Hot for Hostage

by Maggie Evans

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.”