The angrier they talked on the phone, the more heated everything got.


    By now, Dan''s people were practically ready to hunt down Yvonne for revenge on their boss.


    Yvonne: ""


    Ste: "..."


    The two women exchanged nces, and Ste, in particr, couldn''t help but let the corner of her mouth twitch.


    Yvonne let out a long sigh, hung up the phone, and looked over at Ste. "Weren''t we thinking this was an inside job?"


    Ste''s eyes went wide. "Wait, wasn''t it Dan?"


    "I''m just saying, whoever did this clearly knows you. Come on, Yvonne, who in all of Ferrond doesn''t know you? If it was some random, do you really think they''d dare?"


    Yvonne shook her head. "Not a chance."


    "Exactly! So it''s either Dan''s people getting even because you married Xander, or someone else is after you, big time."


    Yvonne: "..."


    Revenge? Targeted?


    "But didn''t Dan''s crew just say he was with them the entire night?"


    So...st night''s culprit wasn''t Dan?


    Well, damn.


    This was a bigger mess than she''d thought.


    Ste folded her arms. "That just leaves one option: someone''s got it out for you."


    Yvonne: "..."


    Targeting her? In Ferrond? Who''d dare?


    Ste shook her head in disbelief. "Whoever it is must really, really hate you. Like, risking-their-own-neck kind of hate."


    No doubt about it, in Ste''s mind, nobody in Ferrond would mess with Yvonne unless they had a death wish.


    "Hate me?" Yvonne muttered, her brain fogging up with the possibilities.


    Ste shrugged. "I mean, what else could it be?"


    "There are plenty of folks in Ferrond who aren''t exactly my biggest fans," Yvonne said, halfughing, half-exasperated.


    "Please. Most of those people are just jealous. That''s a whole different ball game than wanting you dead."


    Yvonne: "!!"


    Right-jealousy wasn''t the same as outright hatred.


    "So you''re saying, if it wasn''t Dan, it has to be someone who''d really want to see me six feet under?"


    Ste nodded, thinking back. "Back in Portis City, Urs used to pull stunts like this on me all the time."


    So all those tricks in Portis City were just amateur hourpared to this.


    Yvonne started mumbling to herself, "Someone who hates me... really, truly hates me..."


    She was so caught up in trying to


    figure out who had it in for her, shet


    ''d


    forgotten all about feeling guilty for


    beating up Dan earlier. Conte II. De


    Suddenly, a name shed in her mind.


    "Wait a second, I think I''ve got it."


    Ste perked up. "Who?"


    Yvonne snapped her fingers, struggling to remember. "You know...that girl... Aira?"


    Ste frowned. "Aira?"


    Yvonne nodded firmly. "Yeah! Dan''s been chasing after metely, and Aira-his fiancée—must absolutely despise me right now."


    For crying out loud.


    If Dan had let her down, Aira should be mad at Dan, noting after her!


    Now that she thought about it, maybe Dan deserved that punch she gave him this morning after all. It was his mess, anyway.


    Ste leaned back, considering. "Honestly? It fits.”


    Yvonne''s frustration boiled over. She shot up from her chair so fast it toppled over with a loud bang.


    Just the thought that Aira might have set her up made her see red.


    "That''s it. I''m done. I''m going to wring her neck myself."


    She was too pissed to sit still for even another second.


    set


    Before Ste could react, Yvonne snatched her leather jacket off the back of a chair, grabbed her keys off the counter, and stormed toward the door.  ?wnovel


    Ste just blinked. "Uh... Yvonne?"


    But it was toote. The front door mmed with a resounding thud and Yvonne was already halfway down the hall, radiating pure fury. No one in their right mind would dare get in her way.