Cross My Tigress Face the Wrath (Stella)

Here's your adapted, localized version as a Western-style English novel:

This time, the challenge was running with weighted legs.

"This island is half again as big as the last one. Five laps," Yvonne ordered.

"Five laps around this place?" Susanna groaned.

The island was bigger than before. Running five laps with weights-her legs would be toast by the end of it!

Chloe just nodded, face serious as ever.

Susanna tried to protest, "I want to practice shooting, not run circles all day."

She felt like she was already fast enough. She wanted something more practical.

Chloe knew exactly what Susanna was thinking.

"Don't underestimate these little runs," she said. "When it comes down to it, running fast can save your life."

Susanna sighed. “...

Fine, whatever.

11

She knew by now that if Yvonne said jump, she had no choice but to ask how high. If she didn't finish her training, she'd probably have to go without dinner. Life here was rough, to say the least.

The next week was brutal.

Compared to her time on Sybil Island, Susanna's new routine was ten times harder. As her stamina improved, Yvonne just kept piling on new challenges.noveldrama

Every morning and night, she'd run five weighted laps around the island. Then there was Moon Peak-she had to summit it twice a day, no exceptions.

On top of that came hacking drills, target practice, knife skills...

Everything Susanna had never tried before, she was thrown into headfirst.

Her shooting? Way better than before. She could now hit an apple dead center three times in a row.

Still, Yvonne wasn't satisfied.

Two weeks flew by.

In just half a month, Susanna was almost unrecognizable-inside and out. Her skin, once pale and soft, was now tanned and tough from the sun and wind. She was totally focused, training harder than she ever thought possible.

Meanwhile, the outside world had turned upside down.

Especially for Dan. When he heard that Lincoln had gone straight to Lacey's side

at Black Gate, he was in a foul mood.

"Hull's really thrown down the gauntlet now," Dan muttered, his voice dark.

Carroll, his right-hand man, replied, "Miguel knows about the Sybil Island job. Some of our guys were involved."

Knowing didn't matter, though. What stung was that their side didn't get what they wanted.

Dan's mood had been icy for days. He took a sip of coffee and asked, "What's the situation with the matriarch?"

Lincoln was with Lacey now, which only put Derek in a tighter spot.

Carroll shrugged. "She and the old man are at each other's throats. They don't

have time for anything else right now."

Dan rubbed his temples. "That won't last forever."

Lincoln must've figured out that Dan's people were on Sybil Island that night. He'd missed catching Lincoln there by a hair.

Dan put his mug down and looked up, eyes cold and sharp.

"We're going back to Black Gate," he said in a low voice.

"Now?" Carroll frowned-this was

probably

the worst posset

Lacey and Dan Duff were lock vicious power struggle.

Dan just gave a cold chuckle. "Now's perfect."

ina

It was chaos already, and with Hull meddling, Black Gate was more unstable than

ever-which was exactly what Dan wanted.

Carroll nodded. "I'll get things ready. And what about Miss Aira Wilson?"

Aira! She'd been by Dan's side lately, causing her own share of trouble.

Dan's eyes flashed with irritation. "Take her with us," he said, voice like ice.

"Yes, sir."

The Wilson family was still useful to

Dan. But the thought of

Yvonne and especially her marriage to Xander gave him a splitting headache.