Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath

Ronald's eyes glinted with something unreadable, a shadow of a smile playing at his lips. He pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose and turned to Xander. "You should probably be saying that to Yvonne, not me."

Yvonne?

Xander barely had time to picture her—always a whirlwind, probably already chasing after Skye-before he remembered she'd run off in a storm earlier. He'd tried calling her, but her phone had gone straight to voicemail. Probably dead, knowing her.

Ronald took a sip of his coffee, the mug steaming between his hands. "So, why'd you run?"

The question soured Xander's face; he couldn't hide it.

"I didn't run."

Run? He honestly wanted to hunt Shawn Schultz down and wring his neck right now. That idiot. Did he look like the type to bail at the first sign of trouble? And yet, Shawn had grabbed him and bolted like they were escaping a burning building.

But, to be fair, Shawn did know Yvonne pretty damn well.

Sure enough, the moment Yvonne came to, all hell broke loose at Ferrowland. Dan passed out at the hospital-twice, actually. Aira took a peanut to the head for her troubles...

Ronald raised an eyebrow. "Didn't run? Then how'd things end up like this?"

Xander sputtered. "!!"

had gotten out of

the span of a single afternoon, Yvonne had

was

Ronald. "You knew yesterday,

Ronald had said what he did at the front

down, smiling

snorted. "You old fox. You planned this, didn't

out the moment Yvonne started rounding people up

hadn't he said

laced his fingers together and leaned forward. "Some folks have to clean up their own messes If Yvonne's got it in her to settle

eyes, Yvonne's approach was

word "responsibility" made his heart skip a beat. He could practically feel it

"So, seriously, why'd you

told you, I

times did he have to say it? Xander was about to lose it. Shawn had really dragged

Ronald's eyebrow arched higher.

take that look. "It was Shawn, okay? He's the one who dragged

he talked, the angrier

that morning and saw Yvonne next

been one of the guys, practically his best bud since childhood, and