The instant Shawn realized Yvonne was looking his way, his face went deathly pale —as if all his courage had suddenly drained away.


    He stiffened, voice wavering, "Yvonne..."


    "You. Come here. Now!"


    Shawn nearly squeaked. “I—I don''t dare!"


    Oh God. It was over. She knew.


    He met Yvonne''s seething re and could almost feel the heat of her fury rolling off


    her. The very thought of how she''d ttened Dan and his crew before made


    Shawn''s knees feel like jelly.


    No way he was going to step forward.


    "Yvonne, I... I.....”


    "You''re the one who dragged him out of there!"


    Shawn hesitated, his mind racing. Could he just deny it?


    But Xander''s piercing stare was enough to freeze him in ce. He knew a warning when he saw one. Denial wasn''t an option.


    So this is it—stick your neck out or keep your head down, either way you''re toast.


    Shawn looked utterly pathetic as his gaze darted between Xander and Yvonne, practically begging for someone to show him mercy.


    "Yvonne..."


    "Yes or no!"


    Shawn darted another nce at Xander, whose eyes practically screamed at him to confess. He was trapped.


    Atst, face long with misery, Shawn began inching backward, preparing to run for his life. "It was me! All right? It was me!"


    He didn''t wait for Yvonne''s reaction. In a sh, he dashed into the cockpit and locked the door behind him.


    Yvonne lunged after him, but Xander caught her in a tight hold.


    She was incandescent with rage. "That little bastard! That no-good weasel! I''ll kill him!"


    Shawn cowered just beyond the cockpit door, convinced his end was near. In the split second before he slipped away, he''d seen Yvonne''s wild eyes locked on him, ready to tear him limb from limb.


    Utterly terrifying.


    He''d known it even before the night he''d helped Xander get away: if Yvonne ever got wind of it, he''d be lucky to make it out alive Dan''s fate had only proved him right. Yvonne would clobber you. Maybe even send you straight to the morgue.


    And now, knowing Dan had taken another two beatings over the whole pregnancy


    mess? Shawn''s fear only grew.


    "Shawn, you little coward, get out here right now!" Yvonne howled.


    "No way! Over my dead body!"


    Shawn''s hands shook as he pressed against the door. Every time Yvonne shouted, his heart skipped a beat. At least the cockpit door, was locked.


    With the


    ne still on the tarmac he


    yanked out his phone and


    speed-dialed Lott and Ashley.


    Ashley answered. "Hey, what''s up?"


    "Ashley, you and Lott need to get out of Ferrond. Don''t ask, just go now."


    "What? Why?"


    "Yvonne''s pregnant, and now she knows Xander was the one that night!"


    There was a long, heavy silence.


    Yvonne knew.


    For weeks, they''d all been tiptoeing around, terrified she''d find out. Every time word came down that Dan had. taken another beating, they''d all braced themselves.  fo


    And now...


    "She''s pregnant?"


    That was it-the apocalypse.


    "Dan just got beat up twice more andnded in the hospital!" Shawn hissed.


    "I''m leaving Ferrond immediately!"


    The news that Yvonne was pregnant and Dan was back in the ER left Ashley with zero hesitation-she was gone.


    They hadn''t been wrong about her. Yvonne was a force of nature, and not in a good way.


    When Shawn called Lott, he got the same reaction. Lott didn''t waste a second: "I''m out of here. Right now."


    This wasn''t just hiding-it was running for their lives.