Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath

Inside Hull's country house.

Susanna Tucker had been running a high fever, and it had left Hull absolutely

exhausted. It wasn't until around six in the evening that she finally drifted awake,

groggy and disoriented.

Hull was standing by the window, speaking on the phone, his voice low and tense.

Susanna couldn't make out what was being said on the other end.

He glanced at the watch on his wrist, then spoke coldly into the phone,

"Everything's set."

"Tell Mrs. Tucker I need to see her. No excuses."

With that, he ended the call without waiting for a reply.

He turned and caught Susanna's gaze-her eyes were glassy and dazed, like she

was still only half-awake.

"You're up?"

Susanna gave a weak nod, still feeling like she'd been run over by a truck.

Hull walked over to the bed and pressed a hand to her forehead. "Fever's mostly

gone."

A woman with a fever, he thought, could really be a handful.

Susanna looked up at him, wide-eyed and anxious. "That call just now... When

you said Mrs. Tucker, did you mean my mom?"

Just mentioning her mother made worry flicker in Susanna's eyes.

Everything she thought she knew about her life had been turned upside down in

few days. And there was no one

what even was that place? Some

Hull nodded. "Yeah."

"What did you talk

lips pressed in

heart started pounding, the

too

life or death. They're not out to kill

that supposed to

sighed. "It's

"Complicated how?"

tired. "Some of Black Gate's

But

"What kind of

dad... He's

Black Gate."

Susanna blinked. "Wait-what?"

dad... was the father of Black Gate's current

way. Are

dead. Now

the ground?

face was

at him. "So then, me and the boss of Black

"Half-siblings," Hull said quietly.

Susanna's mouth dropped open.

telling me I suddenly have not just

whole life, and now this? Just

popping out of

"Not just a brother. You've got two

stared

a whole

did he take my mom? And at the airport,

to

had

years ago, she

"with her."

frowned. "Half a

Hull nodded.