Last time, she hadn''t believed Dan for a second. But this time, all it would take was one word from Hull, and she''d be convinced.


    Ss understood.


    God, what a mess. This whole thing was a tangled knot.


    He looked over at Hull. "She''s charging over to ck Gate because she''s scared you''lle after her, right?"


    After all, she thought Dan had taken someone from right under her nose, and Hull wasn''t exactly known for letting things slide.


    Hull waved him off. "Don''t worry about—"


    But then he paused, a sly glint lighting up his eyes. "Keep searching for Susanna."


    Ss nearly choked. "Wait, what? Keep looking for Susanna?"


    So... Yvonne would go on believing Dan took Susanna?


    Wasn''t this messy enough already? Now it was a full-blown disaster. No one at ck Gate was going to have a peaceful day.


    Hull took a slow sip of his red wine. "Dan wants to step back and catch his breath, huh? Not a chance."


    The cold chuckle that followed sent a chill down Ss''s spine.


    He got it now. Hull was throwing ck Gate straight into chaos.


    Dan wanted to use Lacey to get rid of Derek and Finch. But Dan wasn''t exactly harmless himself—when he finally swooped in for the win, Lacey and Susanna would both be in trouble.


    Hull wanted Dan in the fight right now. By the time it was over, Dan''s crew would be battered and bruised, their power gutted.


    Ss nodded quickly. "Understood. I''ll send our people to help Yvonne, right away."


    Yvonne was at ck Gate. Which meant they''d have to put on a show-send their own folks to "help" Yvonne, searching for Dan and Susanna.


    ***


    So, not only was Xander at ck Gate now, Hull''s people were there too.


    By the time Dan got wind of it, he knew everything was about to spiral out of control.


    ***


    Palm Ind.


    Susanna drifted in and out of sleep, exhausted from her time trailing after Yvonne. She hadn''t rested this much in ages, and she could have slept forever-except, her stomach wouldn''t let her.


    She finally woke up for good, starving, and stumbled out of the bedroom, still half- asleep.


    The first thing she saw was the endless blue of the ocean.


    Susanna''s stomach twisted. Ugh. She felt sick.


    God knows, after everything, the sight of the sea brought back nothing but anxiety.


    That day, she''d woken up adrift, hunted by a giant whale. She used to love the ocean the freedom, the salty air. Not anymore.


    "You''re up?"


    A man''s voice came from behind her.


    Susanna turned to see Hull at the end of the wooden porch, a te of grilled food in his hand.


    Seeing him, it finally sank in—this wasn''t a dream. Hull had really found her. Something shifted inside her. She felt... different.


    Hull walked over, and when she didn''t say anything, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "Get enough sleep?"


    He was trying to be gentle.


    But he wasn''t like Ronald, who was always effortlessly gentle with Ste. Ronald had that easygoing, warm vibe.


    Hull''s tenderness was different-rough around the edges, but real. Like a tough guy trying his best.


    Susanna''s cheeks flushed, and she nodded. "Yeah."


    She couldn''t help but remember, back at Yvonne''s ce, how she''d thrown herself into Hull''s arms. Embarrassing. Her mom had always told her to be a proper, reserved youngdy.


    But in that moment, she''d forgotten everything.


    Somehow in the short time she''d spent by Hull''s side, she''d grown to depend on him. It didn''t feel like they''d only just met-it felt like... forever.