14. Chapter Fourteen Abby

Chapter Fourteen: Abby

I was back in the Serpent’s Den.

I could smell the damp earth in the packed walls around me, a web of Prohibition-era tunnels that offered no chance of escape. I was blindfolded, but I tried to memorize the directions we went in–left, right, left again. We’d entered from a different place than Nathan had taken me for my initiation, but I could do this.

I had to believe I could get free.

“Down the hall,” the man who had grabbed me said. “Keep walking.”

I told myself that if Kenny wanted to kill me, I would already be dead—but I didn’t see myself getting away from all these men.

Fuck.

I was only freed from my blindfold once we got inside the den, my eyes slowly adjusting to the new light. Kenny’s office was just ahead, behind a golden door. As I crossed the threshold into his office, time seemed to slow, my senses sharpening under the weight of the moment. The place smelled like history—a blend of oolong tea, seasoned wood, and worn leather that brought an unexpected comfort.

But there was nothing comforting about Kenny Zhou, the Serpent, who sat shrouded in shadows behind his desk.

"Sit down, Abby," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. He didn't look at me, but I felt his awareness as tangible as the delicate china in his hands.

Steam rose between us.

I settled into the chair across from Kenny, my spine rigid against the ornate backrest. The exits were etched into my mind's map, escape routes planned, even as I lamented the absence of the comforting weight of a gun at my side.

"Tell me how Nathan is doing," he murmured.

I tried to swallow down the lump in my throat. “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him.”

“Aren’t you his fiancee?”

I could tell he was trying to push my buttons…and I hated him.

"Do you know he's in jail?" I asked.

"Of course I do," Kenny replied without missing a beat, his gaze fixed on me with an unsettling calmness. “I know everything."

I watched him, wondering if he knew how much Nathan had told me about him. A pause lingered in the air before he continued, coolly detached. "And don't put too much stock in what he says. Nathan has always had a problem with the truth."

I recognized the armor in his words immediately. Kenny was circling the wagons around himself, likely aware that I had gathered extensive intel on his operations and his vulnerabilities. Yet there was more to it than mere self-preservation; this man was a monster who had terrorized his own flesh and blood. The abuse Nathan had suffered at his hands was something I couldn't, wouldn't, overlook.

As our eyes locked, I pieced together my next move. My mind conjured images of retribution, each one ending with Kenny's downfall. It was more than justice; it was a promise to myself.

I would be the one to end his reign of terror.

"Mr. Zhou," I began, my voice steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins. "Nathan isn't doing anyone any good in jail." I watched him closely, gauging his reaction as I ventured into dangerous territory with my next words. "All he wants is to make his father proud."

The air seemed to still around us with the weight of my statement. Kenny's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. It was a fleeting moment where something unguarded flashed across his features—anger, perhaps, or the sting of paternal disappointment.

It was hard to tell with a man whose emotions were as guarded as his criminal empire.

"Let's talk about what we can do to change that situation," I said, my voice laced with a confidence I hoped would carry me through what was to come.

Kenny studied me with a skeptical eye, the silence stretching out between us. He leaned back in his chair, his face impassive but his eyes…those damned eyes flickered with caution, suspicion.

"You're in no position to change anything," he said finally, his tone ice-cold. His dismissive gaze swept over me, assessing,picking apart my audacity, my gall to confront him.

But I wasn't deterred. If anything, his resistance fueled the flames that had slowly been building within me since I'd first heard about Nathan's arrest.

“Then why am I here? You must think I’m useful somehow if you had your men grab me off the street.”

“I thought you might provide some insight into what’s happening with Nathan.”

"I can't help you if you don't trust me," I replied, my words measured and calm. There it was, the bait. A simple phrase that could either reel him in or send him back into his fortified shell. My heart pounded in my chest, but I maintained my composed exterior.

"I don't trust anyone, Abigail," Kenny declared, and there was no mistaking the warning in his stern gaze.

“Why?” I asked, innocently. Kenny didn’t know I was an FBI agent. If he did, I would be dead. “We’re about to be family.”

Kenny Zhou stared at me, his dark eyes probing mine for signs of deceit. In that moment, my cover as Abby Harper was more than just an act–it was my lifeline. I was not the trained FBI agent with a personal vendetta against him; I was merely a woman who loved his son and wanted to see justice served.

His gaze softened ever so slightly and for an instant, I saw another side to the ruthless Serpent–a father, perhaps unsure of his place in his son's life. But just as quickly that glimpse vanished, replaced by the calculated glare of a man who had learned not to trust easily.

"You've got guts," he said. “I can see why my son loves you.”

I swallowed, mouth dry. Kenny's words hung in the air. I knew what women with guts were to Kenny…I knew he’d killed his wife.

I was afraid. Terrified. I let it show; he would want to see that, expect it.

The air thickened as we sat in silence, his fingertips grazing the fine china with calculated ease. Each sip he took was measured, his brown eyes fixed on me over the rim of his cup. He knew my game–challenging the loyalty of his son as leverage. But this was no mere bluff; it was a gambit.

"Kenny," I started, my voice steady despite the nerves coiled tight within my gut. I knew I had to do this, even if it might give me away. “I have an idea."

“Do you?” he said with a belittling smile. “I’m listening.”