61. Remember His Name
remember his name
. . .
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 #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.
“I’m worried about you, Sadie. The Reeds aren’t a family you should be hanging around,” Jake said for the third time. He was still trying to justify kidnapping me.
I pursed my lips and stared out the passenger window, pretending I hadn’t heard him. My new plan was to ignore him until he pulled the car over.
And I might’ve been pouting just a little bit, because how was I supposed to prove I wasn’t a weakness to Davian if I kept getting kidnapped at every turn?
Jake sighed and turned onto another road. “Enough games. That son of a bitch messed with your head, and you don’t know what you’re getting involved in.”
I snorted. But when I saw the dirt road he’d turned onto, all plans to ignore him went out my locked window. Instead of heading toward the city, we were driving away from civilization. And no other cars were around. I straightened in my seat. “Wait. Where are we going?”
“To the station. You’ll feel safer answering questions there.”
“But this is an abandoned road. The city is that way.” I pointed behind us, where I could see just a hint of the skyline. “You’re driving further away from it!”
Jake adjusted his grip on the wheel and mumbled something surely insulting under his breath, which did nothing to help my growing panic. My mind went straight to the worst possible scenario. “Oh my god. You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”
“What? Don’t be stupid.” He threw me an incredulous look before shaking his head. “You’re clearly not thinking straight.”
“And you’re not my mother,” I shot back, prickling with annoyance. “You have no right to take me somewhere against my will.”
That was it. I needed a plan. I wasn’t some helpless damsel waiting to be saved, and there was nothing good about an abandoned road.
I eyed the contents of the car, but Jake didn’t keep many items lying around. The only thing that looked heavy enough to hit him over the head with was a laptop, but it was hooked up to the middle console.
Picking up my cup of water, I subtly weighed it in my hand. Too light. But taking a sip gave me an idea.
Bingo .
I cleared my throat and reached a hand down to rest over the buckle of my seat belt. My best chance at getting him to listen was to play along.
“Okay,” I said in my best effort at calm. “I’ll talk to you, okay? I’ll tell you whatever you want. Just pull over first.”
“Not until we’re far away from Reed.” Jake ran a hand through his hair, disheveling the dark locks. “You know I’m looking out for you, right? If you want a man to look after you, you have other options. You don’t need to settle for a guy who spends his nights in back alleys with the rats and lowlifes.”
My grip tightened on the water cup. “I understand, and I’m grateful to have you watching out for me.” The lie tasted like sandpaper on my tongue, making me grimace. “But I don’t feel comfortable driving off like this. Please pull over, Jake.”
He scoffed. “Don’t be silly. You’re safe with me?—”
“Pull over. Now .”
Miraculously, he swerved the car to the side of the road and screeched to a stop—causing water to slosh over the rim of my cup.
Jake spun in his seat to face me, and his glare made my hands tremble. “Watch your tone. You don’t give me orders, Sadie.”
He reached for my jaw, startling me into action. I threw my water in his face—aiming for his eyes—at the same time I freed my seat belt. While he spluttered, I launched myself across the middle with a war cry and reached over him to yank open his door.
“ What the hell ?— ? ”
Jake blindly grabbed at me, and my momentum made us both tumble out the door onto the road in a tangle of limbs and dirt.
“Let me go!” I cried when he landed on top of me. I pushed at his chest, but he easily grappled me to the ground and straddled my waist. No amount of bucking or wiggling would make him move.
Great, now he was sitting on me.
“Calm down,” Jake ordered, grabbing my wrists and pinning them to the road.
I panted for air beneath him, and both of us realized at the same time that Davian’s jacket had unbuttoned during the scuffle—revealing my pink cupcake bra and a whole lot of cleavage.
Oh my.
Jake stared at my chest, eyes widening comically. “What the hell are you wearing?”
I squeezed my eyes shut and focused on pushing against his hold. “Get off me!”
This was going the exact opposite of how I’d hoped when I came up with the water cup plan.
“Why can’t you just listen?” Jake tightened his grip on my wrists, not budging. “I’m trying to help you, you ungrateful little?—”
Beep, beep!
Frantic honking cut Jake off, and we both looked up. The Happy Tails Haven Dog-Mobile chugged along, moving toward us in a dust cloud. I could just make out Gladys and Ryan waving frantically at me through the windshield.
Jake muttered a few choice curses above me. I tried to wiggle my wrists free, but his grip didn’t loosen.
The Dog-Mobile squealed to a stop a few meters away, but not before Davian and Bear jumped out the side door like crime-fighters in an action movie. I gaped up at them.
Bear shot over to us like a bullet, rammed straight into Jake, and knocked the jerk off me.
Jake screamed, and I scrambled backward on my butt before a pair of strong hands pulled me up. I looked up to meet Davian’s piercing glare.
