Page 32 of Serpent King's Revenge

No one answered right away. I felt the pressure ease as some of the guards backed off, but hands still held me firm to the ground. I didn't try to move; knew it would only earn me more punches…and I didn’t know if I even could move. The adrenaline was wearing off and I was hurting everywhere.

It was bad. They’d really fucked me up.

"Looks like this place isn't secure enough," Hayes said after a moment, her voice carrying over the shuffle of uniforms. "He needs to be transferred."

The word echoed in my throbbing head. Away from Abby, from Justin, Lily…from everything.

"Make the arrangements," Hayes ordered, and I felt the guards haul me up to my feet. My vision swam, but I locked eyes with Hayes as best I could. She looked back, no sign of victory or defeat in her gaze, just the cool assessment of an agent doing her job—or so it seemed.

"Nice play," I rasped, tasting blood in my mouth.

"What are you talking about?" she said, a hint of amusement in her tone. "Just following protocol, Nathan."

I wanted to argue, to fight back, call out her game.

But words were pointless now, drowned in the sea of pain and the shuffling steps that dragged me toward whatever came next.

Chapter Thirteen: Abby

The sun was making its slow descent in the San Francisco sky, stretching shadows across the streets like fingers trying to snatch at my heels. I walked close to Lily, her black hair swinging against her dark brown cardigan with each step she took. The scent of garlic and five-spice from Xinyi Lin’s restaurant just ahead promised a feast, but my stomach knotted for a very different reason.

We were heading there not for dinner, but for help; I needed something—anything—to get Nathan free.

"Smells good, doesn't it?" Lily said, a note of innocence in her voice that made me wish for simpler times. I knew she was just trying to make conversation, to keep us distracted. I appreciated it.

"Sure does," I replied, my tone light, but my eyes never stopped their surveillance. Dad always said an agent's greatest weapon was their instinct, and mine was firing on all cylinders. There was a ripple in the usual flow of the crowd, a break in the pattern that screamed trouble.

I caught it then—the black SUV creeping along the street. Its windows were tinted to the darkest shade, hiding its occupants. The car was sleek, its movements predatory, and I knew without doubt these were Kenny's men.

My muscles tensed, ready for the dance I'd practiced since boys thought they could push me around in school.

"Lil, don’t stop moving. There’s someone here.”

“Who?”

“Trouble," I muttered under my breath, barely audible over the hum of city life.

"Ba’s?" Lily asked, her voice low as she followed my gaze.

"Has to be Kenny. They’re not being subtle, but if you weren’t his daughter, I assume they would have come for us already."

We kept walking, our pace steady, acting the part of two women simply enjoying the cool evening air. But inside, my mind raced through scenarios, exits, and defensive maneuvers. Jeans and a white shirt—the uniform of the unremarkable—were my armor, but they offered little comfort against the cold calculation of the Triad.

"Stay sharp," I whispered to Lily. And as the sedan lurched forward, matching our strides, I readied myself for what was coming next.

“Should we run?”

“No, we’ll just call attention to ourselves,” I said.

“So what should we do?”

"Split up," I hissed. "It's our best shot."

Lily's eyes widened, but she gave a firm nod. God, I loved this girl. She was so brave.

"Go left at the next block," I instructed, my voice barely above a whisper, "Circle back to the curio shop back there and blend in."

“Shouldn’t we keep going? Xinyi could protect us–”

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