59. Fourth Time’s a Charm
fourth time’s a charm
. . .
Sadie
Sadie’s Guide to Hostage-Taking Being Taken Hostage Forming a Partnership with Your Hostage Embracing the Hostage Lifestyle Not Freaking Out Escaping Being Taken Hostage (Again), Tip #35: There doesn’t seem to be a limit to how many times one can be taken hostage.
I hadn’t expected the aftermath of a hostage situation to be so noisy. Things quickly grew crowded in the cul-de-sac, between more cops swarming the street, Davian’s men exiting the house, and nosy neighbors creeping closer to the action. A giant fire truck joined the fray, and makeshift tents were popping up all along the grass.
It wasn’t until I saw the crime scene tape going up that it hit me how real all this was.
Officer Murdock led me over to one of the tents, where his coworker offered me water and some kind words.
I picked at the rim of the full cup, unable to stop myself from peeking over at Davian and Bear on the sidewalk again. Davian looked to be in a serious talk with Vince, while Bear sat between them both with his tail wagging excitedly and his gaze focused on me.
There was something about seeing Davian holding Bear’s leash that did things to my insides—simultaneously melting my heart into a puddle of goo while also capturing the horny demon’s attention.
I wanted to go on a date to the park with Davian and bring Bear along with us for a picnic.
I also wanted to jump him.
Davian must’ve felt my eyes on him, because he looked over midsentence. Even from this distance, I saw him raise his brows in silent question. Could he tell the kind of thoughts running through my mind just from seeing him and Bear together? I smiled at his questioning gaze and gave a little wave to let him know everything was fine.
Bear was still staring at me with those puppy-dog eyes.
Warmed by all the attention, I blew a kiss to both of them.
A smirk curled Davian’s lips, earning him a punch on the arm from Vince—who didn’t seem too happy about being ignored.
I turned back to Officer Murdock, who was watching our interaction with a frown. I barely fought down the urge to roll my eyes at him. Even though I was trying my best to be polite and follow the rules, it still annoyed me how poorly he’d handled Bear’s dognapping.
Murdock ran a hand over his jaw, gaze narrowing on me. “So, you know Davian Reed?”
I pulled Davian’s jacket tighter around me. “You could say that.”
He glanced toward the sidewalk, and his frown deepened. “You two seem close.”
A schoolgirl blush threatened to rise, and I stamped it down. He had just witnessed me kissing the guy. “It’s a bit of a crazy situation, but he helped me get Bear back.”
Murdock had the disappointed law enforcement look down pat. He even enhanced it by standing with his legs slightly apart and crossing his arms.
“Sadie, we’ve known each other for a few years now,” he said slowly. “We can be honest with each other, right?”
Unsure where this was going, I took a sip of my water—wishing it were something sweeter—before answering. “We’re not friends, if that’s what you mean.”
He feigned a shot to the heart, wincing. “Ouch. That’s a little harsh after everything I’ve done for you and the shelter, isn’t it?”
My hackles rose. That was rich coming from him. Some of my will to be polite vanished. “…You mean like when I called you after Bear was taken, and you did absolutely nothing to help us find him?”
“What did you expect me to do?” His chuckle grated against my skin. “I can’t play doggy detective every time one runs off. The city’s full of missing dogs.”
“But he didn’t run away. He was stolen . You told me to check if he had shown up at other shelters, but we had the Skulls on tape, carrying him away!”
His laughter faded. “That wasn’t a lead. Nobody could ID a face from that grainy security footage.”
“Davian took one look at their graffiti and knew it was the Skulls,” I said. “He said it was obvious.”
Murdock shook his head. “You’re talking him up now, but do you even know who Reed is? What he does for a living?”
That made me pause and shift my weight. This was dangerous territory to discuss with a police officer.
“I know enough,” I hedged, not sure what he was getting at.
“He’s a monster who turned Zain Ali’s face into a bloody pulp. The kid will need surgery.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Dozens of officers were watching him, and he knew he could do that without us touching him,” Murdock added gravely. “That’s too much power for one man to have.”
I swallowed. He wasn’t wrong—that’d been scary to watch. “What are you trying to say?”
A long pause heightened my worry before he shook his head. “I just want you to be careful. That’s all.”
“I am being careful.” I scrunched my nose at the defensiveness in my tone. “And, honestly, Jake? It’s none of your business.”
His brows shot up.
And I hadn’t said his name to be nice. It was mostly because I was growing tired of his attitude.
“Noted.” His tone turned clipped—borderline frosty—as he averted his gaze to the crowd forming in front of Zain’s house. “I just thought you had a stronger moral compass than to get involved with criminals like him. Guess I was wrong.”
I prickled with annoyance at his bad attitude, but I had to laugh.
“It’s funny you’re so quick to judge Davian when he’s been loads more helpful than the police,” I said. “When all you did was come up with excuses and waste time flirting with me, Dav actually helped me get Bear back. And he did it for nothing in return.”
Jake’s gaze slid down my body in an obvious leer. “I wouldn’t say he did it for nothing.”
I gaped at him, struck speechless for a good few seconds before I found my voice.
“Seriously? You say stuff like that, but all Davian’s ever done is be on my side.” Even when I’d been too scared to face my feelings for him and run away, he’d still come for me. I was just wasting time now when I’d much rather be spending it with him. “We’re clearly getting nowhere, and I need to get back to Bear. Have a nice day, Officer.”
“Wait, Sadie.” Jake grabbed my arm when I turned away, and I stilled. He blew out a breath. “I’m sorry, okay? But the boss will have my head if I don’t question you. I just want to make sure you’re answering me honestly and not being swayed by Reed.”
“I would never lie to law enforcement. Nobody is swaying me.”
Jake’s lips twitched, and he dropped his hand. “Of course. But humor me for a minute, okay? Then you can get back to your dog.”
