Page 39 of Serpent King's Revenge

And that, I was pretty sure, mattered.

“So what happened?” Lily asked.

“Long story, but Kenny wanted me to see him,” I said. “Those were his men.”

Lily nodded. “I get it. What did he say?”

"He wanted an update on Nathan," I said. "I convinced him to have his men intercept Nathan during his transport."

Lily drew a sharp breath, her hands clasping and unclasping at the hem of her top. Alex stayed quiet, his focus laser-sharp on me, as if trying to read between the lines.

"Did he say how?" Alex pressed.

"Details were murky," I confessed. "He was more interested in…other things."

A shudder threatened to break through my composure, but I willed it away. I couldn't afford to show weakness—not here, not now. Not when they needed me to be strong for Nathan, who, despite his capability for ruthless violence, had shown me who he really was. I wouldn't let them see how deeply Kenny's threats had cut, or how they made my skin crawl. The image of him, leering with intent, flashed across my mind, but I pushed it aside. No, this was about saving Nathan—and our unborn child.

"Alright," Alex finally said, breaking the silence that had settled over us. "We'll figure out the rest as we go. We always do."

There was that damn legendary recklessness. “We need to do better than that. If your dad does get him out, we need to figure out a way to extract him from Kenny’s grip right away.”

“I think she’s right, mate,” Jack piped up from the kitchen. “You need a better plan.”

Alex groaned. “If I wanted to know what the British thought, I would ask the Queen.”

Jack smirked. “The King.”

“What?”

“The Queen is dead.”

"Hell of a time to mention it," Alex grumbled.

"Look," Lily interjected, "I'm just glad you’re back. And I have news, too—Xinyi Li told me they're working on something for Nathan."

The way she said it, with a flicker of hope in her eyes, made my heart skip against my will. It was dangerous to let hope creep in, but I couldn't help it.

"Tell us," I urged.

"I didn’t just stay in the curio shop like you told me too. After I was sure I wasn’t being followed, I went to see her. And it went well, I think. Xinyi has connections that even Kenny might not expect." She hesitated, biting her lip. "Unfortunately…she had the same thought–to get Nathan out while he’s being transported. So Ba can intercept the convoy, then we’ll intercept Ba.”

"Intercept Ba?" Alex raised an eyebrow. "That's ballsy even for Xinyi."

"Desperate times," Lily murmured, her gaze fixed on some distant point.

"Okay, so we track the vehicle from a safe distance," I suggested. "Keep our heads down and wait for the right moment."

"Sounds like a plan straight out of a spy movie," Jack commented, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed.

"Life's turned into one, hasn't it?" I replied dryly.

"Let's gear up then," Alex said, his tone all business now. "We stick to the shadows, move fast, and stay silent. We react to whatever comes our way."

"Right," I agreed, feeling the absence of the weight of the gun that was normally hidden on me. I'd been trained for this, but nothing could've prepared me for the tangled web of loyalty and betrayal that came with infiltrating the Golden Serpents. Or falling for their would-be king.

"Remember, we can't afford to screw this up," Lily warned. "Ba will kill us…and he’ll make it hurt. But he definitely won’t spare Nathan.”

I nodded, suddenly feeling like I needed to throw up. I made my way to the bathroom. I needed a sanctuary, however brief.

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