Page 29 of Serpent King's Revenge

"Like I said, she hates him as much as we do," Alex said.

"Okay," Lily said after a pause that felt like forever. "When do we meet her?"

"Tonight," Alex replied. "Her restaurant. After it closes."

"You can’t meet her,” I said. “That’s insane. Kenny will just see you as sitting ducks.”

Jack, sitting on the perch of the sofa, wearing a stone-faced expression, spoke up. "I'll go. She doesn't know me. I’ll be…less conspicuous."

“Maybe I’m missing something, but aren’t you the heir apparent to the Kensington mafia family of San Diego?” I asked him.

He shrugged, a blunt veneer of confidence that only people like him could muster. "Who said Kensington’s son can't take a trip to San Francisco?"

“You might get away with being this cocky down there, but you have to be careful here. They’ll know who you are,” I said, pacing around the tidy living room. “No. It needs to be someone else.”

"Then who?" Lily's voice carried the weight of her frustration. "You know our father has eyes everywhere. He’ll find out Alex is there in a heartbeat."

I stopped pacing, turning to face them. "I'll go.”

"Abby, no," Justin protested, his dark eyes narrowing in objection. "It's too risky for you."

"Exactly why it has to be me," I countered, meeting his gaze with equal intensity. "Kenny's looking for you, not me. I'm just an art history grad slinging coffee next door. Remember?"

Lily watched us with a mix of appreciation and concernn. She was young, but this life had aged her beyond her years.

"I'll go with you," she offered after a moment of silence that seemed to stretch across eternity. "Xinyi knows me. She trusts me. The women in this life…we get each other."

"Absolutely not," Alex snapped, his tone uncompromising. But there was a tremor there, the fear for his sister's safety clear in his eyes.

"Alex, listen to me," I said, stepping closer to him. "Lily’s presence could make all the difference. Xinyi respects her, and Lily understands the stakes. She's not some naive kid. We were both inducted into the Triad; we’ve got each other’s backs."

"Abby's right," Jack finally chimed in, breaking his silence. "We need to play this smart, and having Lily there is smart."

"Fine," Alex grumbled after what felt like an agonizing eternity. "But you two be careful, okay? Ba's not just our problem; he's a monster to anyone who crosses his path."

"Understood," I nodded, locking eyes with each of them in turn. I knew the game we were playing was dangerous, but we were taking control of the board, one move at a time.

"Let's do this," Lily said, her voice surprisingly steady.

It was settled then.

We would meet Xinyi Lin and navigate through the treacherous waters of the mafia underworld together. For Alex, for Justin, for all of us caught in the crossfire of Kenny Zhou's relentless pursuit of power.

And, most importantly, for Nathan.

And for his unborn child.

For our unborn child.

Chapter Twelve: Nathan

Iwas still in jail, yes—but at least this wasn’t solitary.

The ghost that had been dogging my every step since I landed here was gone. The cold, empty cell they tossed me into didn't bother me. No lawyer to hear my side, just walls and silence…but I had a window and a newspaper to read, and that was enough.

There was, of course, the ever-looming threat of a hit from one of Ba's loyal snakes.

But that was something I could focus on to stop myself from going insane.

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