Dan was fuming-absolutely livid, to the point where he felt like he might explode.

He couldn''t believe it. The head honcho of ck Gate himself, and he and his crew had just gotten their asses handed to them by a woman. And if that wasn''t bad enough, he was walking around with two giant teeth marks on his arm for everyone to see.

His chest burned with frustration.

He shot a re at Carroll. "Scar never had to put up with crap like this."fn15c7 This text is hosted at f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?/fn15c7

Carroll''s eyes widened he knew Dan was right. Scar wouldn''t have. But that meant Carroll had to, and Dan had to as well.

Dan didn''t know what was running through Carroll''s mind. When Scar''s name came up, a sh of memory hit him-Xander, putting a bullet right between Scar''s eyes. Scar had been his right-hand man for years, always by his side. He''d made the call to go after Yvonne without asking Dan, and look where that got him. Dan still couldn''t let it go.

"You told me not to hurt her," Carroll grumbled, his voice thick with resentment.

That''s what pissed him off most. He''d taken that beating from a woman only because Dan had ordered him not toy a finger on Yvonne or her people. If it weren''t for that, he''d have snapped her neck and been done with it. No way he''d let her walk all over him otherwise.

Dan fell silent at the mention of Yvonne, refusing to continue the conversation.

Before he could change the subject, Carroll jumped in, "Mr. Schultz just arrived in Litamark."

Neither of them wanted to dwell on being bested by a woman, anyway.

At the mention of Xander, Dan''s eyes narrowed dangerously, a flicker of violence

in his gaze. He opened his eyes fully, the threat unmistakable.

"Where is he now?" Dan asked, his voice icy.

"We tracked his movements-right now, Mr. Schultz is "

BOOM! The sudden thunderous crash cut Carroll off mid-sentence. The entire manor shook violently.

Dan''s face darkened. "What the hell was that?"

Carroll looked rattled, immediately heading out to investigate. Earthquakes weren''t a thing in Litamark. And that sounded more like a bomb going off than anything else.

He returned quickly, face grim. "Sir."

Dan didn''t need to ask-he could tell something was seriously wrong.

"Speak."

"The front gates were blown open."

Carroll''s words were clipped, his anger obvious.

Dan''s breath caught, fury twisting his face. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"Who did it? Finch Murray?" he growled.

But that didn''t make sense-Finch

didn''t have time to pick a fight, not now. Dan knew he''d made the right call bringing Lacey in Her reputation ip ck Gate spoke for itself, and her return had thrown the whole organization into chaos. Derek and Finch were both running themselves ragged because of her.  s

"It was Mr. Schultz,” Carroll said, his jaw set.

Dan fell silent, the air between them thick and cold. A dangerous glint shed in his eyes as he curled his fingers into fists. Then just as quickly, a slow, ley smirk appeared on his lips.  s

"Well, well... He''s got some nerve."

Showing up in Litamark was bold enough. But to blow the front gates off his estate? That took guts.

"He''s brought backup," Carroll added. "No way he''d make this much noise otherwise."

Dan closed his eyes, exhaled, and when he opened them again, there was nothing but danger in his stare. He strode outside, not bothering to answer Carroll, who hustled after him.

Out front, the ruined gatesy in a heap. Dan looked up to see a sleek ck G-ss Mercedes parked by the curb. Xander was perched on the hood, tong legs casually crossed, looking every inch the man in control. Even the way his hair fell over his forehead seemed

effortlessly perfect.  s

Dan''s voice cut through the tension. "Xander!"

Xander took a slow drag from his cigar, azy smile on his lips. "Mr. Murray, enjoy the housewarming gift?"

Dan said nothing, the air between them crackling with hostility. Everyone present could feel the tension.

Before Dan could fire back, Xander exhaled a plume of smoke and asked, "Where''s my wife?"