Yvonne and Xander''s words echoed in his mind-it was out of their hands now.


    So, the Susanna they''d been tearing ck Gate apart to find... had been with Hull the entire time? Dan''s breath hitched, a crushing pressure building in his chest.


    Son of a bitch. Fuck!


    "A reasonable exnation?" Hull repeated, a sarcastic smirk ying on his lips. "We prefer to let our actions do the talking."


    Actions?


    Dan''s eyes burned with dark fury. "What kind of ''action'' is this?"


    The woman was right there, yet for weeks, he, the Quinn family, and the Schultz family had all been demanding ck Gate hand her over.


    They''d turned their organization upside down desperately searching for this


    Susanna. Even when they suspected she was merely a pretext for the attacks, they were determined to find her and throw her right back in their faces.


    And now...


    Hull was just parading her around in public? What was the meaning of this? Were they not even trying to hide it anymore?


    That was the distinct impression Dan got they had dropped the actpletely.


    "What do you think our actions represent, Mr. Murray?" Hull shot back with a coldugh.


    "You people are unbelievable!"


    Dan felt like he was about to have an aneurysm. He shot a venomous re at Hull, then shifted it to Susanna.


    Susanna, naturally timid, shrank behind Hull under Dan''s intense stare.


    Feeling her tremble, Hull took her cold hand, turning his back on Danpletely.


    "Let''s go find it," he said gently to


    her, his voice a stark contrast to the ice he used with Dan. He was focused solely on her Even beside his imposing height, sh? looked like a frightened dove cowering in his shadow.


    Hull led Susanna inside the restaurant without a backward nce.


    Dan''s fury intensified. He whirled on Carroll. "What are they doing?"


    "They''ve dropped the pretense," Carroll stated grimly.


    Dan''s jaw clenched. Dropped the pretense.


    Yes, that was it. Just like him, Carroll believed their enemies weren''t bothering to hide their true intentions anymore. They were unting Susanna right in their faces.


    Dan ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "Those sick bastards!"


    His phone buzzed. It was Derek. The moment he answered, Derek''s frantic voice came through. "Have you found Susanna yet?"


    Even through the phone, Dan could feel the desperation. It was clear the attacks on ck Gate were only escting. They weren''t holding back.


    "I''m on my way to cktower now," Dan said, his voice tight.


    Yvonne''s words echoed again in his head: Why don''t you ask Hull? Or maybe you should ask your scumbag of a father! It was bing painfully clear that whatever was happening to ck Gate had everything to do with Derek and Hull.


    Inside the restaurant, Susanna found her ne. It was a family heirloom, passed down from her grandmother to her mother, and finally to her. It was too important to lose.


    With the ne safely back in her possession, she looked at Hull worriedly. "Dan saw me. Will that affect your ns?"


    "No," Hull said dismissively. "You were just the excuse we needed to start this war. Yvonne and Xander have already stirred up enough chaos at ck Gate."


    Susanna''s eyes widened. So, they didn''t need to pretend anymore? Hull''s nonchnt attitude seemed to confirm it. What on earth was his


    history with ck Gate? He never


    talked about it, and Susanna knew


    better than to ask. Some scars were too painful to touch.