He''d never been a man to want much out of life.

But right now, he just wanted this feeling tost... forever.

"Naughty. So naughty..."

Susanna mumbled in her sleep, her lips pouting in an adorable grumble. Clearly, Hull had worn her out—a fact that amused him to no end. Even in her dreams, she was calling him a scoundrel.

A small, satisfied smile tugged at Hull''s lips.

He reached out and yfully pinched Susanna''s cheek, his touch gentle and indulgent.

Disturbed, Susanna frowned, then snuggled closer, wrapping herself around Hull''s arm, finding a morefortable spot before drifting back into sleep.

Suddenly, Hull''s phone buzzed on the nightstand. The name "Yvonne" shed on the screen.

Hull nced at Susanna, still curled up against him, and hesitated. He started to pull his arm free, but stopped, not wanting to wake her.

Instead, he silenced the ringtone and answered in a cold, clipped voice. "What is it?"

On the other end, Yvonne winced at the iciness in his tone. It was the kind of voice that could freeze hell itself.

This didn''t sound like a man blissfully basking in the afterglow with Susanna by his side. If she were there, Hull would be in a much better mood-maybe even humming while making pancakes for breakfast. But this? This was the sound of someone ready to snap.

Yvonne shot a desperate look at Chloe, who was frantically mouthing, "Ask him! Ask him!"

Yvonne whispered, "Do I really have to?"

She dreaded the thought. If she pushed too far, Hull might just explode.

Chloe exaggerated her gestures: "You''re already on the call-don''t back out now!"

Yvonne sighed, rubbing her forehead, her thoughts scrambling. She took a deep breath and blurted out, "Uh, Hull, is Susie with you right now?"

The second the question left her lips, she regretted it. She could almost hear a siren ring in her mind: Bad idea. Abort mission.

Sure enough, the silence on the other end became heavy, almost suffocating. Yvonne squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the storm.

Hull''s voice came back, icier than ever. "Yvonne, you took her away, remember?"

"Wait, no-Hull, I''m sorry! I promise, I''ll find your wife, okay? I''ll find her, just- give me a minute!"

Before Hull could unleash his fury, Yvonne babbled her apology and hung up.

Even without Hull''s voice on the line, the chill lingered in the air, making Yvonne''s heart pound like thunder.

Chloe shook her head, unable to hide a smirk. "Why are you so terrified of Mr. Miguel? Is it really that serious?"

"If he ever turned on my brother," Yvonne said, dead-serious, "he''d be the kind of trouble that keeps you up at night. What do you think?"

Chloe raised her hands in mock surrender. "Fair point. Mr. Quinn doesn''t need any more headaches."

"So, is Susanna with him or not?" Chloe asked.

"No way," Yvonne said, shaking her head. "With that kind of tone? If she were there, he''d be in a much better mood. Trust me the sounded like he was ready to rip my head off.  s

Chloe sighed in resignation. "Alright, first things first-let''s figure out how to get

out of here. How''s that stuff in your system?"

"It''s wearing off. Just a little longer."

The thought of Dan—thatfnf320 Original content can be found at find(?)ovel/fnf320

jerk-drugging her made Yvonne''s blood boil. Once the effects wore off, she was determined to punch him before she left. Hard.  s

Chloe frowned. “Aren''t you worried he''ll try again?"

Yvonne grinned. “Not a chance. I tossed everything in this room out the window except the bed liban tries anything, he''s getting decked. I''m ready."  s

Chloe''s expression brightened a bit. "By the way, Mr. Schultz is already in Litamark."

Even though they were locked up, Chloe still had her ways of keeping tabs on the outside world.

The news that Xander had arrived made Yvonne''s heart twist withplicated feelings.

Their marriage was supposed to be just a business deal. But with everything he''d done for hertely... it felt like the lines were starting to blur.