Hot for Hostage

by Maggie Evans

Either I was having one hell of a hangover, or Strawberry Shortcake herself was standing in front of me and pointing a gun at my chest. Vince cursed beside me, and I barely held back a smirk despite the situation. No one ever got the jump on him—it was why he was my number two, after all—and if his piece weren’t currently pointed at me, I would’ve laughed my ass off at this little girl getting the better of him.

“That’s better,” she muttered as my and Vince’s hands hovered in the air. She chewed on that full lower lip again as she considered me, and her brows scrunched in a frown before she whispered, “Now what?” I pursed my lips to hold in a laugh. Pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to hear that. “Now you tell us your demands?” I offered, curious where this could go. Did she want money? Valuables? Would she turn the gun on Bruno to rob the store? This was far more exciting than the day of meetings I’d had planned.

Part of me was surprised she’d finally noticed we’d left the city. “We’re not going to them yet.” “What do you mean we’re not…” She sucked in a breath and watched me with wide eyes. “You’re not driving to an abandoned riverbank to kill me and dispose of my body, are you?” My brows rose. What would she do if I said yes? “You’re the one with the gun, Sadie. You’re in charge here,” I reminded her. “We’re just going to my place first.” “Right,” she muttered under her breath. Her hands clutched the seat belt tight enough that her knuckles turned white. “But I don’t remember agreeing to go to your place. Shouldn’t that be a decision for me—the hostage-taker—to make?” “I need to get supplies and a couple men for backup if we want Bear back without any problems. I’ll need to switch out cars, too.”

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.

Had a teenager just propositioned me? “Watch it, kid,” Davian warned evenly before I could get over my shock. Fessy smirked at Davian. “Can’t blame me for trying. A body like that? I’d smash⁠—” A loud bang filled the quiet garage like an explosion going off, making all of us jump. What the⁠—? Fessy bent forward with a grunt. His brow scrunched in confusion, then pain flashed across his face, and his leg drew everyone’s attention. Blood gushed from his thigh. He stared at the wound in shock—I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, either—then screamed loud enough to burst my eardrums. Which made me scream, too. And then his friends joined in. I looked at Davian in alarm, but he just stood there—cool as a cucumber—with

“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.

After Gladys’s description of the man, Davian was nothing like I’d expected. He was so sweet and protective. Okay, so maybe he’d shot a kid in the leg, but that was to defend me and Bear. Then the way he’d kissed me and what had happened in the SUV…

When my feet touched the foyer floor and Bear hopped down beside me, all four of us froze. The men straightened and quickly shut the door behind them. My eyes narrowed. That wasn’t fishy at all. Like Davian, both of them were dark-haired, well-built, wearing dark suits, and gave nothing away with their expressions. It was kind of spooky. But unlike the hostage who’d wormed his way into my thoughts, these men had blatant wine stains down the fronts of their dress shirts. It didn’t shock me that Davian’s men were day drinkers, but they didn’t need to be slobs about it. “You should really get those under cold water before the wine sets,” I said, trying to be helpful. I had my fair share of experience with stains from culinary school and the shelter. The men only stared back at me blankly, and I adjusted my grip on the banister. “Your shirts,” I clarified, gesturing at the blotches of dark red. “Wine stains aren’t fun to… They aren’t fun to…” I glanced at the stains again—belatedly realizing they looked more like splatters than spills—and my throat tightened. “Oh. Oh.” My stomach churned, and I rested a hand over it as my voice came out strangled. “That’s not wine, is it?”

“Well, yes. He’ll have fun chasing squirrels.” Vince was a big guy—like football player big, and not one of the skinny ones who ran fast—and he loomed over both of us. That was why I had to choke down a laugh when he looked down at Bear like he was sizing him up. But then he seemed to come to a decision, because he nodded. “Fine. I’ll take your dog outside and watch him,” he declared, as if he were granting me a boon. While I wasn’t one to complain, he’d sure changed his tune quickly. “Really? I thought you didn’t like⁠—” “Follow me, dog,” Vince ordered, walking off in the opposite direction without waiting for Bear—who panted happily and looked up at me. I shrugged. “Go play with the scary man, Bear.” I gave him a good scratch behind his ear before patting his rump. He took off down the hall. “Thank you, Vince! Have fun, boys.” I reached the kitchen door before Vince’s startled yelp made me pause. “Don’t lick me!” I stifled a laugh with my palm and ducked back into the kitchen. At least it sounded like Bear was warming up to Vince.

