Page 41 of Serpent King's Revenge

I stumbled forward, every step shooting pain through my ribs, feeling like a puppet with tangled strings. We didn't head back towards the cell block. Instead, we were moving toward the outside doors. My heart kicked against my chest—a futile effort, like a bird beating wings against a cage

"Where are you taking me?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. Abby…would she be able to find me? Did I even deserve to be found? No answer came, just the jingle of keys and the thud of boots on concrete.

A gust of cold air slapped me as the doors swung open, and I blinked against the brightness of the sun. They hustled me toward a nondescript white van parked by the curb. Before I knew it, I was being shoved inside, the interior dark after the brief encounter with daylight.

The door slammed shut behind me, and I took in my new companions—four guards clad in riot gear, looking ready for war rather than an escort detail . Their faces were hidden behind visors, their expressions a mystery. But it wasn't them that caught my attention.

There she was, sitting across from me like she was perched on a throne in some grimy back alley kingdom—Diane Hayes. Her smirk was like a slash across her face, and her eyes held that familiar glint of someone who played the game and knew she was winning.

"Nice of you to join us, Nathan," she said. I could only scowl back, the pain flaring in my side a sharp reminder of how we last parted ways.

"Missed me?" I shot back, despite the dryness in my throat.

Her laugh was short, devoid of genuine amusement.

"Like a hole in the head," she retorted, settling back in her seat with an air of casual indifference. The van's engine rumbled to life, and I felt the vehicle lurch beneath us as we pulled away from the prison. "Enjoying the accommodations in the clinic?"

"Beats getting worked over by your thugs," I grunted.

We rolled through the gates, the outside world a blur. I strained to see anything familiar through the front window, but all I got were flashes of gray and green. "Where are you taking me, Hayes?" My voice was hard, trying to sound tougher than I felt.

"Classified," she replied, her smirk never leaving her face. "You're not on the need-to-know list."

"Shouldn't I have a lawyer for this sort of thing?" I challenged, though my gut told me it wouldn't make a difference.

"Lawyer?" She laughed, short and sharp. "Nathan, you really think standard rules apply to you now?"

The van hit a pothole and my ribs cried out. I bit back a curse, glancing at Hayes. Her eyes were on me, like she was trying to read the pain on my face.

"Lawyer won't help you," she said, leaning back in her seat, casual like we were on some road trip. "You're not exactly innocent."

"Last I checked, everyone gets their day in court."

"Day in court?" She snorted. "Nathan, your situation's a bit beyond that. Think bigger."

I wanted to snap back, but with each jolt of the van, my body reminded me I wasn't in charge here. Instead, I watched her, trying to figure out what play she was making.

She knew more than she was telling me…and I was starting to believe she had an ulterior motive. I didn’t have anything to tell her that would be worth more than taking me down.

"Who's pulling your strings, Hayes?" I asked, hoping to get under her skin.

"Strings?" She grinned, revealing nothing. "Let's just say I'm not the only one interested in you."

"Sounds like you've got big plans for a guy you kept locked up."

"Plans change," she shrugged. "And you, Nathan, are adaptable. Or so I've heard."

I fixed her with a stare, ignoring the way my whole body ached. “You’ve been talking to my father,” I murmured.

Nobody reacted. The guards didn’t, Hayes didn’t. I didn’t think the driver or the guard in the passenger seat could hear me.

But I saw the look in Hayes’ eyes…and I knew I was in even more danger than I’d previously believed.

Because this was all part of my father’s game.

I knew my father had his claws deep in the criminal justice system, his influence running through the veins of the state and federal government like venom. I’d figured Abby’s old partner was crooked; it made sense that his supervisor would be, too. Especially since she’d taken her time with us, given Abby free reign to continue living with me when it was well outside of protocol.

It made it even clearer how hard it would be to escape my father.

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