Page 89 of Hot for Hostage

I could always call him later.

Or email.

Or maybe it was time to bring telegrams back into fashion.

…Or maybe he’d take one look at the line of mafia princesses waiting for him and forget I ever existed.

I quickly shut down that train of thought.

“It won’t be easy. They won’t let me just waltz out the gate.”Not again, at least. I paced over to Davian’s bed and placed a hand on the soft sheets as an idea formed. A risky idea. “Does the Dog-Mobile still have that ladder from when we had to get Honey off the roof?”

A golden retriever we’d briefly housed at the shelter had proven quite the escape artist.

“I like where you’re going with this.” Gladys hummed softly. “Yes, the ladder’s here.”

“Can you drive to the eastern wall of the compound in six minutes?” I asked. At least, I hoped that direction was east. My heart did a sideways flip as what we were about to do sank in. “Around the area that lines up with the house. I need to find Bear, then I’ll meet you there. I’m just not sure what to do about the guards.”

“We have that part covered,” she said. “I’ll distract them while Ryan gets you out.”

The menace in her voice made me hesitate. “How exactly are you planning to distract them?”

“Don’t you worry about that,” she said, sounding even more sinister. “Do you want me to call the police for backup, just in case?”

I pressed my lips together, remembering how Davian hadn’t batted an eye at the car wash when the police were on their way. He wasn’t afraid of them. “I don’t think they’ll do anything to help us. We’re on our own.”

“Roger that. Ryan will meet you at the eastern wall. Six minutes.”

Just six minutes, and then I was out of here.

…So, why wasn’t I happier about it?

Leaving felt wrong. Dirty. Davian had dropped everything to help me. He’d opened his home to me and Bear. He’d made me see stars in the kitchen. Now, I was about to disappear without so much as a thank-you or goodbye.

But Vince’s cruel words rang in my head, and I clenched my jaw—pushing any second-guessing deep, deep down.

This was for the best.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I told Gladys as I pulled the top sheet off Davian’s bed. It was time to get to work. I could overthink everything later. “Thank you, Gladys.”

She snorted. “What are friends for if not to help each other break out of heavily guarded mafia fortresses?”

…Well, I couldn’t argue with that.

But I gulped as I stripped the fitted sheet off Davian’s bed. Was I really going to try escaping from his compound two days in a row?

My arms prickled with goose bumps just thinking about it.

Vince had called me weak, but he was in for a rude awakening. I didn’t need to hide out here like some helpless damsel.

I could return to my life and protectmyself.

sadie’s great escape 2.0

. . .

Sadie

Sadie’s Guide toHostage-TakingBeing Taken HostageForming a Partnership with Your HostageEmbracing the Hostage LifestyleNot Freaking OutEscaping, Tip #26: Not all escape plans are created equal.

---