Page 11 of Serpent King's Revenge

"Undercover?" Erika echoed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Since day one at the coffee shop. And Nathan…" I hesitated, the lump in my throat making it hard to continue. "He kidnapped me that night, but it's more complicated than that. I've been in love with him since the beginning. It's messed up, I know."

Tears blurred my vision, and I ducked my head in shame only to feel Erika's arms wrap around me in a comforting embrace. She’d moved over to sit next to me, listening even though I was sure I wasn’t making much sense.

"I need to get him back," I whispered against her shoulder.

"Back from where?" Her question was muffled in my hair.

"From jail. He was arrested for murdering my partner. My, uh, FBI partner. Not like a lover.”

“Oh, cool. Thanks for clarifying,” Erika said.

Once again, I laughed humorlessly. “I know that’s a lot.”

“I’m kind of just…ignoring that part about the murder,” she said. “I don’t really want to be part of that–but I’m here for the girl talk.”

She was so weird, but she’d always rolled with the punches–and in that moment, I was more grateful for that than ever. “I appreciate it.”

"So are you happy about the baby?" Erika pulled back, her eyes searching mine. "Or are you thinking about…options?"

I let out a laugh, though there was nothing funny about it—a reflex to the absurdity I was wading through. "Ecstatic," I confessed. "Under different circumstances. But now? It's a lot to process."

I could see the gears turning in Erika's head as the weight of my situation settled between us. A single tear escaped, trailing down my cheek. The life growing inside me was part of Nathan—a constant reminder of the love and chaos he'd brought into my life.

"Abby," she said softly, "this is huge. All of this—the FBI, the Triad, the risks…Nathan. And now a baby?"

"Yeah." I wiped at my cheek. "It's like walking a tightrope without a safety net."

"God, Abby." She hugged me again, tighter this time. "You're living a double life nobody even knows about. The danger you're in every day…"

"Comes with the territory," I said, trying to sound braver than I felt. "But you're right. If word gets out about the pregnancy, or if my cover's blown…"

"Let's not go there right now," Erika cut in. "Right now, you have me. And I’m glad you told me. Does anyone else know?”

“Only me. And now you.”

“Well, there you go. We got this.”

"Thanks, Erika. That means more than you know."

"Anytime, Abby. Anytime."

Fuck, I was so glad I had her. I was so glad I’d told her. She might not get all of this…but at least I could actually talk to her without any of the baggage that came with talking to a Zhou, no matter how much I loved them.

"Okay," she breathed, her brow furrowed in concentration. "You're saying that Nathan is…what, exactly? Some kind of mob boss?"

"Underboss," I corrected her, my voice low. It was dangerous even to whisper these truths, but Erika deserved to know why my world was on the brink of shattering. "And he's been arrested, which means there's going to be a power struggle within the organization. It's not just me at risk now—it's this baby too. And Nathan’s father…look, I can’t say much about this. Just know that he’s a fucked up person and he absolutely can’t know."

Erika leaned back, absorbing the gravity of my words. Her fingers tapped a staccato rhythm on the table.

"Jesus, Abby." Erika let out a sigh. "I can't even imagine what you're going through. But you've always been strong. I mean…”

“Yeah, well, Dad didn't raise a victim. He raised a fighter."

"And that's why…" Erika paused, her gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that was pure Erika—fierce loyalty mixed with unshakeable belief. "Well, it sounds like if anyone can get him out, it’s you."

Maybe she was right. Maybe I was the one who could navigate this labyrinth of loyalty and betrayal. After all, I had been doing it for months, living a double life that was now woven into my very being.

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