Hot for Hostage

by Maggie Evans

“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...