Page 100 of Serpent King's Prisoner

I slid the phone in first, followed by the knife—my lifelines tucked into a makeshift grave in the wall. The stone fit back with a satisfying snugness, and I wiped away any lingering dust, leaving no trace of my intrusion. A simple shower had never felt so much like a covert operation.

My heart was pounding so hard in my chest I felt dizzy.

I managed to stand up, barely. As I stepped under the scalding water, the droplets pattered against my skin, an ironic mimicry of the tension coursing through me. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Tyler might not understand the gravity of what I was doing, that he might try to pull me out before my work here was done. And every second wasted on extraction plans was a second closer to being found out.

With every moment in this house, every breath I took, I was closer to unraveling the secrets that bound these walls. The Triad’s heartbeat was within reach, and I was the FBI’s stethoscope—silent, concealed, listening. I dried myself when I stepped out with one of Nathan’s towels.

As I pulled on my clothes, the fabric clinging to my skin, I couldn’t shake the fear that one wrong move from Tyler could send everything crashing down.

I really hoped he would listen to me.

With a fleeting glance at the now indistinguishable stone, I stepped into the role of Abby Harper once more. The art history grad, the girl next door—none the wiser to the sins that seeped through these halls. My heart steadied itself, ready for another round.

Maybe he wouldn’t think of me as just a hole when I put him behind bars for life.

But as I left the steam behind, stepping back into the lion’s den, I couldn’t help but wonder: Was I the predator or the prey?

And in the end, would it even matter?

Chapter Forty-Five: Nathan

The sterile smell of the hospital slammed into me as soon as I burst through the sliding doors. It was a scent that promised both healing and heartbreak, and right then, I wasn’t sure which one my family would be facing. I brushed past the nurses and visitors with single-minded intensity; nothing mattered except getting to Justin’s room.

“Room 305,” I muttered under my breath, repeating the text I’d received from Lily. I dodged a gurney wheeling by with a precision that only years of navigating the tight alleys and crowded markets of San Francisco could teach. My boots echoed loudly on the linoleum floor, announcing my presence long before I reached the door.

I found it slightly ajar, and without knocking, I pushed it open. The sight that greeted me pulled at something deep in my chest—Ma and Lily were there, but Ba and Alex were conspicuously absent. Lily sat quietly, her face drawn tight with worry, while Ma paced near the window, her fingers working a string of jade prayer beads.

Justin lay there, still as stone on the hospital bed, machines beeping a haunting rhythm that filled the otherwise silent room. Lily’s hand was clasped over his, her eyes fixed on his pale face, willing him to wake up. Ma’s pacing had worn an invisible path in the floor, her movements restless and anxious, but her eyes never strayed far from Justin.

“Ma,” I said, my voice rougher than I intended.

She spun around at the sound of my voice, and for a moment, she just looked at me. Her eyes were red-rimmed, the same deep brown as mine, mirroring a storm of emotions—fear, relief, love.

Then, with a sob she seemed unable to hold back, she crossed the few steps between us and wrapped me in a trembling embrace.

“Nathan, I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered, her breath warm against my neck.

I hugged her back, feeling the tight knot in my own throat. “Of course, Ma. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

We stayed like that for a heartbeat longer before she pulled away, wiping at her tears with the sleeve of her blouse. She glanced back toward Justin, her expression softening with a mother’s love, before returning her weary gaze to me.

“What happened?” My eyes flicked between her and Lily, searching for answers. “How is he?”

Lily glanced at Ma, a silent conversation passing between them before she spoke. “Justin and his boyfriend were at the club. Both got caught up in the attack.”

The words hit like a sucker punch. I felt my pulse thunder in my ears, a mix of shock and an all-too-familiar anger bubbling up. “His boyfriend? I didn’t even know he...why didn’t he tell me?”

“Justin kept it close to the chest,” Lily said, her voice soft but steady. “He was scared about how the Serpents would react if they found out.”

“Found out what?” I pushed, needing to hear it out loud, though I already knew.

“About him being gay, Nathan.” There was a hint of steel in Lily’s tone now, a protective edge that I recognized all too well. “And he was right to be worried. Ba and Alex...they left as soon as they heard.”

Their reaction shouldn’t have surprised me—Ba had his old-fashioned ways, and Alex always tried too hard to impress. But it gutted me all the same. That they could just walk away from my little brother when he needed them most...

“Where’d they go?” I asked, my voice low and dangerous, a familiar itch for action working its way under my skin.

“Didn’t say,” Lily replied, her eyes not leaving mine. “Just mentioned something about paying a visit to another room.”

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