Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)

That man wanted to hide in the shadows-was it because there was a woman he'd give anything to protect?

And for her sake, he'd put his own mother on the front lines?

"When your mother first took over Black Gate, she had no idea that woman even existed."

"Back then, her time in charge was hell-constant drama, endless conflict. She got hurt, more than once. The worst time, she almost lost you, Susanna. That's when she found out about the other woman."

Susanna listened in silence.

She tried to make sense of this tangled mess.

Learning her own father was the son of Black Gate's current boss was already enough to make her head spin.

But hearing about what her mother went through her eyes went wide, her heart pounding so hard it hurt to breathe.

It was impossible to imagine the kind of despair her mother must have felt.

"So... after that, my mom just took me and left?" she whispered.

Hull nodded. "Yeah. And she didn't leave empty-handed. She took the most important part of Black Gate's fortune with her."

"Part of the fortune" meant that half of the map.noveldrama

Hull went on, "She's been living in Portis City all these years. Black Gate's people

have never stopped looking for her."

Of course they hadn't.

She'd walked away with something priceless-why would they ever stop searching?

Susanna looked at Hull, her voice barely a breath. "And now?"

"Now your father wants that half of the map back from your mother. And your mother..."

Hull paused, choosing his words.

"She's got some loyal old-timers with her, and I think she's trying to start something of her own. This is the most critical moment for her."

Start something of her own.

That said everything-the feud had reached a breaking point.

Susanna felt like her chest was being crushed.

Hull glanced at her. "The web of loyalties and grudges here is too complicated. Your mother—she'd do anything to keep you out of it."

"What about that man? What's he doing?"

Hull shrugged. "He probably doesn't even know you exist. Besides, he's crazy about his wife."

Susanna fell silent.

Sure, he loved her. But if he didn't, how could he have three kids with that other woman?

She shut her eyes, her heart aching with a thousand tiny stings.

"Is there really no way I can see my mom?" she pleaded.

Just the thought of her mother facing all this alone made Susanna's heart break.

For the first time in her life, she felt a surge of courage.

All her old fears vanished, shattered by the pain of imagining her mother suffering by herself.

"She won't see you," Hull said quietly.

Then, after a second, "She doesn't want your father to find out about you, either."

That was Lacey Tucker's stubborn streak. She'd do anything to keep that man from knowing Susanna existed.

Susanna lowered her eyes; anger flickered deep in them.

It was the primal rage of a daughter desperate to protect her mom.

Meanwhile...

Yvonne Quinn finally tracked down Skye Yoder.

She'd before

asy

gotten a word out

saw her and bolted like rabbit, which just pissed

Yvonne off even more.

"Skye, you damn liar! Are you even a woman?"

You sure had plenty to say when you were lying to me! What, cat got your tongue now?

Yvonne tore after her, but she was

ne near as quick as usual. Her legs I ached like hell after la

night's... events.

Skye yelled over her shoulder, "Stop chasing me! I already got rid of that stuff."

"You little snake!"

Hearing that, Yvonne only got more furious—she wanted to catch Skye and wring her neck.

Skye darted out of the ballroom like a fox, Yvonne hot on her heels.

But as soon as Yvonne burst out the doors, she slammed right into a wall of muscle-someone's chest, hard as a rock. Her head bounced off with a dull thud, leaving her seeing stars.

Clutching her sore head, she grumbled, "Jeez, ever heard of looking where you're going?"

She looked up of course. Xander Schultz.

"You?" she blurted.

Xander didn't waste a second. "I need to talk to you."