35. Chapter Thirty-Five Nathan

Chapter Thirty-Five: Nathan

M y siblings had never been inside my home, but of course, it was Abby who brought us together.

She moved around the kitchen with ease, her hands deftly uncorking a bottle of Napa Sauvignon Blanc and filling the glasses one by one. The rich aroma of garlic and cream filled the air, mingling with the smooth, fruity flavor of the wine.

"Here you go, guys," Abby said, handing out the glasses as she flashed that warm smile of hers that seemed to light up the dim space.

I grabbed a glass, the cool stem against my palm, and turned to see Lily reaching out for hers with a smirk dancing on her lips. "You sure about this?" I asked her, raising an eyebrow. She was twenty, a year shy of legal, and I couldn't help but play the overprotective big brother.

Lily rolled her eyes, her hand closing around the stem of the wine glass. "Please," she scoffed, her voice laced with sarcasm. "I come from a family of career criminals; you really think this is the law we should be following?"

Laughter erupted from all of us. Even I couldn't suppress the chuckle that rose in my throat at her defiance. In our world, rules were more like suggestions, and yet, some part of me still clung to the hope that not every line needed to be crossed.

Especially when it came to my siblings, I was committed to ensuring they got to live a normal life.

…but I guessed we could bend the rules just this once.

We settled in, gathering around the kitchen island laden with steaming bowls of shrimp Alfredo. The casual setting felt foreign, yet fitting for what was to come. We never sat down for dinner without my parents, in their home, under Ba's ironclad rule. Here, we could relax.

And we could speak freely about all the things Ba made sure we left unsaid.

As we dug into the food, I watched them eat—their faces relaxed, their guards momentarily down—and warmth spread through me. I caught Abby's eye across the island, and for a moment, it was just us in a silent exchange of gratitude. She gave me a subtle nod, and I knew she felt it too, the significance of this small act of normalcy amidst our chaos.

It was then, surrounded by the clink of forks against plates and the low murmur of conversation, that I felt the surge of love for these people—my family. It wasn't perfect, far from it. But they were mine, and I was theirs, bound by blood and a shared history that was as dark as it was deep. Abby, though not tied by blood, had become just as much a part of this tapestry, her presence a soothing balm to the rough edges of our collective soul.

"Pass the parmesan, will you?" Lily's voice cut through my thoughts, and I obliged, sliding the cheese across the marble countertop.

This was family—flawed, broken, but together.

Justin was the first to finish, pushing his plate aside with a satisfied grunt. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then fixed me with a look that meant business. "Nathan, what the heck is going on? You've got us all on the edge of our seats."

I sighed, putting my fork down. It was time to cut through the pretense. "I've been in touch with Alex."

The room fell silent, all eyes on me. Lily's fork clattered against her plate, her complexion losing its color. Justin leaned forward, the lines etched into his forehead deepening.

"Is he okay?" Justin's voice was tight, the concern for our brother palpable in those three words.

"Yeah, he's okay," I said, avoiding their gazes as I focused on a water stain blooming like a stubborn weed on the table.

"Where is he?" Lily asked.

"Staying hidden," I told them. "Which is good—he shouldn't tell any of us where he is. We're all safer not knowing."

Justin's eyes widened, and he exchanged a glance with Lily, who looked like she might be sick. The weight of our family's legacy seemed to press down on us all, suffocating the easy atmosphere from just moments ago.

"So you don't think he's responsible for the bombings?" Justin asked.

I fixed my gaze on him. "Do you?"

"Hell no," Justin shook his head. "Alex isn't smart enough to pull that off."

Lily snorted in response, nodding in agreement, as if to say ‘obviously'. She put her wine glass down with more force than necessary. "Do you have any clue who is responsible, Nathan?"

Her gaze was sharp, as was Justin's. They were smart—smarter than I'd ever given them credit for, and certainly smarter than Ba believed them to be. The room seemed to close in on me as I prepared to drop the revelation that had been burning a hole in my chest. "I...I think Knuckles might be behind all this."

