Page 45 of Serpent King's Revenge

Murderous little thing.

I took a deep breath…

…and pulled.

The sound of the gunshot echoed through the air, a deafening crack that seemed to still the world for just an instant.

Then chaos resumed, louder and harsher than before.

I didn’t see where my bullet hit; didn’t see Diane fall. My singular focus was now on the space where Nathan had been, now obscured by gangsters clashing with the cops. I fired again and again, pushing forward like a woman possessed.

The battle raged around me: Triad against Fed, Vipers against Serpents. But as the bullets whizzed past my head and screams ripped through the air, all I could think of was Nathan.

I found the place where he’d been, all I saw was a retreating cop hauling him away. I tried to run after him–

But someone grabbed my ankle, sent me to the ground.

Motherfucker.

Of course she was still alive–this fucking monster, the one thing standing between me and Nathan. Her grip was steely, her eyes wild with desperation.

We were the flip sides of the same coin–the FBI agent who’d betrayed everything she knew for love…and the other staying true to the cause.

But I couldn't let her stop me. Not now.

"Abby!" she cried out, but her plea fell on deaf ears. “Remember your oath!”

I only knew one oath–to the Sisterhood of Vipers, and to Nathan Zhou.

I stomped down hard on her hand, grimacing as her fingers released their hold. She cried out in pain, the sound lost in the chaos around us.

I didn’t sprint toward the van because she managed to grab her gun and trained it at me. I dropped low, twisting under the belly of a nearby car as Diane's shots whizzed scant inches over my head. Grit and asphalt bit into my palms as I skittered across the ground, eyes locked on my target.

But Diane was up again, and she was running toward me. I had no idea where she had gotten the strength, but it didn't matter. I had to beat her to Nathan.

I had to get him out.

Launching myself forward, I darted from behind the car and sprinted towards Nathan's new prison, one of the armored trucks. Diane was hot on my heels, screaming.

“You betrayed everything, you bitch! Your father would be so damn disappointed…”

It was a battle of endurance, of who wanted it more. I raced forward, away from Diane–

–a man stepped in my way, staggering away from some other fighter. He was wearing a suit–one of Kenny’s men–and he lunged at me with a savage roar. Instinct and training kicked in, and I rolled beneath his grasp, the man’s fingers brushing past my shoulder. Pushing hard against the ground, I sprang to my feet and spun around, raising my gun just as he recovered and charged at me again.

My bullet found its mark, ripping through the man’s chest, his momentum stalled as he collapsed onto the pavement in front of me.

I was losing count of the people I’d killed.

Maybe that was what it meant to accept this life.

I sprinted towards the van, my chest burning and legs aching. Diane was still behind me, I was sure of it. Desperation fueled my adrenaline as I closed in on the van, each stride taking me closer to Nathan.

Then my ponytail tightened–tugged hard. I was yanked back by my hair, and I caught sight of Diane for a split second as she pulled me to the ground, into the dirt…

Off the side of the highway and into a deep ditch.

We both rolled, picking up pine needles and dirt, my breath leaving me in a big woosh. I was dizzy, nauseous. I worried about my baby.

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