He looked positively murderous. “You okay?”
I gulped and nodded, then he breezed past me toward Jake just as Bear sank his teeth into Jake’s arm.
I could swear Davian said, “Good boy, Bear,” before pulling Jake up by his collar—only to throw a punch at his face.
Uh-oh.
Bear let go and retreated to me, nudging my hip to herd me away from the violence.
“I know, I know,” I muttered to him, shuffling back and fumbling to rebutton the jacket. “Thanks, buddy.”
When we reached the edge of the road, Bear stood sentry in front of me, and I braced myself before looking at Davian and Jake rolling around the dirt road in a full-out brawl.
Oh no .
Davian was clearly winning with the hits he was getting in. And he seemed to be the only one dodging. But nothing good could come of beating up a police officer.
“Dav!” I called, wincing at a particularly brutal hit. “I think he got the message.”
Instead of stopping, Davian grabbed Jake’s collar and threw another punch.
Ouch .
“Sock him in the throat, Reed!” Gladys shouted from next to the Dog-Mobile, followed by a hooting cheer. “Nice shot!”
“ Gladys, ” I hissed over my shoulder, not wanting her to encourage him.
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! ”
Ryan watched in horrified amazement from the other side of the van.
“Help me stop them,” I called to my friends, looking around for anything to use as a weapon. “I don’t want Davian to get hurt.”
And I didn’t want him to get into trouble for assaulting an officer, either—which he was apparently very good at.
“ Sadie, ” Gladys called, and I turned just as she lobbed something at me.
I fumbled to catch the clay pot, and immediately recognized my beautiful brown plant, Walter.
Perfect. His pot was solid enough to do some damage.
Hauling him behind my head for leverage, I waited until Davian shoved Jake into the side of the patrol car to make my move. When the timing was right, I aimed at the side of Jake’s head and let Walter fly.
… He missed.
Instead of hitting Jake’s head in an impressive display of my athletic skill, Walter went three feet to the right and ricocheted off the car’s back window. He fell to the ground with a sad plop and a cracked pot.
That wasn’t good.
I ran over and picked him up just as Davian clocked Jake in the jaw, earning a groan from Jake and another cheer from Gladys. It wasn’t even a fair fight as Jake swayed to the side and Davian pulled him back by the collar of his jacket. He was just playing with his food now.
I needed to stop this before Davian got into trouble. The police might’ve let what he’d done to Zain slide, but I doubted they’d do the same for one of their own.
Adjusting my grip on Walter’s broken remains, I tiptoed closer to the fight until I was a couple feet behind Jake. Bear hugged my hip, growling softly.
“Watch out, Dav!” I warned, just before jumping forward and bringing Walter down against the back of Jake’s head.
Walter did his job this time, and Jake dropped like a bag of rocks. Davian moved quickly and methodically, nicking the handcuffs off Jake’s belt before crouching and cuffing him to the rim of the tire.
He pocketed the key.
Jake moaned pitifully—his face an ugly mixture of red and blue, with one eye rapidly swelling shut—and Davian grabbed his jaw.
“Why’d you take Sadie?” He spoke so calmly—and devoid of any emotion—but the tension radiating from him froze me in place.
“Fuck you,” Jake rasped. He jerked against Davian’s grasp to glare at me, but it lacked any heat when he couldn’t even focus enough to maintain eye contact. “ This is who you want, Sadie? A criminal asshole? He’s not?—”
“Don’t look at her. Look at me.” Davian’s grip on Jake’s jaw turned white-knuckled as he jerked it back to face him. “Where were you taking her?”
Jake glowered at Davian like there was nothing he’d love more than to make a Davian-flavored stew.
“As far away from you as I could,” he spat. “She’s too good for you, Reed. She might be blinded because you found her stupid dog, but Sadie deserves someone better than a lowlife.”
I frowned. It wasn’t difficult to guess Jake believed that “someone” was him.
Davian’s low answering chuckle raised the hair on my arms. “Maybe I owe you a thank-you, then. If you hadn’t shit the bed when Bear went missing, Sadie wouldn’t be mine now.”
My chest had no business fluttering at that, and I tightened my grip on Bear’s collar.
“Davian?” I whispered, worried how far he planned to take this.
He pulled his gaze away from Jake long enough to glance at me—then Bear—with a look that chilled me to the bone, before refocusing on the officer.
“Peterson is on his way. He’ll get you medical help and take your badge, because you’re done in this city.” He sneered, letting go of Jake’s jaw. “Consider it a favor. If you ever come near Sadie again, I won’t be this nice.”
A shiver rolled down my spine at the threat, making me adjust my grip on Bear’s collar.
Jake only spat out blood—and was that a tooth ?—then slumped back against the tire with a weak moan.
He wouldn’t be flashing that flirty smile of his again anytime soon.
