Shawn t-out refused to get in the car with them. He waited, lingering on the ne until Yvonne and Xander''s car had disappeared down the road. Only then did he finally step out, dragging his feet all the way. “Good grief, that woman''s a force of nature—she''s going to be the death of me!" he grumbled under his breath. The entire journey had felt like walking on eggshells, his nerves frayed by the fear that Yvonne might fly at him at any moment. If she did decide toe after him... Well, a beating was bad enough, but Yvonne wasn''t just any woman—she was terrifying. She could beat him within an inch of his life. And now she was pregnant, too. If anything happened to that baby because of him, Xander would probably have his head on a tter.


    "What is this, am I dealing with a pair of mob bosses as my brother and sister-in-w?" Shawn muttered, grumbling all the way down the steps from the jet.


    Right now, he couldn''t stand Xander. That whole situation before had been a nightmare—if he hadn''t dragged Xander away, Xander would have been the one taking a beating, not him! He''d treated Xander like a brother, but what had Xander done in return? Sold him out without batting an eye. Just thinking about it made Shawn''s blood boil.


    He pulled out his phone and dialed. It barely rang before someone picked up. "Mr. Schultz."


    "Bring the car around. They''re gone," Shawn said, his tone icy.


    No way was he sharing a ride with Xander. He was so afraid of Yvonne he thought he''d drop dead from nerves, so he''d arranged for his own people to pick him up.


    But then-


    "Mr. Schultz, the route to the Quinn family''s airfield has been closed off. Security won''t let me through," his driver said anxiously.


    "What the hell are you talking about?" Shawn snapped.


    "I''m stuck at the outer gate. They''re not letting any vehicles in. Maybe you can find a car inside to get you out, and I''ll wait for you here?"


    Shawn stared nkly for a second. He looked around at the tarmac empty except for the parked ne, a vast stretch of nothingness. This was the Quinn family''s private airport; needless to say, nobody else was allowed on the grounds. The car that had whisked away Xander and Yvonne was long gone.


    A bad feeling crept over him.


    "How can the road be closed? Their car just left! Why would they shut it down now?" "I''m not sure, sir," the driver replied helplessly.


    Not sure? Shawn''s eye twitched in disbelief. No way-did Yvonne actually do this just to mess with him? He couldn''t wrap his head around her being that petty.


    He hunted down an airport staffer: "Is there a car that can take me out?" he asked desperately.


    "Sorry, Mr. Schultz. All vehicles have departed-there are no cars left on the premises," the staffer answered, perfectly polite andpletely unhelpful.


    Shawn''s mind went numb, a ringing echoing in his ears. All the cars were gone. His own people couldn''t get inside. The only way out was thirty-kilometer hike to the gate. Was


    this some kind of twisted joke?


    Shawn felt his entire body turn to jelly. He fumbled for his phone and called Xander in a panic.


    Meanwhile, in the car, Xander was busy trying to soothe Yvonne. "Come on, sweetheart, don''t be mad anymore," he pleaded.


    Yvonne shot him such a scathing


    re, it was a wonder he didn''t turn to dust on the spot. She''d spent the whole car ride fuming-except for the brief moments when she''d managed to fall asleep.


    She really was furious.


    All because of Xander, she''d made aplete idiot out of herself.


    "Are you happy now? Dan''s men were looking at me like I''d grown a second head. Does that amuse you?" she demanded.


    "I wouldn''t dream of it," Xander


    replied hastily-though judging by


    the way he was fighting back a grin, е


    he was far from contrite The


    corners of his mouth just wouldn'' stay down.


    Yvonne''s eyes widened with fury. Good Lord, she wanted to strangle him on the spot.


    "How the hell did I end up with an idiot like you?" she groaned. He really was hopeless.


    "You don''t even know how miserable I felt that night. I— Damn it, I can''t even talk about it!" she fumed.


    "I-I didn''t know at the time," Xander stammered. In his defense-he''d beenpletely drunk, not thinking straight at all.