Ste didn''t say a word.
Honestly, it was true. But... why did it sound like Dan was just getting med for everything?
Wait a sec-now that she thought about it, Dan really had been getting the short end of the sticktely.
Like that thing with Xander sneaking into her sister''s room-her sister wouldn''t believe anything else, insisted it was Dan, and ended up smacking him for it.
Now there was the whole Susanna mess. Of course, her sister pinned that on Dan too, even going as far as storming Dan''s ce.
This guy was getting med for everything. It was almost tragic-like a modern- day Job or something.
Ste was lost in thought when Ronald gently pinched her cheek. "Hey, what''s got you so spaced out?"
She shrugged. "I was just thinking... Dan''s kinda like the ultimate scapegoat, huh? The poor guy."
Seriously. No matter what went wrong these days, if Yvonne was upset, she''d just dump it on Dan.
It was like he had a target on his back.
Ronald chuckled. "Yeah, he really does get the raw deal."
"And what about Hull? He just sits back and lets it happen!" Ste huffed. "My sister''s been running all over The ck Gate looking for Susanna, practically losing her mind. Hull could at least say something, right?"<fn573b> Fresh chapters posted on f?ndnovel</fn573b>
Even if Yvonne wanted to pick a fight with Dan, couldn''t Hull at least pretend not to know what was going on?
Ronald shrugged. "Hull''s just trying to make Susanna feel better. Trust me, your sister''s even scarier when she thinks she''s in the dark."
He''d figured Hull out a long time ago.
Ste sighed. "My sister must be freaking out. And that part of town isn''t exactly safe, you know?"
Sure, maybe Dan deserved a little payback, but going after him on his home turf? One wrong move and who knew what could happen.
Ronald smiled and ruffled her hair. "Don''t worry. Xander''s with her."
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but Xander''s not exactly Mr. Reliable."
It was true. In her mind, Xander was a total wild card.
Just thinking about what happened three years ago—if Xander hadn''t messed things up, maybe she and Ronald wouldn''t have lost all that time apart.
The thought made her a little resentful toward Xander.
Ronald didn''t say anything else. He just pulled her close and kissed her again.
Whatever icy distance had been between them before? Gone in a heartbeat.
...
When Hull walked in, he found Susanna zoned out on the couch, while Barnaby lounged next to her, scrolling through Tik Tok and grinning to himself.
Hull''s face darkened. He strode over and aimed a swift kick at Barnaby.
But Barnaby was quick-almost
catlike. As Hull''s foot came
swinging, he grabbed Susanna and
palled her out of the way,nding both of them safely across the room. . s
Susanna just stared, dumbfounded.
Hull stopped in his tracks.
For a moment, Susanna, who''d always thought Barnaby was a bit of a doofus had to admit he was a lot quicker than she''d ever giver him credit for. s
Barnaby, meanwhile, had gone into full fight-or-flight mode. He blinked, realizing it was just Hull. "Boss?
Mar you can''t just sneak updike that! Seriously?" s
Hull had been annoyed at Barnaby''sziness, but seeing him move like that took the edge off.
"Come here," Hull said, his tone icy as he looked at Susanna.
She darted away from Barnaby and hurried over, wide-eyed. "You''re back! Did you eat yet?"
Hull shook his head. "No. Let''s go grab something."
"Wait, really? We can go out?" she asked, surprised.
"Of course. Why not?"
"I don''t know... you always leave me cooped up here. I thought I wasn''t allowed
to leave."
Hull justughed, his eyes softening. "You''re such a goof."
He took her hand, ready to lead her out the door.
But Susanna stopped him, tugging his sleeve. "Hold up, I need to ask you something first."
She still hadn''t recovered from that call with Ste.