Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath

The mother and son exchanged a look, each swallowing back the words on the tip of their tongues, and turned away in silence.

Once Derek was alone, he pinched the bridge of his nose, a headache throbbing behind his eyes as he tried to steady his pounding heart.

Finally, he picked up the phone and dialed a number.

It was answered almost immediately. "Sir?"

"Keep a close eye on Finch. And Dan, too. Search everyone around them, turn everything upside down if you have to."

Derek's voice was sharp and cold.

He'd never really trusted Dan, and as for Finch... Well, right now, he trusted no

one.

All he wanted was to find Susanna and hand her over to Yvonne.

That damn girl-who would've guessed her connections would be so tangled? She'd put Black Gate right at the edge of ruin.

"Yes, sir."

Derek was about to hang up when he paused. "Wait. Check around Adelle, too. Quietly."

There was a beat of stunned silence on the other end, then, "Understood."

Derek had never doubted his beloved Adelle before, no matter what had happened or who he suspected over the years.

But now, even she wasn't above suspicion.

stepped outside

people watching Dan, right?"

hardline tactics from yesterday. It'd

and hand her over to Yvonne as

take Susanna and

trouble-leave her here and Black

still fuming from the dressing down in the study, spat, "Why the hell are they blaming us

mention of Susanna made

all ganging up on Black Gate over her.

but we still have to help

Let

evidence they'd taken Susanna, but here they were forced to bend over backwards to

to

his move on Dan's turf up at

people to keep tabs on Finch

needed to figure out

chaos now, just like Hull had warned: everyone suspicious,

people watching Dan,

people

watching

paranoid free-for-all, all for

each

at Black Gate's key

belonged

being pushed to the breaking