The words hung heavy in the air. Lily's eyes went wide as saucers, and Justin's mouth gaped open, struggling to process the accusation against the man who was like an uncle to us.

"Knuckles?" Lily whispered, disbelief etched into every feature.

Justin's face was a canvas of hurt and confusion. "But Knuckles…he practically raised us. There's no way he would hurt me, or any of us, and the bombing that hurt me and Derek…he wouldn't have done that."

I watched him, my heart aching for the brother who had always found solace in the rough affection of our de facto uncle. But there was no room for doubt—not when our lives hung on a razor's edge.

"Think about it, Justin. Think hard," I urged, my voice still as steady as I could manage.

Lily had gone quiet, the gears turning behind her eyes as she chewed on a piece of shrimp, lost in thought.

It was Abby who broke the silence, her voice calm yet carrying an undercurrent of urgency. "We don't know if Knuckles is working alone or with others—co-conspirators who want to hurt the family."

She glanced around at each of us, her gaze lingering a beat longer on me before continuing, "That's why we wanted you here, to be safe, to be together. Things are changing, and your dad has already gone rogue on Alex."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop at the mention of our father. Justin leaned back in his chair, arms crossed over his chest as if bracing against the cold truth Abby laid out.

"Sticking together is our best shot now," she said, a fierce determination lighting her eyes. "You need to watch each other's backs."

Lily nodded slowly, like she was still processing all of this—then her fork clattered against her plate, a sharp sound that cut through the conversation. Her face was taut with anger as she stared across the island at me. "I hate him," she spat out, the words like venom. "Ba doesn't deserve to lead anymore. Not after everything he's done."

I held her gaze, feeling the weight of her fury and the truth in her words. "It's dangerous to talk like that, Lil," I warned, even though part of me echoed her sentiment.

"Nate, you know better than anyone how horrible he is," Lily shot back, her voice hard as steel. "What he's done to Ma…"

Her eyes blazed with a hatred so palpable it made the room feel smaller, the air around us charged with her rage.

In a quieter tone, almost hesitant, she asked, "Does Abby know?"

Abby's hand found mine under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She nodded once, her expression somber. "I know everything," she said softly.

The room fell silent then, each of us lost in our own thoughts about the man who was supposed to protect us but had become our greatest threat. The sounds of the city outside faded into the background, leaving only the ticking of the clock on the wall to fill the void.

I sighed deeply, the weight of our family legacy heavy on my shoulders. Abby's presence was soothing, the only thing keeping me anchored as we navigated these treacherous waters.

"Listen," I started, my voice cutting through the thick atmosphere that had settled around us. "We need to figure out these fires first—and who's targeting the Zhou family—then we can discuss replacing Ba." I scanned the faces of my siblings, their expressions a mix of shock and contemplation.

Justin and Lily both stared at me, disbelief etched into their features. "You'd really be willing to do that?" Justin asked, his tone laced with uncertainty.

I nodded slowly, the decision cementing itself within me. "Yes," I said firmly, locking eyes with them both. "I know he's a monster. And I want you, Ma, all of us, to be safe." My words hung in the air, a vow that I intended to keep. "But we handle the immediate threat first: the bomber going after the Zhous. Then we'll figure out how to take down Ba."

Abby's hand tightened around mine, her silent support giving me strength. Her other hand rested on the table, her wedding ring catching the light—a symbol of our united front.

Justin ran a hand through his hair, leaning back in his chair as the weight of my words sunk in. Lily's fists clenched on the table, her jaw set. They knew what was at stake, and they were ready to stand with me.

"Okay," Justin finally said, his voice steady. "Let's do this."

Lily gave a sharp nod, her eyes fierce. "We're with you, Nate. All the way."

For the first time since we'd sat down to dinner, a sense of unity seemed to fill the room. We were in this together, bound not just by blood, but by a shared purpose—to protect our family and to right the wrongs that threatened to tear us apart.

Kenny Zhou's reign of terror had an expiration date—and we were putting the pieces in place to get rid of him for good.