Davian straightened to his full height and strode toward me and Bear. His hand found the small of my back, ushering us further away from the scene of the crime.
“Want to tell me how you ended up in a car with that asshole?” he asked dryly.
“Wrong place, wrong time?” I forced a light laugh, trying to lighten the mood. He didn’t join in, so I cleared my throat. “I might’ve made a poor judgement call, and Jake was convinced he was saving me from a very bad man. His words, not mine.”
Davian’s dark gaze flashed. “And how exactly did it go from him saving you to him pinning you to the road?”
I winced. “Well, I might’ve thrown water in his face and attacked him…”
I was rewarded with a hint of a smile cracking through Davian’s hard exterior. He pulled me close and pressed his lips to my forehead. “That’s my girl.”
The way my heart fluttered at the praise was entirely unhealthy and wholly welcome.
Especially when Bear didn’t complain this time.
Davian drew back too soon for my liking, face serious. “I need to call Peterson before we leave to let him know that piece of trash is still breathing. Don’t move from this spot.”
It took effort not to roll my eyes at him when he stepped away with his phone, but he didn’t go far.
Gladys quickly filled his place and enveloped me in a fierce hug, even as she scowled. “You foolish girl! What did I say about sacrificing yourself?”
“I didn’t volunteer this time! He tricked me.” I pouted, hugging her back.
Ryan wrapped his arms around both of us and squeezed. Bear must’ve been jealous, because he leaned all his weight against my leg to join the hug.
“You guys are the best.” I reached down to scratch Bear’s head. “I can’t believe you teamed up with Dav to come help me.”
“Of course we did.” Ryan eased back with a scoff. “I told you we’ll always have your back.”
“And Reed turned out to be somewhat useful,” Gladys added, not letting go of me even when Davian rejoined us.
Luckily, he seemed amused by her comment. When he stopped behind me, I gravitated toward him.
“Mind giving us a minute?” he asked the other two.
“Uh, sure. We’ll be over here,” Ryan said before peeling a scowling Gladys off me and dragging her to the Dog-Mobile. They left Bear with us, since he was glued to my hip.
I shook my head at them and readily walked into Davian’s waiting arms with a sigh.
“Hey.” I looked up, resting my chin against his chest. “Two rescues in one day. That’s gotta be some kind of record, doesn’t it?”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “Let’s not make it a habit.”
“Deal,” I agreed happily.
“Vince is almost here.” Davian’s hands found my hips and squeezed them. “Peterson won’t be far behind, but I’d rather not wait around for him. You ready to head back to my place?”
I hesitated, looking over at my friends by the Dog-Mobile.
“Would you mind if we went to the shelter instead?” I asked, scratching Bear behind his ears and earning a friendly lick. “I think it’ll be good for everyone, and Bear’s been missing his friends.”
Davian’s eyebrow rose at the last part of what I’d said. “Sure. We can go wherever you want.”
With a smile, I rested my cheek against his chest and buried my fingers in Bear’s fur. I was looking forward to resting at the shelter. Maybe Bear and I could take a little nap after the long day we’d had.
Maybe Davian could join us.
I glanced over at Jake’s slumped body with a shudder, but it was the soil on the ground near him that broke my heart.
“Oh god. Walter!” I moaned, pulling away from Davian and rushing over to my poor plant. If his pot had been cracked before, it was shattered now.
It was too late for him. The pot was unsalvageable, and his soil fanned out across the dirt road like some sort of sick blood splatter.
I sniffled and knelt beside him, caressing one of his wilted brown leaves. Bear sniffed at the soil, nudging it around with his snout.
“We’ll never forget you, friend,” I whispered.
He was gone much too soon, but for a worthy cause.
Bear pawed at the soil, and a flash of green nestled in the middle caught my eye. I sucked in a breath as my heart skipped a beat. “It can’t be.”
Davian’s footsteps approached behind us. “What is it?”
I carefully dug the little green sproutling out of the soil and held it up to him, beaming. “A survivor! Walter left a sproutling behind—a child!”
Davian blinked at the seed. “But that thing looked like it’d been dead for years.”
“His name is Walter,” I reminded him. When he only stared at me blankly, I huffed. “He sacrificed himself for us today, so the least we can do is remember his name.”
I went to put the little sproutling in one of Davian’s jacket pockets, but they were too loose. I couldn’t risk Walter Jr. falling out. When I opened my mouth to ask Davian to put it in his slacks pocket, he raised a brow like he knew exactly what was coming and thought I was insane to even ask.
Out of other options, I carefully tucked the little guy into my bra for safe keeping—earning a snort from Davian before he slung an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his front. Bear took that as his cue to sit on my foot and lean his full weight against my hip.
I soaked up both their embraces and patted the cup of my bra with a pleased smile. “There. Safe and sound.”
Just like me.