Eventually, Dan found himself face-to-face with Anders Lowry. He poured himself a hefty drink, not bothering to mask his irritation. "Why are you here by yourself?" he demanded, knocking back the liquor in one go.
Anders and Lance were more often seen together than apart. The two were almost partners in crime, especially with all the ventures they ran side by side. If a major deal was brewing, they''d usually show up as a package deal. So, for Anders to arrive solo in Litamark was a telltale sign something big was on the table—and the absence of Lance was odd enough to make Dan pause.
"Seriously? Thest time, Lance ended up in the hospital-just now got discharged," Anders replied, as if that should be obvious.
Guilt flickered in Dan''s eyes. Thest blow-up hade out of nowhere. Yvonne had barged in with a small army, and they hadn''t even had a chance to duck for cover. His buddies had only been there for a casual poker night—and wound up beaten ck and blue for no reason at all.
Eyeing the bruises on Dan''s face, Anders lowered his voice. "So, did Princess Yvonne do this to you?"
Dan''s face instantly clouded over. Just the thought of that harpy sent his mood tumbling.
Anders let out a low whistle. "That temper of hers-man, everyone in Ferrond knows to steer clear. Of all the people you could tick off, it had to be the queen of hell herself."
He wasn''t wrong. In Ferrond, Princess Yvonne was infamous for being downright untouchable—a force of nature you upset at your own peril.
Dan''s scowl deepened.
Seeing him speechless with rage, Anders pushed further. "So, tell me are you seriously saying you never slept with her?"
Dan was about to lose it. "For Christ''s sake, I was with you guys that whole night. Cards, poker, till sunrise!"
Anders nodded, as if he needed it all spelled out. "Sure, sure—but you''re saying there was never another time? No slips? Not even once?"
Dan gritted his teeth so hard his jaw throbbed. Just the usation was enough to set him off again.
Andersughed under his breath. “It just doesn''t add up. You didn''t sleep with her— you''re not the kid''s father-so why is Princess Yvonne hunting you down like it''s personal?"
Dan mmed his ss on the table. "Who the hell knows what goes on in her head! He was fuming now, not just angry but wronged to his bones. No matter what he said there was no exining his way out of this mess.
"It''s unreal. Why is she so convinced it isn''t Xander? Xander already admitted to everything in front of her..." Dan''s first instinct was to
me Xander, but then he
remembered-Xander had alwayse clean when Yvonne confronted him. So maybe he couldn''t pin it all on him after all.
But still-what the hell kind of confession did Xander make that left Yvonne so sure he was innocent?
Anders pressed yet again, stubborn as ever. "So it definitely wasn''t you?"
Dan just threw back another drink, clenching his jaw so hard it looked like it might crack. Trying to exin himself any further was pointless. If he kept at it, he really might blow a fuse.
Finally, seeing how worked up Dan was, Anders shook his head. “Man, you really got the short end of the stick, didn''t you?"
Dan said nothing, lost in brooding silence.
Anders leaned back, thoughtful. “But why is she so convinced it wasn''t Xander? Does she think he''s just too scared to make a move?"
Honestly, Anders could buy that theory. There was an old saying in Ferrond: "How reckless do you have to be to go up against Princess Yvonne—the she-devil herself?"
And it wasn''t just Yvonne men
avoided like the gue. That
Amazon from the Yoder family was
another you didn''t cross. Any man with half a brain kept well clear of those two walking catastrophes. Yvonne and Skye voder probably both knew it; no man in Ferrond in his right mind would voluntarily mess with them. So maybe that''s why Yvonne was so dead certain the guy that night wasn''t Xander...
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