Page 49 of Serpent King's Revenge

I leaned back against the seat, closing my eyes. I focused on the engine’s steady hum, on the tires speeding down the California highway.

"Abby, you need to hold it together," Knuckles said after a long silence.

I opened my eyes, meeting his gaze briefly. "I'm trying.”

"Trying won't cut it. You're in this now, all the way."

His words were harsh, but not unkind. They were the truth. I’d sworn myself to the Sisterhood of Vipers…and to Nathan. So I nodded, swallowing hard against the fear that threatened to choke me.

“You’re pretty good with a gun.”

“Well, I was trained at Quantico.”

“Don’t gotta brag about it,” he scoffed. “Listen, we've got one shot at getting out of this mess. One chance to turn the tables on those who think they can control us," he continued, glancing at me again with an intensity that burned even in the dim light of the car's interior. “Nathan would be alright if he was locked up, but Kenny has eyes everywhere. It’s a problem.”

“We have to get him out,” I said. “I won’t stop trying.”

“We will. I have a plan.”

"Tell me what to do," I said, my voice steadier now, a trace of resolve seeping back into my bones.

"First, we lay low. No use trying anything after the shit we stirred up.”

"But we can plan our next move," I said quietly.

"Exactly. And Abby?" Knuckles said, breaking into my thoughts once more. "You're stronger than you know. Don't forget that."

It sounded like he meant it.

It was just a shame I didn’t feel like it at all.

Chapter Twenty-Two: Abby

We drove through the night, off to reconnect with the rest of our group.

At this point, Kenny knew that I was on the other side…and it was only a matter of time until he sent his people after me. Just like Evelyn, my only choice left was to work with the insurgents–with Knuckles and the Sisterhood of Vipers–in the hope that we could free Nathan and unseat Kenny in the end.

It seemed hopeless.

When Nathan and I had been together, I’d thought we were invincible, that we could do anything. Now, he seemed further away from me than ever before.

We drove out to a little town in the foothills north of San Francisco, somewhere rural. I didn’t know Knuckles–not really–but he was a lifeline right now, and the only option I had left. Our plan had failed…but he didn’t seem even remotely deterred.

I needed to trust him now.

Needed to trust that he really did love Nathan’s mother…that he saw Nathan as a son.

Knuckles' grip was firm on my elbow as he steered me through the door of the nondescript little house. "You okay?"

"Fine," I lied, trying to sound convincing despite the dizziness. But as soon as we crossed the threshold, my legs practically gave way, betraying me, and I slumped against the nearest wall. The pregnancy was taking its toll, making each day a heavier burden than the last.

He sank to the ground to look at me, eyes wide. I kept my eyes locked on his, schooling my features into a mask of indifference. Years of FBI training had taught me well, how to hide what I felt, how to be a ghost in plain sight. But my body was less disciplined; the tightness in my shoulders sang a different tune, one of tension and unvoiced fears.

"Abby," Knuckles said, voice low, "I need you to talk to me if there's something wrong."

"Nothing's wrong that wasn't wrong an hour ago," I replied, forcing a thin smile. Nathan was gone, I was pregnant, Kenny wanted us dead…and I may have killed a federal agent.

Yeah. Everything was wrong.

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