tied to a chair in a small bedroom that looked like it’d been abandoned midrenovation.

I wasn’t in much better shape myself. My head throbbed after being knocked out, and leftover tear tracks dried on my cheeks. I didn’t even want to know what my hair looked like.

And my company was… less than ideal.

Zain and Fessy stood together in the corner, whispering with quick hand gestures, but at least the other goons were nowhere in sight.

Blinking against the bright light from a lamp pointed toward me, I used the time while they were distracted to scope out my surroundings.

The room itself left a lot to be desired.

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