I swallowed another retort. “If you can keep things professional, then I’ll answer your questions. But no more bad-mouthing Davian.”
“Deal,” he agreed easily enough, making my eyes narrow. He backed up a few steps and opened the passenger door to one of the squad cars, gesturing for me to get in. “Now, have a seat. Please.”
My brows went up, and I shifted my feet on the pavement. There was no reason to get into a car with this man. “I’d rather stand, thanks.”
Jake glanced at the two other officers across the tent from us, then the others milling around us. He lowered his voice. “It’s for privacy, Sadie. I have some sensitive questions, and the chief doesn’t want the wrong ears overhearing us.”
I bristled. It was obvious the “wrong ears” were Davian’s men, and I was offended for them.
Across the cul-de-sac, Davian and Bear stood further down the sidewalk. To my disgust, Davian’s father was with them now, and it looked like a heated discussion. I found myself taking a step in their direction before snapping out of it.
Bear was focused on Sebastian Reed, too. He leaned forward as much as the leash would allow, sniffing his legs and shoes.
I almost hoped he developed the same obsession with that man’s footwear as he had with Davian’s. The jerk deserved to have a few loafers stolen.
But Davian seemed busy, so I turned back to the car.
“Fine.” I huffed and ducked into the passenger seat. The sooner this was over, the sooner I could get back to Davian and Bear—hopefully after they were finished talking to Sebastian.
Jake swung the door shut and jogged around the front of the car. When he slid into the driver’s seat, I placed my water into the cupholder and flattened my hands over my skirt. “Okay. What would you like to know?”
Instead of asking me anything, Jake put his key in the ignition and started it up.
“Um, what are you doing?” I asked, growing more baffled when he put the car into gear.
He didn’t answer until he was driving forward. “We’re going somewhere safe to talk. You’re obviously not comfortable speaking freely with Reed nearby.”
My heart dropped into my stomach.
“Are you joking?” I shifted to look out the window, but Davian wasn’t in sight anymore as Jake expertly wove through the maze of parked cars. I scowled at him. “At least let me tell everyone where I’m going first, so they don’t worry.”
His grip flexed on the wheel. “By ‘everyone,’ you mean Reed?”
“Gladys and Ryan, too. They’ll be concerned if I disappear.” I pressed the button to lower my window so I could call to Davian, but the window didn’t budge. “…Why isn’t my window opening?”
“It’s better if your friends don’t know. We can’t risk Reed not letting you go.”
“What I do isn’t up to him,” I said through gritted teeth, pushing the window button again. Nothing. I stabbed it with my finger three more times. “Is this window broken?”
The car picked up speed once we cleared the parked vehicles, my heartbeat speeding up with it.
Screw it. Jumping out of a moving vehicle had to be better than whatever he had planned. But when I yanked on the handle, my door didn’t open. I jiggled the handle again—but it did nothing.
Dread filled my stomach. “Why is this locked?”
Jake’s lips pressed together as the car picked up more speed. “I’m sorry, Sadie, but we’re doing this to protect you.”
“No, what you’re doing is being ridiculous,” I cried as my panic grew. “I don’t need protection. Can you just turn around, please? I don’t have my phone, and it’ll take one second for me to tell them we’re going somewhere.”
I wasn’t actually planning to tell anyone or ever get back into a car with Jake, but I’d say anything to get him to stop the car.
Instead, his foot grew heavier on the gas. “I can’t do that. This is the only way to trust you aren’t being coerced.”
Coerced?
I wanted to scream.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I fought to remain cordial. “I appreciate your concern, but it’s not needed. No one is coercing or brainwashing me. I’m acting of my own free will, just like I always have. That’s the truth. Now, please pull over.”
“It’s not up to me.” Jake shook his head. “My orders are from the top. Chief Peterson asked me to take you off site so you could feel comfortable talking to me without fear of retribution.”
“Retribution?” I echoed in disbelief. This was just ridiculous. “Davian won’t hurt me.”
“You don’t know the Reeds like we do. This is a necessary safety measure.”
…Son of a dog biscuit .
I rubbed at my temples, trying to stay calm and think rationally. But the panic was winning. I pulled on the handle again, desperately willing my heart rate to stop spiking. “Unlock the door, Jake.”
He didn’t seem fazed by my panic. “Calm down for a minute?—”
“You did not just tell me to calm down while you’re driving me away without my permission.” I laughed at how crazy this was before gritting my teeth. “If you don’t let me out right now, I’ll—I’ll report you for this. You’ll be in big trouble.”
He gave me a cool side-glance. “Threatening me now? Reed sure rubbed off on you fast.”
I scowled at him, but my mind was working a mile a minute, weighing what to do. I briefly considered attacking Jake, but there were tons of trees lining the street. Attacking him could lead to us crashing straight into one.
I needed to be smart about this.
I tried again, hoping manners would help him see reason. “Please let me out.”
“No.”
Well. Manners didn’t work, then.
At the end of the street, Jake took a sharp right turn, and I grabbed my seat as we zoomed down a side street—and straight toward the Dog-Mobile parked against a curb. Desperate, I jumped at the chance for help as we approached.
“Gladys! Ryan!” I banged against the passenger window, willing them to look over. Jake sped up, and I couldn’t see much as we passed the van. “ Help! ”
He snorted. “Don’t be so dramatic. This is for your own safety.”
I gave the handle a few more useless yanks as my freak-out mode fully engaged. “Jake, please . This isn’t funny. Pull over.”
His mouth formed a thin line as he kept driving—very noticeably not pulling over.
I turned in my seat to stare out the back window as the Dog-Mobile shrank in the distance, in complete disbelief this was happening again.
Had I seriously been abducted twice in one day?
…Gladys would never let me live this down.