Page 35 of Hot for Hostage

But when we pulled up to the apartment building Sadie lived in, it was like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.

The building was a shithole. There was no code or key access at the entrance—anyone could just walk in. The elevator was broken, and we climbed four flights of stairs to her floor while Bear still proudly pranced around with my shoe. Paint peeled off the walls. The stench of urine permeated the halls. By the time we reached her floor, I was ready to throw her over my shoulder and haul ass back to my place.

“This is where you live?” It was a challenge to keep my tone even.

Sadie was unfazed by the crumbling surroundings, and she moved Bear’s leash to her other hand before pulling a key out of her overalls pocket. Her face was still pink from what we’d done in the car, and if I wasn’t so pissed about where she lived, I would’ve kissed her again right here. “Yep, second door on the left. You really didn’t have to walk me up.”

“Yes, I did.” And not just because I wanted to pick up where we’d left off. Malcolm had warned me the building was in bad shape, but I hadn’t expected it to be falling apart.

She unlocked the single flimsy lock—there wasn’t a dead bolt anywhere in sight—and it opened to a decent-sized studio apartment. A double bed covered in too many blankets took up the right side, with a small living area in the middle and a kitchenette to the left. Soft yellows and pinks were everywhere; warm and welcoming.

It was the opposite of my place.

Sadie ushered Bear into the room and unhooked his leash. “You’ll be a hero at the shelter tomorrow, Bear. Mr. Woofkins will be thrilled to have you back.”

The dog dropped my shoe and sniffed around the living space before jumping onto a small yellow couch.

He sure looked at home.

“Why haven’t you adopted Bear?” I picked up the slobber-covered loafer and reluctantly slipped it back on. My sock was soaked through in seconds. “You clearly care for him.”

Sadie eyed my shoe with a grimace. “This is student housing, and they don’t allow pets. I’d get my own place, but it was included in my scholarship. At least I can make up for it by spending all my free time at the shelter, right?”

Before I could decide if that was a rhetorical question, Sadie gasped and looked toward the windowsill. “Oh! I haven’t watered Walter yet today.”

She filled a cup with an inch of water before pouring it over the saddest excuse for a plant I’d ever seen. It might’ve been green at some point, but the whole thing was brown and shriveled up now. “It’s… still alive?”

Sadie looked between me and the poor plant. “I think so? I’ve never been great with plants, but the guy at the garden shop said it was impossible to kill this one.”

I eyed the wilted leaves dubiously. It was definitely possible.

Sadie put out water for Bear, as well as a bowl of dog food she mixed with yogurt.

… Disgusting.

But Bear must disagree, because he jumped down from the couch and attacked the yogurt mush like it was a feast.

A pile of dog food bags caught my eye. Boxes of treats and toys, plus half a dozen dog beds, filled the small dining area. My brows practically climbed into my hairline. “If you can’t have pets, what’s all this for?”

Sadie stood from feeding Bear and followed my gaze. “These are just some things I bought for the shelter. It can’t afford as much after rent doubled a few months ago.”

Out of everything Sadie had said since I’d met her, that surprised me the most. “What do you mean the rent doubled?”

One of her delicate shoulders lifted. “That’s what Mr. Sanders told us. Donations barely cover half the kibble now, so he can’t afford the fun stuff. We do a tennis-ball drive twice a year, but the next one’s not for another few months.”

That wasn’t possible. “Sadie, that block is rent controlled. There’s a limit on how high rent can be raised.”

She frowned. “Mr. Sanders wouldn’t lie to us. And how would you know something like that?”

Because my father owned that block, and I wasn’t looking forward to giving the old bastard a call about it. And now my gut told me not to leave Sadie in this shithole. “How about you stay with me tonight?”

From the way her jaw dropped, one might think I’d proposed. But Sadie coughed before covering it with a smile and sitting on the couch. “I like you, Dav, but I don’t know you well enough for that.” Her gaze dropped to her lap, and she cleared her throat. “What happened in the car was—well, it was?—”

“Hot as hell,” I finished for her.

Her cheeks turned an appealing shade of pink, and she cleared her throat again, growing more flustered. “Um, yes. But it’s time for the mole to go back in his hole.”

I stared back at her. Of all the things I’d expected her to say…thatwasn’t one of them. “What mole?”

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