Page 19 of Serpent King's Revenge

"Okay, okay. Slow down," Jack's voice was calm, calculated. "Tell me what you need."

"Alex," I started, the name catching slightly in my throat. "Nathan didn't have a choice in what he did, but now Kenny—his own father is after him, and Alex too. Alex has been trying to lay low, avoid getting caught in Kenny's crossfire, but with Nathan gone…he's vulnerable."

"Christ." The word was a hiss of frustration from Jack. "Where's Alex now?"

"Hidden. But he can't stay there forever," I said. "Kenny won't stop until he finds him, and without Nathan…"

"Say no more," Jack cut in. "I've got a place in San Diego. Secluded, off the books. I can take Alex there."

My heart skipped—I mean, it felt like it stopped for a second before pounding again. Relief flooded through me, warm and welcome as sunlight after an endless night.

"Really?" I asked, cautious hope flickering within me. "You'd do that?"

"Of course." There wasn't a hint of hesitation in Jack's tone. "Nathan is family to me. And now so are you. Congrats, by the way. Nathan has always had excellent taste.”

"Thank you," I breathed out, the words barely audible even to my own ears. "Thank you, Jack."

"Keep your head down," he advised. "I'll arrange everything and get back to you."

"Okay," I said, feeling a rare smile tug at my lips. "Please be careful."

He laughed. “Abby, you don’t have to tell me to be careful,” he said. “I should be saying that to you.”

I was about to hang up, but Jack wasn’t finished..

"There’s something else," he said. "You need to reach out to Knuckles next. He’ll know what to do about Nathan. I can take care of Alex."

“Knuckles?” I said. “Wait–did you know about–”

And just like that, he hung up.

I tried to stop the nausea that threaten to overwhelm me–a fun new sensation that kept getting in the way of my plans. Thanks, kid. I walked outside to the living room again, where Justin, Lily and Derek were still sitting on the couch, talking quietly. Derek looked frazzled, like he’d just gotten out of bed.

They stopped talking as soon as they saw me. “Everything okay?”

I nodded. “Jack’s going to look after Alex for now, so you guys don’t have to worry about that.”

“Good,” Lily said. “That’s good.”

I rubbed my temple. “He also told me to call Knuckles, so that’s what I’m going to do. Does anyone have his number?"

Lily’s phone was in her hands in a heartbeat, and my phone chimed a second later.

“Just sent you his contact card,” Lily said. “But I already tried to get in touch with him and he isn’t picking up.”

Justin fished his phone from his pocket, his hand trembling slightly. “I’ll give it a shot,” he murmured. “He is…well, he is my dad, after all.”

Derek placed a comforting hand on Justin’s back, rubbing it slowly as he shook his head. Their cat tiptoed along the back of the couch, like she knew Justin was going through it. “This is…fucking nuts,” Derek said under his breath, meeting my eyes.

I nodded, flashing him a hapless smile. “Welcome to the Zhou family.”

Justin sat with the phone to his ear, ringing and ringing…and he sighed and hung up when it went to voicemail. "Damn it," Justin muttered, wiping a hand over his face. The poor kid looked like he was on the verge of giving up, and guilt gnawed at me for dragging him deeper into this mess.

But I knew what to do next.

The only thing I could do…even if it meant facing the inevitable judgment of the law.

Or, in my case, my father.

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