“I’m Sadie, by the way. And you’re Antonio?” The knife paused, and both his thick grey eyebrows rose. “The boss told you about me?” “Well, he didn’t say you were an actual chef. I was picturing one of his scary guards slicing up fruit for our lunch earlier.” I snickered at that imagery.

At the mention of Sadie, I looked across the yard to the pool, but there were no signs of any naked pint-sized hostage-taking bakers snorkeling in it.

“Are you hungry?” The look in Sadie’s eyes practically radiated hope. “I made cupcakes to thank you for all your help. You know, with Bear and everything.” I paused, sure I’d misheard her. … She’d baked for me? That damn warmth flared up in my chest again—foreign and wholly unwelcome—and I made a mental note to call my doctor. It must be a bad case of heartburn. The crazier part was it didn’t even cross my mind to say no. I wasn’t a fan of baked goods, but she’d clearly worked hard on these. It wouldn’t kill me to eat one.

“Dav, no!” Sadie cried just as I bit into it. Her eyes grew comically wide, making me freeze with half the cookie in my mouth. Maybe she wanted to warn me it was too hot to eat, but the temperature was fine. It was the flavor that gave me pause. What kind of cookie tasted like feet? I almost spat it out by reflex, but I didn’t want to hurt Sadie’s feelings after she’d spent hours baking in here. She was already staring at me in horror as I chewed and fought to muster a smile. “It’s… good,” I forced out, trying not to choke on the bite I now fully regretted taking. For a cookie, there was nothing sweet about it. Instead, I could swear it was made with old cheese. I held back a grimace with every ounce of my resolve and managed to swallow. Pure willpower stopped me from gagging. I cleared my throat. “Very good.” The lie hurt, but how was I supposed to tell her it tasted awful? Sadie only gaped at me while pink icing continued to stream out of her bag onto the counter. Then, the biggest smile spread across her face before she doubled over in peals of laughter. I frowned. It’d been a long time since someone had laughed at my expense. Even Antonio watched on with stunned amusement. “Something funny, sweetheart?” I asked Sadie evenly, setting the rest of the cookie back on the tray and wiping the crumbs off my hands. It wasn’t worth trying to choke down the rest. The aftertaste alone made me want to chug a bottle of scotch. It took Sadie longer than I thought necessary to pull h...

My fingers reached the button on his pants when a faint vibration made me pause. I pulled back from the kiss and looked down, convinced I was imagining things. But I wasn’t hallucinating; the bulge in Davian’s pants was definitely buzzing. That was new. I blinked at his zipper. “Uh, I’ve never had this happen before. … Are you vibrating?” Davian’s chest rumbled with a laugh, and he slid his hand out from under my top to reach into his pocket. “That’s my phone.” Oh. Duh. “Right. Of course,”

“Let the girl go, Sebastian,” Antonio repeated. His deceptive calm—like a predator who knew he’d cornered his prey—made my heart skip a beat when it wasn’t even targeted at me. “You know what I can do with a blade.” Sebastian chuckled before carelessly pushing me away and holding up his hands. “Someone’s touchy today. Who pissed in your pesto?”

Vince moved to close the door, but I grabbed it just before it could shut. “Wait.” I bit my lip. “Um… I’m sorry to ask, but is there any chance you could get me something to drown my sorrows? I’ll reimburse you for it.” I really wasn’t trying to be dramatic, but it’d been a rough afternoon. I wasn’t opposed to numbing the pain a little. For the first time since I met him, Vince actually looked at me with a hint of understanding. Maybe even a dash of sympathy—or pity—as he pushed the door open further. “Sure. What’s your poison?” I sniffled. Bubblegum was for when I was already happy. I needed a comfort flavor for wallowing. “Mint chocolate chip, please.” “Mint chocolate… Hold on. You aren’t talking about liquor?”

Surprisingly, his pitiful attempt at sounding comforting made me feel a little better. “That’s very kind of you. Thanks.” I dropped my hand from the door, embarrassed by my near meltdown. “I take back most of the mean things I thought about you while you were dragging me here.” Not all of them, but the especially nasty ones like how I wished he’d lose all his taste buds so he could never enjoy good buttercream icing again. I wouldn’t usually wish that on my worst enemy.

You’re a distraction. A sweet thing he can play with. Gladys sighed. “You say that now, but I swear, child. You better not have magical lady bits that make him come after you.” “Don’t be silly, Gladys.” My doctor once told me all vaginas were unique, but I doubted she meant some were actually magical. I figured she’d spotted something weird about mine and wanted to make me feel better.

