Page 27 of Hot for Hostage

We left the car wash together with Bear walking just behind us and keeping an eye on Davian. I wasn’t sure what’d gotten into him, but maybe he was still feeling Davian out.

When I saw my car parked haphazardly in the lot, I winced. “I’m not sure Bear will fit in Daisy with both of us.”

“Bruno’s place isn’t that far away. We can walk.” Davian tucked his gun into the back of his pants. The move was smooth, as if he’d done it a hundred times before. Maybe a thousand. “But I don’t want your car here when the cops show up. You mind if Malcolm drives her back to your place?”

I hesitated. “She really doesn’t like other people driving her…”

“He’s my best driver, and he’ll take good care of her. I swear.”

The faint wail of sirens made my heart lurch, and I nibbled on my lip. “But how will I get home?”

“Malcolm and Shane can circle back for us after dropping off your car,” he said. “The SUV will easily fit Bear.”

It sounded logical enough. Or maybe I just wanted to spend more time with Davian. “Okay. He can drive Daisy, but please make sure he follows the rules of the road. And watches out for potholes. The city is full of them, and it only takes one for her to spend a month in the shop.”

Davian’s lips thinned. “Great. Keys are in the car?”

I nodded, and he reached for my hand like it was the most natural thing to do. When our palms touched, my heart tripped over itself.

But Bear nudged between us—conveniently knocking Davian’s hand away before growling at it.

Davian grumbled under his breath as he returned Bear’s dark look, and I bit my lip to hide a smile.

The two of them were surprisingly alike.

getting to know you

. . .

Davian

The mutt guarded Sadie like he owned her, and it pissed me off.

I couldn’t even hold her fucking hand without him getting in the way. Sadie had pulled a leash out of her overalls, which she hooked to his collar, and he stayed guard between us the whole walk to Bruno’s. I could swear he even sent me a smug look when she scratched between his ears.

I doubted he was even a dog. He was more like a beast-wolf hybrid disguised in brown and black fur with deceivingly innocent eyes. The lolling tongue didn’t fool me.

Bear was trouble.

Since I couldn’t touch Sadie without upsetting her furry bodyguard, I used the walk to learn more about her. Her eyes lit up when she told me more about her culinary school and how she hoped to open a dog treat bakery one day. The shelter was where she spent her free time, and she’d made good friends with the other volunteers. They even went bowling together every Thursday night.

Her life was the polar opposite of mine.

I spent most days working for my father—which usually meant endless back-alley meetings and keeping up with the other players in the area.

Sometimes there were guns involved.

…Mosttimes there was blood involved.

It didn’t sound like Sadie’s day-to-day included much blood, and today was clearly the first time she’d ever held a gun.

But I still couldn’t let her go so easily now that it was all over. I’d already texted my assistant to make a schedule for my men to keep an eye on the shelter. There was always a chance Fessy and his playmates would seek payback. It was expected in our world.

While Sadie called Mr. Sanders to give him the good news about Bear’s rescue, I texted her address to Malcolm with instructions to drive Daisy there.

The walk was otherwise uneventful, with everyone giving us a wide berth on the sidewalk. If Sadie noticed the effort people went to—like choosing to cross the street to avoid walking toward me—she didn’t say anything. But with the way she was beaming at Bear, I doubted she noticed much outside the dog.

When we reached Bruno’s shop, Sadie paused in the doorway.

---