Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)

Barely escaping the chaotic scene at the airport, Susanna found herself drenched in cold sweat, her breathing unsteady as she turned to Hull. "Can you let go of me now?" Thinking of how exasperating the man's moves were, she was certain he had been deliberately mischievous back there, practically squeezing her through the chaos. Hull chuckled softly and released her, his grin playful, like he was teasing a kitten.

Susanna sat up beside him, her cheeks puffed with frustration, but she dared not voice her anger. After all, this man had just saved her.

She wasn't one to be ungrateful. "So, now you can tell me, what do you want in return?"

"Your pocket money?"

Susanna was in shock. This Hull was a completely different person from the one at the airport.

Despite his teasing, she knew better than to let her guard down around him. She had seen how dangerous he could be, and surely she knew what kind of lion spoke peril when provoked. Before she could say more, Hull's phone buzzed.

"Speak," he answered tersely. "Got it." He hung up, and the playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a serious, almost ominous look.

He dialed another number and spoke into the phone, "Have Silas and Barnaby meet us at Coconut Bay. Bring the gear."noveldrama

"Understood."

Hull hung up and glanced at Susanna, his eyes devoid of the earlier amusement.

Susanna met his gaze, and a chill ran down her spine. That same look at the airport had silenced her.

Sensing the danger exuding from the man, she was sure the next destination wasn't going to be a picnic.

"Uh, could you drop me off somewhere ahead?"

Images of the airport chaos replayed in her mind. She didn't want to be caught in the middle of another scene like that.

A sneer played on Hull's lips as he cast a glance at her. "So scared?"

Susanna bristled. Who wouldn't be scared?

"Well, I haven't exactly been raised around this sort of scene."

Sure, she'd handled the odd troublemaker before, but Hull's world was far more complex and perilous than that. At the thought of her current predicament as well as the two scenes of mess at those airports in 24 hours, Susanna felt her body numb with fright. "Where?"

"Huh?"

Where to?" the man's voice deepened, tinged with impatience.

"Crimson Mountain," she quickly replied.

It was the safe haven her mother had arranged for her. But given how those people had tracked her to Ferrowland, she wasn't sure how safe it was anymore.

l.ne

As she pondered this, the car made a U-turn. Hull seemed intent on getting her to Crimson Mountain before proceeding to Coconut

Just then, Susanna's phone rang.

It was Tania.

Bay.

Susanna had been thinking to call her and ask how she was. Seeing her caller ID, she answered quickly. "Tania, are you okay?"

"Miss, where are you now? Are you safe?" Tania asked.

"I'm... safe," Susanna glanced at Hull sitting near her as she said it, feeling less than assured.

Tania paused at her words. "You..."

"I'm safe," Susanna insisted, cutting her off. As long as she wasn't in the hands of those men, she was relatively safe.

Upon hearing it, Tania sighed in relief.

"And you? Are you safe?" Susanna asked.

Tania replied, "I'm fine, but you can't go to Crimson Mountain."

"What?" Susanna exclaimed.

Tania explained, "Those people have

reached Ferrowland. I suspect they've already identified the place your mom arranged for you. Crimson Mountain isn't safe for you anymore."

Susanna's heart sank. "Then what should I do now?"

Now that Crimson Mountain was a no-go, where would she head then?

Tania responded, "Well, let me contact your mom first. For now, avoid checking into any hotels. I'll get back to you."

Checking into a hotel was out of the question; it would only expose her location.

"Huh? How long will that take?"

Waiting for Tania to get back to her?

Susanna was worried about being left in the cold, quite literally, given the harsh weather in Ferrowland.

Tania answered, "I need to reach your mom first. Miss, the situation is urgent. I think you should..."