Zain ignored him and kept a firm grip on my jaw as he lifted the knife toward my chest. Oh no. This was taking a turn from very bad to potentially catastrophic. “Oh god. Oh god. Oh god,” I chanted as he moved the weapon closer to my breast. My heart pounded against my rib cage hard enough that my head swam. This was my worst fear coming to life. “Please don’t cut off my nipples!” The sharp blade froze a hair’s breadth from the fabric of my shirt, and Zain’s dark gaze flicked up to mine. “… What?” Each breath felt like it was ripped out of me. “I have a phobia of someone cutting off my nipples and eyelids. Please, anything but that!” I cried, trying to suck in my chest while pulling harder against the stubborn ropes around my wrists—but the knots were impressively tight. If the Ali brothers hadn’t already chosen a life of crime, their knot-tying skills would’ve given them a leg up as Boy Scouts. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. You want my peanut butter dog treat recipe? It’s yours. Code to the shelter’s medicine supply? Eight-Four-Nine-Zero-Two. Just please don’t chop off my⁠—”

He jabbed a finger at me—bringing the knife blade dangerously close to my chest again—and I squeaked in fright, sucking in my torso as best I could. “Are you serious?” Zain’s nostrils flared. “I didn’t even touch you.” I shuddered, leaning as far from him as I could with my bindings. “I’m sorry, but I can’t stop thinking about you cutting off my nipples. Whatever happens, can you just promise you won’t do that? Anything but that.” When Zain only stared down at me, Fessy coughed lightly. “It’s a really dumb move to tell us your weaknesses.” “I don’t care! I’m already freaking out at the possibility. Please promise?” The brothers exchanged a glance, which led to Fessy shrugging. “Fine. Whatever,” Zain muttered, lowering his weapon. “We promise not to cut off your nipples.” Exhaling, I slouched against the chair. “Thank you. That’s all I ask.” He frowned, seeming to regret agreeing so quickly. “But that doesn’t mean we won’t do other things if you and Reed don’t cooperate,” he warned, voice guttural, his patience thinning. “Painful things.” My answering nod was grim as my heartbeat returned to a normal rate. “I understand.”

She was lying. The tear was too clean-cut to be a rip. And Zain was holding a blade in his left hand. “You cut her shirt?” I asked evenly, but my voice no longer sounded like it belonged to me. “I’ll do a lot more than that,” he threatened, raising his voice and grabbing her again. “You don’t have any leverage here, Reed. Either agree to our terms, or—or I’ll cut her nipples off!” Sadie sucked in a breath and stared up at him in betrayal. “Seriously, Zain? That’s the one thing you promised not to do!” My mind shut down. I must’ve misheard him, because I could swear he’d just threatened her nipples.

Fessy finally looked up, his lips twisted into a scowl. “Distasteful? I said I’d bone you. That’s a compliment.” It was my turn to stare. “Regardless,” I said, ignoring his comment. At least I had his attention now. “If Davian sees I’m comfortable and you treated me well, it could work in your favor. I’ll even put in a good word for you and Zain.” He only snorted and went back to sweeping. “You heard that call. Nothing you say to Reed can save us now.” “That’s not true. Davian is reasonable.” I tried to think of ways to reassure him, and luckily, I remembered Lorenzo. “I’m sure he would at least lock you in a shed for a few days before doing anything drastic. That would give me time to remind him how well you treated me and that you’re sorry.” Fessy’s face twisted in horror. “Lock me in a shed? What the hell?” Oh. Right. That wasn’t exactly normal. “Yeah, okay. I can see where that might not be very reassuring.” I racked my brain for something else. “But I would bring you cupcakes? Homemade ones.”

The moment the door swung shut behind him, I ran up and grabbed the handle—right as Fessy clicked a lock into place from the other side. I gasped and jiggled the doorknob, but it didn’t budge. I couldn’t believe it. Why did all these mafia bedroom doors lock from the outside? That had to be against a dozen fire-safety regulations.

“Don’t.” I thwacked the goon’s head, making him let go of me. “Touch.” Another swat to his face. “Me!” One more whack sent the scary man crumpling to the floor. When he moved to get up, I threw in a few more bonks to his head for good measure. The last one flattened him like a pancake, leaving him groaning facedown on the floor, and I hesitated with my broom raised instead of running away. It took a second to sink in that he wasn’t getting back up. Guilt pooled in my stomach. Had I actually hurt him badly enough to incapacitate him? I must’ve not known my own strength. “I’m sorry for the extreme measures, but you have to understand how stressful this whole situation is for me,” I panted. When the goon still didn’t move, I lowered my broom to hip height. “… Are you okay?” No answer from him. I prodded his back with the end of my broom to check, but he didn’t appear to be conscious anymore. “Well. I hope you use this as a sign to rethink your life choices when you wake up,” I whispered,

