Page 17 of Hot for Hostage

And she’d be safe out here, miles from whatever was about to go down with the Skulls. Those kids would listen to me, but nobody was ever happy to have unexpected visitors on their turf.

I didn’t want Sadie anywhere near the action. The way her older friend had looked at me rubbed me the wrong way. Not the terrified part—I always preferred that. But she acted like she’d do anything to tear sweet Sadie away from me, and that just wouldn’t do. The little bunny had grown on me.

Who knew Davian Reed would be attracted to short bakers in pink overalls, pointing a gun at him?

And today had been the most fun I’d had in ages. I couldn’t wait to see where it went next.

Seemingly satisfied with my answer, Sadie happily resumed her baking lesson, and it wasn’t long before we reached the deserted road outside my compound. Twelve-foot walls surrounded the land, and a monster of a concrete building sat a few acres in.

Sadie leaned closer to the windshield. “This is where youlive?”

“And work.”

She gaped at it. “Why is it outside the city? Don’t you want to be closer?”

“I like my own space.”

“Lots of it, apparently,” she mumbled as I pulled up to the gate. The guard saw me and opened it from the security box with a nod. Sadie’s voice grew awed. “It looks like a castle.”

My lips twitched, and I tried to look at the main building with a fresh eye as we made our way up the long drive. I’d never thought of it as a castle. It was too dark, and the blueprints were similar to those of military security buildings.

Inside the wall, plenty of forest and land buffered the compound in case of a breach. The main building dominated the rest at four stories high.

It’d cost enough to have it built, but the security was worth every cent.

Before we left the shelter, I’d texted my plan to Vince and was happy to see he’d pulled an SUV around to the front of the building. Two men were packing supplies into the back.

I’d also sent a quick text to Antonio, asking him to get a few food options ready. It was way past lunch, and Sadie must be hungry.

“Whose cars are these?” she asked as I parked in the oversized garage. It had enough room for fifteen vehicles, and there weren’t many free spots.

“A mix of mine and the guys’.”

“The guys?”

“My… employees,” I said before exiting the car.

Sadie’s legs looked a little wobbly as she got out. “Do they live here too?”

“Some make a habit of crashing here. The staff takes up one wing, too.”

“Staff,” she echoed softly. She was still gaping at everything, and it was only the garage. “Gladys wasn’t kidding when she told me your family runs this city, was she?”

The cautious way she asked it made me pause. The last thing I wanted her thinking about was Gladys’s opinion of me.

“We should get inside. There’s no time to waste.” I headed for the door, then held it open for her.

She only hesitated a moment before walking past me. Her awe radiated off her as we passed the kitchen, lounge, and a few other rooms. When we reached the open foyer, Vince was leaning next to the front door with his arms crossed. He was sulking—clearly not pleased to see Sadie with me.

“I thought I saw you driving that piece of junk.” He kicked off the wall. “We could’ve picked you up on the way.”

Sadie gasped. “Daisy is notjunk.”

“There was a slight change of plans,” I answered Vince, but kept my gaze on Sadie. I needed her here, and preferably never driving that car ever again. Which meant it was time to lay all our cards on the table, and she wouldn’t be happy about what I said next. “I need to run upstairs and change, then I’ll go get Bear and make sure those kids never mess with the shelter again. We passed the kitchen on the way here, if you want to wait there. My chef put together a few things for you.”

Her brows scrunched together. “We didn’t get to finish our discussion earlier, but I’m coming with you.”

“No. You’re not.”

---