Susanna gave a small nod. "Yeah, I''ll go in."


    Honestly, she didn''t really want to see Derek right now.


    But she walked into the room anyway.


    Hull nced at Barnaby. "Go ahead and bring him in."


    "Sure thing, boss."


    Barnaby left and returned quickly, escorting Derek into the room-alone. Not a single member of his crew was allowed in with him.


    He''d shown up solo.


    Hull sat back in his chair, a cigarette dangling from his fingers, making no move to stand.


    Derek greeted him curtly, "Mr. Miguel."


    There was no denying Derek''s presence-he had the unmistakable aura of a ck Gate man. He and Susanna looked strikingly alike, especially their eyes. But where Susanna''s gaze was clear and unguarded, Derek''s was all calction and old scars.


    Right now, though, he just looked tired. Clearly, the past few days hadn''t been kind to him.


    Hull didn''t answer. He just took another drag of his cigarette, his expression unreadable. To Derek, it looked like arrogance.


    And that arrogance only made Derek more certain-Hull didn''t care all that much about Susanna. If he did, he''d at least show a little respect to her father. But Hull couldn''t be bothered.


    Derek''s jaw tightened. He sat down across from Hull, cutting right to the chase. "Let''s just get to the point."


    Hull didn''t bother replying, still silent.


    This kind of cold shoulder was rare for Derek-probably the first time he''d been treated like this in years. He had a hard time hiding his irritation.


    "So," Derek started, his voice clipped, "you, the Quinn family, and the Schultz family—are you really just using Susanna as an excuse to go after ck Gate?"


    Hull arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"


    Derek pressed on, "I''d like to know, what exactly did we ever do to piss you off?”


    "ck Gate and your people-we''ve always stayed out of each other''s way. Never crossed lines."


    His words came out through clenched teeth.


    And it was true. The two sides had always kept to themselves. So why rock the boat now?


    Derek leaned forward. "What is it about ck Gate that you want so badly?"


    It felt less like they were just after ck Gate''s assets, and more like they were searching for something buried within them. Like they were tearing up the ce looking for something specific-and using Susanna as the perfect excuse.  s


    Hull finally let out a short, mockingugh. "Mr. Murray, do you really not know? Or


    have you just forgotten?"


    His words dripped with sarcasm.


    Derek wasn''t sure what to make of


    it, but he held Hull''s gaze,


    unflinching. The slight curve of Hus


    lips faded as his eyes grew colder by the second.  s


    Derek tried again, voice tight. "What will it take to get you to back off? Just tell me what you want!"


    He was convinced-they were after something hidden on ck Gate''s turf.


    Hull replied, "We want a person."


    Derek froze.


    The room fell silent, tension heavy in the air.


    With a sharp motion, Derek tossed a photograph onto the table in front of Hull- the very one Caden had handed him earlier.


    "Take a look, Mr. Miguel."


    Hull raised an eyebrow, ncing at Barnaby. Barnaby immediately picked up the photo and handed it to Hull.


    Hull barely nced at it. It was a shot from the night before-him and Susanna eating dinner together.


    Hull''s lips curled into a smirk. "And what''s this supposed to mean, Mr. Murray?"


    Derek''s voice was bitter. "What do I mean? Susanna''s just your excuse to go after ck Gate new a like you wouldn''t go to wouldn''t go to war over a woman. You''re after something else, aren''t you?"  s


    Derekid out his theory, nailing every point. And to anyone listening, it all sounded perfectly usible.<fn74db> Follow current nov?ls on find?novel</fn74db>