Good thing we hadn’t counted on their help. An ambulance followed the convoy of squad cars, and my father’s Bentley pulled in behind them. That wasn’t surprising. He had a habit of showing up as soon as the action died down. “Lord above.” Gladys gave a low whistle as the squad cars all swerved into the cul-de-sac and parked haphazardly. “That’s a lot of coppers.” Sadie slowly lifted her arms into the air and started to lower herself to the ground. I grabbed her waist to stop her. “What the hell are you doing?” “Surrendering,” she answered while trying to wiggle out of my grasp, but I wasn’t letting her go anywhere. … Surrendering? “For what?” I asked, genuinely confused. “You were the one taken captive.” “Today, sure. But what about yesterday? I stole a gun and took you hostage,” she whispered urgently, glancing at the cops jumping out of their cars and heading toward us. Her arms trembled. “I don’t think I’ll do well in jail, Dav. They use cigarettes as currency in the movies, and my school had a police officer come talk to us about how bad drugs are. He made all the fifth-graders sign little cards promising we’d never even touch them. Plus, I’ve never made a shiv before. I don’t know how. Although, I once made a spatula out of recycled⁠—”

Tip #36: Being a recurring hostage is exhausting. Make sure to stay hydrated. I was so over being abducted. At this rate, someone should’ve at least given me a loyalty punch card for all my troubles. Survive ten abductions and earn a free ice cream! That would be worth it.

She shrugged. “At my age, you gotta get the thrills where you can. You call that a punch, Murdock? My parakeet can hit harder than that!”

“But I like when my friend is happy,” she continued, ignoring Sadie’s comment. “And I’ve never seen Sadie smile like she did when you got all mushy after sucking her face off against that SUV.” Sadie slapped both hands over her face. “Gladys, please stop!” She waved Sadie off, then pointed that boney finger at me and wiggled it threateningly. “But mark my words, Reed. If you hurt my friend or make her cry, I have my own ways of making you suffer. And I have a network of old broads who’ve read enough crime thrillers to know where to hide the bodies,” Gladys warned, making my brows rise. “They’re also old enough they don’t care whether they spend their last years behind bars instead of a nursing home.” It was hard not to look at the others to see if they were laughing as I fought to keep a straight face. “Message received.” She hummed, giving me a quick once-over that said she didn’t like what she saw. “It’s good to know you’re not a complete imbecile.” I couldn’t hide my amusement at her sudden boldness. “It wasn’t that long ago you were terrified of me.” “That was before.” She lifted her chin and glanced at Sadie, who was still hiding behind her hands. “You can’t touch me now.” It took me a second to realize she was right. I wouldn’t hurt Sadie’s friends. The realization was… annoying, but I wasn’t too upset by it.

Vince glanced at Sadie in my lap, and I caught him doing a double take—which drew my attention back to her, too. Sadie sat with her arms crossed, brows pinched, and a glare focused on Vince. When she raised a brow, he frowned. “What?” He scowled at her. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Sadie huffed, then deepened her voice in what I could only guess was a poor imitation of my right-hand man. “‘I was so wrong about you, Sadie. You’re not a distraction or a weakness. You’re a broom-wielding, baking goddess who deserves some respect. Please accept my deepest apologies for being such a grumpy, insufferable jerk to you. You deserve better.’” I had to stifle a snort of laughter, and even Vince was fighting back a smirk when he shared a look with me. “Well?” Sadie pressed, watching him expectantly. He sighed. “I heard you took one of Ali’s men out with a broom,” he finally told her. The following pause lasted for ages, until he added, “That’s pretty badass.” Sadie pretended to buff her nails against the shoulder of my borrowed jacket. “You should see what I can do with a potted plant.” My chest rumbled with a laugh, and even Vince grinned. “I won’t underestimate you again,” he said. “But I won’t sit by and watch you get abducted again, either. I’m going to teach you self-defense, so you don’t have to rely on house plants and cleaning tools. We’ll start tomorrow morning.”

“Before we make this adoption official, I have a couple conditions,” he said. Suddenly suspicious, I squinted at him. “What kind of conditions?” “Bear doesn’t sleep in our bed.” I frowned. “But he has nightmares, Dav.” Davian made a face. “What nightmares can a dog possibly have?” “Well, there’s the recurring one where he’s chasing a squirrel, but it’s always just out of reach. Then he starts shaking, and I think that means the dream squirrel mutated into a giant squirrel monster and turned the tables on Bear.” Davian stared at me. “… How about only when he has nightmares?” I offered diplomatically, but I still crossed my fingers behind my back. Just in case.